A Shropshire border city is among nine finalists for the UK City of Culture 2029
The Department for Culture, media and Sport has unveiled the nine places which have been longlisted for the next UK City of Culture in 2029, including one city which borders Shropshire
Nine cities across the UK have been longlisted to be the next UK City of Culture in 2029 - and each will benefit from a £60,000 funding boost to support their bid for the title.
One city on the Shropshire border is among the finalists - Wrexham on the north east of Wales has made it onto the longlist.
Herefordshire was among those vying for the prize, but that is not on the longlist released earlier today (Wednesday).
The announcement comes as over 230 towns register interest in the inaugural UK Town of Culture competition, including many across Shropshire and the West Midlands.
The DCMS said that both of these competitions are part of the Prime Minister’s ambition to restore pride in every part of Britain.
Speaking of the UK City of Culture longlist, a spokesperson for DCMS added: “Winning this title will have enormous benefits for local communities, with previous hosts attracting millions of pounds in additional investment and thousands of visitors to their area, as well as generating new jobs.”
Longlist for UK City of Culture 2029
The nine longlisted locations are:
Blackpool,
Inverness-Highland,
Ipswich,
Middlesbrough,
Milton Keynes,
Portsmouth,
Sheffield,
Swindon and
Wrexham.
Places that failed to make the UK City of Culture 2029 longlist
Bristol
Carlisle
Exeter
Herefordshire
Isle of Thanet
Peterborough
Plymouth
Reading
About the city of Wrexham
Wrexham was granted city status on September 1 in 2022 as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. It was its third attempted to gain city status.
It is situated in North East Wales and is the seventh city in Wales - joining Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Bangor, St Davids, and St Asaph.
Wrexham is known for its rich football history (the third oldest in the world) at the Racecourse Ground, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, and its, industrial heritage at the Wrexham University
'Opportunity has not been shared equally across the country'
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "For far too long, opportunity has not been shared equally across the country. The UK City of Culture and new UK Town of Culture competitions recognise the enormous contributions made by communities all over the UK who are all part of the story of who we are as a nation.
"I look forward to seeing what the nine longlisted places have in store as they progress in the competition. I also urge any towns thinking about entering the UK Town of Culture competition to seize this opportunity and get involved. It’s a chance to show the country what makes them unique and shine a spotlight on their cultural offer, enriching the lives of local people."
