Towns of Culture 2025 Reveals Launchpad Grant Wimnners

Portland and Weymouth, the proud recipients of Dorset’s Towns of Culture 2025 title, have today unveiled the first cohort of successful applicants to receive funding through the REVEAL Launchpad Fund. With over a dozen projects selected, the fund awards up to £1,500 to help individuals, organisations and community groups deliver unique cultural activities across the area.

The REVEAL Launchpad Fund is part of the year-long Towns of Culture programme designed to champion the hidden creativity, heritage and imagination that thrive in these two coastal towns. The winning projects, which span film, poetry, performance, heritage, and food, will take place throughout spring and summer.

Cllr Carralyn Parkes (Portland Town Council) and Cllr Alex Fuhrmann (Weymouth Town Council) said: “These Launchpad grants bring culture to life in surprising and deeply meaningful ways. They’re led by people who know our communities and are finding creative ways to celebrate them.”

Rocca Holly-Nambi, Director of b-side which is coordinating Portland and Weymouth Towns of Culture 2025, comments: “We’ve been blown away by the range and ambition of applications. These projects prove that culture isn’t something that happens to a place - it’s something people build, share and shape together. Each grant brings a spark of originality, fun or meaning to Portland and Weymouth.”

New Projects to Look Out For Include:

• “OmniVerse” by Jawbone Collective – A bold and inclusive literary project placing poetry in everyday locations across Portland and Weymouth, from shop windows to bus stops, amplifying underrepresented voices. The project includes creative writing workshops, a live performance, and a trail of QR-linked poetry installations offering new perspectives on place and identity. 

• “Bside the Cside” by Charlotte Pascoe – A 13-week summer treasure hunt celebrating the spirit of seaside holidays. Each week, original artworks, glossy postcards, and creative prizes inspired by local landmarks and traditions will be hidden in scenic public spots like Portland Bill and Greenhill Gardens for families to discover and share online​. 

• “Analogue Light” by Emily Hawes – A hands-on experimental film workshop at Portland Bird Observatory, inviting participants to explore the island’s unique ecology and history through eco-friendly 16mm filmmaking techniques. Footage will be processed using local seaweed and seawater, culminating in a short film about perception, migration, and light​. 

• “Dorset Songs of Stone” by Sarah Acton – A moving oral history and poetry programme at Portland Museum featuring storytelling sessions with former quarrymen and a new Portland Poets Festival. Monthly talks, writing competitions and a celebratory garden event will honour the voices of stonemasons and local poets such as Skylark Durston and Bob Woollage​. 

• “Night Life” by Sophie Fretwell and Dan Babei – A creative tribute to Portland’s unsung night workers, blending storytelling, oversized animal masks, photography and performance. The project culminates in a surreal open-mic event at a local pub, celebrating human and animal nocturnal life with joy and imagination. 

• “King George III’s Birthday Party” by Weymouth Museum – A playful celebration of Weymouth’s Georgian heritage. The June event will feature children’s creative competitions, historic displays, crown-making workshops, re-enactors and cake - bringing the town’s royal roots to life in front of the King’s statue​. 

• “Woolly Wonderland” Yarn Bomb Festival by Katy Pascoe – A county-wide collaborative craft movement culminating in a huge outdoor yarn installation in Portland’s Easton Gardens. Featuring over 1,000 contributors and hundreds of schoolchildren, this colourful event highlights creativity, accessibility and community pride​. 

• “Almost Synchro” – A joyful open water synchronised swimming performance and workshop in Portland Harbour, welcoming locals to join a fun, sea-based movement experience with professional guidance and community spirit. 

• “Songfest” by Juliet Harwood – A one-day singing extravaganza at Weymouth Pavilion’s Ocean Room, combining an inclusive harmony workshop with a concert by local community choirs. Led by guest conductor Dan Pate, the event aims to boost choir participation and celebrate the uplifting power of song.  .

• “Portland Dough Buns” by The Beehive – A community food heritage project baking and giving away 1,000 Portland dough buns (a local delicacy once favoured by quarrymen) alongside story cards about their origins and cultural significance​.

• Inclusive Monoprinting with Sarah Owen – A welcoming art project for adults with mental health needs, using professional-grade monoprinting techniques and local landscapes as inspiration. Sessions at Hope House aim to support self-expression, confidence and wellbeing​. 

• “SEN Dance” by Christina McManus – A series of landscape-inspired dance and movement workshops for young people with additional needs, concluding in a celebratory performance night. Delivered with Stromatic Dance at The Drill Hall and supported by local schools​.  

• Eric Ricketts: The Buildings of Old Weymouth” by Weymouth Museum – A new exhibition celebrating the drawings and legacy of artist-architect Eric Ricketts, whose work helped save many of Weymouth’s historic buildings. Taking place at Holy Trinity Church during National Heritage Week, the display will highlight the town’s architectural story and include newly donated artworks

Charlotte Pascoe, launchpad fund winner, Bside the Cside comments: “This was my first time applying for a grant, and I am both honoured and thrilled to have been selected.  The funding has enabled me to create a community focused project that I am deeply passionate about.  An opportunity that would not have been possible without this support, especially as a young person from a low-income area.  Beyond facilitating my engagement with local arts, this grant has significantly contributed to my personal growth, boosting my confidence and independence as a disabled young woman from a rural area.”

With over 60 applications for grant funding, the Towns of Culture board and partner organisations were thrilled by the breadth of creativity and cultural ambition within Portland and Weymouth. To help ensure a lasting legacy, board members are now proactively working with individuals and groups who applied, whether or not they received funding, to support their ideas and explore alternative ways to bring their projects to life. By building relationships with local groups and working at the heart of the community, Towns of Culture is laying strong foundations for long-term cultural impact.

REVEAL – A Year of Culture, Connection and Celebration