Fantastic Freda

Freda Millett

POPULAR local historian and writer Freda Millett will make history herself when she becomes the first woman to receive a Civic Appreciation Award from Oldham Council.

Her nomination for “outstanding services and dedication to the borough” was approved at last night’s council meeting.

She will become the fifth person to receive the honour introduced in 2012. She said: “I can’t believe it — it’s marvellous. I didn’t know anything about it.”

Mrs Millett (87), who lives in Dobcross, was nominated by former Oldham Council leader and mayor John Battye, Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester.

The author of several local history books, she was Oldham’s assistant curator and keeper of local history until 1994. She organised many exhibitions at the former museum in Greaves Street, Oldham.

“I know ideas change but I felt like weeping when it closed, it was so popular,” she said.

“We had at least five museums a week coming to look at it from all over the country and we had schools come, not just local ones, but from everywhere.”

Mrs Millett is a founder member of Oldham’s Children’s Holiday Homes Project which was launched in 1974 to provide holidays in Wales for disadvantaged children, and still serves on the committee.

She also continues to write and research, is a regular speaker at events and was the 1995 Woman of Oldham.

Her Civic Appreciation Award nomination reads: “She has been single-handedly responsible for recording the social history of Oldham of over 200 years.”

The award will be presented at a ceremony in the council chamber on March 23, 2016.