Frequently asked questions
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It's a fair question. Thanet faces real challenges - deprivation, limited jobs, struggling services. But the £10 million prize must be spent on cultural programming, not other services. Here's why it matters: previous UK Cities of Culture have proven impact - Hull 2017 created 800 jobs and generated £300 million economic impact, while Coventry 2021 saw increased pride and reduced isolation. Culture isn't a luxury - it's a proven tool for economic and social change in places like ours.
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More than 70 organisations from across Thanet - from Turner Contemporary, Ramsgate Football Club, Dreamland, Thanet Wanderers to grassroots groups like Rise Up Clean Up, Pie Factory Music, Looping the Loop and Neurodivergent Friends in Thanet as well as RAF Manston Museum and Bleak House. We have cultural organisations, community groups, businesses, faith leaders, sports clubs, and individual artists. Towns and villages are represented. This started with 20 organisations in January and has grown to 70+ as more people join. This genuinely is a Thanet-wide effort, and it's not too late to get involved.
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At this stage we have no funding, so everyone is providing their support and expertise for free. Costs like this website, flyers, room hire, and refreshments have been covered by organisations or individuals who support the bid. Being volunteer-led means what we're doing right now is messy and imperfect - but it's also exciting, dynamic and building on genuine energy and enthusiasm. We will be transparent about how any funding we receive at each stage is spent and how decisions are made. If we're longlisted, we'll receive a £60,000 grant from DCMS to develop the full application - and we'll publish how that is allocated and spent.goes here
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We developed core values through our consultation meetings, then refined them based on survey responses. These eight principles guide everything we do:
Transparency - open about decisions and spending
Inclusion - making sure everyone can get involved
Equity - fairness and targeting those most in need
Respect - valuing all voices and contributions
Excellence - commitment to quality
Innovation - creative approaches to challenges
Joy - culture (and this bidding process) should be enjoyable and life-affirming
Sustainability - environmental responsibility and lasting impact.
These aren't just words - they shape how we work and what we propose.
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Anyone who lives, works, or has connections to Thanet. This is our bid.
Right now, you can:
Fill in our Residents Survey - we’re aiming for 1,400 voices.
Share your ideas and experiences.
Spread the word to friends, family, and neighbours.
Follow our progress on this website and [Instagram].
If we're longlisted (Spring 2026): We'll establish a steering committee of residents with relevant lived and professional expertise to guide development of the full bid. We'll also have four months for further research and engage with stakeholders - and we'll need many more hands.
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Not at all. We're still shaping the bid and will need many hands if we're longlisted.
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Keep an eye on this website and our Instagram. We're not starting a mailing list yet because we may not be long listed - but if we are, we'll set up proper communications channels then. For now, the website and Instagram are the best places to follow our progress.
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No. While our local MP Polly Billington helped catalyse the initial conversations, Isle of Culture is a community-led bid, not a political one. We hope everyone across Thanet - regardless of political affiliation - can get behind this vision for our island's future. City of Culture is about culture, community and opportunity, not political affiliation.
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No. Our focus is local benefit - jobs, opportunities, pride, connection. Visitors help fund it, but this is for Thanet people.
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Even the process builds connections, raises our profile, and could unlock other opportunities. But we're in it to win it.
If we're not longlisted: We'll share the outcomes of our survey and how these shaped our Expression of Interest. We hope there will be willingness to create a cultural strategy for the Isle of Culture even without winning - the conversations and connections we're building are valuable regardless.
If we're longlisted but don't win: The £60,000 development grant, partnerships formed, research conducted, and community engagement will still strengthen Thanet's cultural sector. Hull's bid wasn't successful the first time - they applied again and won. Good work isn't wasted.
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No. We need all voices - residents, artists, business owners, young people, older people, community groups. Your lived experience of Thanet is what matters.
