Building and sustaining a creative network, workspace and programme that supports artists, creative businesses and communities, while strengthening Glossop's identity as a creative place to live, work and make.

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The opportunity

Glossop Creates began in 2020 as a grassroots initiative led by Dr Claire Tymon to bring together the town's growing creative community.

While Glossop was home to a wealth of artists, makers, designers, musicians, performers and creative businesses, many worked independently with few opportunities to connect, collaborate or influence the future of the town. There was no shared platform to champion the creative sector or demonstrate the contribution creativity could make to the local economy, community life and identity of the place.

As the network grew, so did the ambition. What began as a voluntary initiative became the catalyst for establishing Local in 2021, creating a consultancy capable of supporting and sustaining the work while applying the same place-based approach in towns and cities across the UK.

Today, that journey continues through Local Creative Lab CIC, creating a long-term home for community-led cultural development in Glossop while enabling the consultancy to continue supporting places nationally.

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What Local brought

From the beginning, our role has been to connect people before projects.

Rather than starting with buildings or events, we focused on building relationships, creating opportunities for collaboration and developing a shared identity for Glossop's creative community.

Over time this has grown into a broad programme of work including:

• Building and nurturing Glossop's creative network.

• Developing a shared identity and voice through the Glossop Creates brand.

• Delivering creative events, networking opportunities and public programmes.

• Championing local artists, makers and creative businesses.

• Developing partnerships across culture, local government, education, business and the voluntary sector.

• Establishing the Glossop Creates Hub as an affordable creative workspace, meeting place and base for collaboration in the Municipal Building.

• Supporting creative enterprise, knowledge sharing and peer support.

• Continuing to develop new opportunities that strengthen Glossop's creative ecology and local cultural infrastructure.

Throughout this work, our approach has remained consistent: listening to local people, building trusted relationships and creating the conditions for creativity to flourish over the long term.

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What changed

Over the past five years, Glossop Creates has grown from an informal network into an established part of the town's creative infrastructure.

Hundreds of artists, makers, musicians, creative businesses and community organisations have engaged through events, exhibitions, workshops, networking opportunities and collaborative projects. New partnerships have been formed, local creative talent has been given greater visibility, and creativity has become an increasingly recognised part of Glossop's identity.

The creation of the Glossop Creates Hub represents the next stage in this journey. More than simply providing affordable workspace, the Hub creates a permanent home where creative people can work, meet, learn, share ideas and develop new collaborations.

As the initiative continues to evolve, our focus is shifting towards supporting the long-term resilience of Glossop's creative community through Local Creative Lab CIC. Alongside the Hub, we are developing new programmes, partnerships and opportunities that strengthen local creative leadership, encourage participation and support the next generation of creative practitioners.

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Why it Matters

Glossop Creates demonstrates that thriving creative places are built through relationships, trust and shared ambition rather than individual projects alone.

For Local, it has become both a living test bed and an ongoing source of learning. The approaches we now use across our work—creative placemaking, partnership building, action research, neighbourhood development and cultural infrastructure—have all been shaped through our experience of working alongside Glossop's creative community.

The project also reflects one of our core beliefs: creativity is an essential part of everyday life. When artists, creative businesses, communities, local organisations and public partners are connected and supported, they contribute not only to cultural life, but also to local economies, wellbeing, civic pride and a stronger sense of belonging.

As we look ahead, Glossop Creates remains at the heart of our practice. Through the work of Local Creative Lab CIC, we will continue investing in the people, relationships and spaces that enable creativity to thrive, while sharing our learning with other places looking to build more connected, resilient and imaginative communities.

Project highlights

• Established in 2020 as a grassroots creative network

• Catalyst for the creation of Local in 2021

• Home to the Glossop Creates Hub in the Municipal Building

• Supporting artists, makers, creative businesses and community organisations

• Creative networking, programming and enterprise support

• Long-term stewardship through Local Creative Lab CIC

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‍Hero Image: Market Hall, Glossop. Credit: Richard Tymon