The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has shortlisted Sandown for UK Town of Culture, alongside 14 other towns, with £60,000 to develop the bid to the next stage.
Huge congratulations to the entire bidding team and all those who contributed to the shortlisted bid.
Six Island towns entered
A whopping 398 bids were received, including six Isle of Wight towns: East Cowes, Newport, Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor.
Sandown mayor Alex Lightfoot told OnTheWight,
“This is a huge moment for Sandown and we are overjoyed.
“Our bid evolves from the community up and we aim to show how together we can be Tide Turners.”
Sandown’s bid spoke of the ‘Tide Turners’, revivifying Sandown’s sense of place and future-proofing its economy. Their proposed programme, comprising placemaking projects, fieldwork residencies, hands-on science, and performance, is rooted in passionate community involvement.
Sandown bid leader, Tracy Mikich, has a grateful message for the Town of Culture judges,
“In the spirit of the Sandown Clown, this is a giant high-stepping leap for Sandown.
“We had great fun as a community formulating an entry based on our incredible story, one that embraces glitz and decay, ebb and flow, and all the wonder we can envisage.
“Thank you for selecting us, watch this place.”
Nandy: Sandown has so much to draw on
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said,
“Sandown has so much to draw on – from the natural beauty of the Isle of Wight to an incredible community spirit – and I’m looking forward to seeing an ambitious bid that does all of that justice.”
Postcards champion the bids
In order to celebrate the local pride expressed in the submissions so far, every bidding town was invited to submit a postcard to champion their bid.
These postcards will remain within the National Museums Liverpool’s national collection in recognition of the importance that this moment represents for the UK.
Below are Sandown, Newport and East Cowes’s postcards who responded to the invite.
A snapshot for the national archive
Chair of the independent panel, Sir Phil Redmond said,
“The number of towns that have entered the competition is incredible. It is a distinct moment in its own right, when people overwhelmingly wanted to demonstrate the sense of pride they have in their own communities.
“It is why we invited every one of them to send a postcard, a snapshot, of where they are, who they are, and how taken together, each contributes to our shared national story.
“The postcards, along with their initial bids will form part of our national archive so future generations can look back and appreciate this significant cultural moment of history.”
Sandown now has until the Autumn to impress the Town of Culture judges with the next stage of the town’s bid.
