What is Town of Culture?
UK Town of Culture is a brand new, exciting, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) competition.
For the first time, towns across the UK are being invited to enter the competition to showcase their unique stories, heritage, creativity and empowering, accessible culture.
The competition is targeted at all towns, whether small, medium or large. Widnes is classed as a medium sized town due to its population size.
Why has the council bid for Town of Culture 2028?
Widnes has a proud history and an incredible story to tell. From its role as the beating heart of the global Chemical Industry, to the Sankey Canal – the first modern canal in England – to the world’s first Railway Dock at Spike Island and of course, the town’s proud Rugby legacy and impressive global music influence, plus not one, but two iconic bridges.
While winning this bid will allow us to highlight and celebrate our past, it would bring a major funding boost to help create new cultural moments, events, and opportunities that will shape Widnes for the future.
Why Widnes ?
The competition rules state that only towns can apply – so while we would have loved to showcase the whole of Halton, that is not an option.
The great news is that as we are Borough of Culture for 2026 we already have an opportunity to celebrate the borough as a whole.
Please visit Culture 26: Celebrating Halton-Made Creativity | Visit Halton for all information regarding Culture 26.
Runcorn is also benefitting from a huge amount of government investment. In 2021, Reconnecting Runcorn received £23.6 million from the UK Government’s Towns Fund, supporting exciting developments such as improvements at the Brindley, a brand new health and education hub, and various community and high street enhancements.
The Town of Culture bid gives Widnes the chance to enjoy its own dedicated investment, allowing the town to celebrate its identity through a unique cultural programme.
To keep up to date with all the developments taking place in Runcorn please visit https://reconnectingruncorn.info/
Why the title ‘All Roads Lead to Widnes’?
“Rail, trail, canal and sail – all roads lead to Widnes” celebrates the idea that Widnes isn’t just somewhere on the way to somewhere else, it’s a place worth arriving at.
The title plays on the feeling that no matter which direction you come from, Widnes draws you in with its heritage, its creativity, and its warm community spirit.
“Rail, trail, canal and sail – all roads lead to Widnes” isn’t about geography, it’s about identity starting as a Viking village on the Mersey making sails for small boats, we became the beating heart of the global Chemical Industry with the Sankey Canal (the first modern canal in England) and the world’s first ‘Railway Dock’ (multi-modal gateway) at Spike Island enabling the transportation of coal and salt to support our growing industries.
It reflects a destination where culture thrives, stories begin, and memories are made. Rather than being a stop off point, Widnes is the place where people choose to gather – for festivals, family moments, history, nature, music, and innovation.
It captures that Widnes has become a cultural hub in its own right – an end point, a meeting point, and a celebration point. It’s a reminder that whatever journey you’re on, there’s something special waiting for you here.
For further information contact Steph Davies, Programmes Manager, Halton Borough Council on funding@halton.gov.uk
How does the funding work?
The winning town will be awarded £3 million to deliver a cultural programme in 2028 of around six months.
Additionally, the two finalists from their category will receive £250,000 each to deliver elements of their bid.
For those towns that are shortlisted £60,000 will be made available to work up a full proposal.
£3000 has also been made available from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority towards developing the EOI (expression of interest) stage.
This funding has been made available for Town of Culture 2028 only and cannot be used for any other purposes.
How to get involved?
Have your say! We want the whole community to help shape the Town of Culture 2028 bid. We would love to hear your views, so please refer to the Map we have produced as a guide then feedback your thoughts and considerations by Monday 23rd March 2026: Town of Culture, we will then collate the communities input to be included in the overall bid submitted on 30th March 2026.