Entered by Seven Miles Out Arts CIC

By the early 2010s, Stockport town centre had become a symbol of decline. Once a proud industrial town, it was listed as the 12th worst place to live in the notorious 'Idler Book of Crap Towns' in 2003 which mocked its shopping precinct and derided the people who lived there.

Those perceptions hardened after the 2008 financial crash, when Merseyway Shopping Centre – long considered the physical heart of the town – was left reeling from the collapse of major retailers. By 2011, Stockport topped the UK’s “ghost town" league, with well over 30% of shops standing empty. Headlines regularly painted it as a town in economic free fall, defined by shuttered units, quiet streets and a non-existent evening economy.