Saddleworth Independent • 13th July 2026

GM Mayoral candidate backs 'mass deportation'

A MAN running to be the next Mayor of Greater Manchester has backed the idea of ‘mass deportation.’
Marlon Scott West previously made headlines as an outspoken supporter of the grooming gangs inquiry, after his daughter was targeted at the age of 13.  
However, West drew audible gasps around the room at a hustings event on Wednesday, July 8 when asked how he would respond to rising concerns and online misinformation about immigration.
He said: “Obviously I stand for Restore Britain, and we have...

The Northern Quota • 19th February 2025

David Conn calls for ‘duty of candour’ on officials ahead of Hillsborough Law

Reporter of the year David Conn has called for a ‘duty of candour’ to be placed on police as campaigners call for a Hillsborough law to be introduced within the year.


Conn was joined by legal experts from Garden Court North Chambers at a memorial lecture in the University of Manchester on Thursday, honouring of Hillsborough barrister Mark George, who represented 22 families following the disaster.


The lecture discussed failures in the legal system in the years after the disaster. Named the...

The Northern Quota • 10th April 2024

No justice no peace: campaigners call for end to police pursuits of young people

Grieving families in Manchester are calling for an end to “unnecessary” police chases which end in the deaths of young people.


They claim police disproportionally target working class people from ethnic minority backgrounds in police pursuits on the streets of Manchester.


Figures from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) show there were three deaths involving police vehicles between April and December 2023, as well as four incidents of serious injury. They also reveal that comp...

Stockport Nub News • 11th February 2026

Stockport left ‘begging for scraps’ for government aid in New Year’s floods, council says

The leader of Stockport Council has said he thinks Stockport may have received government aid after last year's New Year's floods if it were located in the South. 
Councillor Mark Roberts made the comment in a Cabinet meeting last night (10 February), in which councillors approved an investigation into severe flooding in Stockport last January. 
The 24-hour deluge was declared a major incident, with hundreds of people evacuated from their homes as roads became submerged across the borough.

Oldham Reporter • 24th June 2025

Hundreds of historic child grooming gang cases to be re-examined

A national task force is expected to reopen 287 closed cases relating to child sexual abuse.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper made the comment to a committee of MPs on Tuesday, months after vowing for a local inquiry to take place in Oldham, where she says work is "well under way".

Five suspects were arrested this morning (04/06/2025) in Oldham and Tameside as part of an investigation into historic child sexual exploitation.

GMP has confirmed the men are being held in connection with alleged offe...

The Northern Quota • 16th October 2025

DJ Paulette: From the living room to Europe and back

From the minute she could stand, Paulette Constable knew her place was above the crowds. As a little girl, she spent her days on her miniature typewriter writing weekly zines into the backs of cornflake boxes – and spent her evenings on the stage, performing for her seven sisters on the little step in the living room. “And I’d fall off the step and my sisters would laugh at me and I’d look at them and go, ‘you’ll pay to come and see me one day’.”


Now 58, DJ Paulette couldn’t have been truer t...

Quays Life • 22nd December 2025

Sadiq Ali on using circus to challenge outdated beliefs about HIV

When Sadiq Ali was diagnosed HIV+ during his circus training at NCCA, he witnessed the fear and ignorance that still surrounds the virus. He talks to Leslie Kerwin about his new work, ‘Tell Me’, created in consultation with HIV charities Positively UK and CHIVA (Children’s HIV Association) as an open letter response to his experiences told through Chinese Pole, aerial artistry and physical theatre.

Now wrapping up the final week of rehearsals, award-winning performer and activist, Sadiq Ali i...

The Northern Quota • 5th March 2025

Man Met journalism student hosts BBC radio show about taking the night bus around Manchester

A Man Met journalism student is featuring on his own podcast episode on BBC Radio 4 about his journeys on Manchester’s night buses.


Speaking exclusively to NQ, student Ian Burke shared his journey to becoming the latest voice of Radio 4’s Illuminated, where he celebrates Manchester’s night buses in a trip across the city.


“It’s like an experimental documentary, there’s all sorts of weird and wonderful things on there,” he said.


For his podcast, Ian travels on Manchester’s V1 bus from Ox...

Stockport Nub News • 16th February 2026

Stockroom unveils Christopher Isherwood exhibition as part of LGBTQ+ History Month

"Come and wallow in voluptuous sin: Christopher Isherwood's 'Berlin Stories' now read almost like vignettes of nearly forgotten history. They blaze into life only because of his enchantingly wicked heroine, Sally Bowles." 

So reads a scrap of long-forgotten news review, carefully clipped by a superfan to whom a gay immigrant who rejected his nationality was a more enchanting hero than the star of 'I Am a Camera'.

Quays Life • 18th March 2026

REVIEW: The Battle

One side are ‘badger-stranglers’ from Gunchester. The other eat ‘rice with Bovril’. It’s summer 1995, and in the greatest battle between bands in 30 years, Oasis and Blur are in a race to the top for UK Number One Single. In a technicolour bombshell of beats, beatings, and booze, this week at the Opera House, ‘The Battle’ is on.  


What begins as a bitter Brit Awards rivalry quickly descends into all-out war when second-place Oasis announce their next single will land a week before Blur’s. Dre...

Saddleworth Independent • 20th July 2026

Cricket club goes in to bat for moorland fire crews

A CRICKET club is producing the sort of knock anyone would be proud of to help those battling devastating moorland fires.
Micklehurst has seen smoke billowing over its Richmond Hill ground after blazes broke out at nearby Dove Stone Reservoir, in Greenfield, and Tintwistle.
But rather than just look after its own, the Mossley side has co-ordinated a huge effort to make sure those at the front line are cared for.
“We’ve got three lads who play cricket for us, who are actually up there firefightin...

Saddleworth Independent • 19th July 2026

Brian Cox science scheme to grow Oldham kids' 'untapped potential'

‘OUT OF this world’ is the only way to describe the latest guest as the Oldham Athletic Community Trust welcomed a visit from Professor Brian Cox.  
Speaking at Boundary Park’s event centre, Chadderton’s most eminent physicist and broadcaster, who once lived in Lydgate, was excited to be back home – and even more so to launch a new scheme to encourage the next generation of scientists. 
The Active Science in Schools Project is delivered by the Latic’s body in partnership with AstraZeneca and com...

Saddleworth Independent • 19th July 2026

Orchestra legend says ‘cello’ to Uppermill

“THE MUSIC industry is completely different because of the internet. It’s a whole new situation, and in some ways, that’s also dangerous. Students’ careers will be made or broken through social media.” 
That’s the verdict of Victoria Simonsen, internationally award-winning cellist and professor at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Her chamber music performances have been broadcast in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand, and her performances have taken her across the world – and to Saddleworth, f...

Saddleworth Independent • 19th July 2026

‘Petrol heads’ pull together for Scouthead and Austerlands Motor Show

WHAT DO a Cadillac, an army tank, and the world’s only steam-powered Land Rover have in common? 
As it happens, not much – but that did not stop them from parking together on a field in Scouthead. 
150 cars, motorbikes, tractors, and other vehicles stood proudly on display across Dawson’s Field, painstakingly put together for the Scouthead and Austerlands Community Group Motor Show.  
Now on its second year, the number of entries had more than doubled since its launch last summer. The charity ev...

Saddleworth Independent • 14th July 2026

Pianist Rose McLachlan: ‘Teaching gives you a bigger perspective of what’s important’

AN AWARD-WINNING pianist who has been a star since she was a teenager has brought her talents to Uppermill.
Rose McLachlan was only 13-years-old when she debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She was 14 when she won the Scottish International Youth Prize at the Royal Conservatoire of Music, and she was 15 when she won the Yamaha Prize in the 2017 EPTA UK Piano Competition.
After turning 16, she won two awards with the Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra and at 17 she won the junior intercollegiate...

Saddleworth Independent • 14th July 2026

Mountain Rescue Team fundraises for new equipment

OLDHAM Mountain Rescue Team helps an average of 52 people a year – but it is now asking for your help in return.  
The search and rescue service, which responds to emergencies across the region’s hills and mountains, is fully volunteer-led team stands on-call 24/7, 365 days a year and is often first on the scene before other emergency services. 
And after a commendable 16 years of service, it has now launched a fundraising appeal to replace both of their rescue Land Rovers, which play a vital ro...

Saddleworth Independent • 13th July 2026

Mayoral elections 2026: Your candidates in full

A MAN running to be the next Mayor of Greater Manchester has backed the idea of ‘mass deportation’.
Marlon Scott West, of Ashton-under-Lyne, previously made headlines as an outspoken supporter of the grooming gangs inquiry, after his daughter was targeted at the age of thirteen.
However, West drew audible gasps around the room at a hustings event on Wednesday (July 8) when asked how he would respond to rising concerns and online misinformation about immigration.
He said: “Obviously I stand for R...

Saddleworth Independent • 13th July 2026

Millgate Arts Centre gives audiences a backstage pass

“I’VE BEEN involved at the Lyceum and at the Playhouse 2 in Shaw – but this is the place which feels like home.” 
So says Pauline Walsh, theatre director and long-time member of the Millgate Arts Centre in Delph.
Strewn across the stage behind her sits a podium, balcony, and a large banner that reads ‘Degrees for Women’ – the leftovers of the theatre’s latest play, Blue Stockings.  
But on this one unusual evening, however, there is not a single cast member in sight. Rather, it is the visitors w...

Saddleworth Independent • 13th July 2026

GM Mayoral candidate backs 'mass deportation'

A MAN running to be the next Mayor of Greater Manchester has backed the idea of ‘mass deportation.’
Marlon Scott West previously made headlines as an outspoken supporter of the grooming gangs inquiry, after his daughter was targeted at the age of 13.  
However, West drew audible gasps around the room at a hustings event on Wednesday, July 8 when asked how he would respond to rising concerns and online misinformation about immigration.
He said: “Obviously I stand for Restore Britain, and we have...

Saddleworth Independent • 10th July 2026

Uppermill Summer Music Festival is high note for opera star

“I ALWAYS think this could be my last performance. You never know when you’re going to get to sing something again or work with the same people again, but I also think it’s good: it makes you enjoy every minute of it.” 
A life in the spotlight was by no means a dream that came easily to Kathryn Rudge. Born in Liverpool to a family of non-musicians, the now multi-award winning opera singer could never have imagined she would one day be lighting up stages the world over.
Since graduating from the...

Saddleworth Independent • 10th July 2026

Award-winning band lights up children’s hospital – and Uppermill

“WE DON’T know of any other groups like ours – we think we’re one of the first concepts to be doing this.” 
Musician Jess Tomlinson is fresh out of her latest performance, still grinning, but already looking forward to her next. She’s talking about ‘reed playing’ – a musical theatre skill where musicians play several woodwind instruments at once, like clarinets and saxophones. 
The Chameleon Quartet – made up of Jess, Cara Houghton, Sarah Austen, and Eleanor Mills – is now celebrating its tenth...

The Northern Quota • 9th July 2026

Mayoral elections: who are your candidates, and what do they stand for?

Tax freezes, immigration, and regional transport overhauls were all on the agenda this week as six candidates went head to head to be named Manchester’s next mayor.


As the city’s first mayoral hustings kicked off yesterday at Stoller Hall yesterday (8 July), voters of all colours were invited to put their questions to the city’s leadership hopefuls, just three weeks before the election on 30 July.


It comes as previous mayor Andy Burnham storms through Labour’s leadership nominations to bec...

Tameside Correspondent • 30th June 2026

Half a million to fix Tameside’s rivers after United Utilities payout

More than half a million pounds is set to be put towards improving rivers in Tameside – after United Utilities was forced to pay for ‘substantial’ sewage leaks in Ashton.
The Environment Agency has secured £517,000 from the company after three separate incidents of sewage leaks at the Ashton-under-Lyne wastewater treatment works in 2022.
A water sample taken in the August of that year found that the levels of iron and solids “very significantly exceeded” those permitted by the Environment Agency...

Saddleworth Independent • 30th June 2026

Healthcare workers hike Saddleworth peaks to raise funds for NHS charity

HIKING A whopping 16 miles across Saddleworth’s peaks is no small feat for anybody – least of all the critical care workers raising money for the NHS.
Advanced critical care practitioner Sarah Penkett and intensive care research nurse Paul Gill will be among the team taking on Saddleworth’s Four Meres Challenge on Sunday (12 July), in aid of the Tameside and Glossop NHS Charity.
“We do try to do quite a bit of fundraising for our unit,” Sarah says. “So we thought we’d do a sponsored walk because...

Saddleworth Independent • 30th June 2026

Rail developments, banking hubs and a new slant on Yorkshire Day discussed at June Parish Council meeting

SADDLEWORTH Parish Council has discussed the Transpennine Route Upgrade at its general meeting.
The council’s June session saw all but a small handful of councillors gather to discuss the latest issues affecting the borough, including newly-elected Mayor of Oldham Pam Byrne.
May’s continued talks on a number of local developments, including a six-month delay to the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan, repairs to Uppermill Civic Hall’s lift and developing plans for a new health centre and pedestrian c...

Saddleworth Independent • 28th June 2026

Kids overrun park for hospice

AN OLDHAM park was overrun on Wednesday (June 17) as more than a thousand schoolchildren joined together to raise money for a hospice.
Volunteers from Doctor Kershaw’s Hospice, Oldham, said they were left “chuffed” by the support as more than 1,200 primary school students ran two kilometres through Alexandra Park.
The ‘Eid Run’ – which took place three weeks after the official date for school timetabling reasons – has only grown since its launch last year.
The idea first came from volunteer Jill...

Saddleworth Independent • 28th June 2026

Millgate Arts Centre announces new theatre season

It’s set to be an exciting year ahead for the theatre-lovers of Saddleworth, as the Millgate Arts Centre pulls back the curtain on its upcoming theatre season.
After a year of exciting programmes from the Saddleworth Players and youth company SPY Theatre – alongside additional events from the Saddleworth Concert and Films Societies – Sunday (21 June) promised a bright future for the Arts Centre, which is set to reopen in September following building repairs.
The new season will see six new shows...

Saddleworth Independent • 21st June 2026

British Empire Medal for Saddleworth environmentalist

A SADDLEWORTH woman who founded a community hydroelectricity project has been honoured  – and says she hopes her work will get more people talking about the environment.  
Alison Brittle was awarded a British Empire Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours list for her services to Saddleworth, thanks to her work on Saddleworth Community Hydro in Greenfield.
Based at Dove Stone Reservoir, the project uses a cross flow turbine to generate renewable electricity, and saves more than 170 tonnes of carbon...

Saddleworth Independent • 21st June 2026

Walking football club kicks off ahead of new kit

WALKING football is a much faster game than its name might suggest. 
That is the key takeaway from a Friday match at the Saddleworth Walking Football Club, where more than 70 members are united by a common goal – seeing how fast they can go when the referee’s not looking.  
Twice a week, up to 20 men and women gather in the fields at Saddleworth Leisure Centre for a kickabout and cuppa.
Most are above the age of 60, though the club attracts members from all age groups. The eldest, Keith, is 75 –...

Saddleworth Independent • 19th June 2026

Saddleworth Village Olympics welcomes new chairman

THE OPENING ceremony of this year’s Saddleworth Village Olympics will be a prouder moment for one local man than most.  
For this year will be Scott Chapman’s first as the organisation’s new chairman, as he takes over from Stephen Hewitt.
Mr Chapman worked as a PE teacher for several years before stepping down after an injury. 
With his two children now taking part in the Olympics themselves, he began volunteering as a team manager in Diggle before later becoming a committee member for the Games...

Saddleworth Independent • 18th June 2026

Silver trophies for Saddleworth’s best of brass

DOZENS OF local bands left laden in silverware after an official Whit Friday awards ceremony.  
41 trophies were up for grabs at the Dobcross and Uppermill Whit Friday Band Awards Presentation on Sunday, June 14, which recognised the best of brass who visited the villages in May.
With prizes ranging from section and soloist awards all the way to best band trophies, it was a tight contest for all involved – but for none more so than Dobcross Youth Band Chair Susan Crook, who took home four prizes...

Saddleworth Independent • 16th June 2026

Ascot Ladies' Day event promises frocks, fascinators and fundraising for hospice

“PUTTING THE ‘fun’ in ‘fundraising’” is how Joanne Penketh describes Saddleworth’s biggest women’s fashion event of the year. 
She is talking, of course, about the Ascot Ladies’ Day event that will be held at The White Hart Inn in Lydgate on Thursday, June 18, at which dozens of women will raise thousands of pounds for Dr Kershaw’s Hospice.
“Dr. Kershaw’s is here for people at the most difficult time in their lives,” Joanne says. “Every day, our teams provide compassionate, specialised care and...

Saddleworth Independent • 14th June 2026

Saddleworth author’s upcoming book a ‘cultural celebration’ of Ireland – and Mossley

“IMAGINE being sent away at 19-years-old and being invited with an old school friend to live in an Atlantic seaside cottage, by a legendary folk singer and seaweed-trawling giant of a man whose wife has just gone to England, leaving him and their eight kids in their cottage behind.” 
So goes the premise of an intriguing new novel from one of Saddleworth’s most promising novelists.
Go, Going, Gone: A Tale of Two Countries follows a young Englishman’s rite of passage on a journey out west – and pe...

Saddleworth Independent • 11th June 2026

Last-minute salvation for Saddleworth community group

A SADDLEWORTH community association that was facing closure is breathing a sigh of relief after being saved by a good-natured volunteer.
The Scouthead and Austerlands Community Group faced an uncertain future ahead of its meeting on Tuesday, June 2, where a new committee was to be brought in to oversee their activities for the next two years.
However, with volunteers for the new team just one short, the group was forced to accept the possibility of closing for good – particularly as there would...