Three Scottish places shortlisted for Town of Culture title

Three Scottish places have been shortlisted to become the UK's first Town of Culture in 2028.

The Isle of Bute, Lerwick and Leith will receive £60,000 to work on their full bids for the award.

Almost 400 places from across the UK entered the competition, which is part of the UK government's ambition to restore pride in local areas in every part of Britain.

Fifteen towns have been shortlisted for the culture prize, in three separate categories - small, medium and large - with one being chosen as the eventual winner.

Included in the small towns category is the Isle of Bute, known as just Bute, which lies in the Firth of Clyde, off Scotland's west coast.

It is home to about 6,500 people, with 4,000 in the island's main town of Rothesay.

Also in this category is Lerwick, which is the largest town in Shetland, situated 110 miles north of the Scottish mainland.

Shetland has been part of Scotland since the 15th Century but it retains strong Norse traditions, which are celebrated in the annual Up Helly Aa festival.

The other towns in this section are Ilfracome, Sandown, Strabane and Stockton Town Centre Ward.

Leith,Edinburgh's historic port district, won through to the medium towns section of the competition.

It sits on the northerly edge of the city and was once Scotland's main gateway for global trade.

The other medium towns to make the shortlist are Corby, Great Yarmouth, Pontypridd and Port Talbot.

The large towns to make the grade are Basildon, Birkenhead, Grimsby and Rotherham.

They will be assessed by an independent judging panel.

One finalist will be selected from each category before an overall winner is chosen.

UK Town of Culture is a new Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) , competition.

It said it was inspired by the success of the UK City of Culture and aims to "celebrate towns and help to create a lasting cultural legacy".

The government will select the best small, medium and large towns from the applications it receives.

One of these will be named UK Town of Culture 2028 and receive £3m to develop a year-long programme of cultural celebrations while the other two finalists will each receive £250,000.

Kirsty McNeill, the UK government minister for Scotland said: "Scotland has an extraordinary cultural heritage, and the presence of three Scottish towns on the UK Town of Culture competition shortlist is a testament to the richness and diversity of communities across the country."