Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft have expressed an interest, Cromer and Sheringham have launched a joint bid, six market towns from Diss to Bungay have applied as part of an ambitious alliance.

And now Thetford has thrown its hat in the ring too.

The market town announced its bid on Monday, entering an increasingly competitive field for the inaugural 2028 prize.

An aerial view of Thetford town centre (Image: Mike Page)

A spin-off of the City of Culture scheme, first launched in 2013, the new prize will give one town £3m in funding to deliver a year long cultural programme, and £250,000 for the runner-up.

More than 200 towns across the country have already registered an interest, with entries judged on criteria including a compelling local narrative and the strength of their arts, heritage and creative industries.

Thetford’s entry will seek to draw on the rich cultural history of the town.

The town claims to be the former capital of East Anglia and celebrates its status as the birthplace of Thomas Paine - the revolutionary philosopher whose writings helped inspire both the American and French revolutions.

Thomas Paine was born in Thetford in 1737 (Image: Archant)

Much of Dad's Army was shot in Thetford (Image: Archant)

It also doubles up as Walmington-on-Sea in the BBC sitcom Dad's Army, with much of the show filmed on its streets and surrounding area.

Thetford is already a beneficiary of the government's Pride in Place programme, a £20 million, decade-long regeneration fund aimed at reviving towns across England.

The submission is being made in partnership with Breckland Council, Thetford Town Council and the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.

Sam Chapman-Allen, Conservative leader at Breckland, said: “This is a really strong locally driven submission, building directly on the momentum of the Pride in Place programme which is going so well and shaped by the views of residents, partners and communities

“The bid which we will put forward will be really clear and a confident case for Thetford, a town with over 2,000 years of history, a really rich culture of heritage and a diverse and growing population.”

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