Sherborne selected to lead Dorset cultural programme

Sherborne has been chosen to run Dorset’s Town of Culture programme in 2027, building on earlier editions that reached thousands of people. Arts and heritage can strengthen connection and participation, but cultural opportunities are not always accessible across ages, incomes and communities.

The programme gives one town funding and a shared structure for community-led events. Sherborne plans festivals, exhibitions and local initiatives under a Culture Everywhere approach. A new Community Cultural Partnership will help residents and organisations shape the programme.

The model has produced measurable participation elsewhere: Bridport’s 2024 pilot attracted 10,000 attendances across 35 events, while the 2025 programme in Portland and Weymouth reached more than 15,000 people and involved 137 artists.

Those figures suggest a town-wide cultural programme can mobilise substantial participation and may offer a useful model for other places. They are results from previous hosts, not a forecast that Sherborne will achieve the same reach, and the detailed programme is still being developed. The partnership will now be established before events begin in 2027, with delivery and participation providing the next evidence of impact.