2024: A look back at some highlights from our One Stockport Community
In a year that saw groundbreaking regeneration projects and cultural milestones, it is clear that Stockport has no intention of relaxing just yet.
Among exciting new plans revealed for the Stockport pyramid, and the town centre’s retailers in Merseyway recording a record seven million visitors, Stockport’s strength is in its people, and its strong, caring communities. One Stockport.
We look back on some of the stories we have shared throughout 2024, on what has been achieved, where ambitions have been realised and most importantly, where the people of Stockport have united and delivered.
In January, as part of the expansion of their Armed Forces programme, Stockport County Community Trust is launched The Naafi Break. This brand-new social group for Veterans takes place every Thursday at Edgeley Park’s Pareto Lounge between 10am and 12pm, where members of the Armed Forces community – Veterans, reserves or those currently serving – are more than welcome to attend. The initiative builds on the work that the Trust was already doing with the Armed Forces community in the local area, including the creation of a dedicated football team.
Foster care was also in the news, including on the coveted Red Sofa at Media City, as BBC Breakfast featured a segment on foster care which highlighted fostering in Stockport and foster carers. The programme included a video of Stockport Council’s wonderful Mockingbird foster carers Geoff and Nikki, as well as the incredible 17-year-old Lea alongside her foster carers Lee and Isabel.
February saw Joseph James Furniture open their huge retail store in the former Debenham’s store on Saturday, 3 February when owners Joseph Shenton and James Pullen put their university plans swiftly put on hold when their gap year project developed into a successful business.
To celebrate Chinese New Year 2024, a dance workshop was held for a selection of year groups across Westmorland primary school where pupils learnt a traditional Chinese New Year’s dance involving a dragon, parasols and fans. Throughout the Chinese Dance session, children were taught key facts about Chinese New Year to further immerse them in the tradition and culture. Chinese New Year 2025 is celebrated on Wednesday 29th January at the beginning of the Year of the Wood Snake.
Stockport mutual, the Vernon Building Society, began marking 100 years of service with the launch of The Vernon Charitable Foundation distributing £100,000 in grants to support local charities in Stockport, Cheshire and Greater Manchester, focused on the prevention and relief of poverty and community development. The Vernon later celebrated the centenary with the burial of a time capsule – containing a snapshot of all that is great in the area in 2024 – at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
In March, MadLab, a community interest company working with technology & people to shape our world for the better, launched Make Stuff – a digital festival for all ages with over 15 activities, experiments, and have-a-go experiences for people of all ages. St Ann’s Hospice’s Build It Together Appeal reached an amazing halfway point after raising £1 million for their new hospice!
Figures showed Stockport to be under its own spotlight! Figures from ‘Filming in England’ showed that since Jan 2018, the town has enjoyed more than 197 shoot days with an estimated production spend of over £3.5 million. This included popular shows like Peaky Blinders, Years and Years, Inside No.9, Traces, Dodger, Everything I Know About Love, Sherwood from the BBC, Significant Other, Nolly, Bancroft, The Bay and The Tower from ITV, Everyone Else Burns and It’s a Sin from Channel 4, How To Date Billy Walsh from Amazon Feature, Wedding Season from Disney+, The Rising, COBRA, Brassic and Wolfe from Sky and Safe, The Stranger and Stay Close from Netflix.
Beautiful Bramhall Hall and its historical treasures will be preserved for decades to come, thanks to funding of £1.6m to restore its roof. The Grade I-listed Tudor manor house, with origins dating back to the Middle Ages, is dubbed ‘one of the most beautiful treasures of England’ but, without urgent repairs, the building and its collections were at risk from the elements. The funding awarded to Stockport Council through Arts Council England’s Museum Estates and Development Fund (MEND) will ensure vital work beyond the scope of day-to-day maintenance budgets.
A huge highlight in March saw the opening of Stockport interchange, the new multi-million-pound, state-of-the-art transport interchange and rooftop park. The modern and attractive transport hub is redefining the town’s connectivity and contains the new two-acre Viaduct Park, new walking and cycling links to the railway station and the town centre, and the first phase of the transformational regeneration of Stockport Town Centre West. Walkers and cyclists were able to enjoy access to Stockport’s riverfront for the first time in generations thanks to the addition of a new spiral walking and cycling ramp.
Another massive event took place in the town centre where Stockport recorded its busiest weekend of the year so far. Thousands of visitors flocked to the town centre over the weekend of 22-24 March to enjoy the Town of Culture Weekender, the final weekend of our Town of Culture programme. The two-day celebration, which marked the end of the town’s Greater Manchester Town of Culture status, saw the town come together to host more than 50 free events, 600 entertainers and activities at 25 locations across the town. Merseyway saw footfall rise by a whopping 47% on Sunday and 14% on Saturday, who were treated to performances from more than 600 music and dancers over the weekend. Record numbers of visitors headed to the town’s museums and art gallery, including the Air Raid Shelters, Stockport Museum and the newly re-opened Hat Works Museum, with more than 5,000 people taking advantage of free entry.
In May, Stockport hosted the first Stockport Rocks! its first borough wide Volunteer Awards in over ten years. 400 guests gathered at Edgeley Park to honour the dedication and selfless contributions of local volunteers who make a significant difference in the lives of many.
Over at Seashell, crowds gathered to cheer and wave as Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh visited Stockport-based Seashell Trust at an exciting time in the organisation’s history. In 2023 it opened its brand new, state-of-the-art Moulding Foundation Building which is now home to Royal School Manchester. And Her Royal Highness was able to break ground for the work to begin on the next phase of transformation – a new building for Royal College Manchester.
A tribute to the legacy of Stockport’s Sarah Harding, member of the chart-topping band Girls Aloud, is the latest poignant addition to Stockport’s art trail at 11 High Street in the town’s Underbank area.
There were more than hushed whispers at Stockport’s Central Library in June when award-winning actor Christopher Eccleston made a guest appearance. Over 80 residents enjoyed a special Q&A session with the Salford-born actor as part of the Manchester City of Literature’s Festival of Libraries.
The Magpies stole a win after 160 players pitched up for Marketing Stockport’s 6-a-side Tournament at Stockport County raising funds for their Community Trust. On what began as a grey and damp evening at Stockport County’s Edgeley Park, turned into a black & white celebration after 16 squads of 10 players took to the winning turf at Marketing Stockport’s 6-a-side tournament, raising over £7,000 for Stockport County’s Community Trust.
In July, One Stockport’s ‘Let’s Explore Our Great Outdoors’ campaign designed to encourage anyone and everyone of all ages to take a few moments to look and see what is outdoors. And just ahead of One Stockport’s Let’s Explore Our Great Outdoors summer campaign, Merseyway’s Summer of Sport got underway in Stockport this weekend when people of all ages joined in the fun at Merseyway’s own, specially built pop-up Olympic Park.
New CGI images of Stockroom, Stockport town centre’s exciting new creative and cultural centre, were unveiled ahead of its doors opening in Spring 2025. The striking images gave a glimpse of what visitors can expect to see when Stockroom opens its doors next year in the heart of the town centre. It will be the place in Stockport for getting together, getting involved or just popping by for a brew. Two assistant head chefs at Stepping Hill Hospital were named as finalist in the national competition to find the best chef of the year.
Pure Coffee, part of Stockport-based charity Pure Innovations, launched a paperless loyalty card for customers of their cafés at their cafés in Etherow Country Park, The Windmill Café at Cornerstone (HQ for Stockport Homes Group), Vernon Park and at The Kitchen on Chestergate.
Events took place Tuesday 1st October, International Day of Older Persons, a chance to celebrate our older communities and the important contribution they make to life in Stockport. Age may be just a number, but ageing is something that matters to us all, so we can live out our hopes and announced the official launch of Black History Month (BHM) events programme for Stockport.
ONE of the largest transformation projects of its kind in the UK took another leap forward this week as a steel beam signing event was held at Seashell that will form part of the structure of the new Ged Mason Building, a £10m new hub for its Manchester College. Seashell Trust transforms the lives of young people with the most complex disabilities and is based in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport.
Stockport’s Warm & Well initiative is back for another year, an initiative which looks to keep everyone in Stockport safe, happy and healthy over the winter months. The initiative is based around three key themes: looking after yourself, looking after your home and looking after others this winter.
In November, it was announced that a fleet of new yellow buses is set to take to the streets on 5 January, as Greater Manchester takes full control of its bus network. Work is underway to ensure a fleet of state-of-the-art vehicles are ready for when bus services in Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and parts of Manchester and Salford – join the network in January.
Stockport Council and its partners have scooped the top prize in the ‘Maximising Financial Resources Available to households’ category in the Resolve Poverty Awards, recognising the Council’s One Stockport collaborative approach to working with partner organisations to support residents with the cost of living.
Stockport proudly announced the launch of the One Stockport Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Alliance. The Alliance will play a crucial role in shaping the future of Stockport, aligning with the borough’s ambitious One Stockport, One Future vision to make Stockport the best place for everyone to live happy and healthy lives.
In a heartwarming gesture, Crystal Clear Media Group has shone a spotlight on a true Stockport hero, Mama Flo, celebrating her dedication to the community in a very public way. Known for her kindness, generosity, and tireless efforts to support the homeless by providing food and nutritional meals, Florence “Mama Flo” Coke was recently honoured as the first ‘Local Hero’ in Crystal Clear Media’s new initiative. Her larger-than-life image now graces a 6×3 meter digital screen on Stockport’s A6 at Great Moor, a tribute visible to countless people each day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLpnvFbc9m8
Stockport-based innovative homelessness charity EGG, Engage, Grow, Go announced a new, influential Patron to bolster its resource in growing its capacity to support more homeless people into permanent housing and employment. Ex-Manchester City star, Paul Lake, a compassionate and well-respected figure across the region, joined the charity to further boost awareness of EGG and to help build on the charity’s already notable successes.
Stockport’s Spectacular Sunday saw the start of Christmas in Stockport as thousands of visitors headed to the town centre for a day of free entertainment and celebrations. Proving to be a huge hit with families for the second year running, this year’s event, organised by Stockport Council, Totally Stockport BID and Merseyway Shopping Centre, saw hundreds of performers take to the town’s shopping streets with over 50 free family shows.
GG.co.uk created a list of the best-rated pubs with fireplaces in 73 major UK town and city. Stockport, ranked 9th, had an overall cosiness score of nearly 70% with 13.37% of pubs
with fireplaces per 100,000 residents.
Last month we visited the aptly named ‘Outside The Box’, where the café on Woodford Road serves up a great selection of drinks and snacks alongside a menu of over 200 well-loved board games for the whole family to enjoy. Self-confessed board game fanatics, Rachel and Helen (pictured left) wanted to create an environment that welcomed people of all ages, from 4 years old to 104 years young, into a space where they can feel at ease, enjoy a game, make new friends and have a natter – a concept that has proved so popular that the ‘Chatty Café’ is a firm weekly fixture. Every Wednesday between 12 and 3, the doors are open to anyone who wants to just come in for a chat and to meet friends.
Work has started on constructing a new outpatients centre at Stepping Hill Hospital, which will provide state-of-the-art new facilities for patients. The ambitious construction project is now underway, with contractors MTX working with Stockport NHS Foundation Trust’s capital project team to create a 55-room new facility, with the aim to have it open for patients in the summer of 2025.
Merseyway Shopping Centre has marked a Record-Breaking 2024 with Seven Million Visitors and more! This year, Merseyway reinforced its position as a premier retail destination by welcoming major new tenants, including Tesco, Poundland, and Eyehut, while JD Sports relocated to a larger unit showcasing its latest store design. Looking ahead, three additional tenants are set to join the centre in early 2025.
And finally, Registrations have opened for Francis House Children’s Hospice Christmas Tree Recycling Scheme in partnership with Just Helping and St Ann’s Hospice, Greater Manchester. If you live in Greater Manchester, you can book now to have your Christmas tree collected and recycled in between 9th – 12th January and we ask you to make a small donation of your choice . That’s one less thing to worry about over the festive period! Register now at www.just-helping.org.uk/register-tree
The team at One Stockport would like to wish all our residents a happy and healthy New Year.
Image created using Ai
