Another bid to become the first-ever UK Town of Culture has been launched in the county.
Chatham has joined existing efforts from Folkestone and Deal to win the coveted title, which carries a £3 million investment prize.
The competition, which is for 2028, aims to celebrate the legacy and creativity of some of the country’s smaller places.
Chatham’s bid is being led by Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust with support from Medway Council and cultural partners.
An expression of interest is currently being prepared to be submitted to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) by March 31.
The Historic Dockyard Chatham is hoping the town will then be shortlisted and invited to submit a full application.
An event took place yesterday (February 24) to mark the launch of the town’s campaign, with the deputy chief executive at Chatham Dockyard, Paul Barnard, saying they are “really proud” to be launching the bid.
The 45-year-old said: “The culture of the town of Chatham is really born out of this really unique place.
“Chatham doesn’t exist on its size and scale without this place and the people who came here, both to serve in the Royal Navy, and also to build these incredible ships that sailed around the world, and really led to building what is the identity that we see in Chatham today.
“Chatham is completely unique. It’s an industrial town that has seen regeneration many times through its history, so it’s developed as a centre of innovation and technology through its shipbuilding.
“The Dockyard closed 40 years ago and Chatham has been on a journey ever since then as well, so it’s had to deal with the closure of huge amounts of industry and rise from the flames.”
He says the bid is an opportunity to celebrate both the history and current culture of the town, adding: “We are merely the face that sits on an application form.
“This is really coming from the communities within Chatham.
“They want to see this place recognised for what it can be, so we’re hugely proud to be partnering with a huge amount of organisations across the town to really celebrate what this place is, what it can be and what it will be in the future.
“There are a huge amount of good things happening, whether it be through culture, history, heritage, or just through the sheer identity of the people that call this place home, and schemes like Town of Culture are really designed to make people feel proud of where they’re from.”
The Chatham Royal Marines also attended the event yesterday, with the group saying they are proud of where they are from and of Chatham’s history.
Medway Council leader Cllr Vince Maple says he is “really pleased” that the town has been put forward by the community.
He said: “This is not a council bid, this is a bid from the community, and I’m really pleased as both council leader and a resident of Chatham to be giving my wholehearted support.
“I’m really proud of that people are already giving their time, energy, and ideas to come forward with what I think will be a really compelling argument that Chatham would be the Town of Culture.
“Chatham, like any town, has its challenges and it would be naive to say otherwise.
“But as someone who has represented Chatham for nearly 19 years, I’m really proud that the community has come together to say, actually, this is an opportunity to put right some of those naysayers and say look, it’s not perfect, but my goodness there is so much good stuff happening here.”
Three finalists will be selected, with the overall winner receiving the £3 million.
The two runners-up will each receive £250,000 to deliver elements of their bids.
Medway previously unsuccessfully campaigned to become the UK’s City of Culture in 2025.
However, the title went to Bradford in West Yorkshire.
