Creative businesses from Lancashire are heading to London

Some of Lancashire's best creative businesses will be showcasing their work in the capital thanks to Lancashire County Council.

12 businesses have been chosen to travel to Shoreditch for the Best of Britannia (BoB) London weekend, where their work will be seen by the trade and the public.

The Lancashire showcase at BoB London has been arranged by the county council's Creative Lancashire service, following the success of the BoB North weekend, which was held in Lancashire in May.

BoB profiles a range of products reflecting the best from the UK, showcasing established and emerging talent from fashion, textiles, footwear, accessories, jewellery, cycling, motoring, home furnishings and much more.

Taking place in Shoreditch from Friday 26 June to Sunday 28 June, BoB London will breathe new life into the Nicholls and Clarke Building by creating a unique pop-up department store experience.

The venue is just a few minutes' walk from Liverpool Street Station and very close to the Spitalfields and Brick Lane markets.

Creative Lancashire are working with the BoB organisers and Virgin Trains to create a package of support to help with the costs for these Lancashire businesses to exhibit. Transport for exhibitors to and from London for the exhibition has been kindly provided by Virgin Trains.

Ed Matthews-Gentle from Creative Lancashire explained: "We're pleased to say that we're helping to develop the careers of some of the most talented designers and specialist manufacturers from the region.

"The eclectic nature of BoB makes it a good fit for these businesses. It will open up opportunities in new markets and they'll gain confidence to take their product to new markets, as well as essential market research and insight, by talking direct to customers and other businesses."

Similar to the Preston weekend, Creative Lancashire will present a dedicated space showcasing some of the best new and emerging businesses and individuals from the region – working in collaboration with partners including the BoB team and the Crafts Council.

The Lancashire exhibitors include: Deni-Deni (leather accessories) Sophie Alice Hirsch (jewellery), Swarm Design (textiles and lighting), Dan Marc (furniture) and Carradice (cycle bags & accessories) who will be presenting their new UPSO bag collection, which they launched at the Preston event.

Ed added: "For three days during BoB North, we brought together established local creative businesses alongside the next generation of exciting new talent. We're delighted to be able to once again support some very talented people.

"Some of the businesses at BoB in Preston are now looking at ways to collaborate on new products. This includes a long-established luxury footwear brand working alongside one of the Lancashire-based companies on some new ideas. This is one of many positive and in some cases unexpected outcomes to emerge out of the weekend. We're hoping for many similar positives and opportunities coming out of BoB London."

Creative Lancashire is a service provided by Lancashire County Council through its economic development company – Lancashire County Developments Ltd (LCDL). They support creative and digital businesses and work with all sectors to realise creative potential.

For information visit www.creativelancashire.org. You can follow them on twitter – @CreativeLancs.

Find out more at www.bestofbritannia.com and on twitter @BestBritannia, #BOBLondon.

The 12 Lancashire companies attending are:
• Deni Deni: Rossendale
• Swarm: Lancaster (Came through the Crafts Council's Hothouse programme in Lancashire)
• Dan Marc: Preston
• Chris Hodge: Preston
• Katie King Design: Blackpool
• Sophie Hirsch: Came through the Crafts Council's Hothouse programme in Lancashire
• Red Thumb Print: Blackburn with Darwen
• Chris Dorning (Cunning Craftsman): Preston
• True Mountain: Preston
• UpSo/Carradice: Nelson
• Britannia Shoes: Burnley
• Bough to Beauty: Lancaster

Note to editors:

The attached images show examples of work by Katie King Design and Swarm.
Katie King Design (www.katiekingdesign.com) aim to create beautiful, intricate and adventurous paper illustrations in order to develop exquisite, original, handmade designs. They produce handmade products such as clocks and lamp shades, adding a unique touch to any interior.

Swarm Design (www.swarmdesign.co.uk) is run by young Lancaster-based designer Adam Slade. They are a new luxury interiors brand specialising in high-end textiles and lighting.

For further information please contact: Stephen Axon on 01772 533 194
[email protected]