Culture bids ‘must benefit county regardless of outcome’

Bids by three Herefordshire market towns to become UK Town of Culture 2028, and a further bid by Hereford to be named City of Culture in 2029, should drive a greater focus on the county’s attractions, whether or not they win, according to county chiefs.

So far Leominster, Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye, along with neighbouring Hay-on-Wye and Ludlow, are expected to submit bids for the first-ever Town

of Culture accolade, which would mean £3.5 million award to fund a cultural programme in the winning town, but which must be in by the end of this month.

Shortlisted towns will each get £60,000 to help deliver full bids. But with six submissions also going in from neighbouring Shropshire, and seven from Cornwall alone, the likely UK-wide tally could well hit 100, making it a long shot for each competing town.

Ross councillor Ed O’Driscoll, who has appeared on TV to promote his town’s bid, told county colleagues he had been “extremely heartened” not just by the bids but also “the number of people that have come forward with some very exciting ideas”.

He said that “regardless of the outcome”, these ideas and initiatives “could be moved forward in other ways in the future”.

Leominster councillor Mark Woodall added he hoped the council would use the bids “to strengthen long-term cultural foundations such as creative infrastructure of performance spaces”, leading to “lasting investment rather than short-term ambition”.

Council leader Jonathan Lester said the bids should serve as “a great opportunity for us to do a stock check of what we can really promote”.

“Not just in Weobley – we can film everywhere in Herefordshire,” he said.

“Once we’ve gone through these bids, we can’t lose that learning, we need to use it, and I look forward to this council supporting the bids in any way it can.”

The council has been working with local charity Meadow Arts to prepare a Hereford city bid entitled “A Living Borderland”, that “shows how culture can thrive across a rural county”, and which would be worth £10 million to the county if successful.