The major events that defined Oldham in 2024

It’s been an eventful 2024 for Oldham borough.

From rescuing the cherished Coliseum theatre on Fairbottom Street to uncovering a massive national scandal in one of the borough’s cemeteries, Oldham has repeatedly made national headlines.

The area has seen highs such as the opening of a stunning new food hall and lows including a huge spate of job losses after a key employer up and left.

Below are just some of the key moments throughout the year that have come to define the Greater Manchester district.

350 people lost their jobs as Yodel distribution centre shut its doors

In May, around 350 people lost their jobs after the ‘devastating’ closure of Yodel distribution centre in Shaw.

The company’s CEO Mike Hancox said the ‘difficult decision’ was a result of a ‘strategic review’ after the company encountered financial challenges.

Shaw councillor Howard Sykes noted the closure was a ‘disappointment’ but ‘hardly a surprise’ after the company had previously indicated it was planning to move its distribution site in the coming years.

But an ex-employee, who did not wish to be named, revealed to the LDRS that the news had come ‘suddenly’ and left some older staff members in vulnerable positions.

“I can’t find a job because I’m the wrong end of 50,” he said.

“We knew it was coming but we were told it would be next year.

"They didn’t give us much time.”

The council rolled out a support package for those at Yodel, linking employees to other job opportunities in the borough.

Some staff members were also offered to relocate to other distribution centres outside the borough.

The Oldham Coliseum was saved

In July, Save the Coliseum campaigners and the council called a mystery ‘summer party’ for a surprise announcement: the beloved theatre on Fairbottom Street was to be rescued.

The well-known panto venue shut its doors in April last year after losing its funding from Arts Council England.

The Coliseum closure was a massive blow to the local community, which celebrated it as an important springboard for working class actors in the North of England.

A ferocious campaign spearheaded by local screenwriter Ian Kershaw and Mr Bates vs the Post Office actor Julie Hesmondhalgh eventually persuaded Oldham Council to get behind a £10m refurbishment.

The building has several structural issues that are currently being addressed.

The Coliseum is due to reopen its doors ‘in time for Panto season 2025’, according to council leader Arooj Shah.

An ambitious plan to transform the town centre was launched

The summer of 2024 also saw the launch of the Muse project, which aims to bring 2,000 homes into the town centre.

The 15-year-partnership between the council and ‘city developers’ will see apartment blocks erected at various ‘brownfield’ sites, including the former leisure centre, Magistrates Court and car parks in Oldham Mumps.

Sites like the Oldham Civic Centre and Queen Elizabeth Hall will be bulldozed to make way for homes too.

The aim of the scheme is to help tackle Oldham’s housing shortage and bring more people into the town centre to increase footfall for local businesses.

The apartment complexes will also feature ground floor shops, cafes and leisure spaces, according to the initial proposal.

A mass grave was discovered in Royton

One of the biggest stories to come out of Oldham this year was undoubtedly the discovery of a mass grave containing hundreds of stillborn babies and children.

While the existence of communal graves – also known as ‘Pauper’s graves’ – was well-known by official bodies, the Royton grave shone a light on a ‘horrible lie’ that was told to many mothers between the 50s and late 80s.

Mothers to stillborn children were told their babies would be given a proper burial.

Instead it appears they were ‘disposed of’ in unmarked graves, sometimes in unconsecrated ground.

Many relatives came forward to share their heartbreaking stories of decade-long searches for the final resting place of their lost children, and the mixture of ‘devastation’ and ‘relief’ when they were located in communal graves.

It turns out they are likely only a few cases of thousands of people affected by the practice, with an LBC investigation uncovering 89,000 stillborn babies buried in communal graves across the country – despite only 14 percent of councils answering a Freedom of Information request about it.

Royton Councillors organised a candlelight vigil (see above) for relatives affected by the discovery.

And Oldham Council are currently working on installing memorial plaques and benches at every known communal grave in the borough.

Plans to build a new school for ‘talented and disadvantaged’ kids put on hold

The Eton Star Academy project has divided opinion since it was first announced in 2022.

The selective school for around 480 ‘bright kids’ who come from disadvantaged backgrounds was seen by parents as an opportunity to ‘bring prestige’ to the town centre and ‘give the clever kids of Oldham a chance’.

But some education policy experts raised concerns that the school, part-funded by the elite boarding school in Berkshire, would have a negative impact on neighbouring schools by ‘cherry picking’ good students from their sixth forms.

And these arguments are now being considered at a national level.

In October, just after the council had announced the outdoor Tommyfield Market as the site for the new school, the Labour government put a freeze on school building projects.

Minister of State for Skills Lady Jacqui Smith said: “It’s a tough decision but we just need to look really carefully at these [types of schools] and make sure they really are adding value and places that are definitely needed.

“We need to be refocusing the money to make sure all schools are fit for students to learn in.”

A decision is due to be made early in the new year, according to Lady Smith.

A ‘spectacular’ Mackie Mayor style food hall opened in the old town hall

A brand new food hall set beneath the swung arches of a beautiful Grade-II listed building opened its doors in Oldham town centre.

The long-awaited Egyptian Room was the final part of a multi-million pound renovation of Oldham’s Old Town Hall building on Parliament Square.

Nestled into the Egyptian-inspired architecture of the 180-year-old building, the food hall currently hosts five of six food stalls, a stage area with weekly music gigs and a bar.

It includes Manchester favourite Ply Pizza, to an off-shoot of Kambuja, and The Last Stop, as well as a brand new Oldham-grown Caribbean venture.

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