BUSINESSES in Warwickshire were given the lowdown on Leamington’s bid for UK Town of Culture.
Katherine Geddes, deputy town clerk of Leamington Town Council, revealed some of the early ideas behind the bid to Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
She said that so far more than 200 towns have applied and Leamington’s population placed it in the ‘medium town’ category.
Each category, of which there are three, will produce one winner, two of which will receive £250,000, and one overall winner will receive £3 million to deliver its cultural programme in 2028.
Katherine continued: “Our expression of interest is nearly complete and will be submitted ahead of the March 31 deadline. We’ve been working with a scoping group of local partners, from arts organisations to historians, events specialists and community groups, and we’ve run public drop-ins to gather stories and ideas.
“Our theme’s working title ‘Layers of Leamington: Royal Leamington Spa Revealed’, looks beyond the Regency architecture and independent shops to uncover the hidden stories that make the town what it is.
“If shortlisted, we’ll receive £60,000 to develop the full bid, including site visits from the judges.
“And we want to involve every part of the town, not just the centre, and use venues of every size, from pubs and green spaces to churches and community centres.
“It’s a really exciting moment for the town and we hope to bring more businesses and individuals on board as we move forward.”
Lee Corden, head of media and PR at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce – who chaired the event, added: “It was great to hear from Katherine and we wish Leamington and the other Warwickshire towns aiming to be UK Town of Culture 2028 all the very best with their bids.”
