Home to one of the North West’s largest and most famous markets, the East Lancashire Heritage Railway, the founder of the Metropolitan Police and one-time UK Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, the Lancashire Fusiliers and, of course, the Black Pudding, Bury is a fascinating and friendly town populated by great people who always have a story or two to share.
Another of Greater Manchester’s ten constituent metropolitan boroughs, Bury, like so many of Lancashire’s former mill towns, experienced a sharp economic decline in the 1970s and 1980s, as the majority of its traditional cotton and textile-based industries closed. As with its near neighbour Bolton, the town and its people showed some true Lancastrian grit, fought back and helped Bury re-invent itself as a place with strong engineering, creative, IT and digital sectors which continue to thrive today.
It’s an area that’s definitely bustling, with an identity – and an atmosphere – all of its own. Shopping and leisure facilities are plentiful, with not one but two shopping centres – Millgate and the Rock – offering a wide a range of big high street named stores, and independent shops selling everything from hand-made jewellery, vintage clothing and vinyl records, to artisan food and drink. It’s a place with an arty vibe that’s almost palpable, with famous ‘Shakers’ (the traditional nickname for people from Bury) including comedienne, writer and musician Victoria Wood, songwriter, musician and radio broadcaster Guy Garvey, his band ‘Elbow’ and his actor brother Marcus and, Just William author, Richmal Crompton.
Other actors of stage and screen include Ralf Little (or Antony from the Royle Family, as he’s better known in these parts), Corrie stalwarts Antony Cotton and Helen Flanagan, and Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley.
One of the region’s oldest towns, Bury played an important part locally in the Civil War and, believe it or not, once had an important castle; the foundations of which are still visible – and visitable – just off Silver Street and the Rock, next to the church of St. Mary the Virgin.
One of the North West’s happiest places to live
Not only does the town have a thriving retail, leisure and arts scene, it also benefits from excellent transport links to other towns and cities across Greater Manchester and Lancashire. The Metrolink connects Bury Interchange to Manchester Piccadilly – and all points in between – and the bus routes extend into all parts of Lancashire, whilst the M6, M60, M66 are all in close proximity.
Moreover, Bury ranks 6th in the list of the North West’s ‘happiest places to live’ according to leading property website, Right Move https://www.rightmove.co.uk/news/happy-at-home. This places it above neighbouring boroughs such as Stockport (9th), Salford (16th), Manchester (20th), Bolton (22nd) and Oldham (25th).
All in all, there’s a great balance to the area – with the bustling town centre set against the backdrop of the West Pennine Hills, scenic countryside and rolling farmland. Burrs Country Park is a beautiful example of ‘green’ urban regeneration at its very finest, with upmarket property hot spots such as Ramsbottom, Greenmount and Summerseat all located on the town’s northern fringes. Great hikes available locally include the Peel Tower – situated atop of Harcles Hill – and Holcombe Moor (note to self: book in a walk there, as soon as the weather improves!).
Strong connections with local schools
As an organisation, Moxi Recruitment is fortunate to have some really strong partnerships with schools in the Bury area, including Philips High School in Whitefield and our two partner EdStart Schools located in the town centre. Great places that promote great people, and help them gain employment in education.
The educational landscape in Bury is very diverse. Unlike many of its neighbouring boroughs in Greater Manchester, it retains the grammar school system and, in all, has 69 primary schools and 23 secondary schools. 7% of Bury’s schools are private; 32 state schools in Bury follow the Local Authority’s established admissions criteria, while a further 50 set their own.
Of course, as with any major town in the UK, Bury has its share of disadvantage and deprivation, though it does rank 8th out of Greater Manchester’s ten constituent boroughs in this regard. Some of its most deprived wards include East, Besses, Redvales and Moorside https://theburydirectory.co.uk/deprivation.
A key point of difference between ourselves and other education recruiters, is that Moxi is community-focused and, wherever possible, we always seek to work with local candidates who know the area, its strengths, its demographic profile and its challenges. In this way, we can make a really lasting contribution to our region’s educational environment at all levels, and help drive the local economy.
We have a great group of candidates currently available in and around Bury, all looking for long-term, permanent roles in Early Years, Primary and Secondary schools. The training of these candidates – some of whom are new to the world of education – is ongoing, and we work in collaboration with our partners across the North West of England to help people take that all-important first step with regard to a career in teaching, teaching assistance, admin and support.
As part of our all-encompassing package, we can provide bespoke training that includes a Level 2 Teaching Assistant qualification, Mental Health First Aid, Lesson Planning and Mindfulness.
If you’re looking to get a head start in education as a career, then call me today on 0300 303 4414, email info@moxi-recruitment.co.uk or visit our ‘Contact’ page and send us a message. We will always try and support you in the best way we possibly can. Whether that be through new career opportunities, training or CPD!
