“Slough Is Not What You Think” — Town Launches Digital Hub to Power 2028 Culture Bid

A Digital Home for Slough’s Story, Creativity and Collective Voice.

Slough has today launched its official Town of Culture 2028 digital platform, designed to capture the town’s collective voice and showcase the full richness of its varied cultural life.

“This is Slough telling its story in its own words. It is time for the country to see the real Slough,” Vineet Vijh, the director of Viva Slough, the organisation responsible for creating and managing the digital platform told That's Books and More.

Hosted within The Slough Explorer at www.thesloughexplorer.org, the Town of Culture section is more than a campaign page. 

It's a vibrant, living cultural engine, consolidating the town’s creative energy, community voice and cultural activity into one powerful national showcase. 

It brings together residents’ ideas, stories, videos, photos, events and organisations in one accessible, living space.

The new platform has been designed as an interactive and evolving cultural ecosystem, featuring:

A Collective Story

Residents are invited to share what makes Slough special, from hidden gems and heritage to bold ideas for 2028. 

The website gathers public responses to the Town of Culture consultation questions, ensuring the bid is rooted in genuine community voice.

A Cultural Showcase

A curated gallery of videos and photographs highlights Slough’s vibrant present: dance performances, public art, food festivals, faith celebrations, digital innovation, youth creativity and grassroots initiatives.

The aim is simple: to show the country what Slough already knows: that culture here is alive, diverse and forward-thinking.

A Living “What’s On” Directory

The website consolidates arts and cultural listings across the town into a single, regularly updated directory. 

From exhibitions and theatre to sports, music, workshops and community gatherings, residents and visitors can now find everything happening in one place.

Directory of Artists & Organisations

A searchable database of local creatives, cultural organisations and community groups strengthens collaboration and visibility, thus making it easier to commission, connect and celebrate Slough’s talent.

Designed for Residents, Built for the Nation

The website has been designed to serve two audiences:

• Local residents, who want to feel connected and proud of their town

• National audiences, who are curious to discover a modern British town redefining itself through creativity

An early user of the platform, local resident Aniruddha Jamadar, shared: “I had no idea there was so much happening in Slough until I saw everything in one place. 

"It makes you realise how creative this town really is. It is practical, inspiring and genuinely useful.”

A Digital Front Door to a Changing Town

Slough’s bid positions the town as a modern British powerhouse, blending heritage with technology, grassroots creativity with global industries that power the UK economy.

Unlike a static campaign page, the Slough Town of Culture website will continue to evolve throughout the bid process and beyond. 

Slough residents are encouraged to submit photos, videos, ideas and event listings, ensuring the platform grows organically alongside the movement.

Slough is one of the youngest towns in the country, economically dynamic and culturally rich. Through this new digital home, it invites the rest of the United Kingdom to see the reality behind the headlines: a town powered by community, creativity and confidence.

Tarcila Broder, the designer of the platform, said, “The digital hub aims to consolidate information that is often scattered across social media and individual websites, making Slough’s cultural offer more visible both locally and nationally. It uses AI agents to search for and consolidate information, saving significant time on manual updates. It is indeed a platform built for the future”

Get Involved

Residents, artists and organisations can explore the site and contribute at:

www.thesloughexplorer.org

Follow and support the campaign using:

#Slough2028 #UKTownOfCulture2028

Viva Slough! Slough announces bid for UK Town of Culture 2028

Poet John Betjeman had some rather harsh words for Slough:

Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!

It isn't fit for humans now,

There isn't grass to graze a cow.

Swarm over, Death!

(In my next blogpost I will provide a critical perspective on the poem by John Betjaman and why he was actually pro-Slough, rather than against it.)

I think that he would be pleased and impressed with the news that Slough has announced its intention to bid for UK Town of Culture 2028, launching a bold campaign to reshape how the town is seen nationally. 

The bid aims to dismantle decades of unfair reputations and tired “The Office” stereotypes, replacing them with a confident, future-facing story of creativity, connectivity and cultural energy.

The bid sets out to move beyond long-standing perceptions and present Slough as a place defined by its people and its role in the UK’s digital and economic infrastructure. Organisers emphasise that the focus will not be on a single year of events, but on using culture to support skills development, community participation and pride in place.

Slough is one of the youngest and most ethnically diverse towns in the UK and sits at the heart of the Thames Valley economy. 

It's also home to major data centres and digital infrastructure that support large parts of the UK’s internet traffic. 

Located next to Heathrow Airport, the town has long been shaped by migration, movement and global connections.

A new Town of Culture Steering Group is being formed to oversee the bid, bringing together representatives from business, education, the voluntary sector, culture and youth organisations. The group will be chaired by Rob Deeks MBE, chief executive of Together As One, who was recently awarded an MBE for his services to young people and the community in Slough, recognising his long-standing work supporting and empowering young people across the town.

Rob Deeks told That's Books and More: “Our bid for Town of Culture will be rooted in Slough’s everyday stories, its resilience, and its creative ambitions. 

"Culture here is expressed through the arts and events, but also through how people come together, share identity, and shape the place they live. It is about making space for everyone to participate, belong, and thrive.”

Slough’s bid is not built on aspiration alone. It is rooted in a vibrant and evolving cultural landscape. It has internationally connected music and dance communities, contemporary public art transforming everyday spaces, and is at the heart of Britain's Film and Television Industry with a pool of creative talent. 

Slough is already a place where culture is lived, not staged. Culture is expressed through faith traditions, community choirs, spoken word, visual arts, grassroots theatre and digital creativity.

Slough is already a place where culture is lived, not staged.

Slough’s heritage is industrial, migratory and entrepreneurial, a story of reinvention, resilience and contribution to the national economy, and the 2028 bid will celebrate this living, working, creating town in all its richness.

The bid will be managed by Vineet Vijh, Director of community organisation Viva Slough, who has been leading wider efforts to promote culture, wellbeing and skills development across the town.

Vineet Vijh told us: “Slough doesn’t need reinvention, but it does need recognition. We are digitally connected, globally diverse and full of creative energy. Town of Culture gives us the chance to turn those strengths into pride, opportunity and long-term change.”

Get Involved

The bid team is launching a month of intensive community consultation to ensure the final proposal is truly “built by Slough, for Slough”. This will include:

Town Hall Meetings – open forums for residents to share their ‘Untold Slough’ stories

Youth Summits – sessions in schools, colleges and youth centres throughout February and March

Public Webinar (3 March) – an open invitation for anyone interested in, or curious about, the bid

Small Business Briefing (24 February) – delivered in collaboration with the Federation of Small Businesses, supporting entrepreneurs and developers to align their projects with the 2028 vision

Developer Forum (23 February) – discussions with property developers interested in investment and development in Slough

Early responses from residents, local arts organisations and businesses have been positive.

Toby Kress, Chief Executive of Plus X Innovation, said the bid reflected wider changes in how places like Slough are viewed.

“Slough is already a powerhouse of innovation and talent. Town of Culture 2028 is an opportunity to connect that innovation to creativity and community, and to put Slough firmly on the national and international map.”

Gozan John, a 17-year-old A-level student at St Bernards school, said she welcomed the opportunity for young people to be directly involved in shaping the bid.

“So often decisions about places are made without young people being properly involved. What’s exciting about this bid is that our voices are being taken seriously from the start. Slough is full of young talent and ideas, and this feels like a real chance to for them to help shape the town we want to grow up in.”

Seema Kamboj, Director of arts organisation Apna Virsa (Our Heritage), which has been running for over 17 years and works with more than 5,000 Slough residents, said:

“Slough has always been rich in talent, ambition and diversity. What’s been missing is the platform to tell that story on our own terms. This bid is about unlocking the creativity of our different communities, young and old, and showing the country what modern Britain really looks like.”

The bid has the full support of Slough Borough Council, local MP Tan Dhesi, and Council Leader Dexter Smith, all of whom will actively support the campaign.

The UK Town of Culture competition is run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The winning town will receive £3 million in funding and hold the title for one year, though organisers stress that bids are assessed on long-term impact rather than the scale of individual events.

Slough is competing in the large town category. The deadline for submitting an Expression of Interest is 31 March 2026.

https://vivaslough.org