Several independent businesses based here in Greater Manchester have heaped praise on their local community, and urged people to support local this Christmas.
There are some brilliant indies that specialise in ‘little luxuries’ operating out of Oldham, selling gifts and treats including soaps, soaks, candles and more.
Some of the scents are even inspired by the countryside in the area, like Dove Stones reservoir and the grassiness of the Saddleworth Moors.
If you’re looking to spend your hard-earned money within the local economy, there are loads of independents here to support.
Oldham school friends Reece Best and Joe Hendshaw founded Bave, through which they make luxury bath soaks geared towards all genders.
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Reece said he noticed that pampering products like his tend to be geared to a female audience, and says: “Products have been marketed a certain way for so long and people have a perception that floral is female, peppery, minty or musky is male, when actually it’s just a nice smell. So we do it for everyone, it doesn’t have a gender.”
The pair first started experimenting with formulas in the spare room of Reece’s mum’s house during lockdown and officially launched Bave in August 2020.
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Their signature products include orange and eucalyptus which creates a dense foam that cushions tired limbs, while the sage and peppermint packs a menthol punch that would deftly see off a cold.
“We’re part of a blossoming community and the next big businesses are going to be local,” says Reece.
“There’s a resurgence of the smaller independents and you get a better product and service with them. Mainstream brands have to appeal to the masses but when you’re small scale and local you can talk to people and come up with wacky ideas that wouldn’t necessarily fly with bigger organisations.”
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Bave products can be found at the Old Cobblers in Greenfield and Authentic in Uppermill, as well as their online shop.
Husband and wife team Nicola and Jonathon Bennett own Homaroma, a brand they resurrected with a shop on Shaw Road in 2018 from what his aunt started 30 years ago.
They now have 200 regular clients for their candles including department stores in the UK and online shoppers in the US, but pride themselves on supporting the local economy.
Nicola says: “We have always been about buying things as local as possible – nothing is imported.”
The Homaroma range includes £2 bath blocks, £3.50 bath bombs and £10 candles in various scents, like clove-tinged winter favourite Opulence.
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“One of the biggest fragrance companies in the world is down the road in Bury; the wax is made in Chorley,” she continues. “We don’t skimp on the ingredients and [if we get it cheaper] we pass that saving on to our local retail customers.
“Oldham is a look-after-your-own type place and we shop at little places too because you’ve got to support your local town.”
Paying homage to the area in a more literal way is fellow candle maker Scents of Saddleworth whose range invokes the crisp air of Dove Stone reservoir and the sharp grassiness of the moors.
Owner Jodie Lewis wanted to create scents that would reflect not only where she lived but unearth happy memories for people buying them, like a candle that smells like Wimberry Pie and another that is reminiscent of the polished pews of Heights Church in Delph, where Jodie married.
“A scent usually takes you somewhere, to a memory, and people have appreciated that the scents do represent, and are inspired by, things from around here,” she says. “So as much as we’ve enjoyed making them, it’s been something for the community, because to have an end product that we think people around here like is nice.”
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Jodie has teamed up with Pallet at Donkeystone Brewery and Station Brew in Greenfield to stock her range, priced at around £14.
Soapmaker Anna Fieldhouse has done the same with her brand Apotheco, which is sold at Weaver and Wild in Uppermill. She credits the success of her brand, which is also stocked in shops in London, with the encouragement she got from her teachers at Saddleworth School and being invited by Oldham Council to take part in its Oldham Made pop-up last year, which boosted her sales.
“There’s a lot of history and tradition here but it’s also really diverse and the [indie scene] is growing,” says Anna, who launched her business two years ago.
“Oldham has always been quite good for artists, makers and musicians and I think it’s because there’s a lot of resources put into it, like I go to a life-drawing class at the library, my school was great for art, the council actively supports local business – I just think it’s great for designers.”
Anna’s soaps, which feature softening butters, cleansing clays and essential oils like patchouli and lavender, can be bought individually for around the £6 mark or as a set with a stoneware dish made by a local ceramicist.
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“It’s nice cause we’re helping each other,” she adds. “They’re a bit of a luxury but they’re high-quality and a little bit special – around Christmas I sell so much because people do like to give it as a gift. And if we all support each other it improves the local economy.”
Featured image: Supplied
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Rochdale’s incredible fire festival will bring blazing sculptures and fiery displays to town this month
Daisy Jackson
Rochdale will be filled with dazzling pyrotechnic displays later this month when the Ignite Fire Festival returns to town.
The spectacular free event will see the gardens opposite the Rochdale Town Hall – which reopened to the public earlier this year – transformed with fiery displays, blazing sculptures and illuminated installations.
The smash hit event debuted last year, attracting more than 10,500 people, and this year’s will be even bigger with three nights of magical family entertainment.
And the festival will culminate on the Sunday with the Rochdale Christmas lights switch-on.
Ignite Fire Festival comes from Walk the Plank, the outdoor arts specialists behind some of the UK’s biggest and best outdoor arts events, who have called upon artists and pyro technicians to create the many installations on show.
Between 5pm and 8pm each night, visitors will be able to walk past fire-based sculptures like goblets of fire, a daisy chain of flaming flowers, a fire bird with blazing eyes, and smaller birds circling a flaming nest – to name just a few.
There’ll also be sculptures that twist, flap and erupt with balls of fire, and ‘In The Balance’ will be a festival highlight, where rotating globes of flame seemingly defy the laws of physics.
Each evening, a fire drawing designed and made by local residents will be ignited alongside flaming hot performances from some of the UK’s top talent including Flame Oz – a thrilling fire dancing and juggling show.
There’ll also be performances from Liverpool’s Bring the Fire Project, local favourites Skylight Circus Arts, and street theatre and interactive arts group Travelling Light Circus.
Visitors should look out for Drum Machine, a 20-strong drumming collective, The Fire Man Dave performing a live fire show with fire eating and juggling, and Astro Aliens, a trio of cosmic beings that will entertain all ages.
The incredible event, sponsored by car supermarket The Trade Centre UK, is set to take place between Friday 22 and Sunday 24 November.
After exploring the gardens, you’ll be able to pick up hot food, mulled wine and other seasonal drinks served each night.
On Sunday, Father Christmas will be in town to switch on the Christmas lights at 5.30pm in front of the town hall.
Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council said: “Last year’s Ignite Fire Festival and Christmas Light’s Switch On was a fantastic event and an instant hit with audiences from across Greater Manchester.
“It’s an exciting and unique event and the perfect addition to our big switch-on, providing family entertainment across the weekend.”
Mark Bailey, founder and owner of sponsor Trade Centre UK added: “Our partnership with Ignite Fire Festival and the Rochdale Christmas Lights Switch On is a fantastic opportunity to give back to a community that has welcomed us so warmly.
“At Trade Centre UK, we believe in more than just selling cars; we believe in being part of the fabric of the local area. Supporting events like this, which bring people together to celebrate in the heart of Rochdale, aligns perfectly with our core values of community and connection.”
The event is free, and no tickets are required. Ignite is organised by Rochdale Borough Council in partnership with Walk the Plank and Culture Co-op, a ‘Creative People and Places’ programme, funded by Arts Council England.
Find out more and plan your visit to Ignite Fire Festival HERE.
Science and Industry Museum to transform into immersive ‘Light Lab’ as part of 2024 festive events programme
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most popular museums will be transformed into an immersive ‘Light Lab’ for the festive season.
As the temperatures begin to drop and Christmas creeps closer, this is your chance to escape the cold and brighten up the winter holidays with an adventure though light and colour, as the Science and Industry Museum has now unveiled its upcoming festive events programme.
You can also explore a gaming extravaganza, and be engrossed by festive-themed science shows at the city centre-based museum this December.
Back by popular demand, after enchanting visitors of all ages in previous years, the museum’s free Light Lab will be making a return for 2024 – with everyone invited to discover the secrets of light through illuminating activities, special shows, and immersive experiences.
The Science and Industry Museum will transform into immersive ‘Light Lab’ this winter / Credit: Jason Lock (via Science Museum Group)
As Greater Manchester is known for its grey winter days, a series of illuminating experiments will bring colour to your lives in the interactive Light Lab, where you can explore a hall of mirrors, discover how to bend light, and even take a dance break in the rave room, before taking a journey from the Sun back to the Earth during special science shows led by the museum’s team of expert Explainers.
You’ll be able to discover how light travels through our atmosphere, explore the science of solar flares, and even marvel at a mesmerising display of the Northern Lights – with real NASA footage of the Aurora Borealis.
If all that exploring has got you tired out, then you can slow things down in the Recharge Retreat and get comfortable with a picture book, or explore the relationship between colour and mood and why nature is so important to our health.
You can escape from the cold, and learn a thing or two while you’re at it / Credit: Science Museum Group
But if you’re looking for a change of pace, you can also enjoy the museum‘s ultimate gaming experience, Power Up, to immerse yourself in a whole host of different digital worlds by working your way through five decades of video games, or learn about how what we eat can have a huge effect on our brains and bodies at the Operation Ouch! exhibition.
Then, for something a little different all together this festive season, you can grab a ticket for the first of the 2024 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures being screened live at the museum on Tuesday 10 December, ahead of the broadcast on the BBC.
The Winter Holiday Programme at the Science and Industry Museum runs from 14 December 2024 through to 5 January 2025.