'Something is cooking' - the Cornish towns bidding to be cultural kings

Five Cornish towns are bidding to be formally recognised as the UK's inaugural Town of Culture in 2028. We went on a trip around the county to find out why they want the title.

The government is inviting bids to win a £3m prize to stage a year of cultural activities and support the creative sector locally.

Communities have until the end of March to bid for the accolade with a final shortlist of one big, one medium, and one small-sized town making it to the final three.

Due to be announced next year, officials expect the winning town to see a "boost in civic pride" alongside the cash.

In June, the prom in Penzance comes alive with people dressed as pirates or wearing traditional Cornish consumes during the town's annual Golowan festival.

James Hardy, the town clerk of Penzance Town Council, said those celebrations and its winter festival Montol - which sees people take to the streets with traditional dances and parades - were part of its unique cultural offering.

"We have an amazing year-round offer and this competition gives us a great opportunity to escalate that," he said.

"From art to food to theatre, we've got it all. We've got all that history, beautiful buildings - the art deco Jubilee Pool, Market House, Egyptian House," he added.

He hoped winning would allow the town to be showcased to a wider audience.

"We're already a town of culture. It's just enabling the rest of the world to see what we've got here," he said.

Travelling east to Helston, Annette MacTavish moved to the town from her native Scotland more than decade ago and is now director of its Museum of Cornish Life.

"It's just a wonderful place," she said.

"We have a great theatre company here, lots of music venues, a contemporary arts centre.

"Obviously we are the town of Flora Day [an ancient festival celebrating the end of winter]... the town is built on that idea of celebration - a place that knows how to have a good party."

Helston Town Council is leading the bid by hosting community workshops for people to contribute their ideas.

Project officer Richard James said: "It's really important to us that this story has the people's voice. Culturally we're the town who can benefit most from this competition."

Next up is the coastal town of Falmouth where thousands visit every year for the International Sea Shanty Festival and to watch the sailing regatta as part of its Falmouth Week celebrations.

At local music venue The Cornish Bank, director Rufus Maurice said the town was crying out for investment.

"There's huge levels of inequality and that's something Falmouth would love the opportunity to address," he explained.

"Obviously there's a university here - and with youth comes drive and energy for creativity and diverse ideas. There's always people on the fringes making good quality culture.

He said as a port town Falmouth has always had "ideas flowing in and out".

"With ships comes other cultures," he said.

"It's got a long history of being a very vibrant place. We just need to show it off to the rest of the UK."

Heading inland you find Redruth - where buildings convey the wealth and grandeur the town enjoyed before the decline of its historic mining industry.

However, a renaissance is under way, as Felix Mortimer explained.

The director of creative hub The Ladder, based in the town's former library, said old buildings were being given "a new lease of life" by the sector.

"We feel the town of culture programme could allow us to supercharge that and show off a different critical mineral - the critical mineral of thought and creativity which this town has in spades," he said.

Artist Sue Hill was similarly optimistic.

"I grew up in Redruth and have seen it through many bad times and some good times," she said.

"Something is cooking here now. We can really do amazing things if we have a little bit of extra money."

The final stop on the journey is Newquay, on the north coast, home to the popular Boardmasters Festival and the surfing capital of Cornwall.

Mark Warren, from the town's Business Improvement District, said the competition was a chance to shed Newquay's former image.

He said: "I'm calling it 'the waves of change' - because the party town image has long gone.

"We've transitioned from the 1980s and 1990s.

"We're about wellbeing and culture and families and great restaurants. The town of culture is made for Newquay."

Councillor Drew Creek, mayor of Newquay, dreamt of what winning the £3m investment would mean.

"It's a huge amount of investment for any town, but for a town like Newquay it would make a real difference here," he said.

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