11 podcasts voiced by people from across the borough tell tales of love, friendship and home, drawing portraits of Rochdale both past and present.

“Just off the canal – that goes all the way through Rochdale, there’s a beautiful field of absolutely nothing. There’s a little dip in the field and we all sit in the field and you just stare into the beauty of the world.” Ikram, Army of Kindness

In the Summer of 2024, the Royal Exchange and the Rochdale Ambassadors gathered stories of Rochdale from 248 people.

Originally transformed into Tales of the Dale, a new production from the Royal Exchange Theatre. These stories have now been woven into 11 new podcasts by award-winning team of audio producer Polly Thomas & sound designer Louis Blatherwick.

Tales of the Dale Podcasts

Click on the title to listen.

  • Welcome to Rochdale Part A – A portrait of Rochdale from people across the borough – children describe it to an Alien, people paint it’s landscapes in words, and tales of the communities that create a place.
  • Welcome to Rochdale Part B – A portrait of Rochdale from people across the borough, continued.
  • Welcome to Rochdale Part C – A portrait of Rochdale from people across the borough, continued.
  • Love in Rochdale – Great romances – tales of living and loving in the borough.
  • Rochdale Nightlife A– Stories from Rochdale’s clubs, bars and dances throughout the decades.
  • Rochdale Nightlife B – Stories from Rochdale’s clubs, bars and dances throughout the decades, continued.
  • Rochdale Talk – Local sayings and folktales, old and new – “the store’s horse”, the grand lawn theft, the Rag n Bone Man & donkey stone.
  • Rochdale Mashup – All things Rochdale as told by people across the borough.
  • Pride in Rochdale –  From the man who saved my life to Rochdale F.C. – the people and things that make us proud.
  • A Wish for Rochdale – Hopes, dreams and wishes for a collective future.
  • My Name Is – Meet the brilliant people behind the stories.

“If Rochdale is an animal, it would live in the wild and it would stay at cold places. Like a penguin, maybe?” – Chloe age 6, Number 1 Riverside

“When I was in Leamington I wrote to my sweetheart, she was living in Nairobi, Kenya, will you still marry me after all these years? And she said yes, and […] then we moved to Rochdale- the best thing that we ever did.” – Amin, Army of Kindness

More About the Project

The stories in these podcasts were collected at:

  • Story Exchanges, held at public events including the Rochdale Children’s Literature Festival, Number 1 Riverside, and Middleton Shopping Centre.
  • Visits to community groups, including: Bluepitts Housing, Rochdale Careers, Army of Kindness, Coffee Rockers, Tangent Group, Let’s Talk, Lighthouse Project, Soul Sisters, and U3A.
  • And in conversation’s with friends, family, and neighbours of the Rochdale Ambassadors.

With thanks to Director Nickie Miles-Wildin and Curator Shahid Iqbal Khan who created the Tales of the Dale plays.

“We’re hard. We’re tough. We’ll get through anything together. We’re very multicultural, and we won’t stand nobody messing.” – Zoe, Bluepitts Housing​

“There are people who are always giving and I think it’s those people who are the heart of Rochdale – the ones who are always giving, no matter what.” Ann, Army of Kindness