The town of Stockport, home to Strawberry Studios, the band Blossoms and the Hatters, has today been revealed as Greater Manchester's Town of Culture 2023, securing £50,000 to support arts and creativity in the borough.
Local stars including Mercury nominees Blossoms and Stockport County’s Macauley Southam-Hales joined Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Stockport Council Leader Cllr Mark Hunter, and representatives from across the town’s cultural scene for the announcement at the Hat Works earlier today (Tuesday, May 23).
The town’s bid was centred around the One Stockport vision to support the local economy, connect communities and promote health and wellbeing. It will be underpinned by four key elements that celebrate arts and creativity, as well as the town’s diverse cultural heritage: Stockport Makes, Stockport Moves, Stockport Sounds and Stockport Tastes.
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The town follows in the footsteps of Stalybridge, which held the title in 2022, and Bury, which was announced as Greater Manchester’s inaugural Town of Culture for 2020 and held the title through 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic put a number of events and activities on hold.
Taking to the floor at Stockport's Hat Works, which is currently being refurbished, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham told the audience: "I've felt the cultural power of Stockport, and I came to your biggest cultural event in 2019, Edgeley Park, your very own Blossoms, it was one of the best nights I can remember.
"This year, we just want you to shine in that spotlight that we've given you, and it's about where you're going and the amazing talent you've got to celebrate right now. Someone once said you're Brooklyn to Manchester's Manhattan and I think that's a pretty good place to be. You're on the up and I hope to come back and back this year."
In recent years Stockport has been widely celebrated as an emerging hub of creative activity in Greater Manchester, and last year was dubbed the ‘new Berlin’ by DJ Luke Unabomber. Stockport’s year as Town of Culture also coincides with a number of major public redevelopments and investment in the town including a £1bn regeneration of the town's centre.
Progress continues to gather pace with the Town Centre West regeneration and the refurbishment of the iconic Hat Works museum, as well as the cutting edge digital arts opportunities to be opened up through the £2.6m Stockport Creative Campus Cultural Fund, and the development of the £14m Future High Street Stockroom discovery centre. Developers are also making headway with new homes throughout the borough and trains will finally stop again in Cheadle after plans for a £9m station were approved late last year.
Andy Burnham continued: "The town put forward a strong case for the accolade, backed up by some really exciting plans for events and activities that celebrate Stockport’s identity, its history, but also shine a spotlight on everything that’s happening right now.
“I think the fact that we’ve got Blossoms coming out to support us today just goes to show the talent that is coming out of this place and the pride they have in their hometown. I’m pleased to see so many cultural organisations and community groups already engaging with the Town of Culture project, because they’re the ones that will really bring this together.
"There’s a real buzz about the place at the moment – the regeneration taking place through the Mayoral Development Corporation is transforming the town centre, and now this recognition and the funding that comes with it will help Stockport capitalise on all of that.”
Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council, added: "Stockport has a rich cultural history and I’m delighted that we have been recognised in this way. This is the result of much hard work and dedication by many of our cultural organisations getting together under the banner of Culture Stockport to support us with this bid.
“We want our Town of Culture programme to give everyone the opportunity to be active and creative in our town and to ensure we use it to celebrate the people, places and stories of Stockport. It was great to see so many people who are integral to our plans at the launch event, which got us off to a great start.
"This accolade tops off a busy six months for Stockport, with many of our key projects such as the transport interchange, Weir Mill and the next phase of Stockport Exchange all now well underway.”
As alluded to by Andy Burnham and Cllr Mark Hunter, the borough boasts a rich cultural history and his home to many well-known landmarks. Only five minutes up the road, Strawberry Studios, which was co-founded in 1968 by Eric Stewart – later of 10cc – has seen a rich variety of artists through its doors - from Joy Division and The Smiths, to The Stone Roses, and Paul McCartney.
The town is also the birthplace of leading lights including broadcaster Dame Joan Bakewell, a raft of film and TV actors including Claire Foy, Sally Lindsay and Sacha Dhawan, and Wayne McGregor CBE. Its cultural importance is also reflected in its historically important public buildings such as the Edwardian Central Library - built with the assistance of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie - and the Town Hall, which has become a popular filming location for a number of TV shows.
Cllr Neil Emmott, Greater Manchester’s Lead for Culture, said: "The Town of Culture title is all about celebrating the unique heritage and exciting potential of places across Greater Manchester. It’s about supporting them to deliver events and activities that showcase all the creativity and talent in our communities, but that also help people to engage with culture in new and innovative ways.
“Bury and Stalybridge put their own unmistakeable stamp on Town of Culture, and now it’s Stockport’s turn. I know that everyone connected to the town’s thriving cultural scene will want to make this a success, and we’re looking forward to what they’ve got in store for the rest of the year.”
A testament to its existing programme of arts and culture, in the coming week's Stockport will host a number of events including PORT by Stockport-born playwright Simon Stevens, soapbox racing courtesy of Krazy Races and a Secret Street Party on the historic Underbanks in the Old Town. Stockport’s Town of Culture Programme will be announced throughout the year as the programme is developed with residents, local artists, creative businesses and partners.
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