Bid for Smethwick to be UK Town of Culture

A West Midlands town is being entered into the UK Town of Culture competition, with its "vibrant and cohesive community, rich heritage and growing arts and culture scene" celebrated.

Sandwell Council said it was compiling a bid for such status for Smethwick, which would help showcase "our Black Country spirit and creativity to the world".

Smethwick was a "uniquely diverse town" within the authority's area, it added, and "the proud home of Europe's biggest South Asian Mela".

The winner will be awarded £3m to deliver a cultural programme in 2028 of about six months.

Additionally, the two finalists from their category will receive £250,000 each to deliver elements of their bid, the council said.

Leader Kerrie Carmichael said through Smethwick's canals - "with the iconic Galton Bridge, the longest and highest canal bridge in the world" - railroads and factories, the town was "a powerhouse of the industrial revolution".

Announcing the bid, the council included examples like glass manufacturer Chance Glassworks, "whose glass glistens proudly in lighthouses from the USA to India", and The Soho Foundry, built for making steam engines.

It also pointed to artists, musicians and high streets lined with "food from around the world."

One woman, Rav Kaur, said she thought Smethwick should have the honour because of its annual multicultural event in Victoria Park, which is open to everybody and "is full of culture, food, good music".

"The [Birmingham] Mela is basically a Punjabi word for festival, so think of your Reading and Leeds, but think of it as an Asian festival.

"So you've got all your Asian artists, your Bhangra artists, your Punjabi artists and your folk music artists."

A Smethwick resident for 15 years, Maxine Powell, told BBC Radio WM she liked the "mixture of people living here".

"I like the road where I live, it's very community-based. We all get along with each other and look out for each other."

Asia Katora said: "Everybody's very friendly and basically it's just a crazy, lovely, fun atmosphere."

She added there were "loads of beautiful food places" in Bearwood in Smethwick, "authentic Italian, Caribbean, Chinese".

"There's even a place there that you can go and grab a coffee [from] and go and do some artwork on a plate or any kind of mugs."

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