Being shortlisted for the newly launched UK Town of Culture bid has added a major boost to community pride and economic regeneration for Sandown. Being the only finalist from the South Coast of England and shortlisted from nearly 400 applications, Sandown goes on to develop and shape their bid, with encouragement and pride from residents and visitors alike.
Gavin Stride, Director of Creative Island shares:
“What’s remarkable about Sandown’s bid is the way in which the whole Island is excited and supportive of its ambitions. It feels the right bid for the Island now, and it’s delightful to see the mischief and serious intent behind the proposition. Go Tide Turners go!”
Creative Island, as well as the rest of the Island’s cultural sector are proudly championing the Tide Turners, however, slightly more exciting is that Rhian Teasdale, successful singer-songwriter and guitarist with indie band Wet Leg is too!
“Sandown may be a small town on a small island, but I can tell you first hand that the smallest towns often produce the biggest dreams“.
She’s backing Sandown’s bid to be named as the UK’s first Town of Culture after it was chosen in July as one of 15 finalists from nearly 400 hopefuls across the country. Sandown is the competition’s sole representative of the South East of England and the entire south coast.
Now in their final weeks of bid preparation, the successful towns are vying for the £3 million prize that goes to the overall winner to stage a showcase of cultural events in 2028. Two runners-up will each receive £250,000.
Grammy-winner Rhian believes a hometown win would be a real boost for young people:
“Growing up in Sandown, I don’t think I fully appreciated how much the town would shape me as an artist. Looking back now, I can see it for the wonderfully unique place it is, full of character, creativity and potential. I just wish I’d been able to see that as a teenager. There are so many talented, creative and ambitious young people in Sandown, and they deserve the opportunity to explore those talents close to home. Investing in the town’s creative community would give young people the support, confidence and opportunities they need to thrive”.
A ‘Shunderful’ town of Tide Turners
Sandown has two months to finalise its 2028 proposals, with the bid calling on the whole town to become a community of Tide Turners and help kickstart regeneration after years of decline.
In Sandown, says the bid, “you’re never more than 500 metres from crumbling dereliction and the natural beauty of the UNESCO Isle of Wight Biosphere Reserve. But rather than being defined by decay, we plan to turn the tide.”
The bid creates the new word shunderful to describe the town. In the style of Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll, a famous visitor in the 1870s, it combines the adjectives ’shabby’ and ‘wonderful’. For 2028, the bid team is putting together a 6-month programme of events culminating in the Tide Turner Festival, a major celebration of arts and science.
It would tell Sandown’s story over 100 million years from the footprints of dinosaurs, via Charles Darwin’s momentous On the Origin of Species – which he began working on in the town – through the writings of Carroll and the Victorian origins of Sandown’s carnival and regatta tradition, to the present-day manufacture of pioneering vertipools that provide artificial marine habitats for a changing planet.
Talks are also under way with world-famous marine artist Jason deCaires Taylor about creating an intertidal, bioreceptive sculpture on Sandown’s shoreline.
Isle of Wight East MP Joe Robertson, who sat in on a Tide Turners engagement meeting in Sandown last week, says about the bid:
“It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity to showcase Sandown and bring together all the wonderful work that is already going on as we prepare for the final part of the competition.”
Bid team boosted by top hirings
This week, the Tide Turners team has announced the appointment of Sharon George as Creative Director to play a key role in developing the Town of Culture plans. A longtime Sandown resident, she brings decades of experience with carnival, large-scale events and community involvement. As creative director of Shademakers UK, she’s worked on major national and international projects including the opening of the Olympic Park and the 2022 Platinum Jubilee Pageant. Sharon says:
‘I’m incredibly proud that Sandown has reached the final round of Town of Culture and am already in conversation with artists, community organisations, young people, businesses and residents about what this opportunity could mean for the town. The sense of wonder I felt when I first moved to Sandown at the age of 12 has never left me, and I’m delighted to have this chance to celebrate what we already have and shape the next chapter of the town I love“
Island creative agency NOSY is also on board to manage the bid’s social media presence and website design. Their portfolio includes successful campaigns for Mountbatten and the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, as well as national work for the Office of National Statistics and Innovate UK. NOSY founder Matt Greg says:
‘Sandown has a brilliant story to tell and our job is to make sure it gets heard. For us, this campaign is about shining a light on the real people, culture, creativity and natural landscape that make this town special’.
Sandown’s community joins in
Also this week, the bid team is launching the Tide Turners website at tideturners.co.uk and the town’s community gets involved when The Arena, a big top from Ventnor Exchange, arrives in Sandown for a two-week seafront residency at Sandham Gardens as part of the CAN YOU HEAR US? celebrations.
The massive tent will host Tide Turners on Wednesday 21st October with a day of entertainment and community engagement, featuring a series of hands-on workshops designed to capture local voices and ideas for the bid. As part of Sandown’s campaign, a thought-provoking short filmcreated by NOSY brings to life a powerful story by Anmarie Bowler. We Are the Tide Turners is inspired by conversations and passions shared in the Town of Culture What’sApp group. The film reflects community feelings about the reality of coastal decay and a determination not to wait for change but adapt and evolve to turn the tide.
The film can be seen on YouTube at https://youtu.be/8STOnYCmYrY and on the Tide Turners website.
What happens next?
November 30th, 2026: The deadline for towns to submit their detailed, final application packages.
Early 2027: The independent judging panel will visit shortlisted locations, and the overall winner will be announced by March 31st, 2027.
2028: The winning community delivers its landmark celebration of local arts, heritage, and culture.
