Why Great Yarmouth hopes to win UK culture crown

Locals and visitors to a seaside town believe its sandy beaches, friendly people and range of attractions could see it clutch the title for the UK's first Town of Culture.

Great Yarmouth in Norfolk is among 15 towns vying for the title and will now receive £60,000 to work on a full bid.

As part of its pitch, 2028 was hailed as a "key year" for the town with the restored Venetian Waterways turning 100, the Hippodrome 125, Out There Festival celebrating its 20th year and the Winter Gardens reopening following an £18m facelift.

Leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council Carl Smith said: "Great Yarmouth always gets knocked but we are in this to win it and become Town of Culture 2028."

What do people in Great Yarmouth make of the town's chances?

For mum of two Eliza Henshall, Great Yarmouth is the perfect family holiday where it won't "cost a lot" and you do not have to venture too far.

She said: "It's very family orientated, there's loads to do. I think it's lovely they are reinvesting money into all the run-down bits that need redoing.

"I think that's really important especially to keep the old traditions alive as a British seaside town."

Asked about the chances of winning, she said: "I'd say they're pretty high."

Visiting Great Yarmouth from Basildon in Essex, Gulshan Glavin praised Great Yarmouth for its "nice, clean, relaxed environment".

Basildon itself is competing against Grimsby, Rotherham and Birkenhead in the large town category of the competition.

She said: "You can see there's so much regeneration, there's money being brought into here. We love coming here for a summer holiday."

Jack Jay, producer and director of the Hippodrome circus, whose family has been in entertainment in Great Yarmouth for more than a century, said he felt proud the town had been recognised for what it can offer and its potential.

But he wondered if that was spotted at a national level.

He said: "In coastal towns like Great Yarmouth there's a feeling of being cut off and under appreciated. I think this is where opportunities are massive.

"I think Great Yarmouth is a great example of a place that has great history and unexpected culture and has the potential to push on.

"I think there has been a lack of appreciation on how important British seaside culture is... we've got one of the best preserved and best examples of Edwardian Victorian seaside buildings which is a window into that culture."

While he said the town has been through hardship, he hoped the scheme can bring something positive for future generations to one day look back on.

Asa Morrison, chief executive of Visit Great Yarmouth, said 7.5m visitors come each year for its traditional seafront, 15-miles of "wonderful" beaches and historic parts of the town.

He said: "We've got the beautiful sea in the background, we've got the Golden Mile, we've got some stunning little seaside resorts around Gorleston and Hemsby, and up the coast up to Winterton."

"Great Yarmouth has so much to offer and we need this opportunity to grow and develop down a cultural line."

Speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk, Smith said he was "going to give it our all to win it" and said it is time to show the town at its best.

He said: "I've lived here all my life and yes we have our challenges like every other town, but this is great news for Great Yarmouth, for Norfolk. We are the ones who stood out and we are the ones who got to the final.

"We need to show Great Yarmouth at its best — we've got the Hippodrome, the Waterways, the Winter Garden opening in 2028.... hopefully we can top it off with Town of Culture. That will really put us on the map."

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