Widespread museum welcomes over 25,000 guests to Reebok exhibition – Bolton Council

The exhibition chronicles Reebok’s rise from a small Bolton-based firm making speciality racing footwear for athletes to the second it captures the large North American athletic footwear market within the Eighties.

The present additionally celebrates one other native sports activities shoe firm, Norman Walsh Footwear, which has been hand-making trainers in Bolton since 1961.

Meanwhile, a brand new documentary movie, Reebok and Walsh: The Bolton Shoemakers Who Reinvented the Running Shoe – which explores the identical topic – has been watched by over 1,400 viewers on-line.

Commissioned by Bolton Museum, the movie was produced by Broaden and directed by George Webster and Bryony Simcox.

With contributions and interviews from Joe Foster, the founding father of Reebok, and world-class athletes like Steve Kenyon and Hannah Kelly, the movie celebrates Bolton’s central function within the historical past of the operating shoe.

Bryony Simcox, Head of Production at Broaden, mentioned:

“I cherished crafting this documentary, from filming on racetracks to dealing with footwear over a century outdated.

“This social history story was like a treasure trove for filmmakers, and it’s a delight to see how much the story has resonated with people.”

Both the movie and exhibition have been supported by a beneficiant grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The National Lottery funding has enabled authentic analysis into the native historical past of the sports activities shoe firms, the manufacturing of the documentary movie, a summer time programme of artistic actions for households, and artwork and design workshops for people with particular instructional wants (SEN).

Louise Sutherland, Head of Engagement, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, mentioned:

“We’re thrilled to listen to that so many individuals have walked by the doorways of Bolton Museum to find the origins of iconic footwear manufacturers Reebok and Walsh, and the affect they’ve had on the Northern operating scene.

“We’re delighted that, due to National Lottery gamers,  we have been in a position to assist the challenge to shine a lightweight on this unsung story.” 

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Culture, Cllr Nadeem Ayub, mentioned:

“We’re at all times proud to raise our city’s tales and to see the affect an impressive exhibition like this makes is why our museum stays among the finest within the UK.

“Everyone concerned has labored so arduous on this significant challenge, creating an exhibition and movie that celebrates Reebok’s exceptional journey from a small Bolton manufacturing facility to a world sportswear icon.

“It honours Bolton’s pioneering role in revolutionising the running shoe but also showcases the enduring spirit of innovation and collaboration that defines Bolton’s heritage.”

The exhibition runs till 18 January 2026.

The movie is accessible on YouTube:

REEBOK AND WALSH: The Bolton shoemakers who reinvented the running shoe (feat. cofounder Joe Foster)

About Bolton Library and Museum Services

A cultural hotspot of Bolton, the Bolton Central Library and Museum hosts eclectic occasions, galleries, and collections, certainly one of which is its Egyptology assortment – the biggest of its type in a neighborhood authority museum within the UK. You may also discover Greater Manchester’s solely public aquarium sits inside this architecturally spectacular, Grade II listed constructing. With venues throughout the entire city, together with the historic Smithills Hall, the Bolton Library and Museum groups organise particular occasions, exhibitions, workshops, and social teams throughout the city’s libraries and halls; serving to to interact, educate and assist communities.

To discover out extra about Bolton’s libraries and museums and what’s on, go to www.boltonlams.co.uk

About Broaden

Broaden is a purpose-led filmmaking studio. Founded by Bryony Simcox and George Webster in 2019, They work throughout documentary storytelling, stay occasions and model movie to shift views, encourage motion and ship affect. Their work has amassed over half one million views.

Broaden accomplice with daring and courageous organisations together with the World Design Capital, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Adfree Cities, the British Council, the National Union of Students, Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, the Commonwealth Games, Manchester Collective and National Orchestras for All.

Broaden are based mostly in Greater Manchester, working from a self-converted transport container studio.

To discover out extra about Broaden, go to www.linktr.ee/broadenstudio

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

As the biggest devoted funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s imaginative and prescient is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everybody, now and sooner or later as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.

Over the following ten years, we intention to take a position £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery gamers to result in advantages for individuals, locations and the pure surroundings.

We assist defend, rework and share the issues from the previous that individuals care about, from common museums and historic locations, our pure surroundings and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that commemorate who we’re.

We are obsessed with heritage and dedicated to driving innovation and collaboration to make a constructive distinction to individuals’s lives at the moment, whereas leaving a long-lasting legacy for future generations to take pleasure in.

Follow @HeritageFundUK on X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund www.heritagefund.org.uk