Greater Manchester North
The Great British Dig comes to Oldham
Earlier this year, customers at Walter Mills Way in Oldham played host to presenter Hugh Dennis and team from Channel 4’s The Great British Dig.
The popular history programme focuses on digging up and uncovering lost history beneath the gardens of people all over the country.
From speaking to the programme’s team, customers discovered that Walter Mills Way is not only home to Great Places customers, but it is also built on the site of Glen Mill which was once home to a prisoner of war camp.
Customers also had the chance to see if anything from years past still existed in their very own back gardens. The Water Mill Gardens episode of Great British Dig will be coming to Channel 4 this year, so make sure to keep a lookout for some familiar faces and to learn more about the history of Walter Mills Way.
A fresh look for Butterstile Lane
Earlier this year, our Investment Team made several improvements to our Independence and Wellbeing scheme on Butterstile Lane in Prestwich.
Over two weeks, contractors Moffatt and Riley carried out extensive work including the installation of a new kitchen, shower room, wet room and cloakroom. With many of the customers in the scheme being extremely vulnerable, the decision was made to temporarily move them from the premises to ensure they were kept happy and safe whilst the project was completed.
After several issues due to materials and supply chains, contractors went above and beyond to complete the works as soon as possible, ensuring customers were not kept away from their homes a moment longer than was needed.
With a lot of hard work, the project was completed successfully, and the scheme was deemed safe for customers to return.
Hands-on help from Great Places
At Great Places, supporting our customers is at the heart of what we do. Earlier this year, after receiving concerns from a customer in Bolton whose bathroom was not suited to his needs, Great Places helped by making important adaptations to his home.
Due to the customer’s disability, his carer was struggling to look after him because of previous bathroom adaptations that didn’t suit his physical needs.
After contacting Great Places, colleagues visited the customer to hear his concerns and understand what could be done to make him more comfortable in his home. On visiting, it was identified that the sink was built too low for the customer causing him daily problems. As well as this, the drain was heavily blocked, and the customer was unable to clear it.
To fix this, contractors visited to move the sink higher so that the customer could properly use the bathroom. Kevin Hooper, one of our Contracts Surveyors, also cleaned out the drain and showed the customer’s carer how to maintain the area to ensure there were no future problems.
The customer was left happy with the work completed and this example highlights the range of work Great Places can do to support customers. If you’re struggling and need advice or support within your property, contact us via our website or one our GM North Neighbourhood Team colleagues. Our Community Resilience Fund provided funding to REEL CIC in Oldham to ensure families were not left hungry during school holidays and had access to services they needed.
Clean Streets for Oldham
Our customers are able to get the benefits of support and training thanks to the club owned by David Beckham, Gary Neville and the rest of the famous Manchester United Class of 92.
Over the last few months, Great Places received several reports from Oldham customers who were having issues with pest control due to increased fly-tipping in the area. With many of the homes sharing communal alleyways many customers were being impacted and were not feeling comfortable in their homes.
In response, our Oldham team arranged pest control days to visit the area to look at finding solutions to local pest control issues.
Using text messages and in-person visits, the team identified areas particularly affected by fly-tipping. With this information, Great Places contacted the council to find out what could be done to address the problem.
As a result, the council established Clean Streets, a project to clear away rubbish and fix fly-tipping issues. Starting in October this year, it has been working to clean up streets around North Chadderton and will continue into the new year around South Chadderton and Werneth.
If you have any concerns or issues remember to contact your Neighbourhood Services Manager.
‘Bossing It’ with Great Places
A new programme, ‘Boss It’ is being launched to help young entrepreneurs kickstart their own independent businesses.
Earlier this year, Great Places launched the ‘Boss It’ programme to help customers kickstart their own independent business through a £1000 grant and specialist business advice.
So far, it has supported eight customers in turning their business ideas into reality, including Stephanie and Mamady.
Having recently become Level 4 VTCT qualified in eyebrow enhancement, Stephanie was accepted onto the 'Boss It' programme to support her in setting up her own business. 'Boss It' was able to give Stephanie business advice in running her own enterprise and fund uniforms, products for procedures and her own technician licence.
Talking about how the programme has helped, Stephanie said, “It’s always hard to completely start a business from scratch on your own, so I will be forever grateful for the help and support that Great Places have given me.”
Similarly to Stephanie, Mamady was also passionate about starting his own business. With the support of his Great Places Employability Coach, Leanne, he was accepted onto the Boss It programme and received the funding to start his own gardening and handyman business. He has also attended specialist business courses on growing and developing his enterprise. The programme also supported Mamady with leaflets and driving lessons.
Commenting on the support Mamady said, “It’s totally different in my life because right now, I’m comfortable and I’m happy”.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the ‘Boss It’ programme, please contact the Community Investment Team at community.investment@greatplaces.org.uk
Investment Programme in GM North
Together with the Inspiral Consortium, we have funded a new vehicle for the Good Work Furniture Bank in Chadderton.
Investing in local communities continues to be a top priority at Great Places. Over the last year, there have been a number of improvement projects across the GM North region.
One standout project in Higher Broughton saw nearly £100,000 invested into the refurbishment of flats on Great Clowes Street. This included the wholesale replacement of windows and Juliet balcony doors across fifteen flats, as well as additional external and internal works. The project was completed in October.
After several setbacks due to the pandemic, another Great Places scheme in Ramsbottom has also finally been given a new lease of life after three years of planning and refurbishment. Part of our partnership with Matthew Haygarth Trust the scheme is set within the old Baptist church building on Bolton Street and is made up of 12 single occupancy flats. A few years ago, the scheme was due upgrades however, due to pandemic and complex planning delays due to the scheme being set within a conservation area, full renewal work did not begin until June 2021.
As part of the works carried out by Emmanuel Whittaker, the building’s windows were fully restored and 10 out of 12 bathrooms were refurbished. Alongside these projects, the project also included upgrading the internal lighting, repainting the outside railing and gutters, rendering the back wall with stone brick, and cleaning up external wires. Throughout the works, customers were supported on-site by Great Places colleagues Colin and Kevin to ensure minimal disruption to their lives. Since completion, feedback has been positive, and customers have been happy with new upgrades to their homes.
As investment continues in the area, the hope is to fund projects that not only look to refurbish existing properties and communal spaces for customers but also to build and support the growth of the GM North community.
Look sharp with Working Wardrobe
Great Places is partnering with Oldham Council to support the set-up of a Working Wardrobe in the town.
Great Places is partnering with Oldham Council to support the set-up of a Working Wardrobe in the town. The initiative, originally established in Trafford, aims to support those who are unemployed into work by providing them access to professional clothing and personal advice for job interviews.
As part of the programme offer in Oldham, customers will also receive free grooming services from Oldham College’s Salon 7 to help them look smart and leave that all important lasting impression at their interview. Great Places also supports a similar project in Bolton where customers can get help with dressing and preparing for the interview process.
If you want more information on the programme contact community.investment@greatplaces.org.uk or visit our website for more information.
GP teams up with Rochdale AFC to help local people back into work
Rochdale AFC Community Trust and Great Places Housing Group are teaming up to address unemployment in Rochdale.
Great Places is providing a £10,000 investment into the Rochdale AFC’s official charity Dale Works’ employability programme. The programme looks to support new and long-term unemployed people with training to help get back into work.
Delivered online and at the Crown Oil Arena Study Centre, the programme has seen over 80% of participants to date achieve a positive outcome. Rebecca Cremin, Partnerships Manager at Great Places, said: “We provide a number of opportunities for our customers to access training opportunities and by investing in the Dale Works programme we hope to expand this offer and support those we previously haven’t engaged with.”
The additional funding will see specialist staff brought in to expand the programme. Over the next 12 months, it is hoped that an additional 50 people will be supported into employment.
For further details, please visit www.rochdaleafccommunity.org/daleworks or get in touch with community@rochdaleafc.co.uk
