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11
Feb
Knaresborough meets to brainstorm ideas for its UK Town of Culture bid
Knaresborough took the first step last night towards submitting a bid to become the first ever UK Town of Culture.
More than 40 people gathered at Knaresborough House and were split into groups for a workshop to explore different facets of the town’s culture.
Speaking at the start of the event, town clerk Angela Pulman said:
At its heart, this competition is about telling a story – a story that reflects who we are, what we value, and what makes everyday life in Knaresborough a cultural experience in itself.
In their groups, attendees were asked for their responses to various questions.
Asked what culture in Knaresborough means to them, many mentioned the Festival of Visual Arts (feva) and the Great Knaresborough Bed Race. But Kathy Allday of Knaresborough Museum Association also spoke about the town’s long history of fairs and festivals, including the now-defunct Water Carnival, Children’s Day, feast days and pilgrimages to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Crag.
The Great Knaresborough Bed Race.
Asked to name the places in Knaresborough that mean something to them, the groups listed over 25 different spots, including Horseshoe Field, the Frazer Theatre, Jacob Smith Park, the castle and Henshaws Arts & Crafts Centre.
Asked what stories people tell about Knaresborough, they mentioned King John handing out the first Maundy Money in the town, Eugene Aram the murderer, animals escaping from Knaresborough Zoo, and Second World War flying ace and ex-King James’s pupil ‘Ginger’ Lacey, who shot down one of the German aircraft that had just bombed Buckingham Palace.
The town of culture event was convened by Knaresborough Town Council, but Ms Pulman said it was not a council-run project. She said:
This is not about reinventing the town. It's about recognising that culture is already happening in our streets, our traditions, our creativity, our community spirit, and our shared challenges. The bid is an opportunity to bring all of that together into one coherent narrative.
Tonight is the start of that process. This is not a town council-led initiative; it's a call for the community to shape the vision.
We want to hear from the people who live, work, volunteer, perform, coach, organise, and care about this place. We all know Knaresborough is extraordinary – this is our chance to show a wider audience what we already see every day.
Knaresborough Castle
The government launched the Town of Culture search last month as an extension of the City of Culture scheme introduced under Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009.
Other towns in Yorkshire putting together bids include Harrogate, Halifax, Pocklington, Richmond, Scarborough and Whitby.
Beyond our county, towns that have announced a bid include Crewe, Grimsby, Huntingdon, Newmarket, North Shields, St Neots, Penzance, Banbury, Bootle, Bishop Auckland and Basingstoke.
Ms Pulman said:
The competition going to be tough, however, this is Knaresborough..!
Last night’s workshop event also provided an opportunity for interested parties to apply to join a committee that will put together a bid based in part on last night’s suggestions. Expressions of interest must be submitted by the deadline of March 31.
Ms Pulman added:
To be successful, the bid must demonstrate genuine collaboration across the whole town: heritage groups, youth organisations, sports clubs, arts organisations, event organisers, local businesses, and the volunteers who are the backbone of so much that happens here.
This isn't about one sector leading the charge; it's about showing how all these strands already weave together into something distinctive.
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