Ten years ago artist Liam Spencer started "tramping" on Deerplay Moor north of Bacup. He was seeking the source of a much maligned thread of water, forever entwined in Lancashire's natural, and industrial history.
It gave him the first seed of an idea for a project close to his heart. For the last year he has walked the banks of the 39-mile long stretch - from the headwaters in Rossendale to its canalised lower reaches in Salford. His purpose was to seek, and witness a revival in its fortunes. And then to record what he saw in drawings, paintings, and film.
The rivers prospects seemed bleak when, in 1926 the author Arthur Ransome wrote in the Manchester Guardian: “I am continually asked by correspondents where they may find good trout fishing within reasonable distance of Manchester. I wish I knew.
