Hopes festival legacy will aid Town of Culture bid
BBCA community hopes its reputation as a "festivals town" will help boost its bid to win a £3m prize to stage a year of cultural events.
Ulverston Town Council submitted an expression of interest to become the UK's first Town of Culture in 2028.
Council leader Mark Wilson said a win would be a "real jewel in the crown" for the location which sees thousands of people attend dozens of events throughout year including its Lantern Festival and Dickensian Festival in the winter.
It joins fellow Cumbrian towns Barrow, Kendal, and Kirkby Lonsdale, and several others across the UK, in bidding for the prize, with the shortlist expected to be announced in Spring.
"We're full of vitality, we're a vibrant, diverse community, we say 'bring it on'," Wilson said.
The market town lies to the south of the Lake District, in the Furness peninsula.
Wilson said funding would be used to "underpin, promote and develop" further festivals, with a focus on projects for younger people including the reintroduction of youth clubs.
Wilson invited residents to submit ideas for how the funding could be used.
He said schemes already suggested included a pump track for cyclists.
"We know what the main prize is, so we want to go for it," he added.
Towns have until Tuesday to submit expressions of interest, with the winner expected to be announced early next year.
Launched by the government, the winning town will receive £3m and two runners-up will get £250,000.
The competition is running alongside the existing UK City of Culture contest, which was won by Bradford in 2025.
