Ripon may not have been shortlisted in the inaugural UK Town of Culture 2028 competition but the partnership behind the bid says the journey does not end there.

Ripon’s impressive bid, "Small City, Big Landscape," was developed through the Uredale Community Partnership (UCP), with Ripon Together (Ripon C.I.C.) as the proposed Delivery Body and North Yorkshire Council as the proposed Accountable Body.

While the bid was not successful, the partnership says the process itself has strengthened the case for investing in culture across Ripon and Uredale, and that the conversations, relationships and ideas developed through it will continue to be taken forward.

Dean John, Chair of Ripon Together and the Uredale Community Partnership, said: "We are disappointed not to be taken forward in this competition but nothing about what we have built together over recent months is diminished by that.

The brilliant Ripon's Town of Culture 2028 bid postcard designed by Antony Prince. (Picture contributed)

placeholder image — The brilliant Ripon's Town of Culture 2028 bid postcard designed by Antony Prince. (Picture contributed)

"Ripon's story, rooted in pilgrimage and centred on a cathedral that has welcomed people seeking sanctuary since the seventh century, remains as strong and as true as ever.

"This process of the UK Town of Culture 2028 bid has brought partners together in ways that will outlast the bid.

"The civic pride and sense of shared purpose across Ripon and Uredale is something we intend to carry forward."

Ripon’s bid drew on a February 2026 workshop convened by UCP, which brought together cultural practitioners, venue managers, community organisers, public sector partners and heritage organisations from the city and Uredale.

Together, they mapped more than one hundred cultural assets and identified shared priorities for the area's cultural life.

Lilla Bathurst, Manager at Ripon BID, said: "We can already see what's possible when partners work together on culture and creativity.

"Work is already under way on Ripon BID's Creative Streets project, funded by the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire's High Street Fund, which will bring a new Hornblower statue, heritage trail and street art to the city centre."

The partnership says this work, along with the wider evidence base developed through the Ripon City Investment Plan will now be used to focus support behind strong, deliverable projects to boost the city.