WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 7 MARCH 2026
- STEVE COOKE AATA
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- 8 min read
previews, reviews, interviews, and recommendations with Steve Cooke
WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 7 MARCH 2026
Poetry spotlight – a poem a week: James Lawton
Previews: Celebrating our Creative Arts community with Rochdale Culture Awards, Rochdale Music Stories Album Launch and Sean Cooney’s epic musical chronicle Peter’s Field is returning to Middleton.
Review: Celebrating Ukrainian Living Craft Traditions at the House of Lords.
Poetry spotlight – a poem a week
By Steve Cooke
This column exists to encourage readers to engage with our wonderful creative arts community both locally and further afield across the creative arts spectrum from music to drama, visual art to the written word, dance to circus arts.
We endeavour to highlight the work of individual artists, groups and organisations and in partnership with Rochdale Development Agency, as part of our term as GM Town of Culture, ‘Poetry spotlight – a poem a week’ will be publishing exactly that – a poem from one of our local poets every Saturday.
James Lawton is a “part-time poet; full-time loser” who “grew up on the border of Rochdale and Oldham; my mum grew up in Kirkholt”. He’s also a teacher, a partner and a father. His favourite biscuit is a chocolate Hobnob.
Composed upon Castleton Train Station (after Wordsworth)
"Lads on the platform, not waiting for a train.
No next destination for these dole drifters
but here, by the tracks, with a rolled-up bifta,
shaking and shivering in the incessant rain.
A century ago, there would be jobs for these boys
and they would buzz a beeline towards Arrow Mill.
now the cotton is rotten and the canal lies still.
They are merely statistics – the youth unemployed.
They're not blind to injustice; they know they're in deep
and the weed only hides the fact that they're scared.
On my train, I pick up the free paper and weep
as another headline berates the state of welfare.
Meanwhile in Westminster, the Houses seem asleep.
Earth has not anything to show more unfair"
“I used to teach in Rochdale, and, after work, I would walk to the train station at Castleton. On many occasions, I would meet groups of young men, smoking and surviving under the shelter by the tracks. This sonnet is my take on this, while also being a critique of Wordsworth’s sickly-sweet sonnet ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge…’, and an attack on the north-south divide and the ineptitude of the political class.“
Celebrating Ukrainian Living Craft Traditions at the House of Lords.
Review by Steve Cooke
Cartwheel Arts were incredibly proud to see Valeria Leonova, a Ukrainian refugee now settled in the UK and a trainee from their Crafting Heritage project, invited to the House of Lords.
Valeria displayed the beautiful Ukrainian crafts of Petrykivka painting and Pysanka, sharing traditions deeply rooted in her culture with a national audience at the launch of the Heritage Crafts' UK Living Heritage Inventory.
Cartwheel Arts’ wonderful Crafting Heritage project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, celebrates and preserves the skills of communities in Rochdale who have experienced forced migration — recognising heritage crafts as living, evolving art forms that strengthen identity and belonging.
Thanks to their great work with Heritage Crafts, Petrykivka painting has now been added to the UK Red List of Endangered Crafts, helping to protect and sustain this unique tradition for future generations.
Celebrating our Creative Arts community with Rochdale Culture Awards
By Steve Cooke
An opportunity to celebrate our wonderful creative arts community as the finalists have been revealed for Rochdale Culture Awards, to be staged on Friday 27 March.
19 homegrown individuals, creatives or organisations who make the borough shine will be in with a chance of winning one of seven awards during the ceremony at Rochdale Town Hall, as part of the closing weekend for Rochdale’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture 2025-26.
Residents and organisations were invited to nominate across seven different categories and the finalists are:
Health and wellbeing award: Blessing Wheto Ogunjimi, Skylight Circus Arts, Soul Sisters.
Community award: Caring and Sharing, Nigeria Community Association, Skylight Circus Arts.
Heritage award: Cartwheel Arts, South Asian Heritage Rochdale, The Big Dig.
Cultural event award: Darnhill Festival, Merhaba Festival, South Asian Heritage Month.
Creative of the year: Hayley Garner, Martina Coggins, Seamus Kelly.
Young creative of the year: Hannah Adetubo, Jordan Perris, Poolera.
Cultural legacy award: Elizabeth White, M6 Theatre Company, Skylight Circus Arts.
The finalists are either based in the borough or have a strong track record of delivering activity for the benefit of people who live in or visit the borough, or that benefits the local economy.
Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for culture and communities at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Rochdale has been full of more culture and creativity than ever over the past year, and the calibre of this shortlist is a testament to the generosity, talent and resilience that defines Rochdale. I can’t wait to find out which of the deserving finalists wins on the night, I’m sure it’ll be a very close call.”
Estelle Rowe, chief executive of Your Trust said: “It’s been an incredibly exciting year for culture. All our finalists are extremely successful to get this far, and I wish them all the best of luck. We’re incredibly proud to be part of Rochdale Culture Awards, celebrating the creativity, passion and dedication that exists across the borough.”
Pete Courtie, head of culture and placemaking at Rochdale Development Agency added: “We’ve seen some fantastic nominations, really inspiring stuff and it’s a privilege to be part of it. These awards are shining a light and celebrating those who make a great contribution to the wealth of community culture that we’ve seen such a lot of over the past year.”
Find out more about the finalists at www.rochdalecreates.co.uk/townofculture/awards
The awards are supported by Your Trust, Rochdale Borough Council, Rochdale Development Agency, Culture Co-op, Cartwheel Arts, and Rochdale Borough Cultural Network.
Rochdale Culture Awards is part of a spectacular line up of festivals, live performances, exhibitions and art during Rochdale’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture 2025-26. The title, awarded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, celebrates the town’s rich history, creativity, talent and diverse arts scene. Find out more at www.rochdale.gov.uk/TownOfCulture
Rochdale Music Stories Album Launch
Preview by Steve Cooke
As part of the Rochdale Music Stories campaign in 2026, fans of the iconic music recorded at the legendary Cargo Studios and Suite Sixteen are invited to a one-off show this spring, with special guest appearances from members of New Order, The Chameleons and A Certain Ratio.
Our town boasts a rich and diverse musical legacy: from Gracie Fields to The Courteeners, Lisa Stansfield to Autechre and where groundbreaking music continues to thrive. And between 1977-2001, it was home to both Suite Sixteen and Cargo Studios on Kenion Street, Rochdale, where trailblazing artists like OMD, Inspiral Carpets, A Certain Ratio, Fall, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, and Joy Division - among countless others - recorded some of their best work.
Fast forward to 2026 and Rochdale is Greater Manchester Town of Culture, with the Rochdale Development Agency launching ‘Rochdale Music Stories’ – an exciting collaboration between The Stockport Music Story and Voltalab Sound Studios in honour. Funded by Arts Council England as part of this innovative project, 14 local artists have been invited to reimagine classic tracks that were recorded at both Cargo and Suite Sixteen studios, for a new album due for release on a limited-edition vinyl, ‘Rochdale Music Stories presents: Kenion Street’ coming soon.
In tandem with the release, all of the artists who have lent their talents to the project will exclusively perform their renditions for a special one-off live show at Heywood Civic, a venue which has recently been transformed thanks to a multi-million pound investment. Taking place on 14 March 2026, audiences can expect appearances from an array of local talent including K-Estate, Micah Stalgic, Desyfer & Emma Konnanov, From The Ground Up, PoolEra, Medley, P*Starr, Blvckout, The Velvet Shadow, and Leo HC; each of whom will perform their unique take on a Cargo or Suite Sixteen recorded classic.
The event will be compered by Inspiral Carpets legend Clint Boon, who will be chatting to some very special guests from the Manchester music scene, with appearances from Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order), Vox (The Chameleons) and Martin Moscrop (A Certain Ratio).
Tickets are on sale now, priced from just £13.65 - available here: https://heywoodcivic.co.uk/event/rochdale-music-stories-presents-kenion-street-album-launch-concert/
Saturday 14 March 2026
Heywood Civic, LCpl Stephen Shaw MC Way, Heywood OL10 1LW
Recorded at Voltalab Studios, compilation album ‘Rochdale Music Stories presents: Kenion Street’ will be released on limited-edition high-quality vinyl on 14 March 2026.
Track listing:
1. Micah Stalgic ft. Local Vocals - “Atmosphere" (Joy Division)
2. K-Estate - "Damaged Goods" (Gang of Four)
3. Desyfer & Emma Konnanov - "Twenty Four Hour Party People" (Happy Mondays)
4. P*STARR - "Keep The Circle Around" (Inspiral Carpets)
5. Leo HC - "Up The Down Escalator" (The Chameleons)
6. PoolEra - “Electricity" (OMD)
7. Medley - Dreams Never End (New Order)
8. Blvckout - "All Night Party" (A Certain Ratio)
9. The Velvet Shadow ft. Maisie Thompson - "All Tomorrow's Parties” (Nico)
10. Jennifer Reid - "Totally Wired" (The Fall)
11. From The Ground Up ft. Bloom Music Community - "Elephant Stone" (The Stone Roses)
Sean Cooney’s epic musical chronicle Peter’s Field is returning to Middleton.
Preview by Steve Cooke
Following multiple sold-out dates last year, Sound Roots have announced Sean Cooney’s epic musical chronicle Peter’s Field is returning to Middleton.
Peter’s Field is born from years of research and comprises 19 original songs by Cooney performed with Rowan Rheingans and Sam Carter alongside a compelling spoken narrative derived from hundreds of eyewitness accounts.
On 16th August 1819, 60,000 people gathered in the centre of Manchester. Many had walked miles to be there from all across Lancashire. They went to hear the famous radical speaker Henry ‘Orator’ Hunt who called for working people to have the vote. They were unarmed and peaceful. Local magistrates sent in the yeomanry cavalry and 15th Hussars to disperse the crowd and arrest Hunt. At least 18 people were killed and hundreds injured in the murderous scenes that followed. Women were deliberately targeted. It became known as the Peterloo Massacre. The magistrates and military were completely exonerated, and it would be 100 years til working people had the vote.
Peter’s Field is presented by Sound Roots and Rochdale Development Agency.
Price from £22.00
Doors: 7pm | Curfew: 10pm
Thursday 12 March 2026
The Old School Rooms at Edgar Wood Long Street Long St, Middleton, Manchester M24 6UN
RECOMMENDED
Saturday, 7 March 2026
Lego Club - Rochdale Central Library
Every other Saturday. Get creative with Lego and join our free club, suitable for all the family. There's Duplo available for younger siblings.
For families with children aged 2 and over, and teenagers.
No need to book, you can just turn up.
Free
12pm - 1pm
Rochdale Central Library, Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale OL16 1XU
Monday, 9 March 2026
Book Club - Junction Library
2nd Monday of every month. Come and join us at Junction Library for a brew and a cosy chat about the books you've read. We can’t wait to meet you.
Free
For adults.
No need to book, you can just come along.
2pm - 3pm
Junction Library, Grimshaw Lane, Middleton M24 2BW
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Toad Lane Concerts - Rochdale's Weekly Music at Lunchtime
This week we have - Rochdale Phoenix Opera Company
The concert series has been held at St Mary’s since 2001 and was granted the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2020.
Running every Wednesday, Music at Lunchtime is a weekly live classical music concert series that has been going since the 1960s. The sessions were initially run at the old Rochdale Art Gallery by the local authority, but since May 2001 have been run by volunteer-enthusiasts and artistic director, Dr Joe Dawson.
£6
Phone: Dr Joe Dawson 01706 648872
Doors open 12noon, concert starts 12.30pm - 1.30pm
St Mary in the Baum, Toad Lane/St Mary's Gate, Rochdale OL16 1DZ
celebrating creative arts and artists - an oasis of positivity supporting individual and community wellbeing.
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