Top bosses in Stalybridge have vowed to "prove Richard Gere wrong" after the area was given the Town of Culture status for 2022.
The Tameside town will hold the title for the next 12 months after it was chosen by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which is providing a £50,000 grant to develop a programme of cultural events and activities celebrating Stalybridge's unique heritage.
And in a ceremony to formally announce the town's title at a busy Stalybridge Street Food Fest on Friday night, Coun Leanne Feeley, the executive member for Culture at Tameside Borough Council, spoke about some of the things that make the town an incredibly historic place.
