Birkenhead calls on community to shape UK Town of Culture 2028 bid
People who live, work, study and spend time in Birkenhead are being invited to get involved as the town develops its bid to become the UK’s first Town of Culture.
Birkenhead Culture Partnership, which brings together cultural organisations and partners from across the area, is starting a public conversation, giving local people the chance to share their ideas and ambitions for 2028.
As part of this, a short online questionnaire is now open, asking what matters to people about Birkenhead and what they would love to see happen here.
Craig Pennington, Bid Director and Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Future Yard, said:
Birkenhead has an incredible story, but this bid isn’t about a small group of people deciding what a year of culture should look like. We want to hear from the people who live here, work here, create here and spend time here.
What makes the town special to you? What stories should we be telling? What would you love to see happen? The bid is still developing, which is exactly why we want to hear from people now. What they tell us over the coming weeks will become an important part of what we put forward.
Birkenhead is one of 15 towns across the country in the running to become the first UK Town of Culture, selected from 398 applications, and the only North West town to make it through to this stage.
It is competing in the large town category alongside Basildon, Grimsby and Rotherham. Each of the 15 towns has received £60,000 to develop its full bid, with the overall winner receiving £3million to deliver its cultural programme.
Cllr Paula Basnett, Leader of Wirral Council, said:
Reaching this stage of the Town of Culture competition is a fantastic opportunity to shine a spotlight on those people, places and activities, and to celebrate everything that contributes to Birkenhead’s very individual identity, making it such a distinctive and vibrant place.
Being named the UK’s first Town of Culture would give us a national platform to tell those stories, showcase what makes Birkenhead unique and importantly to use them to create new opportunities for local people and communities. That's why I'd encourage everyone to get involved and help shape the bid.
The questionnaire is one of a number of ways people will be able to contribute over the coming weeks. Residents of all ages are also being encouraged to share their ideas for Birkenhead's year as UK Town of Culture, should the bid be successful, by writing or drawing on specially designed postcards.
Available throughout October at venues including the Williamson Art Gallery, The Hive Youth Zone, Eureka!, Future Yard and all Wirral libraries, the postcards will also be distributed through schools and youth networks to encourage younger people to get involved.
Local cultural producers will also be invited to share the projects they would love to bring to life as part of a Town of Culture year.
Craig added:
There are people doing brilliant things in every part of Birkenhead, and there will be stories and activity we haven’t discovered yet. We want to hear about those too.
We see our Town of Culture programme bringing together our fabulous local and regional arts organisations, alongside national and internationally significant creators. This is an opportunity to tell the story of Birkenhead as it is now, as well as what we want it to become in the years ahead.
The questionnaire is open until Wednesday, October 28th and takes less than five minutes to complete.
You can join the conversation now at www.birkenheadculturepartnership.co.uk
