Medway gaming company Dovetail Games and Southeastern Railway have backed Medway’s ambitions to be the UK’s City of Culture in 2025 and joined forces to promote the bid in a new video game.
Dovetail Games, based at the Historic Dockyard Chatham who specialise in train and fishing simulation software, has placed the Medway 2025 bid branding across trains and station advertising in Train Sim World 2: Southeastern High Speed.
With Medway due to submit its bid to the national UK City of Culture competition later this year, businesses across Medway and the wider South East region are backing Medway for the title as the competition looms closer.
Being named UK City of Culture 2025 would bring the award to the South East for the first time in the history of the competition. Benefits to Medway businesses and the wider region would be significant, with a major boost to the visitor economy and local investment providing a lift to businesses as well as making it easier to recruit and retain young people trained locally. Over half of businesses surveyed in Hull following its year as UK City of Culture in 2017 felt that hosting had contributed to increased turnover.
Medway’s 2025 City of Culture bid encompasses all forms of culture across the local area including Medway’s thriving digital arts landscape. Throughout the pandemic, Medway’s digital and tech scene has gone from strength-to-strength, with the inaugural Electric Medway digital arts festival (launched last year and returning in August 2021) and the announcement of Medway Rapture gaming and creative festival, taking place in July 2021 at the Historic Dockyard Chatham.
In the new Add-On pack for Dovetail’s latest simulation software, users can take charge of Southeastern High Speed services between London and Faversham. During their journey, drivers will be able to spot Medway 2025 branding and messaging at locations, including Rainham Station, in Medway.
Proud to back Medway's bid to be UK City of Culture in 2025
Jon Rissik, CEO at Dovetail Games, said: "As a local business, Dovetail Games is proud to back Medway’s bid to be UK City of Culture in 2025. Medway has so much culture to offer to the rest of the country, including an innovative digital arts and gaming scene. The bid aims to encompass all types of culture and, being a tech company based at one of Medway’s major heritage sites, we are excited to see Medway 2025 embracing the historic and the modern! We hope locals enjoy our unique slice of support for Medway’s bid with Southeastern High Speed for Train Sim World 2."
Medway has seen tremendous economic growth
David Statham, Managing Director of Southeastern Railway, said: “Medway has seen tremendous economic growth and change, and as the railway that serves the region with a number of stations, Southeastern is pleased to support its bid for City of Culture 2025. Southeastern carries a variety of passengers to and from Medway including schoolchildren, commuters, key workers and tourists. We welcome the opportunity to work with the bid team to help increase sustainable tourism and leisure visits, in particular increasing year-round visits from the rest of Kent and other parts of the country.”
Find out more about Medway's bid to become UK City of Culture in 2025.