Swindon has 'so much going on' for City of Culture bid

A town where "so much is going on" should become known for its creativity, locals have said.

Swindon in Wiltshire is one of nine locations vying to become the UK's City of Culture for 2029.

If successful, the town could receive £10m of government funding which would go towards supporting its arts and events.

"There's so much going on in Swindon and you just need to find it," Rod Hebden, CEO of the Swindon Culture Collective said.

"If you think there's nothing going on in Swindon, you just need to get out more," he told BBC Radio Wiltshire.

The City of Culture competition is designed to "recognise local visions and voices" to boost grassroots creativity, widen participation in the arts and bring about new investment and tourism.

Swindon, a town, is eligible to enter the competition's city category due to its population of 222,000.

Mark Powell, artistic director of the Prime Theatre, hopes Swindon will be able to "rear its head" and shout about its success as a result of the bid.

He added: "The people [sic] that applied - Bristol, Plymouth, Exeter - those are massive places which do culture very well and very visibly.

"Swindon does culture very well but very invisibly, and this could make the big difference."

The Wiltshire town is up against Blackpool, Sheffield, Ipswich, Milton Keynes, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Wrexham and Inverness, with a shortlist to be announced later this year.

Each place longlisted will receive £60,000 to develop its application, which must be completed by summer.

Swindon Borough Council is working with the not-for-profit Swindon Culture Collective on its bid.

Marina Strinkovsky, cabinet member for place-making and planning, said being longlisted for UK City of Culture was "an extraordinary moment" for the town, which "belongs to every artist, volunteer, young producer, community group and cultural organisation that has poured their energy into telling Swindon's story".

She added: "We're a place built by thinkers, makers and innovators and today's news shows that the rest of the country is beginning to see what we've known all along."

The final winner of the UK City of Culture 2029 will be announced in winter.

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