Inspirational Creative Champions sought

Creative young people who have put down roots in the Lakes and Dales are being urged to help inspire others to make a local lifestyle work for them. The Great Place: Lakes and Dales (GPLD) programme is looking for what it calls ‘creative champions’. It already has a number of young people who are happy…

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Creative Connections a big success

Great Place: Lakes and Dales (GPLD) took over a wellness venue near Skipton to host Creative Connections in November. With more than 120 delegates across two days, the conference explored the power of creativity and placemaking. It welcomed a range of keynote speakers, including Alastair Humphreys and Wayne Hemingway. Several exciting projects were launched: Branching…

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Hinterlands is coming to Skipton

Movie fans are in for a treat with a major new international rural film festival called Hinterlands hitting a range of venues across the Skipton area from May 16-19. GPLD is working with Wild Rumpus, an award-winning arts organisation, to bring the celebration of all things countryside on the silver screen to the southern end…

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Kendal is calling

Creative arts are flourishing in Kendal as the town is quickly establishing itself as the festival capital of the North West. It’s the spiritual (and namesake) home of Kendal Calling, the music festival which has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity in recent years – so much so that it has outgrown its venue twice…

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Zanna Dennis

Following a successful career as Co-Creative Director of Blue Moose Dance Company, Zanna is now using her skills developed in the Arts to return to her agricultural roots in a new role as Development Officer for the Livestock Auctioneers Association. From a farming background, Zanna lives near Bentham, where her father is the local Livestock…

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Steph Dwyer

Steph Dwyer’s Great Place is underground, literally. Among the UK’s foremost cavers, Steph and her partner, Mike Bottomley, recently took over Settle-based Yorkshire Dales Guides, which allows them to combine their passion for underground exploration and the outdoors with a viable business. Yorkshire Dales Guides takes people out into the countryside of the Lakes and…

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Rachel Thornton

Bentham artist Rachel Thornton took the plunge to become a full-time artist in 2017 and she has never looked back. Born in Suffolk, but a North Craven resident since she was two years old, Rachel always loved art. She was awarded a first from UCLAN in fine art in 2013 then worked in the family…

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Get up to £10k for innovation

Got a bright idea for working differently to support young people to live and work in the Lakes and Dales? Then there could be up to £10k in grant funding available to help you make your dream a reality. Our new seedfunding scheme was launched at the Creative Connections conference and money is available for…

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