Wimborne Minster Town Council is delighted to announce that HOME, a landmark project for Wimborne Town of Culture 2026, will move forward following a successful funding award from Arts Council England through an Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant.
Running from May to December 2026, HOME is an ambitious, town-wide, multi-arts programme bringing together theatre, visual art, music and film. The project will see local artists and residents co-create original work exploring what home means in Wimborne today. Without this funding, the project would not have been possible.
Developed through consultation with more than 3,700 residents, HOME responds directly to a need for more inclusive, accessible creative opportunities – particularly for communities that have historically had lower engagement with the arts. Activity will take place across neighbourhoods, schools and community settings, ensuring that people can take part close to where they live. The project is expected to engage thousands of participants and audiences across Wimborne and beyond.
Emma Kerr, Project Manager for Wimborne Town of Culture, said: “Securing this funding is a major milestone for Wimborne Town of Culture. HOME is an ambitious programme that places community voices at its heart, and it simply wouldn’t be possible without this support. It will enable us to work at scale, reach people who might not usually engage with the arts, and create high-quality work in partnership with leading local artists and organisations.”
The programme will unfold through four interconnected creative strands, each led by specialist partners and offering different ways for people to take part – from performance and making to music and film.
Theatre: A community story brought to life
Led by Wimborne Community Theatre and working with Millstream Theatre and Kingston Lacy, this large-scale production will bring together residents of all ages to create and perform a new piece of theatre inspired by their experiences of home. Performances will take place outdoors within the grounds of Kingston Lacy in late September.
Visual Arts and Song: ‘Saucepan Pony’ – Stories on the Move
Delivered by Emerald Ant, the arts organisation behind ‘Glow Badbury’ in 2023, specialising in immersive storytelling through film, digital media and live experiences. This strand will bring workshops and a travelling horse-and-cart to the streets of outlying Wimborne. Working closely with local residents, participants will transform personal stories and valued objects into large-scale artworks and home-inspired celebratory song, culminating in a colourful community procession.
Sarah Butterworth, Emerald Ant Creative Director, added: “We are excited to bring Saucepan Pony to Wimborne – celebrating stories from our homes and the magic in everyday things.”
Music: New voices in Wimborne’s folk tradition
Working with Wimborne Folk Festival, one of the South West’s best-known celebrations of traditional music and dance, this strand will commission new music inspired by the stories of local residents – particularly “unsung heroes” from across the town.
Simon Wheeler, Chair of Wimborne Folk Festival, added: “Wimborne Folk Festival is delighted to be part of HOME and Wimborne Town of Culture 2026. Folk traditions are rooted in storytelling, community and shared experience, so this project feels like a natural fit for us. We’re excited to help celebrate the people, creativity and heritage of Wimborne through this ambitious programme.”
Capturing Wimborne’s story through film
Pioneering paper puppeteer Nicholas Rawling, Artistic Director of Dorset-based The Paper Cinema – a company known for its distinctive fusion of live animation, puppetry and music – will devise a feature-length creative documentary capturing the project and the people involved. Combining animation, live performance and music, the film will explore ideas of home through the voices of participants, premiering locally before being shared digitally to reach wider audiences.
The project is supported by Wildworks, a nationally recognised company known for large-scale, site-specific performances rooted in landscape and community, which will mentor local artists and help develop new approaches to community co-creation. Together, these partnerships will help increase the ambition and quality of work created in Wimborne, while building long-term skills, networks and opportunities for local artists and communities.
HOME is a Wimborne Town of Culture 2026 flagship project supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Dorset Town of Culture is an initiative by The Arts Development Company, with funding from Dorset Council. Wimborne 2026 is supported by matched funding from Wimborne Minster Town Council, with headline sponsors Wimborne Minster BID and Canford School.
Wimborne Town of Culture shines a spotlight on arts, culture, sports, recreation and leisure in Wimborne – and helps fuel more of it under the banner ‘The Culture Catalyst’ with a series of bold new projects.
Wimborne is the Dorset Town of Culture 2026, following Bridport (2024) and Weymouth & Portland (2025).
