'We have a brilliant life here': Shropshire town ramps up work on Town of Culture bid
As work ramps up on a county town's bid to become the UK’s first ever Town of Culture, residents, students, schoolchildren and businesses are being asked to have their say.
The work to prepare Shrewsbury's bid is being advanced through a set of surveys designed to put "the community’s voice at the heart of the initial application".
There are a series of surveys, for adults, students aged 14 to 8, primary school children aged four to seven, and primary school children aged eight to 11, along with Shrewsbury's businesses.
Highlighting the preparation work Shrewsbury BID said: "The UK Government’s first ever Town of Culture competition offers an amazing opportunity for Shrewsbury to cement its place as one of the most attractive places to visit, live and work in the UK.
"If shortlisted, Shrewsbury would be awarded £60,000 to deliver its full bid – including building cultural capacity and further community engagement in the region.
"If the town wins outright, £3 million would be awarded for investment in the town’s culture – a sum that would be transformative at a time when funding for cultural programmes is increasingly difficult to come by.
"To build the strongest possible case to the judging panel, Town of Culture bid partners Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury BID have developed five tailored surveys to gather feedback from different groups across the community, including young children.
"Each one asks about experiences of culture in Shrewsbury, what the town does well, and what people would love to see more of."
The surveys must be completed by March 28 and all responses are anonymous.
Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Alex Wagner, said, "Shrewsbury has a brilliant cultural life, and this bid is an opportunity to show that to the rest of the country - and to invest in it in a way that benefits everyone.
“The strongest bid we can make is one that reflects what people here actually want, and that means hearing from everyone, not just adults, not just business owners, but young people too, who have the biggest stake in what Shrewsbury’s identity as a town looks like in the years ahead. Please do take a few minutes to share your views with us.”
Seb Slater, Executive Director of Shrewsbury BID, which developed the surveys, said: “The more voices the partnership hears from across Shrewsbury, the stronger the case that can be made on the town’s behalf. Winning Town of Culture would be a genuine gamechanger for Shrewsbury's businesses - bringing a range of benefits including a major boost in profile, and the investment it would make possible in the events and experiences that bring people into town.”
Shrewsbury is one of a number of Shropshire towns which has expressed an interest in putting itself forward to become the UK's first Town of Culture.
To complete the surveys visit the webpage.
