Outta Skool marks 17 years with Oldham awards ceremony

More than 200 parents, children and neighbours packed the venue on Saturday night as Outta Skool handed out its ninth annual set of awards, marking 17 years of low-cost coaching in Oldham. The trophies went to boxers, dancers, kabaddi players and first-time runners, recognising not just medals won but attendance, attitude and the small personal breakthroughs that rarely make headlines.

Councillors Arooj Shah, Mohammed Nazrul Islam and Shaid Mushtaq took turns reading out winners' names, applauding teenagers who had turned up to sessions straight from exam revision and adults who completed the 12-week Let's Get Active course after decades without exercise. Several recipients said they had joined to ease loneliness; organisers noted that every participant in the wellbeing group reported improved sleep by week six.

Murad Chowdhury, who founded the group in a spare church hall in 2008, watched from the side as former students now coached their own younger siblings. He pointed to a wall of photos showing the same faces over the years, proof that membership fees have stayed below £2 a session even through the cost-of-living squeeze.

The council trio promised to protect the small grant that keeps the lights on, though no new funding was announced. For now, the immediate worry is space: the current hall is booked solid and a waiting list for dance classes has doubled since September.