Chatham charts its course to £3m prize for UK Town of Culture
Chatham has announced its intention to bid for the first ever UK Town of Culture, a title that would bring up to £3 million to the Medway town for a year of cultural celebration in 2028.
The campaign, led by Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, with support from Medway Council and a growing coalition of cultural partners was unveiled yesterday at The Historic Dockyard Chatham. Partners gathered in front of HMS GANNET, a proud symbol of the town’s maritime heritage. In a playful local twist, several attendees donned traffic cone hats, a nod to the Sir Thomas Waghorn statue and its place as the unofficial emblem of the town’s personality.
For more than 400 years, Chatham has been shaped by innovation, craftsmanship and community. Since 1547, the Dockyard’s world‑class shipbuilding and naval service have anchored the town’s identity, producing generations of skilled workers and ships that defined Britain’s maritime story. From pioneering advances in industry and engineering to a thriving contemporary cultural scene, the spirit of ingenuity and resilience continues to shape the town’s creativity today. It is a story of national importance and one the consortium is proud to celebrate.
Lauren Edwards MP Rochester and Strood said: “I’m proud to support this bid for Chatham to become a UK Town of Culture, led by the team at the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust in my constituency. Chatham’s cultural life spans a thriving local artistic community, unique museums of military history, three university campuses, and local theatres. It is a town with a unique past and an exciting future. This campaign is about backing local people and making sure they have the opportunities they deserve. Town of Culture status would mean investment, jobs, and new chances for young people to build their future here at home. I’m proud to support this bid and to champion Chatham at every opportunity.”
Tristan Osborne MP Chatham and Aylesford said: “Chatham has a proud history built on the skills and hard work of local people. From the Dockyard to the growing creative sector, our town has always been shaped by those who live and work here. Town of Culture status would bring real opportunities for our community, from jobs and training to investment in our high streets and local venues. It would shine a spotlight on Medway and show the country the talent and ambition we have here. I’m proud to support this bid and will do everything I can to help make it a success for Chatham and for local people.”
Cllr Nina Gurung, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Heritage, Culture and Leisure, said: “We are proud to support this bid led by the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, which will highlight Chatham on the national stage and help to spread the word on everything Medway has to offer. Chatham has played a key role in the country’s history, and remains a vibrant town, bursting with ambition, energy and unparalleled creativity. I am so proud of the collaborative work which has already gone into the bid, cementing the One Medway approach and wider collective efforts to boost Chatham’s cultural profile from community groups, businesses, arts, culture, heritage partners and community champions.”
Richard Morsley, CEO, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, said: “Chatham has a remarkable story and a community with real spirit. Our campaign celebrates the history of this place and the spirit of the people who shaped it. As a town we have a proven track record of delivering ambitious cultural events that benefit local people. Town of Culture status would allow us to scale up that ambition, shine a national light on everything this town has to offer and strengthen pride across our communities. We are proud to be leading this on behalf of Chatham.”
Dr David Stokes, CEO Nucleus Arts and Vice Chair, Chatham Town Forum said “Chatham’s Town of Culture bid is an extraordinary opportunity to spotlight a town whose cultural influence has been profoundly disproportionate to its size; from Charles Dickens shaping global literature, to the rebellious art movement of Stuckism challenging the establishment. Our theatres pioneered elements of music hall that evolved into today’s variety/reality television and even invented the matinee, while the Medway towns have helped energise the UK punk scene and generations of countercultural voices. Chatham is a rebel town that fights for what’s right, from Asquith Xavier’s stand against racial discrimination helping drive equality legislation, to world-leading engineering and naval innovation. A Town of Culture designation would not create our story, it would finally amplify it nationally and globally, where it deserves to be.”
Over the next six weeks, cultural organisations and community groups will help develop the vision through a series of workshops. These sessions will shape the Expression of Interest, ensuring it reflects local pride, creativity and ambition.
Chatham’s story spans centuries. Now it has an opportunity not only to show the nation what it can become next, but to create a renewed sense of pride in place and raise aspirations across the town, ensuring that its next chapter is shaped by and for the people who call Chatham home.
The consortium will submit its Expression of Interest by 31 March. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is expected to announce a shortlist in the spring, with the winning town confirmed in early 2027.
