22
November
2017
|
09:48
Europe/London

Dermot O’Leary backs the Camden Culture bid

Dermot O’Leary has added his backing to Camden’s London of Borough of Culture bid as a patron of the London Irish Centre.

Camden has long welcomed settlers of all backgrounds to the borough and the borough’s Irish community has always been particularly prominent across the cultural spectrum. For the last 60 years, Camden has been home to the London Irish Centre, a charity that supports Irish people by delivering a diverse programme of Irish arts and culture across the capital.

Dermot said: “As the Patron of the iconic London Irish Centre in Camden Square, I really value the deep cultural richness through all of Camden. The borough is at the heart of the world’s most vibrant, diverse capital city and is a creative cultural powerhouse. Camden’s strengths lie in its combination of people and places, including a proud and creative Irish community, and I am really happy to back its bid to be the London Borough of Culture.”

Gary Dunne, Director of Culture, London Irish Centre, said: 'The London Irish Centre has been providing care, culture and community here in Camden for over sixty years. We are strong believers in the power of culture to create community, and vice versa, so are proud to add an Irish flavour the diverse multi-culture of Camden, and its impressive bid to be Borough of Culture.'

Councillor Jonathan Simpson, Cabinet Member for Promoting Culture and Communities, said: “We are proud of our Irish roots in Camden and the fantastic cultural benefits the London Irish Centre has brought to our communities. It offers the biggest programme of Irish cultural, community and social events in the country with annual festivals including Return to Camden Town focusing on Irish music.”

Camden’s diverse cultural community is key to its development of magnificent music venues covering many genres, innovative art galleries and history of significant social movements. By welcoming a variety of vibrant people to the area, Camden’s culture has been able to continue to evolve, remaining at the forefront of London’s cultural landscape.

In December, the Mayor of London will name the two Borough of Culture winners who will receive £1.1million in funding for a year of art and cultural celebrations, one in 2019 and one in 2020. Camden aims to create a year of culture that’s not only known for producing a fantastic programme of events for people to enjoy but something that brings wider benefits for residents and beyond.

Join Dermot and support the Camden bid

Camden’s community is integral to its culture, join in and support the Camden bid by tweeting @CamdenTalking using the hashtag #CamdenIsCulture