Stockport Breakfast Club launched itself into 2015 as 60 members were scooped up by young Stockport entrepreneur, Joe Barratt, as he shared hisexperience in driving several local initiatives over the last four years.
Left: Joe addressing the Stockport Breakfast club audience
Now only twenty two years old, Joe started out as an editor and cameraman for Little Wonder Television. His passion for film led him to launch Screen Stockport, the towns first ever film festival which gives local independent filmmakers and students a valuable opportunity to see their work screened in a cinema in front of an audience.
He discovered a lot of local young talent along the way and, in 2012 Joe and his younger brother Tom, created The Teenage Market where young people were encouraged to showcase their creative talents and attract new and old visitors to Stockport Market and the surrounding area. The pair now franchise The Teenage Market to 14 UK towns attracting local and national media attention along the way.
For a young man, Joe has already been instrumental in the success of many initiatives in Stockport, including the town becoming a ‘Portas Pilot’ leading to £300,000 investment into the old town area and establishing ‘Seven Miles Out’ – a creative social space covering film, music and art – which brings the community together on a regular basis.
Funds have been used to create the Stockport Old Town brand and website, promoting the old town, its events including 2014’s highly popular yearly Fringe Festival.
Brian Bradley, partner at Clarke Nicklin Chartered Accountants and current vice-chair of the Stockport Chamber commented:
“Joe is a very inspirational young guy and certainly engaged the audience with his presentation. The initiatives that Joe has pioneered are all fantastic for Stockport. We’re aiming to bring you a raft of top guest speakers during the course of the year so we hope to see everyone again at a future event.”
The next Stockport Breakfast Club takes place on Thursday 9th April and will take the format of a ‘hustings’ event, where attendees can put their questions to a line-up of local MP’s, each representing a different party running in the upcoming election. To book please email pauline.pawlykiwskyj@gmchamber.co.uk