None of South Cumbria’s applicants to become the United Kingdom’s first official Town of Culture have been successful.
Towns such as Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale, Appleby, and Ulverston were not among the government’s shortlist of locations from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland that have progressed to the next stage of the competition.
Figures behind some of the South Cumbrian applications have now reacted to their omissions from the published shortlist.
The government announced the UK Town of Culture for 2028 competition in January.
The contest is a vehicle to showcase what towns across the nation have to offer.
Bids were submitted by towns from up and down the country to clinch the new coveted cultural title.
Towns had until the end of March to submit their expressions of interest.
Last week, the government announced the 15 towns that have now been officially shortlisted.
Those shortlisted were split into small, medium and large towns.
Small towns: Ilfracombe, Isle of Bute, Lerwick, Sandown, Strabane, and Stockton Town Centre Ward.
Medium towns: Corby, Great Yarmouth, Leith, Pontypridd, and Port Talbot.
Large towns: Basildon, Birkenhead, Grimsby and Rotherham.
Councillor Helen Ladhams, Mayor of Kendal, said: “Naturally we are very disappointed not to make the shortlist, but it's no reflection on the fantastic effort made by our Town of Culture team.
“We look forward to building on the work of our bid to develop Kendal as a vibrant cultural town.
“We offer our congratulations, too, to the shortlisted towns, and look forward to seeing how they propose to take on the mantle of Town of Culture”.
Kirkby Lonsdale’s bid was led by Marie Batty.
Ms Batty said: “We may not have made the shortlist; however, Kirkby Lonsdale is resourceful, [and] we hope our programme will still attract the funding so we can still bring our ideas to life.
“Our high street, being predominantly independent businesses, depends on offering something authentic and distinctive - investment in arts and culture helps to bring footfall to the town.”
A spokesperson from Ulverston Town Council said: “We would like to say a big thank you to all of the organisations, groups, festivals and individuals who came together to help us shape our Expression of Interest.
“We congratulate the shortlisted towns and wish them every success in the next stage of the competition.”
Other Cumbria towns who submitted bids were Barrow, Appleby, Penrith, Maryport and Workington.
Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, said: “I am so glad that so many towns have applied and I hope each and every town, whether they have been shortlisted or not, is incredibly proud of the work they have done to champion their local community.”
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