Groups net cash windfall

UNSUNG heroes have received money after pitching at a “Dragons’ Den”-style event.

Organised by the Rotary Club of Saddleworth, six local groups were selected to present their ideas and receive a slice of a £1,500 fund.

Diggle Diamonds, a group for the elderly, received £250 to help support coffee mornings, day trips and talks throughout the year, as well as an annual Christmas party and support for shopping and appointments among local people.

Diggle Blues Festival was awarded £175 for its free annual event, which offers a musical extravaganza across the village.

Volunteers Kent Wells and Graham Nelmes, from the Royal Oldham Hospital’s Radio Cavell, received £250 to help to open a second studio.

Another £250 was presented to St Chad’s All Stars towards the creation of a costume wardrobe to house the legacy of Jean Radcliffe, who died last October. Jean had worked as a wardrobe mistress for 20 years and her thousands of outfits will now be properly stored for community hire.

Pennine Mencap, which provides services and activities for adults with additional needs, received £325 to help kickstart an ambitious project to revamp its new home at the Rhodes Bank Centre.

New group Youth Local, was awarded £250 to spend on events, projects, equipment and activities for children and young people across Saddleworth.

And in addition to the £1,500, 16-year-old Sarah Beswick, from Grotton, received £150 towards materials to paint a kindergarten and primary school when a 23-strong group from Oldham Hulme Grammar School visits Ghana in July.