Blaenau Ffestiniog is bidding to become the UK’s first Town of Culture.

UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, said the winning town will be allocated £3m, and two runners-up £250,000, to promote local culture.

The bid by Ffestiniog Town Council, was put together with Cwmni Bro Ffestiniog, and will be supported by Gwynedd Council, the Eryri National Park Authority, Opra Cymru, Ysgol y Moelwyn and the Blaenau History Society.

The town’s vision, ‘Llechi Byw – Living Slate’, will celebrate renewal through creativity, honouring the town’s industrial story while showcasing contemporary pioneers like film-makers Dyl Goch, artists David Nash, Howard Bowcott, Gareth Parry and Lleucu Gwenllian, musicians Gai Toms, the Brythoniaid Male Voice Choir, and poets rooted in Welsh identity.

This spring an expert panel led by TV producer Phil Redmond will evaluate all expressions of interest and select a shortlist of towns. Each will receive £60,000 to support a full application.

Gai Toms said: “Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town built on slate, heart, and song. Once defined as the slate capital and the town that famously ‘roofed the world’, it is now part of The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales UNESCO World Heriyage Site.

“Its dramatic landscape and close-knit Welsh-speaking community have forged a unique creative energy recognised throughout Cymru.

“Opportunities like this are a great help in our journey to rediscover our identity as progressive, contemporary people and ensure an exciting, durable and Welsh future.”

Ffestiniog Town Council Chair Rory Francis said: “The scheme is designed to allow everyone to share their pride of place in where they live, and Blaenau Ffestiniog has an amazing story to tell. This is only the first stage, but if we are successful we hope this could really make a difference, not just to Blaenau Ffestiniog but to the whole of Bro Ffestiniog and the surrounding area.”