Town to 'learn' from missing City of Culture list

A town will "have another go" at being crowned UK City of Culture after missing out on being shortlisted for the title in 2029.

Swindon was not selected for the next stage, with Blackpool, Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Wrexham revealed as the shortlisted locations.

The town, which was allowed to apply for the title because of the size of its population, lost out on £125,000 from the government and a potential prize fund of £10m.

Gary Sumner, leader of Swindon Borough Council, told BBC Radio Wiltshire the town will "certainly have another go" and that officials "would learn from this" to improve their bid in the future.

Wrexham, which failed in its City of Culture bid four years ago, made the shortlist this year.

Dr Roderick Hebden, CEO of Swindon Culture Collective CIC, said: "Winning first time is really unusual.

"Generally you have a go at it and you learn from that and you build next time.

"I've been overwhelmed by the amount of positivity. You're always going to get people having a go at Swindon, which you have to ignore - as we know Swindon is an amazing place."

Swindon's City of Culture campaign saw 60 engagement events take place across the town.

As part of the bid, the team was asked to explain how it would use culture as a catalyst to transform the town and the lives of communities.

Sumner added: "You scratch beneath the surface and culture surrounds Swindon."

Hebden said: "We're a bit of a dark horse, no one expected us to bid this time. Getting longlisted felt like a real win and the fact we got close at this first attempt has been absolutely amazing."

The winning location will be announced in May and will be the fifth holder of the title - following Derry-Londonderry, Hull, Coventry and Bradford.

A different location is given the City of Culture title every four years.

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