• I WANT to thank every person, business and organisation who supported Camden’s bid to be London Borough of Culture.

While it’s disappointing to have not won the overall prize, I’m delighted that we have been granted funding for the “Camden Alive” project contained within the bid.

Via a smartphone, thousands of diverse cultural and historical stories and places of interests across the borough will be highlighted in augmented reality along “culture routes”, with the development of the project particularly focusing on working with communities and residents who feel they are rarely able to access mainstream cultural provision in Camden and London.

In granting us a Cultural Impact Award and funding for the project the Mayor of London said he’s sure that this project will bring Camden’s communities closer together.

This will build on the collective work done while producing our borough of culture bid, where we have already strengthened existing partnerships and created improved and new relationships with organisations that will ensure that there is a legacy from the bid.

In developing this bid we galvanised Camden’s cultural community, uniting and collectively promoting the huge cultural offer of our borough and we will build on this work and spirit as we move forward.

CLLR JONATHAN SIMPSON
Cabinet Member for Promoting Culture & Communities