Town 'over the moon' with culture bid shortlisting
BBCOrganisers of Birkenhead's bid to be named the UK's first Town of Culture have said they are "over the moon" to make the shortlist and it is "a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our town".
Birkenhead is the only place in the north-west of England to be shortlisted out of 41 submissions from the region.
The town is up against places including Basildon, Grimsby and Rotherham in England, Pontypridd in Wales and the Isle of Bute in Scotland.
Craig Pennington from music venue Future Yard CIC, who led Birkenhead's bid, said the shortlisting would be "a hugely transformational opportunity for our town".
Pennington said that to be "picked out of such a strong field nationally is really quite humbling" and their bid had been "an unapologetically optimistic view of our town and what the future may look like".
"This feels to me like a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our town to really make sure that culture is kind of right at the heart of the vision of what our town might be in the future," he added.
Pennington, who led the bid as part of the Birkenhead Culture Partnership, said Birkenhead was "the town on the left bank", on the other side of the Mersey from Liverpool.
"We're kind of the other place - the place that people, maybe, have to switch the other way to take a look at and I think our history is all about being underpinned by optimistic, positive and kind of quite left field imaginative and interesting artwork and music so it's about celebrating that," he added.
Each shortlisted place will now receive a £60,000 funding boost to develop a full bid and then three finalists - best small, medium and large place - will be chosen by an independent judging panel early next year.
Geograph/Chris AllenPennington said his team was now planning to "really dig and delve deeper into the ambition that was in our original bid".
"Our vision has always been about looking at the amazing arts organisations, collectives, individual artists in our town who are shaping a positive and future-focused vision for Birkenhead," he added.
Some of Birkenhead's famous sons and daughters include the late comedian and broadcaster Paul O'Grady, actor Glenda Jackson and musician Elvis Costello.
Other towns shortlisted, include Corby, Great Yarmouth, Leith and Port Talbot.
'Putting Birkenhead on the map'
An overall winner from the three finalists will be crowned the UK Town of Culture 2028 and receive a £3m grant to host cultural events.
The two runners up will receive £250,000 each to carry out part of their programme.
Birkenhead MP Alison McGovern told BBC Radio Merseyside it felt like Birkenhead "has come a long way" over the past 10 years and the shortlisting was "just the icing on the cake".
She said there was a feeling in the town "that we are a place where you come to take a slightly different look at what's going on in Merseyside".
Liam Kelly, chief executive of social enterprise Make CIC, which has a community creative hub in Hamilton Square in Birkenhead, said he was also "absolutely over the moon" at the news.
He said the UK Town of Culture bid was "about putting Birkenhead on the map", with their message being that "the future is Birkenhead".
"Birkenhead has a reputation of being one of the most depressed places in the country.
"This is a chance to turn it on its head," he said.
Wirral Council leader Paula Basnett said being shortlisted was "a powerful recognition of a town that has always had an extraordinary story to tell".
She said it "sends a clear message that Birkenhead is a town on the rise, confident in its identity, ambitious for its future and ready to take its place on the national stage".
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
