Support our bid for London Borough of Culture

Culture in Camden is so much more than simply attending the latest gallery or exhibition – it’s woven into the fabric of our borough, it is implicit in Camden’s people, visible on our streets and in our heritage.

Famed for attracting the brightest and best musicians, our pubs and venues have hosted Bob Dylan, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Blondie, Madness, Amy Winehouse and countless others, providing eclectic, exhilarating experiences that people remember for the rest of their lives.

However, we believe our cultural offer can be life-changing in other ways too. It can spark interests, open up opportunities, allow individuals to develop skills, build confidence and inspire each and every one of us to be the best person we can be.

As the new ‘Harry Potter: A History of Magic’ exhibition enchants a new generation of storytellers at our own British Library, we might remember how J K Rowling, a little over 20 years ago, was a single-parent, supported by the welfare state and writing in a café corner - an undiscovered literary talent waiting to be recognised.

We’re clear culture should never been seen as a remote pleasure for a privileged elite – it must be accessible, affordable and achievable for everyone. It directly supports our aim to make Camden a place where everyone can succeed and no-one gets left behind. 

This above all is our motivation for joining the race to be named London Borough of Culture, a competition launched by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in June.

Through our bid we want to support our existing cultural venues and bring culture out onto the streets so everyone in Camden can benefit – a true democratisation of culture.

It strikes me that the diversity of our borough, which offers a cornucopia of various traditions, styles, music and food, is knitted into our mixed communities. As the gateway to Europe, with direct connections from St Pancras to Paris and Brussels, Camden is clear our non-British EU citizens should continue to retain full rights in any-post Brexit deal. I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate how much we value the contribution all our residents make to Camden, than being successfully named as the winning borough of culture in February 2018.