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 Winter Story Trail is running throughout the festive season until 6 January 2023, and you can find out more here.
Featured Image – Glossop Creates
What's On
Huge vintage home show to take over historic Manchester building next month
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most historic buildings is set to host a huge home show full of vintage finds next month.
The Vintage Home Show is taking over Victoria Baths for their second event of the year.
For anyone looking to add a retro touch to their homes, this is a chance to feast your eyes on a carefully-curated collection of furniture, homeware, ceramics, artworks, vinyl records, and more stocked by more than 60 knowledgeable sellers in a welcoming atmosphere amid the empty Grade II-listed swimming pool.
Planning to renovate in a vintage style? Or looking for one missing piece of the puzzle? This event can help you track down that something special for your home.
From one-off minimalist pieces, to mass-market retro and kitsch classics, with prices for items starting from as little as £1, you’ll have the chance to shop the collections of dozens of quality independent dealers from right around the UK, all under one historic roof.
Browse a selection of vibrant stalls featuring pieces spanning from the mid-century decades to the bold brightness of the 1990s, and everything in between.
No matter what your budget, you’ll find that gorgeous something to suit your impeccable taste.
Once you’ve finished shopping everything you need to transform your home, you can stop off at Victoria Baths’ on-site cafe to treat yourself to a selection of cakes, savouries, pastries, and soup, as well as both hot and cold drinks.
A huge vintage home show will be taking over the historic Victoria Baths in Manchester next month / Credit: Vintage Home Show
The Vintage Home Fair will take over Victoria Baths on Sunday 5 October, kicking off from 10:30am for keen shoppers after ‘Early Bird’ entry, while ‘Standard Entry’ starts at 11am and runs through the day until 3:30pm.
Due to popularity, the event will be operating a timed ticket entry process, that way organisers can manage the numbers of visitors in the building at any one time to allow everyone a chance to see everything.
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Tickets are now on sale, priced anywhere from £2 to £6 depending on the time you go, so you simply need to arrive anytime within your allocated hour and stay as long as you wish.
Rochdale will be hosting its FIRST EVER comedy festival later month
Thomas Melia
There’s a comedy festival making its way to Rochdale for the first time ever, and it’s taking place over 10 days this autumn.
Rochdale is preparing for barrels of laughter, as the borough is about to host a comedy festival as part of its events programme for being crowned Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025-26.
The line-up features some well-renowned names in thecomedy world, many of whom have received awards and recognition along the way.
You can expect appearances from Lou Conran, who features as a regular support act for Sarah Millican, Tez Ilyas, from ‘Man Like Mobeen’, and TV comedy legend Mick Miller. There’s even some Britain’s Got Talent alumni in the form of last year’s finalist Alex Mitchell and 2017 semi-finalist Jonny Awsum.
Tez Ilyaz, Lou Conran and Brennan Reece are just some of the acts listed for Rochdale Comedy Festival / Credit: Supplied
Edinburgh Festival favourite Patrick Monahan will be performing along with English comedian of the year Rob Mullholland, Aaron Wood – named by Rolling Stone UK as one of the 12 rising comedy stars to see at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, and comedy musician Alex Camp.
The lineup also includes Robin Ince, co-host and creator of Sony Gold Award winning BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage, and a whole host of other stand-up acts who are all gearing up ready to make Rochdale giggle.
“Us northerners are famous for our sense of humour and there’s a big appetite for comedy,” commented Councillor Sue Smith, who is the cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council.
Rochdale Comedy Festival has an array of comedians taking part including Jonny Awsum and Daisy Earl / Credit: Supplied
“I’m happy to see Rochdale Comedy Festival launching during our year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture.
“It will bring together communities and give new comedians a chance to shine.”
So whether you’re in need of a cheer up, or you’re a comedy aficionado, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to crack a smile at Rochdale Comedy Festival, as it’s happening across 10 days from 26 September to 5 October in various venues across the Greater Manchester borough.
Emily Sergeant -
8th December 2022 
