As work ramps up on Shrewsbury’s bid to become the UK’s first ever Town of Culture, residents, students, schoolchildren and businesses are being asked to have their say – through a set of surveys designed to put the community’s voice at the heart of the initial application.

The UK Government’s first ever Town of Culture competition offers an amazing opportunity for Shrewsbury to cement its place as one of the most attractive places to visit, live and work in the UK. If shortlisted, Shrewsbury would be awarded £60,000 to deliver its full bid – including building cultural capacity and further community engagement in the region.

If the town wins outright, £3 million would be awarded for investment in the town’s culture – a sum that would be transformative at a time when funding for cultural programmes is increasingly difficult to come by.

To build the strongest possible case to the judging panel, Town of Culture bid partners Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury BID have developed five tailored surveys to gather feedback from different groups across the community, including young children.

Each one asks about experiences of culture in Shrewsbury, what the town does well, and what people would love to see more of.

The surveys are open to:
- Adults (general public)
- Students aged 14–18
- Primary school children aged 4–7
- Primary school children aged 8–11
- Shrewsbury businesses

Each survey takes just a few minutes to complete and will make a genuine difference when shaping Shrewsbury’s Town of Culture bid. Find the right one for you here.

Surveys must be completed by 28 March. All responses are anonymous – no personal or identifying information is collected or shared, though there is the option to provide an email address to stay informed on the programme.

To share your views, click here.