Explore the past as the Oldham Histories Festival goes digital

Despite current restrictions, Gallery Oldham, Oldham Local Studies and Archives and other partners are continuing with the annual Oldham Histories Festival.

This year it will be a digital celebration of our local heritage and runs until next Sunday, September 20.

The festival will give you a chance to discover the history that surrounds us here in Oldham.

A range of self-guided trails and other online content will replace the usual talks and tours.

However, the festival will still offer residents the same opportunity to find out more about the people, places, buildings and stories that have influenced the history of the town.

Councillor Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Culture, said: “What Oldham and the rest of the country are currently experiencing will no doubt make it into the history books, and one day people will learn about this period of time just as we enjoy learning about the years behind us.

“It’s great that even with the restrictions currently in place in Oldham our services and partners are coming up with innovative ways of continuing with events.

“I very much look forward to exploring Oldham’s history, and learning about those from our town’s spooky past who might not quite have moved on."

The events this year include:

Family friendly walking trails around Oldham and Alexandra Park

Ghost trail organised by Oldham Theatre Workshop

Exploration of Snipe Clough with Northern Roots

Daisy Nook trail with the Hollinwood Canal Society

A talk on the ways in which the First World War shaped lives in our local area with Oldham Historical Society.

Finally, the Histories Festival will see the launch of the latest chapter in our local history in the form of a special digi-book, bringing together a range of writing about life in Oldham over the past few months.

This writing project was part of the Oldham Lockdown Museum which collected a range of responses to life in 2020 and will form a digital archive for future generations.

The Gallery Oldham website will be the hub for all of the activities planned, so simply visit: www.galleryoldham.org.uk to download trail maps and get involved with the other events.

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