Dartmouth is preparing a bid to become one of the UK's next Towns of Culture, with local organisations joining forces to showcase the town's rich heritage and creative future.

From the Crusades to steam engineering, from the cradle of the Royal Navy to one of the oldest regattas in the country, Dartmouth has always been at the heart of something bigger, say organisers.

Now, they are entering the UK Town of Culture competition, and want to tell that story in a “bold, new way”.

The town's bid is built around the themes of 'We Create', 'We Explore' and 'We Muster', with the River Dart at its heart. The proposal aims to bring Dartmouth's stories to life through creative industries and technological innovation.

A group representing a number of organisations in Dartmouth have been working on a bid for the Town Of Culture competition being run by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport.

The aim of the competition is to use culture to develop a sense of place and pride - with three winning towns receiving between £250,000 and £3m funding to deliver their culture programme in 2028.

The group who have worked on the draft bid includes representatives from Dartmouth Town Council, Dartmouth Harbour Authority, Dartmouth & District Chamber of Commerce, Explore Dartmouth, Dartmouth Museum & Dartmouth History Research Group.

They have developed a description of the culture and character of Dartmouth, and identified a list of opportunities to build the towns cultural heritage and attract people to live, work and visit Dartmouth.

These ideas will form the basis of Dartmouth’s bid, and have been shared more widely among other key organisations such as The Flavel and Dartmouth Academy.

Residents are now being invited to shape this bid as well by completing a short survey online: https://tinyurl.com/4xak26fb