Today's events in Rochdale

We’ll meet again at the East Lancashire Railway’s award winning 1940’s weekend.

Enjoy the glory and glamour of a bygone era with period singing and dancing, re-enactments, vehicle displays and much more; this event is not to be missed.

Back Door Music Project proudly re-launches its Alternative Music School, with a half term School of Rock and Alternative Music. Running over the half term break, School of Rock and Alternative Music will be a full week of music making activity, ending with a live performance, at Back Door Music Project on the 31st May 2012.

Alternative music school will continue weekly after half term. School of Rock and Alternative music is specifically for children and young people interested in rock, metal, indie, punk, music. The cost for the full week is £25, paid in advance, (please bring a packed lunch and drinks and other snacks will be provided).

Children must be aged 11 yrs – 16 yrs (or at High School). School of Rock and Alternative music is aimed at helping beginner and intermediate young musicians learn to play, the week will be made up of solo tuition and group tuition, developing individual skills and building collaborative music making. Our music tutors are professional musicians, either working in the music industry or talented young musicians starting out a career in music. All our staff are vetted and checked and Back Door staff (provided by Youth 21 CIC) are on hand throughout the week. Alternative music school will end with a live performance by participants (supported by tutors) 7pm – 8.30pm on Friday 31 May 2013.

Complete the quiz and get the chance to be entered into the free prize draw. 

Drop in during normal opening times – no need to book. Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Enquiries: 01706 924492.

We are proud to announce that the Healey Dell Heritage Centre & Tea Rooms will be opening a new photography exhibition showcasing the work of Emma Holt.

As Emma's work comprises of some large pieces, her exhibits will be on display in the ground floor Heritage Room, the hallway, stairs and in the 1st floor Victorian Tea Room. All are strictly limited to just 50 pieces, have been gallery mounted, framed & glazed, a signed and dated and available to purchase.

If you are not already familiar with Emma's work, here's an overview: Emma Holt is fast becoming one of the North’s leading female, Fine-Art Landscape photographers. She is best known for the emotional connection she is able to capture between her and her chosen subject matter… Often shooting on location, she is able to react to her surroundings, creating extremely emotive and atmospheric work, choosing to work mainly in monochrome has enabled her to perfect atmospheric photography.

She has previously exhibited an exciting series of works, based on the Industrial heritage of the North West. The images featured historic cotton mills, against the backdrop of the rolling hills of Lancashire.

Photographer Ian Clegg and sculptor Angela Tait are artists who have been collaborating on creative projects since 2010. Their practice addresses their individual obsessions and collections which are explored through the combined mediums of ceramics, sculpture and experimental photography.

* Extended to 8 June 2013 *

Natasha Daintry is a contemporary ceramicist working in porcelain from her studio in London. Her work focuses on vessel forms and is concerned with colour and materiality. We have recently acquired a major piece of Natasha's work, Ocean. For this exhibition, Natasha will present a new group of vessels alongside Ocean and another work, Small Yellow Ocean.

Ocean has been jointly acquired with Gallery Oldham; Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston; Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, Carlisle and Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery through the Contemporary Art Society's acquisition scheme with support from the Art Fund. It will be shown at each venue in turn, beginning at Gallery Oldham to 16 March 2013 in the exhibition Tradition: Historic and Modern Pots before coming to Touchstones Rochdale.

Penny Leaver Green makes sewn pictures from fabric and thread, often incorporating found objects.

This exhibition features two new bodies of work exploring both invasive plant species and the (now illegal) collection of birds' eggs; each presenting us with the unintended consequences of a Victorian obsession with collection and display.

This exhibition from the borough’s art collection explores the theme of the sea in all its aspects – seaside, coastline, ports, shipping and sailing. Combining historic and contemporary works, artists include Dorothea Sharp, Terrick Williams, Frank Brangwyn, Junko Mori and Nora Fok.

The exhibition will include hands-on activities for our younger visitors including under 5s.