Businesses back Wimborne Town of Culture

Next year, Wimborne will deliver a programme of cultural and community events as Dorset’s Town of Culture 2026. A sum of £30,000 will be awarded to Wimborne, and this will be match funded by Wimborne Town Council.

Wimborne BID will continue to be part of the steering group as work gets underway to shape the programme for Town of Culture with a theme of ‘Bridging the Past and Future’. The BID says the opinions of businesses will be the key to helping shape this programme.

Sam Devlin, a Wimborne BID director and owner of Vetsmiths, said: “This is a terrific opportunity for the town’s businesses. Wimborne BID will be the voice representing levy payer opinions and ideas with the aim of helping the project deliver opportunities that can benefit the bottom line for local businesses.”

The success of Town of Culture will be measured through several ways, including monitoring visitor numbers and demographics, an economic impact assessment and community participation rates.

The Mayor of Wimborne Minster, Cllr Jeff Hart, who spearheaded the application said: “As a strong, engaged organisation and voice for the town’s thriving mix of businesses, Wimborne BID immediately got behind the concept of Town of Culture and was instrumental in helping us secure the successful application.”