Arts and Creative Media Networking Event

Exhibitors at the Arts and Creative Media Networking Event

6 More Image(s) In Gallery

The Town Hall was host to the much anticipated Arts and Creative Media Networking Event today, Wednesday 18 July. The event was hosted by Multi Asian Arts (MAA) Centre, a registered charity which aims to ‘create a flourishing and dynamic cultural environment by providing arts and media projects and events.’ The event itself was organised to assist, support and provide information to Rochdale businesses and organisations, while promoting some of the projects already happening in the borough.

The Chief Executive of MAA, Mohammed Sarwar, organised the event, which featured workshops by various facilitators who gave talks on how people can work in partnership and share good practice. Facilitators included David Martin from Community Arts Northwest, which is an arts development organisation, promoting cultural programmes of work by people who are excluded or on the fringes of mainstream society, as well as Davis Stokoe, who was previously a training development manager and has an interest in leadership and project management issues.

The exhibition was attended my numerous members of the Multi Asian Arts Centre, as well as the Mayor of Rochdale Councillor Peter Evans and Craig McAteer, Chief Executive of Link4Life, the new trust set up by the council to develop and manage leisure services throughout the borough.

The event featured a wide array of stalls which represented organisations from many different sectors including not just arts and media but many others such as education, radio and employment.

Stephanie Rush attended the event to represent Learn Local, an organisation which provides learning opportunities to residents across Rochdale, Heywood, Middleton and the Pennines townships. She commented on how Learn Local had been able to work in partnership with the Multi Asian Arts Centre in order to organise various workshops and had therefore found the event very interesting.

Another organisation that exhibited at the event was Ethnic Minority Women’s Employment Project. This is an organisation that assists women from ethnic backgrounds into training, education and employment. Representatives from the organisation explained how they offer free short courses and free childcare for women in Rochdale, as well as mentoring on a one to one basis to offer support for individuals. One representative said: “Today has really been a good opportunity for networking with people from other sectors and to see what other services are being offered to the people of Rochdale. It has also been a great opportunity to consider what other services we can offer to women of ethnic backgrounds."

All that attended were very enthusiastic to hear from the various speakers and also to network with other businesses in Rochdale, and found the workshops valuable in learning more about the media and arts sectors.

Other stalls included that of The Carers Resource Rochdale which provides information, emotional support and training to carers planning to return to the workplace. One of its representatives, Mr Shahid Mahmood said: “I have really enjoyed the day, and think it was a really good idea to hold the event, and even though our organisation is not from the media or arts sector, it has been very beneficial to meet new people and network with other organisations.”

After the various presentations and workshops, Mohammed Sarwar reflected on the day saying: “The response from the arts and media sector has been very good. I hope to make the event something that will go ahead every year and although today has not been as well attended as I had hoped due to other events that are going on this week, I hope that in years to come it will become more recognised and therefore more popular, and I feel this will happen as people learn more about the services available in arts and media in our town. Participants have really valued the programme and many that I have spoken to felt it was worthwhile to share ideas and services. We have also experienced positive comments from the arts officer from Link4Life and he too hopes to make it an annual event.”

More photos from this event will be online on Wednesday morning.