The bid is being put together by Swindon Borough Council in collaboration with Swindon Culture Collective. Despite Swindon’s official status as a town, the bid will be placed within the city category – due to the number of people who live there. The town currently has a population of roughly 222,000. When the completed bid is submitted, Swindon will face stiff competition from the likes of Plymouth, Portsmouth and Bristol.
UK City of Culture is a competition that has existed for the past 17 years. Some of the cities that have been awarded the accolade previously include Coventry, Bradford and Hull. Applicants have to show how they would use culture to change their cities for the better.
When cities are awarded titles of this kind, their councils are often keen to promote the fact. Poster printing by shops in Swindon is one way that this can be done.
Kate Wyatt is a member of Swindon Borough Council. She told BBC News that the town had much to shout about:
“Every corner I turn, I find a new thing I didn’t know about. For example, the first ever lending library was in Swindon.”
The long-list will be revealed during late March.