Scarborough and Whitby MP, Alison Hume, is championing the town's claims to be named as one of the UK’s cultural capitals.
Speaking after Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, unveiled a competition to identify the country’s ‘Town of Culture’, Ms Hume insisted that both within her constituency are perfectly placed to compete for the prestigious title.
The new initiative is designed to build upon the success of the UK’s ‘City of Culture’ programme, with the eventual winner delivering a year-long cultural programme to boost local pride, support jobs and celebrate the power of culture to bring communities together.
Alsion Hume said:
“In my opinion, either Scarborough or Whitby would be excellent choices.
“It never ceases to amaze me how many creative and talented people live in our brilliant part of the world which, as we all know, has such a strong identity as well.
“We’ve got the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough which also performs some wonderful outreach work.
“Not so long ago, I was invited to attend the launch of ‘This is Scarborough’ which is a superb project determined to showcase its dynamic cultural community, heritage and independent businesses.
“There’s the Rotunda Museum and Art Gallery too while ARCADE helps communities get involved in art and creativity as well as highlighting locals already involved in these fields.
“In Whitby, there’s the famous ‘Goth Weekends’ and, like Scarborough, a huge number of superb artists reflecting the distinct local identity.
“The James Cook Museum is, like the Rotunda, fascinating. The same goes for Pannett Art Gallery, which organises some excellent social projects.
“Both towns are home to an array of locally organised festivals which showcase local talent in fields such as literature, the arts and drama such as Scarborough Fair, Books by the Beach and Musicport.
“The list of things going on is endless and people from further afield deserve to experience them.”
Ms Hume added:
“The ‘Town of Culture’ will shine a light on places which, too often, are overlooked. Seaside communities, like Scarborough and Whitby, are among those.
“Now, there’s going to be a platform for us to tell our own amazing stories.”
Further details about the ‘Town of Culture’ competition, which will sit alongside the existing ‘City of Culture’ programme, are set to be released over the coming weeks.
Bradford and Hull are among the cities to have already benefited from the latter, receiving millions of pounds in investment and hosting key cultural events as a result.
Ms Nandy said:
“Towns are the beating heart of Britain, full of talent, creativity and pride.
“This is about backing the people who make our towns great, celebrating the places we are proud to call home and putting culture at the heart of our national renewal.”
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