Strabane residents urged to unite behind final UK Town of Culture bid

An appeal has been made to residents, businesses and community groups in Strabane to get behind the final submission in its bid to become UK Town of Culture 2028.

Following last month's announcement that it had been shortlisted among 15 locations from more than 400 expressions of interest, Derry City and Strabane District Council is stepping up preparations for the final bid to be submitted by the end of November.

The council is urging people in Strabane to play their part in shaping the bid and demonstrating the strength of support that exists across the town.

A public campaign is encouraging people to show their support and help showcase Strabane's "pride, creativity, culture and ambition".

Previously, some people in the County Tyrone town said the nomination was bittersweet given that Strabane's main arts centre, the Alley Theatre, is closed due to a water leak - and set to remain shut for much longer than first expected.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Grace Uí Niallais, said the shortlist announcement was a major achievement, but stressed the next stage would require the whole community to get behind the bid.

"Being shortlisted is a fantastic achievement for Strabane and recognition of the creativity, resilience and ambition that exists across our town and communities," Uí Niallais said.

"This next stage presents a real opportunity for everyone to play their part in shaping the future of Strabane.

"I would encourage residents, community groups, schools, businesses and cultural organisations to get involved, share their ideas and help us create a bid that truly reflects the spirit, talent and potential of local people."

The council's head of culture, Jacqueline Whoriskey, said the initial bid had received extremely positive feedback from the judging panel, particularly for its vision, authenticity and strong community foundations.

Whoriskey said an internal project team was now developing an extensive programme of engagement to help strengthen the final submission.

"We were really pleased with the feedback we received from our bid and are excited to move to the next stage in developing an exciting and innovative bid programme," she said.

"We will be reaching out to communities and organisations within Strabane over the coming weeks and months to get as many people as possible on board to sign up to help and get involved."

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.

The new competition - which has seen 15 places selected from almost 400 applications - will run alongside the UK City of Culture 2029.

The final bid for the UK Town Of Culture will be submitted by council in November, with the judging panel expected to visit the shortlisted locations in early 2027.

The winning location, along with two runners-up, will be announced in March 2027.