A picturesque village on the outskirts of Manchester is bringing its high street to life in a magical way this Christmas with a festive window trail.
The seasonal trail is shining a light on “the art of storytelling”.
With the festive season officially here, Glossop – which is a bustling market town nestled in the rugged hills on the edge of the Peak District – has launched its very-own Winter Story Trail dedicated to the late Dame Hilary Mantel, who lived in the area as a young woman.
Dame Hilary was a celebrated and award-winning novelist most famous for the Wolf Hall trilogy, but she sadly passed away aged 70 back in September.
The work of community creative group Glossop Creates, and showcasing the talents of local writers, authors, performers, and poets, and utilising the high street windows of shops and venues in the town centre, the Winter Story Trail takes you on a literary journey around Glossop.
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☃️Walking in a Winter Wander-land☃️ Explore Glossop Creates' A Local Winter Story Trail, wandering around the story locations with some unexpected surprises and special guests!https://t.co/yDTXSzjJnF
24 local writers have been paired-up with a local shop, and have each created a 150-word winter tale based on that business.
Dark Peak Books, George Street Community Bookshop, Decor8, The Bureau, and Pepino are some of the businesses taking part in the trail, while a few of the writers who have penned stories include Mark Henderson, Michelle Collier, and Keli Tomlin.
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Local actors Julie Hesmondhalgh – famous for having played Hayley in Coronation Street for many years – and Isobel Middleton from Harry Potter are also taking part in the campaign.
Families can collect a map for the Winter Story Trail from local venues around the town, and then head out and find all the windows while filling in a word from each to spell out a specially-commissioned 24 word poem.
You can go on a winter story trail round this picturesque village near Manchester this Christmas / Credit: Glossop Creates
“Glossop boasts huge talent in the literary space, with writers, storytellers, authors, script writers and poets all living in our town,” explained Claire Tymon from Local – the placemaking arts organisation that runs Glossop Creates.
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“This year, we all mourned the loss of Dame Hilary Mantel, so it seems fitting to dedicate this year’s festive creative activity to her literary genius.
The Winter Story Trail takes you on a literary journey around Glossop / Credit: Glossop Creates
“It’s wonderful to see the high street brought to life at Christmas through storytelling and imagination, and the trail will also help to further showcase Glossop as an amazing and innovative destination for cultural activities, art and creativity at the gateway to the Peaks.”
The funds will help improve the already incredible music scene in Manchester, benefitting staples likes Night and Day Café, Matt and Phred’s Jazz Club, SOUP and more.
All of the donations will be distributed across six independent music venues and will be used for various instruments, PA equipment, backline technology and other necessities depending on the requirements of each site.
Elbow have teamed up with Co-op Live in aid of supporting Manchester grassroots venues.Credit: Supplied
This initiative has been keeping Manchester’s Northern Quarter in the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to live music as well as the impressive Co-op Live.
Alongside providing vital resources for these local institutions, Elbow teaming up with Co-op Live also helps cement the North West as one of the main powerhouses in relation to live music.
The latest efforts from the largest indoor arena in Manchester fall in line with celebrating one year of bringing some of the best live music to the city, being officially open for 12 months in May.
Co-op Live have made a commitment to the people and the planet, promising to donate £1 million annually to the Co-op Foundation.
The stunning Co-op Live venue, Manchester’s largest indoor arena.Elbow performing at Co-op Live, marking history as the first act to grace the venue.Credit: Audio North/Supplied
Manchester’s latest live music venue also contributed significantly to selected charities, including Happy Doggo – chosen by Liam Gallagher and Eric Clapton’s addiction recovery centre, Crossroads.
As Elbow teams up with Co-op Live, even more money is making its way to necessary resources, this time in the likes of crucial live music establishments.
Elbow front-person Guy Garvey says: “Playing Co-op Live’s opening night will stay with us for a lifetime, not least because of how incredible the room sounded.”
“When the venue donated funds in our name to support the city we love, it made complete sense to carry that through to the Northern Quarter and to venues that have meant so much to my bandmates and I throughout our career.”
Guy Dunstan, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Co-op Live, adds: “In the past year, I have been proud to see Co-op Live become an integral part of such an incredible city.”
“Teaming up with Elbow to directly support the venues that first put Manchester on the map, and to share something so intrinsic to us as venues – proper sound – is something truly special.”
Award-winning The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon to kick off UK tour in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Multi award-winning musical Sunny Afternoon is set to kick off its UK tour here in Manchester later this year.
Following a sell-out run at Hampstead Theatre, the musical production featuring all the hit songs by legendary rock band The Kinks opened to critical acclaim at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End, where it ran for two years ahead of its sensational UK and Ireland tour throughout 2016/17.
It also collected four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical and Outstanding Achievement in Music for Ray Davies, along the way.
Award-winning The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon is kicking off its UK tour in Manchester / Credit: ATG Tickets
Set against the backdrop of Britain on the cusp of the rebellious 60s,Sunny Afternoon is described as being an ‘exhilarating and moving’ celebration of the music, life, and the band that changed it all, The Kinks.
Sunny Afternoon celebrates The Kinks’ raw energy, passion, and timeless sound.
Charting the ‘euphoric highs’ and ‘agonising lows’, the smash-hit production tells the band’s story through an incredible back catalogue of chart-toppers – including ‘You Really Got Me’, ‘Lola’, ‘All Day and All of the Night’, and of course, ‘Sunny Afternoon’ itself.
Tickets are on sale now from just £15 each / Credit: Kevin Cummins
Producers Sonia Friedman Productions and ATG Productions announced last week that the show would be returning for another UK tour later this year, and it’ll be opening right here on one of Manchester‘s most iconic stages.
The hit musical will open at Manchester’s Palace Theatre on 10 October 2025 and it will run right through until 18 October.
Sunny Afternoon has music and lyrics, and an original story, all by the band’s frontman Ray Davies, along with a book by Joe Penhall, direction by Edward Hall, design by Miriam Buether, and choreography by Adam Cooper.
Emily Sergeant -
8th December 2022 
