Northern Roots secures Lottery funding to help deliver second heritage project and jobs for Oldham

Northern Roots is transforming 160-acres of under-used urban green space in Oldham into a unique community hub and visitor destination.

The charity aims to create inspirational spaces, moments and opportunities for people to connect around food, growing, nature, learning, creativity, sport, enterprise, work and play; and to do this in a way that supports nature, enhances wellbeing, creates jobs, and builds hope, pride and aspiration.

Northern Roots has now received a grant of over £249,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, Northern Roots will deliver a new project that celebrates the natural, industrial and social heritage of the Northern Roots site and throws a spotlight on the centuries-old story of natural history study in Oldham.

The project will generate jobs, commissions and training opportunities, empower local communities to shape, deliver and benefit from a range of activities and events, and will enable Northern Roots to prepare to open as a visitor destination in 2026, with local heritage and people at its heart.

The project will build on Northern Roots’ previous National Lottery supported project, ‘Beautiful Oldham – Why Not?’, which celebrated Mary Higgs, her pioneering vision for conservation and social change in Oldham, and the Beautiful Oldham Society.

The project is inspired by Oldham’s 18th and 19th century working class scientific and environmental movements, the Oldham Microscopical Society, and individuals like James Neild (1825-1896), the son of an Oldham hatter who developed a passionate interest in the natural world.

An early advocate for nature conservation, Nield built on the existing botanical legacy in Oldham by being a founder member of the Oldham Microscopical Society (1864), a Society which still meets regularly today.

During the project Northern Roots will work closely with local communities, young people, museum curators and archivists, and wildlife groups and ecologists.

Together they will uncover, preserve and communicate the natural, social and industrial heritage of Northern Roots site, inspiring a new generation of Oldhamers to connect with, conserve and care for the natural world.

Anna da Silva, CEO at Northern Roots, said: “We are incredibly grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for their support.

"Funding for this project enables Northern Roots to build on several years of consultation and engagement, and to celebrate Oldham’s great heritage stories.

"Funding will create jobs and opportunities, and put local residents in the driving seat, enabling them to shape the vision, plans and activities for Northern Roots.”

Over the course of the project, Northern Roots will reach out to local communities in Oldham to recruit four Citizen Researchers, four Citizen Rangers and four Heritage Champions.

Citizen Researchers will be trained in a range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and then supported to evaluate the impact of the Heritage Fund project, and to carry out research to help shape different aspects of the development of Northern Roots.

Citizen Rangers will be trained in species identification and monitoring skills and supported to oversee volunteers to carry out a series of seasonal species surveys to build up a comprehensive picture of the flora and fauna at Northern Roots.

Heritage Champions will be supported to explore the industrial, social and natural heritage of Northern Roots, develop ideas for activities and events that bring that heritage to life, and help to organise and deliver those activities.

A number of full and part-time jobs at Northern Roots, including Heritage Engagement Manager, Project Support Officer, Creative Producer, Ranger, Fundraising Lead and Learning Manager, have been made possible by the funding.

Funding will also support two specialist commissions - an Evaluation Consultant, and a Marketing and Audiences Consultant.

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