My Story

Manchester made me. Manchester Candle Makers grew from there.

Hello, I'm Trisha, founder of Manchester Candle Makers.

My story starts before me. My parents came to England from Ireland in the 1960s, and I grew up in Hulme, Manchester, during the 1970s.

Back then, Hulme was often described as a concrete jungle. It wasn't an affluent place, but what it lacked in money it made up for in character. People from all walks of life lived alongside one another and there was a real sense of community — a place with a big heart.

Growing up there shaped me enormously.

From concrete to countryside

As a child, I craved the outdoors. Getting away from the concrete and finding rivers, woodland, fields and open space felt completely liberating.

That feeling never really left me.

Perhaps it's no coincidence that I eventually made my home in Mossley, at the edge of the Pennines, surrounded by the landscape I was always drawn to as a child.

Nature still finds its way into Manchester Candle Makers today — through fragrance, materials, colour and the simple pleasure of making something by hand.

A soundtrack made in Manchester

Hulme also gave me an incredibly varied musical education.

The different people and cultures around me meant the soundtrack to my childhood could move from traditional Irish music and country & western to reggae, and later into the music that Manchester became famous for.

Eventually came house music — and that became another chapter altogether. 😂

That mixture has stayed with me. My taste has never fitted neatly into one box, and neither has the inspiration behind Manchester Candle Makers.

A fragrance, just like a song, has an extraordinary ability to take you somewhere else — back to a person, a place or a moment you thought you'd forgotten.

That's what fascinates me about scent.

Made in Manchester

I've always loved making things, and candle making eventually became another outlet for that creativity.

Today I hand-pour my candles, wax melts and home fragrance products in small batches in Manchester, creating fragrances designed around mood, memory and atmosphere.

From the fresh, luminous character of Northern Lights, to the comforting warmth of Glow and the richer, indulgent notes of Joy, each has its own personality.

Pottery designed to stay

As Manchester Candle Makers evolved, I wanted the candle itself to become something more considered.

My pottery vessels are designed by Manchester Candle Makers and individually handmade by a local potter in Salford, before being filled and finished by me.

And when the candle has burned its last flame, the pottery doesn't need to be thrown away. My ready-made candle refills mean you can keep the vessel, choose another fragrance and enjoy it all over again.

Refill. Relight. Repeat.

More than fragrance

For me, Manchester Candle Makers has never been about simply putting fragrance into wax.

It's about place, memory and character.

It's the city I grew up in, the countryside I escaped to, the music I listened to, the people I've met and the memories that a familiar scent can suddenly bring rushing back.

And it's about the customers I've met along the way — at markets, workshops and local collaborations, and those who have continued to support this little Manchester business.

From a childhood in the concrete landscape of 1970s Hulme to making candles surrounded by the hills I once craved, perhaps it all connects more than I realised.

Thank you for being part of the story.

Trisha McGlynn
Founder, Manchester Candle Makers