‍

Writing coach Cat Lumb has become the first person or group to benefit from the newly launched Community Grant fund, which has been allocated in celebration of Stalybridge’s Town of Culture status.

‍

Cat’s 'Take Note': A Day in the Life of Stalybridge will be a collaborative community project that encourages Stalybridge residents to slow down and take notice of their local environment and share their varied experiences of the town through creative writing.

‍

Using techniques linked with mindfulness and writing for wellbeing, Cat will support residents in developing their creative writing skills to capture a moment of their lives in various Stalybridge locations.

‍

Participants will have access to two workshops; the first will help them develop their descriptive writing skills and give them tools to help them tune into their environment so they can go away and record their encounters in community spaces around town. The second workshop will be focused on editing and refining their short pieces, examining the detail and feeling of the places they have described to communicate the essence of their moment to a reader.

‍

A selection of these short pieces that will then form part of a free downloadable digital resource allowing anyone who lives in or visits the town a vivid glimpse as to what it is like to live, play or work in Stalybridge.

‍

A writer and writing coach, Cat lives in Stalybridge with her fiancé and a particularly stubborn Westie named Hugo The Destroyer. She rediscovered her ambition of being an author when diagnosed with M.E. and Fibromyalgia over a decade ago.

‍

Cat now works from her “Plotting Shed” in the garden, after leaving her cultural education job to become a writer and writing coach - as The Write Catalyst - in 2020. Her mission is to support new writers to become the author they dream of, through support and encouragement, whilst also providing guidance in the often overwhelming task of writing that book.

‍

Stalybridge community groups can apply for a grant of up to £500 to assist with events, activities and projects that link to the slow down theme, and must engage people beyond their existing membership networks.

‍

The funds can be used to cover the costs of speakers, arts/crafts, running workshops, developing a play or a film, or any other reasonable costs for holding an activity or event.  Download and fill in the application form HERE.  If you have any queries about the application form or application process, please email events@tameside.gov.uk

‍

Cat Lumb has written for Manchester Literature Festival, Women’s Weekly, and Mslexia, and had work placed in Writing Magazine competitions. Cat’s debut novel – In Lies We Trust – was published in March 2021 and reached #16 in the Amazon Kindle Bestseller charts in the category of Spy Thrillers. Her next book is due out in June 2022.  You can find her online via her website: www.catlumb.com
Or on social media: Twitter: @Cat_Lumb / Instagram: thewritecatalyst

‍