Work to transform Royton Town Hall and Library into a multi-use community hub has now begun. The project will breathe new life into the much-loved town hall and adjoining Royton Library to create a welcoming, family-friendly venue in the heart of the town. As well as creating an improved library area and better community rooms, there will also be space for a local business to launch. To allow works to progress, the access ramp will be closed from Monday 23 October for one week.
We’ll also be carrying out some major work to the roof from 8 November to 3 December, and unfortunately during this time the library will have to close. We’re sorry for any inconvenience. You can use any other local library, details of which are at www.oldham.gov.uk/libraries. Cllr Arooj Shah, Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic and Social Reform, said: “This is a really exciting project for Royton. Residents are rightly very proud of their town hall, so we’re delighted to see work begin to improve it and the library for the community. “It’s something we’ve been committed to doing for a long time but couldn’t start during the pandemic. It’s great news that work has now started and the building will soon get a new lease of life!” The historic building is being made accessible for all users and will become much more energy efficient – supporting Oldham Council’s commitment to becoming the greenest borough in Greater Manchester.
The 1960s rear extension will be demolished with the cleared area then landscaped to create a flagged area with seating. The existing library area is being sub-divided into two distinct areas. The first being a newly created refurbished library area and next to this, a commercial space which we would like to rent to a local business or social enterprise such as a café or use complementary to the library.
A reception desk will manage both the new library area and offices for council staff – which will extend to the ground floor of Royton Town Hall. Upstairs in the town hall, the existing community room will be retained and revamped to offer an improved area for the community to use. The refurbishment will also include a platform lift, accessible toilet and kitchen area. The whole building will also benefit from the installation of additional sustainability and energy efficiency measures to reduce its carbon footprint, as part of our Green New Deal – an ambitious target of the council becoming carbon neutral by 2025 followed by the whole borough by 2030. The refurbished town hall is expected to be complete and fully open to the community later next year.
A piece of street art which pays homage to the Guild Wheel cycle route and its creator has appeared in Preston, and the Towns Fund Board is looking for more buildings in Preston to be host to future murals. Adorning the rear wall of Snape’s Printers in Boltons Court, which links Avenham Lane with Church Street, the mural painted by local artist Gavin Renshaw, features a cyclist riding through Avenham and Miller Parks with the East Lancashire railway bridge and historic Park Hotel in the background.
Gavin was inspired to paint the mural as a tribute to former Preston councillor Peter Ward MBE. A passionate cyclist, the 21-mile circular Guild Wheel was Peter’s idea and he helped see the ambitious project through to completion in time for the Guild in 2012. The mural is entitled 0/21 as the location depicted marks the official start and finish line of the Guild Wheel. Peter passed away in 2017 and a memorial garden in his name was also unveiled on the route in June this year.
Funded as part of Preston’s £20.9m Town Deal, the street murals are the latest Preston Pop Up project aimed at increasing footfall in the city centre following the pandemic, as well as supporting local arts and culture. Three further murals are planned in the city and Paint Preston, which is managing the project, is looking for other building owners to come forward to offer up wall space to support the artists. Robert Binns, a member of Preston Partership and the Preston Towns Fund Board, said:
“We’ve seen how street art in other cities around the world can create a strong sense of place and encourage visitors to spend more time exploring a city. That’s what we’re trying to achieve with this latest Pop Up project which will create another cultural focal point and support local artists.” Councillor Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston City Council said: “This brilliant new mural by local artist Gavin, perfectly depicts an iconic Preston scene. It allows us to pay tribute to former Councillor Peter Ward MBE who gave so much to Preston by helping to create the iconic Guild Wheel, while welcoming more culture to our city.
I encourage anyone who owns a building in Preston to come forward for this fantastic opportunity to create more great murals which will enrich the cultural journey through our city, welcome more visitors and celebrate local talent.” Ben Rutherford, one of the project organisers for Paint Preston, said: “The other planned murals are all inspired in some way by Preston’s heritage, culture, and environment. They will be appearing at other locations in the city and one thing we need now is prominent wall space for the murals, so we’re urging any other building owners who would like to come forward and offer up an external wall to contact us.”
The pop ups also include the recently unveiled Wallace and Gromit sculpture and MET event space. The projects are being funded from a £1 million pot of initial funding Preston received from the government’s national Towns Fund. If you have a building that you would consider for one of the planned street art murals contact paintpreston2021@gmail.com
Nottingham Forest may well have been outside the Premier League for 22 years but thanks to the Serbia supporters branch they are still winning trophies in Europe. I caught up with their Captain and Chairman Milan Milenovi who regaled upon the fascinating story of how it all happened. Milan is 42 years of age and comes from Niš in south Serbia, commonly known as the Electronic City in former Yugoslavia. He describes it as a very welcoming place and now the proud home of NFFC Serbia Branch. I asked Milan how his love for Forest began? “When Forest played Bayern Munich in 1996, it was a special day despite losing 2-1, the likes of Bryan Roy and Stuart Pearce really caught my eye.” Milan explained the difficulty in watching the Reds after this due to the lack of TV coverage at the time, however, his penchant for the two-time European Cup winners was suitably assisted by the internet which helped him to stay in the loop regarding all things NFFC.
I was intrigued by the formation of his 5-a-side team, despite the fact there are many Forest supporters clubs in England and worldwide, only a handful wear the famous club crest on the field of play. The only others that sprung to mind were the New York branch, but I don’t think the competitiveness was at the level of the Serbs, that said, NYC have a better kit than the official first team! How did the formation of the Serbia Forest Supporters club team come about? “Officially, it began in 2016,” said Milan. “We inspired some friends to form similar clubs like Fulham, Millwall and unbelievably, Basford United, Ilkeston Town and Sheffield FC! Because of this, my hometown of Niš is quite the footballing town.”
I was curious to learn if there were more Nottingham Forest supporters in Serbia. Again, Milan explained in detail; “It’s hard to tell, I try to find them in each City across Serbia and know there are some from Belgrade. People know of Forest here for sure, in fact there’s a unique saying here, that Nottingham Forest belong in the Premier League!” We reverted to the playing side of things where Milan acknowledged the progression of supporters club teams all around the world, he said “I was stunned to see just how many sides existed.” He referred to a fans club tournament on Facebook, telling himself the following “we must organise something like this.” Then came Milan’s next idea. “I noticed that the Bulgarian capital of Sofia housed the Bulgaria Newcastle United supporters club. We met with them and different clubs, friendly people with a passion for football, so, we travelled 110km to Sofia for our first tournament in 2017 and from that moment we made such good friends. It’s like a brotherhood of fans clubs and from here onwards we played against each other in similar tournaments in this part of Europe.”
As the Serbia Forest boys amassed more time on the pitch, they began to see their results fluctuate, competing in two to three international tournaments a year as well as friendlies. From third place in their inaugural tournament, they matched this in Dimitrovgrad before fourth and fifth place finishes next time around in Sofia. But, as all Forest supporters are aware, it took three years for Brian Clough to win his first major trophy, this was mirrored by the Serbian boys as they lifted their first trophy in 2019. Milan described it as “our brightest year” as they defeated Burnley (Bulgarian supporters) on penalties, Ivica Stojanović with the winning kick. Ironically, like Clough’s most successful side, Serbia Forest matched their achievements by winning back-to-back European trophies after beating Liverpool (Bulgaria Supporters) once again by virtue of the penalty shoot-out. Since then, they picked up another third-place tournament finish and landed a local fans club league title before the outbreak of Covid-19. Milan was pragmatic as always in his assessment of the situation, “due to the pandemic we’ve had a very long break from such events, but we WILL be back!”
As the interview neared the end, I learned that Milan is yet to visit England and his beloved City Ground to watch Nottingham Forest in action. “This is painful for me, but I hope someday I can make the journey.” Despite this, he spoke with real enthusiasm regarding his favourite players both past and present; he waxed lyrical about Bryan Roy, Stuart Pearce, and Chris Cohen before acknowledging the new breed such as Brennan Johnson, Joe Worrall, and Joe Lolley.
Finally, I asked for his musings on the new manager and the prospects for the first team this season? Milan replied, “I was unsure about Steve Cooper at first but after listening to his press conference I soon changed my mind. I like managers who are willing to take risks and play football, NFFC have certainly changed their ethos on the pitch. The team certainly looks good and is playing better, Johnson has pace and creates many chances, like Zinckernagel also, Grabb’s has started scoring again and I really like Spence and Lowe. Lolley must return to the form he’s capable of, but I do believe Carvalho will be sold! Colback is solid and in my opinion Mbe Soh is better than Figueiredo, as for Garner, he may play a role but he’s not our player at the end of the day. It doesn’t matter what I think, or others in fact, the onus is on the players to perform to a high level each game and the results will come.”
Milan Milenović beautifully summed up the mantra of the Serbia Forest supporters club football team, “We want to share nice moments together, we realise that football is more than just a game, we aim to erase every border and boundary and meet with many more people, it’s a wonderful game!” The Serbia Forest Supporters Club team members: Milan Milenović, Dimitrije Mišić, Nikola Đukić, Marko Božinović, Bojan Panev (GK & player of the tournament), Boris Zdravković, Milan Popović (Tournament top scorer), Andrija Jovanović & Ivica Stojanović.
With the busy month of September now well and truly behind us we entered October with only four fixtures to play. This allowed our players to receive some respite from the very heavy schedule that we have had to endure and also allowed some of the players that have been carrying knocks to get some recovery time.
Carlton Town 2-1 Coleshill Town Our first game at home this month would see us pit our wits against a club that are one of the oldest in Non-League football and against a team that were sitting in the top two having been undefeated away from home. As expected this game was to be a good test for ‘The Millers’ as we were coming off the back of two draws and an away win from our previous three fixtures. Having had a lot of the week later and we were play for the most of the first period we would break the deadlock when new signing Kieran Knight would open his account for the club and take us into half-time with the lead. The second period started pretty much the same as the first half did with Carlton constantly pressing for the second goal to ease the pressure in a game that could still turn at any stage. With sixty minutes into the game we were rewarded with a penalty which skipper Tom Maddison as he usually does converted well. The visitors would then pull a goal back five minutes later and this was how the score would stand until the final whistle.
Carlton Town 1-1 Bedworth United (5-4 pens) A week later and we were back at it again with a fixture in the F.A. Trophy and up against opposition that we had already encountered in our first home league fixture this season. Bedworth started brightly and brought the game to us and after only five minutes opened the scoring to stun ‘The Millers’ faithful. After this early shock Carlton would continually plug away at the opposition with very little reward against a very robust side that had learnt from our previous encounter and it would take another seventy minutes before there was another goal to be seen. Carlton gained a free-kick just outside the penalty box and with a bend and a whip Niall Davie struck the inside of the woodwork to level the scores. The game would finish level and to penalties it would go. One after the other the ball would hit the net before goalkeeper Jack Steggles made a fantastic save to became the hero on the day to see us through.
Carlton Town 4-1 Loughborough Dynamo Back to league action and a visit from Loughborough Dynamo was next on the cards. Another fixture that always produces close fought games was predicted for this one. However as usual ‘The Millers’ took the game by the scruff of the neck early on but would find it difficult to break through the Dynamo rearguard. Two goals in three minutes around the half-hour mark from Kieran Knight gave us the foothold on the game before the opposition would pull one back five minutes before the break. Immediately ‘The Millers’ responded and with an outrageous Rabona from Nat Watson we would score again when Toby Moore rose like a salmon at the far post to nod home. With the game now pretty much a forgone conclusion the opposition still tried to peg us back but to little avail and with three minute to go Kieran Knight was scoring his third to take the ball home.
Soham Town Rangers 0-6 Carlton Town An away day next and to possibly the furthest trip in our fixture calendar. Soham were no match for us on the day as they were routed and given a lesson on how to play the game. A brace from Tom Maddison including a penalty, a pair from substitute Aaron Opoku within fifteen minutes and goals in-between from Knight and Blake would send us home with the points well and truly in the bag.
Carlton Town 2-2 Kidsgrove Athletic (4-3 penalties) So it was back to the Trophy and again opposition that were well known to us over the years. Kidsgrove now in the West Division of our code have always produced entertaining fixtures when we have competed with them and this one was no exception. With twenty minutes gone ‘The Millers really should have been two-up and coasting but some stout defending determined otherwise. It took until the stroke of half-time before the scoring commenced when Tyler Blake slotted home only for the visitors to immediately strike back before the whistle.
No sooner had the second half begun and Nat Watson with a nice bit of trickery put ‘The Millers’ ahead again. The lead lasted only fifteen minutes before a controversial goal was given to the visitors who even stated themselves that the ball hadn’t crossed the line. The opposition were now back in it and appealing for everything they could get from a game they really shouldn’t have been close to score wise. The fixture would again end in a tie and into penalties it went .Carlton would score four well executed penalties and cometh the man cometh the hour had Jack Steggles again as in the previous round to save the day with two consecutive saves and ensured that ‘The Millers’ were in the hat for the next round of the draw.
With another positive month behind us and a potential lucrative draw in what will be the First Round proper of the F.A. trophy the club are maintaining our momentum at present. As we all know we can take nothing for granted and that you only get out of it what you put into it. So again we face a difficult month fixture wise and again we will not be taking our foot off the gas in our pursuit of glory.
Forthcoming Fixtures: 6th Nov Histon F.C. (h) 13th Nov T.B.C. (F.A.Trophy – 1st Round) 20th Nov Chasetown (a) 27th Nov Corby Town (h)
Newark and Sherwood District Council’s partnership with Waste Investigations, Support and Enforcement (WISE) has launched this week with a total of 29 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) already being handed out. As part of a new strategy to deter people who litter, graffiti, fly-tip or leave dog mess, offenders are being warned: “don’t do it and we won’t be after you”. In the first 24 hours, FPNs were issued for a series of illegal activity including littering after the areas of Averham, Balderton and Newark were patrolled.
The one-year pilot project with the private sector company involves its team of enforcement officers patrolling known problem areas throughout the district seven days a week, 12 hours a day. An additional 185 hours will be spent each week issuing FPNs to those who commit environmental offences, supporting the District Council’s already strong team of community and environmental protection officers. The significant increase in enforcement officers able to act on behalf of the District Council highlights the Council’s commitment to catching perpetrators who blight our communities with eyesores such as dropped cigarette butts and dog mess. Councillor Roger Jackson, Chairman of the Leisure and Environment Committee at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “The amount of people who think it is acceptable to drop litter, fly-tip, spray graffiti or fail to pick up after their dogs is staggering and completely unacceptable. “By partnering with WISE we are delivering on our commitment to keeping our communities cleaner for those who live, work and visit here.
In the last year we’ve increased the number of litter bins and dog bins so there is no excuse. Don’t do it and we won’t be after you.” Managing Director at Waste Investigations, Support and Enforcement, John Dunne, said: “We’re very much looking forward to working in partnership with Newark and Sherwood District Council. We will operate a robust but always proportionate methodology to tackle the issue of littering and dog fouling. Our officers have been instructed to communicate openly with the community with the overall aim of inclusivity for the Newark and Sherwood community to play their part in the task ahead.” Anyone can report environmental crimes such as fly-tips, littering, dog fouling or graffiti online using the Newark and Sherwood District Council website or by calling the District Council on 01636 650 000.
The founder of the Walk and Talk For Men programme in Preston starts another year supporting Movember today, on 1st November. Rob Flood first began taking part in the initiative – which sees men grow moustaches every November in the name of testicular cancer, prostate cancer and men’s suicide – more than a decade ago, and has since become a Movember community ambassador. Alongside growing a moustache, men taking part will raise funds for the Movember Foundation, which supports men tackling said issues.
Rob, whose own fundraising target is £1,000, explained how becoming a community ambassador set him on a journey that saw Walk and Talk For Men come to fruition in Preston, and subsequently lead to Walk and Talk For Lilywhites – which is run by PNECET and is for both men and women of all ages – being formed, too. “Last year, I set myself a personal challenge to walk 250km for Movember, and as part of that, I met another community ambassador, James Mace, from Essex,” Rob said.
“He had set up a Walk and Talk For Men group and I wanted to do something in Preston that would be more prolonged so that I could actively be in the community and help men to get out and come along for a walk, in Avenham and Miller Park. That’s been quite successful and we have our year anniversary coming up next year.” Walk and Talk For Lilywhites was then formed in July of this year and Rob recently came down to join the walk, and was pleased to notice the benefits it is providing. “It was nice being able to get down. It’s a big group. It was really nice to see the mix of people and see people who don’t necessarily know each other getting together and sharing a walk.
“You can come and talk about anything and everything in a comfortable environment. With it being outside, for those people who might be isolated, it gets them out of the house and speaking to other people. “It was quite refreshing to see people getting together in an outdoor environment with people they don’t know and being quite comfortable to do that.” Rob is hosting an event at the Market Ale House in Leyland as part of his fundraising activities on Saturday 6th November from 5.30pm, with live music, a raffle and a shave down for men taking part in Movember, with all welcome to join and support the fundraising efforts. Find out more here.
Walk and Talk For Lilywhites is a weekly walking group hosted by Preston North End Community and Education Trust. Anyone is welcome to join, with walkers meeting at the Sir Tom Finney Splash every Thursday from 10.15am, before setting off around Moor Park at 10.30am. Simply fill in the online PAR-Q by clicking here ahead of your first visit.
Alan Pace speaks about the partnership between Burnley FC and Burnley College Burnley Football Club Chairman Alan Pace has lauded the recently announced partnership between the club and Burnley College who have become Burnley FC’s first Esports Academy. The Clarets are the first Premier League club to partner with an education establishment to promote the business of Esports through a BTEC qualification in Esports developed by the college.
The BTEC covers business marketing, video game design, event planning, production, broadcasting and journalism to highlight the various pathways students can enter into the rapidly growing industry. Alongside providing students with a wide-ranging education in Esports, the course will also act as a pathway into Burnley FC’s Pro Esports teams as well as additional learning and business opportunities with the club.
Chairman Pace said the club was delighted to have partnered with Burnley College and sees the relationship as another chance for the Clarets to innovate off the pitch and appeal to a brand-new audience. He said: “We’re really excited about this partnership and the opportunities it will afford to students in our local area to learn, develop and hopefully go on to do some really cool things in the Esports space. “We wanted to develop the club’s Esports offering when we first came in as we feel it caters to a rapidly growing, inclusive audience who we want to appeal to as a club – this is the next step in that process.
“The fact that Burnley College run this amazing BTEC and are right on our doorstep made this partnership a no brainer for us. As a Premier League football club, we hope we can bring some additional expertise and opportunities to the table for the students in the local area to forge closer links with us. That’s whether they join our Esports Academy or if we can help them develop their education or business opportunities.”
The new facility will be named the Burnley FC Esports Academy with players from the college representing Burnley FC’s new Esports Academy team named “BEES” in the National Esports League on titles such as Rocket League and Overwatch. Some players will also join up with the Burnley FC Esports Pro’s in the FIFA 22 Global Series. There are plans over time to increase the size of the joint facilities used at both the college and Turf Moor as the course and teams expand.
Over the last 10 years Esports has grown exponentially and is on course to become a $2 Billion industry, with new Esports arenas being introduced all over the world as demand continues to grow. You can watch how Burnley FC Esports teams get on this season in all tournaments by following the official Burnley FC Twitch channel www.twitch.tv/burnleyfc.
The world’s largest IRONKIDS event will be bigger than ever when it returns to Bolton next year. A record 4,000 young athletes will take part on Saturday July 2 as the event continues to grow in popularity. Registration opens at 1pm on Friday, October 29 on the IRONMAN website. https://www.ironman.com/im-uk The Night Run will also return next year on July 1 and 1,500 places will be made available at the same time.
Registration is £4 for IRONKIDS and £12 for the Night Run, plus processing fee. Both events will help set the scene for the full IRONMAN UK event on Sunday, July 3 as athletes complete a gruelling 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a full 26.2 mile marathon. Deputy Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Hilary Fairclough, said: “We can’t wait for IRONKIDS to return as part of Bolton’s iconic IRONMAN weekend, and we’re delighted the event has been expanded to meet growing demand. “The event is always great fun, bringing people into the town centre and creating a real family atmosphere. “But it also serves a serious purpose by inspiring young people to get involved in sport, and we’re even starting to see former IRONKIDS taking part in the larger events.
“Night Run is also making a welcome return, giving residents of all ages a chance to enjoy themselves and take part.” The race is open to children aged 3 to 15 years old with different distances depending on the school year of the child. Each child will receive an IRONKIDS t-shirt in their entry pack and a medal after completing their run. Sam Braun, Regional Operations Director for IRONMAN UK and Ireland, said: “We are delighted to bring back both IRONKIDS and Night Run to the one weekend in July next year.
“Along with IRONMAN UK, this festival weekend of sport involves the whole family and encourages fitness through participation and inspiration. “The support from the local community is unparalleled and we are delighted to put on events for all ages.”
