STALYBRIDGE may be at the centre of a cultural boom in Tameside – but it is hoped this is just the start.
The recent success of The Den by Manchester’s Royal Exchange theatre in the town was quickly followed up by the announcement of a comedy weekender in July.
Big names, including Seann Walsh, Gary Delaney and Nina Gilligan, performed to a sell-out crowd at the newly refurbished Civic Hall.
Add Street Fest, plus the number of hospitality businesses that are creating a real scene in the town and there is a buzz.
But Cllr Leanne Feeley, Tameside Council’s executive member for lifelong learning and culture, told The Correspondent it is the result of almost a decade’s work behind the scenes.
She said: “It might feel like it’s ‘boom’ and it’s just happening, but it’s been probably nine or 10 years of a lot of activity and investment.
“From my point of view, we’ve always been able to see Stalybridge have the potential. It’s obvious to me that this is a great place to deliver cultural activity and every time we do something, people want more.
“It’s a combination of things that have contributed to it. The location’s brilliant, so it’s inspiring to be here as a place.
“You can see the hills, we’ve got a really great open feel in the town, we’ve got a river, we’ve got water running through, we’ve got lovely buildings, we’ve got great local businesses, small businesses that really deliver really well in the town and that combination creates a really good environment then to be able to build on.
“There’s a history of things happening in Stalybridge. We’ve done a lot of work over the last nine or 10 years, but you could go back before that.
“We used to have Splash in Stalybridge. That used to draw in thousands of people and that was just a really great opportunity to see how Stalybridge is just perfect for showcasing outdoor work.
“We’re moving indoor, outdoor with different activities that we’re doing. The town’s really versatile but more importantly, local people support it and that’s really important and there’s a history of that local people coming, wanting to enjoy activity and have something exciting in their town and so they should.”
Seeing Stalybridge establish itself as a cultural hub is a change from days when the busiest place would be the railway station as people made their way to Manchester.
Packed platforms have been replaced with bustling businesses as people stay local, with the arts playing a central role.
To Cllr Feeley the outbreak of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdowns changed people’s thinking and made them realise there is much more on the doorstep than they thought.
She added: “I think Covid has refocused people’s thinking. Before, people maybe felt freer, with more opportunity to travel.
“During Covid that refocused us to think more locally and to think about all the different aspects of travelling to all these different events. If you can get something on your doorstep, why would you travel?
“But I also think Covid made us all realise that the arts is a vehicle for us to relax, to enjoy, so everybody turned to the arts. They were listening to music, they were doing their little dance on TikTok and sharing it with people and asking other people to respond.
“Chris Martin was doing live performances on social media, singing his songs, not charging people and I think it opened up the possibilities for people to imagine how they engage with the arts and how important that is because that’s the thing that made people smile during Covid.
“That’s the thing that people turn to, to have some enjoyment in that really difficult time.”
However, Cllr Feeley insists there will be no sitting back as the comedy weekender is just one of a number of events being planned for the Civic Hall, including candlelit concerts and artisan markets.
“There’s more we can do,” she told The Correspondent. “This is the start, this is a pilot project and we’re testing it, we’re seeing what the public wants.
“There’s a vinyl and record market. It’s really exciting to offer something quite unique and special really and that’s going to bring hopefully new people in.
“We want to build on our local community to get them to come back but we want to bring in people, new people to the town, and that’s why I think this programme’s important.
“It demonstrates what the other possibilities are, rather than just leaving it as a building where you can book a room, you can come and have a meeting, it’s more than that and it should be because it’s at the heart of our community.
“People need to access their building and if that’s through enjoying some activity and being able to come and see something, whether it’s a performance or a market event, then that’s exactly what we want.
“We want that opportunity for people to be able to use their building.”