Sutton in Ashfield to bid to be UK’s first Town of Culture
Sutton in Ashfield is now in the running to become the UK’s first Town of Culture in 2028.
Ashfield District Council and Ashfield Arts Partnership have put Sutton forward for the national prize to put Ashfield firmly on the map as a cultural destination.
Sutton has a unique voice and it deserves to be heard by the rest of the country. For an unassuming, former industrial town, there are pockets of unexpected culture everywhere you look. From a world-class planetarium at Sherwood Observatory, Cornerstone Theatre at Sutton Community Academy, and the 19th Century stone Lindley’s Mill hidden on a residential estate, to England’s oldest surviving railway viaduct at Kings Mill Reservoir. Go back a couple of centuries and you’ll find stories of rebels and riots with Jeremiah Brandreth leading the Pentrich revolution and the textile riot of 1811.
Large-scale events like Light Night in 2022, and Ashfield Show, and the smaller workshops and activities being ran by Ashfield Creates, prove that Sutton has an appetite for cultural activities and winning the Town of Culture would allow Ashfield Arts Partnership to continue to provide these for the town.
Ashfield is full of historically significant figures such as Harold Larwood, Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron, and Enid Bakewell, as well as culturally important places with Teversal Manor inspiring D.H.Lawrence’s novel “Lady Chatterly’s Lover”, Ada Lovelace’s final resting place at St Mary Magdalene church in Hucknall, and the ancient woodland of Portland Park, Kirkby.
The winning town will be awarded £3 million to put on an ambitious cultural programme during 2028, whilst the 2 running up towns will receive £250,000.
Cllr Chris Huskinson, Executive Lead Member for Leisure, Health and Wellbeing said:
“This bid to the Town of Culture supports the work we are already doing with Ashfield Creates as part of the £1 million Arts Council funded programmes of arts and culture. We have also recently published our Cultural Strategy which sets out our ambition to become a cultural heartland of the East Midlands, so achieving Town of Culture would be the cherry on the cake.
“We have nothing to lose by submitting an expression of interest and we are calling on residents and businesses in Sutton to show their support by filling out the survey on Ashfield Creates website. This title would benefit the entire District if we win, allowing us to expand our arts and cultural offerings across Ashfield.”
The UK Town of Culture is an opportunity for places and communities to use culture and creativity to tell their story and why they are proud of their community.
You can complete the support survey on Ashfield Creates' website.
Posted on 30 March 2026