Medway’s 2025 UK City of Culture bid is seeking members for a new voluntary trustee group and working groups to guide the set-up of an independent culture trust to deliver Medway’s City of Culture ambition and to support the development of the bid throughout 2020 and 2021. 

The groups seek to be representative of Medway and will oversee and contribute expertise to the bid during its development.

City of Culture 

The title of UK City of Culture is awarded every four years by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. 2025 will be the fourth UK City of Culture following Derry: Londonderry (2013), Hull (2017) and Coventry (2021). 

The competition is aimed at repositioning places through culture, arts and creativity. 

Medway’s bid 

The title of UK City of Culture will be a real game-changer for Medway. It will give us a platform to tell the UK and the world what we have to offer and put Medway on the map. The year will leave a lasting legacy of local pride, increased visitor numbers and a more vibrant, inclusive and sustainable cultural sector. 

City of Culture seeks to improve the quality of life for local people, with increased opportunities to participate in culture, gain experience and access jobs in the tourism and cultural sectors. 

Our programme will feature international, national and local artists providing the catalyst to greater community and cultural engagement across the area. It will celebrate our diverse communities, stories, shared heritage and contemporary culture that make Medway unique. 

The City of Culture bid forms part of Medway’s 2020-2030 Cultural Strategy and is supported by the Medway Place Board, local universities and college, Medway Council and a wide range of businesses and creative sector organisations. 

Roles and commitment – Medway City of Culture Trustees (approx. 9-12 individuals) 

Expressions of interest are welcomed from those of all ages and levels of experience who live, work or have a connection to the area and who support the ambitions of the project. We are seeking actively engaged and committed Trustees who are able to devote time, skills and energy within the eighteen month timeframe of the bid. We would be particularly interested to hear from people aged 16-30 and those who identify as being part of, or who work with minority or marginalised groups as well as those with significant strategic, financial or management experience. 

The Trustees will act as ambassadors for the bid and meet every eight weeks in locations across the area overseeing the strategic and financial development of Medway’s campaign and City of Culture plans. 

Roles and commitment – Medway City of Culture Working Group members (approx. 6-10 individuals per group) 

Expressions of interest are sought from those who are in a position to contribute strategic expertise in any of the following areas: company and/or arts management, heritage, creative producing, digital, education, fundraising, finance, charity sector, work with young people, PR and/or marketing, community and/or voluntary organisation or legal work.

Working Group members will act as ambassadors for the bid and meet approximately every four to six weeks as the demands of the bid require. We are looking to assemble groups who are representative of the diversity of Medway and actively committed to contributing their experience and expertise to furthering Medway’s campaign and City of Culture plans. 

To apply:

If you share our commitment to Medway realising its creative ambitions and are keen to play a central role in the bid, we would be delighted to hear from you. 

Please submit an expression of interest via email to laura.ewing@medway2025.co.uk by the 18 September 2020 outlining which role you are interested in and why, and the skills and experience you would bring.