Unsung heroes take the plaudits

Oldham PFI’s unsung community heroes show off their awards

Oldham PFI’s unsung community heroes took centre stage at its Annual Celebration event at Queen Elizabeth Hall.

The half-day event organised by Great Places Housing Group’s Oldham team included it’s annual Neighbourhood Awards that recognise the hard work of a host of volunteers that offer their time to support the work across the four key neighbourhoods of Primrose, Dew Way, Fitton Hill and Crossley.

Primrose resident, Paul Maybury, was recognised for going the extra mile in supporting his community through his work at the area’s community centre.

A well-known figure in the area, Paul has been a regular volunteer at the Primrose Centre since it opened in 2015 and is highly thought of by residents and staff.

Paul has worked tirelessly helping with the upkeep of the centre and opening and closing the centre at weekends.

On call 24/7, he has become an invaluable member of the Primrose Team.

Other local residents who received special recognition at the event included, Carol Withnell a regular volunteer at the Crossley Centre, and Jobair Ali Khan also know as “Mr Fantastico” who provides regular translation support to his neighbours in the Dew Way neighbourhood.

Nods also went to Moyrum Bibby a regular volunteer at the Primrose Youth Club, and Tyrell Clarke from Fitton Hill.

In addition, the event was an opportunity to provide residents with an update on the PFI team’s performance over the past 12 months and to get together to provide feedback on services and how the communities can work together to tackle some of the key issues in their areas such as grounds maintenance.

Children also had the chance to share their thoughts on their neighbourhoods through an art activity organised on the day.

The event finished with a prize draw with proceeds going to local charity Real Change Oldham that supports homeless people in the borough.

Ryan Smith, Oldham PFI Manager at Great Places, said: “The event was a great chance for us to recognise the hard work of some of our communities’ unsung heroes who play such a pivotal role in supporting the work in the PFI.

"It also gave us an important opportunity to reflect on everything we have achieved to date and to look at how in the future we can work together to build on our successes in the future.”

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