Countryside Homes, part of the Vistry Group, is hosting an Easter open house event at its Hartshead View development in Oldham on April 4-5, 2026. The event runs from 11am to 6pm both days, allowing potential buyers to tour show homes including the three-bedroom Brathay and four-bedroom Leven. The development offers three-bedroom detached Tyne homes with integral garages from £339,995. Countryside is providing 5% deposit contributions, specification upgrades, and £1,000 monthly gifts for a year. Independent financial advisers from Chartwell Mortgage Solutions will be available for free advice. Previous buyers Babatunde and Opeoluwa completed their home purchase in three months, praising the team's attention to detail and relationship-building.
The Loom, a new £450million town centre transformation venue, has officially opened in Oldham. The flexible event space can host up to 1,000 standing guests or 500 for dining, with configurations for conferences, weddings, exhibitions and performances. Located at Parliament Square next to The Spindles shopping centre and above the new Oldham Market, the venue pays homage to Oldham's cotton spinning heritage. Bookings are now available via The Spindles website.
Three inflatable Easter parties will take place across Oldham and surrounding areas in April 2026. The first event runs March 28 to April 6 at Uppermill Park, followed by April 8-11 at Werneth Park, and April 18-19 at Aldwinians Rugby Club in Audenshaw. Each venue features different attractions including bouncy castles, obstacle courses, slides, jungle-themed activity centres, fairground rides, and Easter egg hunts for children aged two to 11. Entry is free with rides from £2 each, and food stalls will be available. Tickets can be purchased online at jkevents.co.uk/inflatable-easter-party.
Oldham Athletic Community Trust will host its second annual sleep out event at Boundary Park in 2026, following the success of the 2025 event. Participants will sleep outdoors on cardboard to experience street homelessness and raise funds for local charities tackling homelessness, food poverty, and hardship. The event costs £15 to register with a £50 minimum sponsorship target, and top fundraisers will receive prizes. Funds will support partners including NorthCare Charity. The trust aims to surpass last year's fundraising total while promoting its 'A Better Oldham' strategy to address borough inequalities.
Pennine Mencap, an Oldham-based disability charity, will host 'A Night at the Movies' on April 24 at Hurst Community Centre. The event features adults with learning disabilities performing songs, dance routines and theatrical sketches inspired by Hollywood and British films. Emily Trelore, activity coordinator, said rehearsals are building excitement with performances ranging from Mrs Doubtfire to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The show will feature two groups: ShowAbility dance troupe and Stage Right Performing Arts drama group. Tickets cost £7 and can be purchased online at penninemencap.org.
E-ACT The Oldham Academy North hosted a community Iftar event attended by more than 600 guests. The gathering, held during Ramadan, brought together students, staff, families, and local residents for an evening of reflection and unity. Interim headteacher Natalie Kennerley described the event as 'incredibly special,' emphasizing the school's commitment to inclusion and respect for all faiths. Guests broke their fast together, shared food, and engaged in conversation. Funds raised during the event will be used to install water pumps in Bangladesh and Pakistan, each bearing the academy's name.
Oldham-born actor William Ash will perform his one-man adaptation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya at Oldham Library on April 8 and 9, 2026. The play, titled Vanya, is written by Simon Stephens and directed by Tony Mooney. Ash previously performed the role in London's West End with Andrew Scott and at The Millgate Arts Centre in Delph on April 3-4. Tickets cost £6 and are already in high demand. The 49-year-old actor is known for roles in Emmerdale, Waterloo Road, and Clocking Off.
Oldham Parish Church will host Oldham Choral Society's Swing into Spring concert on Sunday, April 19 at 4pm. The programme includes Will Todd's Jazz Missa Brevis, which the choir recently studied during a Singing Workshop Day with musical director Dr David Cane and guest accompanist Roddy Barrand. Also featured are John Rutter's Mass of the Children and Antonin Dvořák's Te Deum. Tickets cost £15 for adults, £5 for students, and £1 for children under 12. They can be purchased from choir members, through the ticket secretary on 07768 167178, or via the website.
Whit Friday brass band contests return to Saddleworth on Friday, May 29, 2026, with 11 villages hosting events. Bands from across the UK and abroad will compete in contests starting at 4pm, with last registration at 10.30pm (9pm for youth bands). The event features Delph, Denshaw, Diggle, Dobcross, Friezland, Greenfield, Grotton, Lees and Springhead, Lydgate, Scouthead and Austerlands, and Uppermill as contest locations. Each village contest is judged anonymously by hidden adjudicators. No entry fees apply for bands or spectators. The Whit Walks will take place from 10am to 1pm before the contests. Road closures will affect travel, with specific parking information available on the Whit Friday website.
First Choice Homes Oldham hosted a 'Careers in Housing' event at Union Street offices that attracted 100 attendees. The sold-out event resulted in more than 30 social housing tenants signing up for employment services. Housing associations Jigsaw, Great Places, and ForHousing participated alongside FCHO. South Chadderton tenant Billie-Jo Wareing shared her experience of completing a two-year apprenticeship with FCHO, achieving a distinction, and securing a permanent role as home ownership administrator. Mark Harrison, FCHO's employment and skills manager, highlighted collaboration between Greater Manchester housing providers to improve residents' lives across the region.
Women from various professions gathered in Chadderton for an International Women's Day event organized by the Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub. The event at Ram Mill Business Centre featured networking, panel discussions, and exhibitions centered on the UN's 2026 theme of 'balancing the scales'. Speakers included Oldham Council leader Arooj Shah, who discussed challenges women face in leadership roles, and Janine Smith, director of the Business Growth Hub. The panel addressed issues including digital safety, social media impacts, and education. Representatives from organizations like Recondition, The Pankhurst Trust, and Smart Works attended the event.
The Oldham Sports Club Taster Festival runs from Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd March 2026, offering free sports sessions across the borough. Local clubs will open their doors for residents of all ages and abilities to try activities including football, rugby, hockey, Muay Thai and fitness classes. Sessions take place at venues including Vestacare Stadium, Elim Fountain of Hope Church, Newman Catholic College and 90 Pitt Street. The festival aims to showcase Oldham's sports facilities, encourage physical activity and help residents connect with local clubs.
Gallery Oldham's 'Once Upon a Time' exhibition runs from 21 March to 5 September 2026, featuring work by five children's illustrators including Jarvis, Gillian Hibbs, Holly Sterling, Gillian Flint, and Sharon Davey. The exhibition showcases over 50 artworks from popular children's books like 'The Boy with Flowers in His Hair' and 'Errol's Garden', with reading corners and hands-on activities. A launch event with the illustrators takes place on 21 March at 2pm. Councillor Peter Dean praised the exhibition as a celebration of imagination that promotes reading for pleasure during the 2026 National Year of Reading campaign.
Pennine Mencap, an Oldham-based learning disability charity, is hosting its first Ladies Day fundraiser on May 16 from 2pm to 6pm at Billingtons Ballroom. The event costs £25 per ticket and includes afternoon tea, stalls with handmade goods, and live entertainment including a cello performance. Guests are encouraged to dress up with elegant fascinators. Funds raised will support the charity's work providing opportunities and support for neurodivergent adults across Greater Manchester.
Oldham-born actor William Ash, known for playing Caleb in Emmerdale, will perform in a one-man adaptation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya at Saddleworth's Millgate Arts Centre. The play, adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Tony Mooney, runs April 3-4 at 7.30pm with tickets priced at £20. Ash, 49, has previous theatre credits including You Can See The Hills at Manchester's Royal Exchange and Of Mice and Men at Edinburgh Lyceum. The production explores themes of love, art, sex and attempted murder through Chekhov's examination of human hopes, dreams and regrets.
The Shree Swaminarayan Mandir in Oldham hosted a vibrant outdoor Holi celebration on March 4, 2026, marking the Hindu Festival of Colours. Families from across the borough gathered at the temple, transforming surrounding streets with colourful festivities. Dozens of community members participated in the event, which saw people from Oldham's diverse population come together to celebrate. The celebration filled the area with colour as part of the traditional Hindu festival observance.
A careers fair for social housing residents is being held on March 12 in Oldham to help people find work in the housing sector. The event, called Careers in Social Housing, is organised by First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) in partnership with Jigsaw, Great Places, and ForHousing. All four housing providers own properties in the area. Mark Harrison, FCHO's employment and skills manager, said the event will feature stalls and videos from current staff explaining different roles in housing. The fair follows Greater Manchester Housing Providers' commitment to recruit 20% of their workforce from social housing tenants by 2034. The event will take place at FCHO's head office on Union Street in Oldham.
Families gathered at Alexandra Park's Environment Centre in Oldham for World Breastfeeding in Public Day, organised by Home-Start HOST's Infant Feeding Peer Support Team with Oldham Council support. The event aimed to encourage parents to feel comfortable feeding babies in public and address stigma around breastfeeding outside the home. Grace Redmond, a mother who has attended for two years, said she has fed her children hidden under muslins and in cafe corners, making the event important for raising awareness. The event follows last year's in Rochdale and comes as breastfeeding rates in Oldham reach a record high of 52 per cent of babies aged six to eight weeks being at least partially breastfed in 2025. New and expectant parents connected with healthcare professionals, took part in craft activities, and had breastfeeding portraits taken as mementos.
A four-week Yoga with Creative Writing course starts Saturday, March 21, in Saddleworth, led by John L. Matthews of First Ten Pages Writing School and yoga instructor Tasmin Humphrey of Nurture Yoga. The £58 course combines writing exercises with yoga techniques to help participants unlock creativity in a calm, focused state. Sessions cover character, world-building, plot, and scene development over 60-minute weekly meetings. Open to all regardless of writing or yoga experience, the course aims to provide a nurturing environment for self-expression through gentle movement and guided writing.
BRIT Award-winning artist Finlay Quaye will perform at Whittles in Oldham on August 27, 2026. The 1998 Best Male Solo Artist winner rose to fame in the 1990s with his debut album 'Maverick a Strike' going double platinum in the UK. Tickets for the £14.99 show are available via Skiddle, with a 'very special guest' support act yet to be announced. The venue, which recently hosted Pete Doherty and Tom Meighan, is building on its reputation for big-name acts.