Multi award-winning poet Sammy Weaver has been appointed as Rochdale’s first ever poet laureate.
The multi-talented creative writer has been commissioned to capture the spirit of Rochdale in words, raising awareness and helping encourage people to engage with poetry during the town’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture.
Sammy, who lives on a narrow boat along Rochdale Canal, said she is excited about the opportunity:
"This seemed like a great chance to be a public poet in a place that has become my home, encouraging others, especially young people, to get involved and telling Rochdale's fascinating stories through poetry. In the spirit of the co-operative movement that began in Rochdale I really like how the role has room for creative ideas to grow and for locals to have a say in the project. Anyone can be a creative writer if given the right support and I hope that through my work I am able to share the joy that poems can spark.”
Between May 2025 and March 2026 Sammy will be leading workshops in schools boroughwide, mentoring Rochdale’s 2 new young poet laureates as well as reflecting with her own words during the town’s big year in the Greater Manchester cultural spotlight.
‘exciting year’
After completing her creative writing masters at Manchester Metropolitan University, Sammy bought a boat and moved from the city to the tranquillity of the Pennine waterways, using the moors and the post-industrial spaces as her inspiration:
“I really love it here, the wonderful communities we have, the canals, reservoirs and rivers, I love water and all the scenery we’re surrounded by, as well as the new developments in the town centre and of course the majestic town hall.”
Her debut poetry collection ‘Angola, America’ won the Mslexia Poetry Pamphlet Prize in 2021 and was shortlisted for the Michael Marks Award. Sammy has over 10 years' experience leading creative writing sessions across the UK. Earlier this year she was made a Yaddo Fellow and was writer in residence at the organisation’s artists’ community in New York.
Deputy mayor of Rochdale councillor Janet Emsley, who is shortly due to be elected mayor for the next municipal, said:
“I am so pleased to welcome our first poet laureate and am looking forward to seeing what she has got planned for our exciting year ahead.”
The appointment is part of a spectacular line up of festivals, live performances, exhibitions and art during Rochdale’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture. The title, awarded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), celebrates the town’s rich history, creativity, talent and diverse arts scene. Rochdale is building on the town’s cultural capital and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement with more than 35 arts organisations delivering an ambitious programme that runs until the end of March 2026. ‘People power’ will be centre stage throughout the year, with residents helping to plan, develop and deliver much of the line-up of creative activity alongside a number of big events.
Find out more about what’s on and get the latest news as it's announced.
- Discover more about the Greater Manchester Town of Culture 2025–26
- Search #RochdaleTownOfCulture on social media
- Follow @rochdale.creates on Instagram