'Essex people aren't numpties' says town boasting culture bid

Basildon residents have shared their love and pride for their hometown, after it became a finalist to be crowned the UK's first Town of Culture.

The Essex town was one of almost 400 bids sent to the government for the award but only 15 made it as finalists.

Basildon, Birkenhead, Grimsby and Rotherham are the large towns in the running for funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with the winner being able to host various cultural events in 2028.

BBC Essex spoke to people at Basildon's Towngate Theatre to see what the contest means to them.

Joan Hegwein, from Bowers Gifford, volunteers at the theatre and believes Basildon has always had culture.

"People laugh at Basildon because we are in Essex and they've got this perception of Essex being a lot of numpties - but they are not," she said.

Meanwhile, Kenzie Blackheart is a drag performer and has lived in the town for the past 30 years.

"A part of me is proud of being from Basildon," said Blackheart.

"It would be really nice to see Basildon get the recognition in terms of its arts and creatives, because there is much here when you actually start to dig into what we've got."

The performer said there was not much of a drag scene in the town at the moment, but winning the cultural title could help change that.

Rolla Payback is a grime artist from the town who created a song called "Baz", which was used in the bid from Basildon Borough Council.

Speaking to BBC Essex presenter Ben Fryer, he said: "I've grown in this area, I've lived in this area my whole life and I've always felt like there wasn't a huge amount of opportunity given to us as young people.

"It's not just Baz the song - the whole album was surrounding that and let me group together the hottest artists from this area in a song, and show the world what we're about."

The council approached him after hearing his songs online.

"I'm always for the town, anything I can do to help out, I will do," he said.

"Basildon on the whole is a good place to be - people might think I'm mad - I don't care, that's how I feel."

Tom Mason is another worker at the theatre, and he said watching the stage transform every time a show gets put on is still a "pinch-me moment".

He said the 568-seater auditorium, built in the 1980s, was designed by a part-time magician turned architect.

"If you go around the building, you'll always find a way on the stage without the audience seeing you, because he was always about that illusion," he said.

Every year about 115,000 people come and visit the theatre, he added.

"We are the epitome of a community venue - that is the beauty of this place."

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