About Glossop Creates

Welcome to Glossop Creates! Glossop is a beautiful, characterful market town with a winding, bustling high street full of independent shops and venues, and a wonderful creative and post-industrial legacy. The town is nestled into the rugged, rolling hills of the Dark Peak, situated just a stone’s throw from Manchester.

Known locally, nationally and even globally for its creative successes, Glossop is the home town of icons such as Dame Vivienne Westwood and Dame Hilary Mantel. The town still boasts endless creative talent and a vibrant, independent business offer which makes the town unique and forms part of its cultural DNA.

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Glossop Creates & Local

Glossop Creates, established in 2020, aims to empower Glossop’s creative community to come together, create ideas and lead the change it wants to see. We are committed to creating opportunities that support local creative and independent businesses to address shared challenges through collaboration and partnership work with local organisations and the local authorities.

The campaign is powered by placemaking arts organisation, Local, which is headed up by Glossop’s Claire Tymon.  Local connects people and places through art, research and creative action. It empowers communities to make positive change right on their doorsteps.

Claire is passionate about creative-led placemaking projects, finding ways and creating opportunities for artists and creatives to make their town or city be a more successful and sustainable place.

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Website and social platforms

Since its launch, Glossop Creates has introduced an online directory space for local businesses and creatives. As well as providing a central hub for the creative community, our website, social media channels and online directory also provide a useful guide for residents and visitors; showcasing Glossop’s talented creative community -  including local artists, writers, musicians, designers, chefs and makers - and bolstering their business successes by showcasing their products and services, and signposting where consumers can purchase goods and services.  

The website and social platforms have been created to promote Glossop as a creative, vibrant town which promotes wellbeing and creates opportunities to engage in cultural activities.

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Campaigns

Glossop Creates has spearheaded campaigns such as the Love Glossop, Support Local initiative alongside Dark Peak Press, the Local Winter Art Trail and the Local Winter Story Trail. We also support creatives, ventures and independent businesses by profiling and shouting about their events and successes throughout the year.

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Networks

Glossop Creates hosts a number of thematic networking events throughout the year, including Food & Drink business network, Music, Creative network and recently launched a Literature and Performance network. We’re in talks to setup an Environmental & Wellbeing network. If you’re interested in joining any of these events, or would like support to set up your own network, get in touch!

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Creative research

Glossop Creates has spearheaded several local initiatives to empower creatives and harness their talents.

With the aim to develop a deeper engagement with the town, the Pairings artist residency programme pairs local creatives with different themes including cultural heritage, textile heritage and the landscape. The programme enables the artists to carry out deeper research that helps to celebrate Glossop’s distinctive characteristics, heritage and communities. The residency programme, curated by Claire Tymon,  invites artists to develop ideas and creative methodologies whilst creating high quality, locally relevant work that opens doors to our cultural heritage and provides alternative perceptions of Glossop and its surrounding areas.

Wander is a programme of curated walks that are headed up by local artists and creatives, who invite participants to seethe world through their eyes and explore, learn and connect with their surroundings. The walks combine history, curiosity and creativity and produce truly unique experiences. So far, Wanders have been curated and led by archaeologist Dr Tim Campbell-Green, art historian Michael Howard, storyteller Michelle Collier and textiles expert Lauren Riley.

The KIN.DER Zine is produced in partnership with Glossop creative hub, KIN.DER and printmaking studio, Dark Peak Press. The Zine allows the town’s creative community to collaborate and produce something tangible that reflects and captures the moment. Recent issues have included short stories, thought pieces, recipes, how-to guides, content from local business owners and information on environmental issues.

The core Glossop Creates team comprises of Steven Dexter, who also heads up Local and comes from a varied background in the arts, Charlie Collins, a creative producer, illustrator and storyteller, photographer Richard Tymon, Eve Deasy, a content writer and PR consultant, and designer and brand consultant, Michelle Lyons.

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Campaign values

All campaigns require people and businesses to take action for a better future! Our campaign values include:

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• Independent – our priority is to support and engage independent businesses including self-employed creative individuals
• Local– our project is essentially about celebrating Glossop and the wider creative community.
• Entrepreneurial– our aim is to support businesses and individuals who provide a service and make a living from their talent
• Handmade– whether it be traditional craft skills or using technology to create your products, we want to promote and celebrate your creative processes
• Place – we will collectively tell stories about the uniqueness of Glossop through heritage, culture and business
• Community – we will work together to grow and develop our collective aspirations for Glossop and our community

Get involved!

Glossop creatives and independent businesses can add their own listings and events to the website HERE, but if you have an idea for a wider campaign or would like to chat, please contact hello@glossopcreates.com

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