We Are Pompey: 'There's so much good in Portsmouth people' says Josh Daniels as they back City of Culture bid

Portsmouth is bidding to become the 2029 City of Culture. Here we meet one of the people in the city backing the bid - and find out why Portsmouth is so special to them.

Josh Daniels - Artistic director, Downtown Pompey

Born in Buckland, Josh, who uses they/them pronouns, was raised to be a welcoming and friendly face, celebrating people’s differences. They spent seven years in London practicing the arts, but the allure of Portsmouth was too strong to keep them away. Now the artistic director of Downtown Pompey, they champion the city’s arts, advocating for everyone to be given a voice on stage.

Why Josh is backing the bid

They said: “There’s so much good in Portsmouth people, and everyone has their nuances. We’re not two-dimensional people in terms of our identity. Once you’re in, you’re in, and you find yourself in such a tight-knit community.

“Portsmouth more than deserves this. We’re at the right point in our cultural journey to be elevated to that next step. So much groundwork has gone in to get us to this stage - the foundations of our cultural identity have been laid on fertile ground, and it makes Portsmouth feel like it belongs to us.

“I’m in awe of the people spearheading that cultural charge; guys like Gemma Nichols from Portsmouth Creates, and Cllr Steve Pitt, are examples of people who have enabled Portsmouth to converge, for us to be ready for City of Culture. I really believe in this bid.”

Portsmouth in three words: Home. Matriarchal. DIY.

Behind the Bio / Pompey Particulars

Josh grew up on a council estate in Buckland, and like many of us in Portsmouth, is proud of their working class upbringing and the values that came with it. They also champion their mother, who raised them as a single parent - involving her in cultural projects and describing her as a “typical Pompey bird” and the connective tissue behind their artistic inspiration.