Five fascinating and different individuals reveal the untold stories of Bolton’s Black and South Asian textile workers, in their own words. First-hand testimonies of 1960-80’s life explore racism in the workplace, multi-racial funk bands and even an MBE, weaving together the diverse threads that make up the fabric of the town.

The Fabric of Bolton is 30-minute documentary film, which received its world premiere at the Bolton International Film Festival. Filmed during the second Covid-19 lockdown, it employs a visual collage style to overcome the challenges of filming with a vulnerable group of contributors. The film employs archive photography as well as photographs from the contributors’ personal collections and is based on a series of 1-2 hour oral history interviews. A digital exhibition of the full interviews and image archive can be accessed here.

Made by the Octagon Theatre in partnership with Bolton Solidarity Community Association (BSCA), The Fabric of Bolton celebrates Bolton’s industrial heritage, from fresh and less commonly heard perspectives. Watch the film by scrolling to the bottom of this page and clicking the video link.