Stockport Borough has launched a new web-based campaign to showcase the breadth and depth of positive news stories, events, people and places across the area.

With seed funding from Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, support from Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and interested local business organisations and individuals We Are Stockport has gone live this week, designed to provide a ‘go to’ portal for all things Stockport.

Creating its own news and signposting to a plethora of other local websites from I Love Bramhall to Heaton Traders, We are Stockport will link like-minded groups who are keen to communicate with and champion the Borough community.

Chair of the Steering Group and Stockport President of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Sue Souter, said the portal would be unashamedly positive about the 10 individual areas of Stockport and provide a central place to find things out. “In the course of the last 3-4 months as we have pulled this site together we have already uncovered some fantastic stories and this will be the heartbeat of the site. It intends to showcase one part of the Borough to another, so if you live in Bramhall and have no idea what Marple has to offer – this is the place to find all that out.

“It will also provide vital support to attracting people back to a re-energised Town Centre and much more connections in general between it and people who live in the district centres.”

The website is being run and edited by Place Campaign Manager and former BBC Head of Communications Rachel Wallace, whose appetite for the power of story is infectious. She said: “It’s not just about uncovering a great story, it’s what happens when it gets posted up on the site.”

Alan Newton from Offerton, a former British Olympian, now 84, found himself without the funds to get to a celebratory ‘run’ recently in London and a generous donor – having seen and read the story on We are Stockport – came up with £500 to help get him there.

“That sort of engagement makes all the story generation worthwhile,” said Rachel.

Cllr Iain Roberts, Deputy Leader of Stockport Council, said this was the perfect time to be launching a Place initiative.

“This website will be a rich resource for everyone who lives and works here, identifying and celebrating areas and individuals that make up Stockport Borough. I would encourage people to visit and contribute as much as possible.”

Helen White, founder of Marketing Stockportwelcomed the campaign: “We are Stockport will add a fresh dimension to news reporting and story generation and play its part – as we do – to talk up Stockport and make sure people know why it’s such a great place to work and live.

Mark Stringer, who lives in Heaton Moor and runs Ahoy, the design agency who designed and built We are Stockport, said: “I have lived and worked in Stockport for over 10 years and have found it the perfect place to live, raise children and grow a business. We Are Stockport is a window to view the borough through the eyes of a local, and it’s now down to the people of Stockport to use it and keep adding to it.”

Rachel added to this point: “I’m looking for great images that define the areas people live and work in, as well as news and human interest pieces that raise the lid on what otherwise may remain a secret.”

Sue Souter concluded: “The success of this campaign will lie in engagement with the website – we need stories and visitors. The more hidden gems we can uncover and the more information we can share the better chance we have of attracting people – some 300,000 of them – to go on the site, contribute and use regularly.

“That’s the focus for the next few months and we have had a fantastic response to date. We are already looking at sustainability of the campaign and developing a business proposition to take to supporters of the future.”

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