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End of an era

Doomed . . . the famous Mumps Bridge will vanish

Historic bridge to make way for trams

OLDHAM’S iconic Mumps Bridge will be knocked down to encourage more visitors to Oldham town centre when Metrolink arrives.

Trams will run every six minutes across Mumps Roundabout and along Union Street from 2014 as part of an £84million package which will change the town centre landscape forever.

A Metrolink and bus station and a Park and Ride facility will be built — possibly at the old B&Q site — in a bid to

Date published: 10/03/2010

Sahil: the agonising wait goes on

THE agonising wait is continuing for the family of kidnapped Shaw boy Sahil Saeed.

A week after the five-year-old was snatched at gunpoint from his grandmother’s house in Jhelum, Pakistan, there has still been no sign of the Rushcroft School pupil.

Police in Pakistan have several times said they are closing in on the kidnappers but there was no good news this...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Developers finally forced into action

HOARDINGS go up around the unfinished Royton Assembly Hall

Hoardings have gone up around Royton Assembly Hall as Oldham Council gets tough with developers Whispers.

The council threatened enforcement action in August last year to force the...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Students clinch world hug record

Amanda Borg, head of community fund-raising at the Christie, with record-breakers Faisal Mohyud-Din (left) and Mohammed Azeem.

IT was hugs all round for a pair of students who clinched the world hugging record at Boundary Park yesterday.

Faisal Mohyud-Din (18) and Mohammed Azeem (21) began the challenge at...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Political parties take a cut of council tax claim

Oldham councillors are supporting their political parties from their civic allowances, says a local independent councillor.

Saddleworth parish councillor Ken Hulme says the practice should stop: “As an independent councillor who is not a member of any political party, I strongly resent my council tax being used to subsidise political parties I don’t...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Super-sleuth recruits are an instant success

CRIME crackdown ... Clockwise from front are Sergeant Trevor Harrison and his new recruits PC Steven Prescott, PC Christian Julien, PC Katy Simpson, PC Danny Bolton, PC Mark Bertenshaw and PC Rebecca Rowland

Newcomers make 52 arrests in six weeks

NEW police recruits to neighbourhood teams have proved their worth after making dozens of arrests for drug-dealing and burglary.

Six extra...

Date published: 10/03/2010

School violence claim

ACTION is needed to tackle abuse and violence in Oldham’s schools, according to a Conservative Parliamentary spokesman.

Government figures revealed 40 children from schools in Oldham were expelled for assaults and abuse, and 1,030 suspended — equivalent to six exclusions for each school day — in the last recorded year.

Kashif Ali, local Conservative...

Date published: 10/03/2010

White gang’s racist attack

BADLY beaten . . . Zafar, left, and Sikander

TWO Asian men were badly beaten by a gang in a racist attack in Oldham.

Zafar Ali Khan (26) suffered a broken arm and both he and father-in-law Sikander Khan (50) were left badly...

Date published: 10/03/2010

117 saved from forced marriage

MORE than 100 people have been saved from a forced marriage as a result of a law introduced by an Oldham MP.

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas in his role of Immigration Minister brought about the changes in the law to crack down on problems of forced marriage.

He said: “Every one in Oldham should know that there is a big difference between an arranged...

Date published: 10/03/2010

What an Audi-acity!

STYLISH . . . the new Audi A8 used on council business

Rumpus over new car being a ‘civic taxi’

Oldham’s Labour council group leader says the town’s new Mayoral car should not be used as a “civic taxi”....

Date published: 10/03/2010

Tory warning over council city-zone commitment

Councillors should slow down before committing Oldham to joining a new city region for Greater Manchester.

Councillor Jack Hulme, leader of the Oldham Council Conservative group, says there has been no public consultation, and the plans are being steamrollered through.

The groundbreaking city region agreement between the 10 Greater Manchester local authorities and the...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Extra debt help for homeowners

RESIDENTS facing repossession in Oldham are being given extra help to stay in their homes.

Oldham Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB) is launching a campaign to help people manage their debts.

The area is one of 56 repossession hotspots identified by the Government in November last year as being at greater risk due to having higher levels of unemployment and...

Date published: 10/03/2010

£83m boost for house building

THOUSANDS of affordable new homes will be built across England in a bid to get the country back on track after the recession.

More than £4.2 million is to be invested in 256 new homes in Greater Manchester, including 51 in Oldham.

The scheme aims to help more families take the first step on the property ladder through the Government’s Home Buy scheme which...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Onwards and upwards for fab five students

OXFORD’s ‘dreaming spires’ beckon a handful of Crompton House School students this autumn.

Henry Hesten is preparing to read physics at Christchurch College, and Tom Stewart music at Worcester College.

Keble College beckons for Daniel Costigan to study maths and Robert Barker chemistry, while Robert also has a choral scholarship at the college. Sam...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Give me a break says snooker plan Tariq

A resident who wants to open a multicultural snooker centre has hit back at objections from Oldham College.

Tariq Majid has submitted an application to the planning department to re-open Oldham Snooker Centre next to the college from 11am-3am every day.

The centre, which would not sell alcohol, would employ three full-time and five part-time staff.

Staff at Oldham...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Should killer’s ID remain a secret?

ONE of James Bulger’s killers, Jon Venables, has been locked up amid wild speculations about new crimes. The Government refuses to comment on the reasons behind the decision to recall Venables (27) to custody for fear of compromising an investigation, as well as any future trial.

The issue has caused a public storm, some backing James’s mother in her claim that...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Crossing continents to connect classrooms

TEACHERS from India and Pakistan have visited schools in Oldham as part of an international project.

Staff and education officials from six schools in Kerala, south-west India, took a tour of four Oldham schools — Broadfield Primary, St Martin’s Primary, Holy Rosary RC Primary and Hathershaw College — which make up the West Oldham Trust.

During their...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Latics blues are going green

OLDHAM Athletic will become cleaner and greener thanks to a new scheme to improve the environmental impact of football clubs.

The Football League Trust is calling on all 72 clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two to consider their environmental performance.

The Trust’s North-West manager Dean Grice said: “Football clubs are at the heart of many...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Chance to be a stage star

BUDDING stage stars can take the first steps to fame with auditions for Oldham Theatre Workshop shows.

The award-winning drama and youth theatre organisation is holding auditions for young actors and singers for two summer shows.

It is looking to cast a number of roles in their major productions “Shades of Grey” and “Hansel and Gretel: The...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Drumming up a new friendship

DRUM to the beat . . . Kaskenmoor pupils perfect their newfound skills.

YOUNGSTERS are aiming to bring a taste of the Caribbean to the cold streets of Oldham.

Pupils at Kaskenmoor and South Chadderton schools will take up the steel drums as they get to know...

Date published: 10/03/2010

Holly takes samba beat to city

Holly Prest . . . will be drumming at a charity event

SADDLEWORTH musician Holly Prest will bring the samba beat of Brazil to Manchester as she does her bit for charity.

The 26-year-old founded percussion and dance collective Juba do...

Date published: 10/03/2010

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