Ilfracombe makes UK Town of Culture shortlist

A coastal town in Devon has beaten off hundreds of competitors to make its way onto the shortlist of the UK Town of Culture contest.

Ilfracombe on the north Devon coast is one of 15 towns to go through to the next stage which saw almost 400 towns submit bids.

Charmain Lovett, who put the proposals together for Ilfracombe said the news was "absolutely incredible".

Ilfracombe will now get £60,000 to develop its bid with a final winner to be decided early in 2027.

Lovett, from the One Ilfracombe group that worked on the proposals, said she was in "utter shock".

She said: "We knew how tough it was with nearly 400 entries so to find out little old Ilfracombe has been shortlisted is absolutely incredible."

Lovett said the news was particularly welcomed as Ilfracombe and north Devon "tend to lose out on these sort of things" to Exeter and Plymouth.

She said: "We've got amazing history and a brilliant story to tell in terms of our community and our resilience - we're a town that has had to do everything for itself."

One artisitc attraction is the 65 ft (20m) statue called Verity installed on the harbour in Ilfracombe in 2012 on a 20-year loan from renowned artist Damien Hirst.

Several other towns in Devon put in bids for the UK Town of Culture but Ilfracombe is the only location in south west England to be chosen.

In Cornwall, Penzance, Helston, Falmouth, Redruth, Newquay and Marazion had bids in but have not made the shortlist.

Ilfracombe is one of five small towns on the shortlist, with five medium towns and five large towns.

The government said the contest would "continue to shine a light on local visions and voices from across the UK to help encourage increased local investment, create a lasting sense of pride, and open doors to the arts and culture for everyone".

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