One of the things that makes this bid feel real is hearing directly from the people who live and work here. These short interviews, gathered by local Green party members out and about in St Neots, capture something we already knew but wanted the world to hear: this town has a quiet pride in it, and a genuine warmth. Whether it’s the river, the market square, a local group, or simply a sense of belonging, people here know what makes St Neots special. That’s exactly what a Town of Culture programme would celebrate and build on.

Richard Slade, co-founder of Neotists CIC and Mayor of St Neots, joined Nigel Pauley on Black Cat Radio’s Your Voice to talk about the town’s bid to become UK Town of Culture 2028. In the interview, Richard reflects on what the bid means for St Neots, his own journey from artist to graphic designer to community organiser, and why culture isn’t something that happens to a town — it’s something a town makes for itself.

Our map tracking publicly announced bids for the inaugural UK Town of Culture 2028 title has revealed the extraordinary scale of interest in the competition, with close to 100 towns across the UK having shared their intentions ahead of the 31 March deadline.

The map, published by St Neots’ bid team, plots confirmed bidding towns by parliamentary constituency and shows entries spread from Falmouth in Cornwall to Greenock in Scotland, and from Londonderry in Northern Ireland to towns across the East of England. The sheer geographic spread underlines just how significant this competition has become: towns of every size, political complexion and regional character are making their case to become the first ever UK Town of Culture.

Labour and Conservative-held constituencies account for the majority of bidding towns, though Liberal Democrat and other seats are also represented, reflecting the genuinely cross-party appeal of the programme. The North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands are particularly well represented, as are the South East and South West.

St Neots is one of only a handful of towns bidding from the East of England, and the only one in Huntingdonshire. As the fastest-growing town in Cambridgeshire, with a population heading towards 65,000, St Neots sits in the medium-town category and has a distinctive story to tell: a community expanding at pace, building its identity in real time, and using culture to answer the question of what kind of place it wants to become.

With the expert panel chaired by Sir Phil Redmond expected to announce a shortlist in spring 2026, the competition is now in its decisive final weeks. The breadth of interest from across the UK makes shortlisting a significant achievement in itself.

St Neots Town Council has formally resolved its support for the town’s bid to become the UK Town of Culture 2028, following a full council meeting on 24 February 2026.

Councillors considered a report setting out the details of the competition, run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and the proposal from Neotists CIC to lead the development and submission of an Expression of Interest (EOI) on behalf of the town. The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2026.

The council resolved three recommendations: to note the information provided on the competition; to formally support the submission of an EOI for St Neots; and to confirm that St Neots Town Council will participate as a required partner in any bid submitted, in accordance with DCMS rules.

The report noted that more than 15 local organisations had already publicly expressed their support for the bid, including theatre groups, community organisations, educational bodies, local media and civic groups.

The UK Town of Culture competition, modelled on the successful UK City of Culture programme, invites towns across the UK to demonstrate how culture can strengthen communities, restore pride in place and create lasting social and economic benefits. The winning town will receive £3 million to deliver a six-month cultural programme in 2028, with two finalists each receiving £250,000 to carry forward elements of their bid. Shortlisted towns will also receive a £60,000 grant to develop their full application.

Neotists CIC, the community interest company co-founded by St Neots Mayor Richard Slade, is leading the bid. The organisation has a strong track record of delivery in the town, most notably through St Neots Festival, which has attracted a combined audience of around 35,000 people across two full-scale festivals and two micro-festivals.

The bid is being developed with the support of a volunteer team, including a cultural strategist, PRINCE2-qualified bid director, and a former head of corporate operations for Hull UK City of Culture 2017.

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire’s Dotty McLeod interviewed the co-founder of Neotists and the Mayor of St Neots on Monday 1 February 2026. St Neots has announced its campaign to become the first UK Town of Culture. The winner of the contest for 2028 will be awarded £3 million and will have the chance to showcase cultural events during the year.

Two stakeholder workshops have been completed. 25 people in person, 17 online — and what came out of both sessions was striking in its consistency.

When asked what shaped St Neots, people talked about the river, the market square, the town’s history as a place people pass through and settle. When asked what defines it now, they pointed to grassroots energy: the festival, the drama groups, the community organisations that punch well above their weight. And when asked what culture could help address, a clear theme emerged: a town growing faster than its identity, with thousands of new residents still finding their place in it.

That last point is at the heart of our bid. St Neots is one of the fastest-growing towns in the country. The question isn’t whether it will change — it’s whether culture gets a seat at the table when it does.

The energy in both sessions confirmed something we already knew: when St Neots people come together around culture, things happen.

Everyone who joined us has been asked to spread the word in their networks. The circle is widening.

If your organisation should be part of this and isn’t yet, get in touch. We’re still building the partnership — and the story belongs to all of us.