November 2020 will see Oxford celebrate all its twin cities in an evening of performing and visual arts at the Sheldonian Theatre, to highlight what city twinning brings to the people of Oxford.
The City Council is calling for organisations who want to take part to apply for funding to support twin city links for their performance or presentation. This might be to showcase a project that has already happened, or to organise something completely new.
A budget of up to £10,000 has been set aside to support activities for this unique event. Grants of up to £500 are available to support each twin city link, proposals for links with more than one twin city will be able to apply for more than one grant.
Councillor Mary Clarkson, Cabinet Member for Culture and City centre, said
“Our twin cities provide a wonderful exchange of culture and ideas that have been a real boost to the city. This year we’re taking our celebration of those links another step forward with this event at the Sheldonian Theatre.
“These small grants will help organisations build links with twin city counterparts. While they won’t cover the costs of a group visit, they can be used to support a project in others ways, whether to exchange ideas, research different traditions, towards travel or whatever else may be needed.
“I look forward to enjoying a celebration of twin city ties in November. The Sheldonian event will be the centrepiece, but I hope we will see other groups and organisations getting involved too, not all our linked activities are made for the stage but they all enrich Oxford’s communities and culture.
“Thousands of people have been involved in exchanges with our twin cities over the years and this event will be a chance for people to find out how they can get involved and make new connections”
The Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Craig Simmons, is visiting three of Oxford’s twin cities later this month with messages of friendship. He will take the train to Leiden, Bonn and Wrocław to discuss future opportunities and strengthen Oxford’s ties to its EU twin cities. Visits to Padua and Grenoble are currently in discussion.