Local News

A major fire has caused extensive damage to Lodge Mill in Middleton, leaving the building largely destroyed and prompting an urgent community fundraising appeal.

A Rochdale woman has organised an Easter initiative bringing entertainment and gifts to residents at a local dementia hub.

A new Polish academy has opened in Rochdale, offering language lessons and cultural activities for local families and residents.

New solar panels have been installed at a primary school and a family hub in Rochdale borough, with thousands of pounds in annual energy savings expected.

A charity in Langley is launching plans to turn two pieces of land beside Status 4 All Leisure Garden and Allotments into a new nature and wildlife space.

A stunning bronze bust of Rochdale mayor councillor Janet Emsley has been unveiled at the town hall.

A council surveyor said that a building in Oldham town centre was in ‘no immediate danger’ – just three weeks before it dramatically collapsed.

Rochdale is vying to become the UK’s first ever town of culture. The council has announced their intention to bid to become the UK Town of Culture 2028, a national competition launched by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Police were called to reports of a concern for welfare in Heywood and found a man dead at the scene.

Oldham’s brand new £40m market opened on Saturday morning.

The major wildfire that broke out on Scout Moor should not impact the planned wind farm scheme for the moorland, it is believed.

One of the iconic Seven Sisters tower blocks in Rochdale has been evacuated due to a burst water pipe. Mitchell Hey block residents have been moved from their homes by social housing landlord Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) after the major leak was identified earlier this month.

Emergency services responded to a major fire at a mill in Middleton early on Sunday morning, with residents urged to keep windows and doors closed.

The High Sheriff of Greater Manchester has praised volunteers at a Rochdale charity while warning of growing pressure on its services.

Construction has started on 33 new apartments close to Rochdale railway station as part of wider regeneration plans around the borough’s transport hubs.

A couple from Rochdale who have fostered more than 300 children over five decades have been recognised for their long service to families across the borough.

A new poetry anthology featuring work from more than 80 local writers has been launched in Rochdale, marking the borough’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture.

Five people have been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into a shooting in Rochdale earlier this month. Police say enquiries are continuing and additional patrols remain in place.

More than 5,800 patients in Bury have benefitted from social prescribing over the past year, with participants describing the service as life changing and in some cases life saving.

As part of Rochdale’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture 25-26 a brand-new poetry anthology, Weaving Words, was launched at the Rochdale in Rhyme event at Number One Riverside

Inconsiderate dog owners will be slapped with £100 fines under new rules from Rochdale Council.

A new indoor padel facility will be built inside an industrial unit in Rochdale. The plan for 10 padel courts, reception, café and shower facilities has been approved by the local authority.

A new apartment block and terraced housing could soon be added to the Kirkholt estate in Rochdale.

A group of young performers are set to appear alongside experienced actors in a new staging of Antigone at a local theatre in Ramsbottom.

DANCERS from Whitworth Community High School earned themselves a place in the Lancashire final, when they will compete in Blackpool with the county’s best.

TWO superb songs saw Whitworth Community High School win the Rochdale Music Service High School Choir of the Year title.

Two Middleton businesses have responded after appearing on a government list of employers who failed to pay the minimum wage. The companies say the findings do not reflect the full circumstances and that any underpayments were corrected.

Rochdale MP Paul Waugh has joined a national campaign alongside a television athlete to call for stronger protections for children using social media and smartphones.

Plans for how £20m of government funding will be used to regenerate Heywood have been approved, allowing projects to move forward.

A Middleton man is set to walk around 348 miles to raise money for the British Heart Foundation after his son was born with a serious heart condition.

Youth centres across Rochdale borough will be improved following more than £100000 in new funding. Work is expected to be completed by May 2026.

A dedication service in Langley has marked the naming of several streets and a park in honour of four soldiers with strong links to Middleton. The event brought together families, leaders and residents on Saturday 21 March.

A housing worker from Greater Manchester has joined a European training programme aimed at expanding expertise in tackling homelessness.

AN INCREDIBLE ski trip saw 40 students from Whitworth Community High School take to the slopes in Kitzbühel in Austria.

Bury North MP James Frith visited a housing development in Walmersley to meet an award winning site manager recognised for national construction standards.

A new monthly artisan market has been launched in Middleton, bringing independent traders and handmade goods to the town centre on the last Sunday of each month.

Rochdale Borough Council has approved £3.2m in funding to create new school places for children and young people with special educational needs across the borough.

Young readers from across Rochdale gathered at the Children’s Library to receive awards in a borough wide World Book Day competition led by local MP Paul Waugh.

Mill Gate shopping centre has won the Diamond Award at the Loo of the Year Awards, alongside three special honours for environmental standards, period dignity and technical excellence.

A Middleton mother has praised a council run workshop designed to help families tackle persistent school absence, after seeing a marked improvement in her daughter’s attendance.

A large moorland fire has broken out on Scout Moor, sending thick plumes of smoke across Rochdale and East Lancashire, prompting a major emergency response.

It started with a smell. A soldering iron smell, like hot metal wires. 

A man who died following a collision involving three vehicles in Royton has been named as Michael Margetson from Oldham. His wife has paid tribute to him and asked for privacy for the family.

New and improved bus services are set to be introduced across Bury and Rochdale as part of a wider upgrade to the Bee Network later this year.

Rochdale Feel Good Festival has announced its main stage headliners for summer 2026, with Gabrielle set to perform in the town centre.

Two men have been arrested following a shooting in Rochdale earlier this month. Officers say enquiries are ongoing and patrols have been increased in the area.

Rochdale Borough Council has approved £900000 to create four new solo children’s homes in the borough. The move aims to help more cared for children and young people live closer to home.

A community Iftar in Rochdale brought together residents, civic leaders and local organisations to mark the holy month of Ramadan and share the breaking of the fast.

Performance poet Tony Walsh will host an afternoon of live poetry in Rochdale as part of the town’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture. The event will take place at Number One Riverside on Saturday 21 March and will also launch two poetry anthologies created by local writers.

A Rochdale production company is touring a theatre programme designed to help primary school pupils recognise the signs of grooming and child criminal exploitation.

The final dog taken when a dog walker’s van was stolen in Oldham has now been found, bringing the total number of recovered animals to seven. Police said the dogs were abandoned after the vehicle was taken from Medlock Road in Failsworth.

More than 100 people entered a Mother’s Day competition at The Rock Shopping and Leisure Centre, with ten winners seeing their messages displayed on floral themed boards in the centre.

Manchester is known by many for its historically renowned music scene; however, the scenes and sounds of Madchester, Oasis and the likes commonly overshadow the notable influence of surrounding towns within Greater Manchester. Rochdale, Greater Manchester Town of Culture for 2026, is one of those towns whose musical influence is understated and a lot of the time, unknown.

A six-bed HMO in Royton has been given the greenlight by councillors, despite ‘anger and upset’ in the local community. Property owner Footlong (UK) Ltd can extend a house at 3 Kevin Avenue to create a six-person house of multiple occupation.

Rochdale’s longest serving councillor is due to step aside in May after 44 years in the job. Coun Ashley Dearnley’s cheeky smile has been a constant in the council chamber since 1982, when he was elected at the age of 21.

Two men have been jailed after breaking into a Radcliffe home in the early hours of the morning while a woman was inside caring for her young child. The pair stole a BMW from the driveway before being stopped by police minutes later.

Police made 41 arrests and uncovered three cannabis farms during a major day of action across Rochdale.

An old primary school in Littleborough will be revamped in a £2.9m project to convert it into a family hub. This will provide a dedicated resource for young people, offer health checks and cater for general community use for families in the Rochdalian town.

A Bury councillor has accused administrators of a large local Facebook group of removing posts about a by election candidate while allowing other political content to remain.

Two Rochdale councillors have written to a Catholic academy trust raising concerns about an ongoing strike at St Cuthbert’s High School. They say the dispute is affecting pupils, families and the wider community.

Rochdale MP Paul Waugh has criticised the Travelodge hotel chain after a woman was assaulted in her room while she slept. He is among more than 100 MPs seeking answers from the company after the attacker was given a key card to her room.

A deputy team manager from a Rochdale-based care organisation has been commended for saving the life of a police officer who was seriously injured while on duty.

A Bolton choir for people affected by cancer is inviting new singers to join as it begins rehearsals for the new year.

Traffic halted and delays expected following collision between junctions 16 and 17

Traffic was stopped this evening on the M66 southbound between the A56 and Junction 1.

Live updates during the evening as we embed with GMFRS for a behind-the-scenes look at frontline fire service work during one of the busiest times of the year.

Thousands of music lovers descended on Bury during Bank Holiday Monday, 25 August 2025, for Glaston-Bury, the annual one day music festival in aid of Bury Hospice and other local causes. Since it began in 2008, the event has raised over £300,000 and has become one of the town’s biggest highlights of the year.

Thousands packed into Heywood for the town's annual 1940s Day on Saturday 21 June, transforming the area into a tribute to wartime Britain.

Day One at Parklife 2025 is done, and what a day it was. Over 50,000 people packed into Heaton Park for a massive Saturday, with sets from FLO, Rudimental and a huge headline performance by 50 Cent.

Tens of thousands of music fans are pouring into Parklife, as the day one of the festival gets underway.

The sister of murdered soldier Lee Rigby is preparing to run two major fundraising events this autumn, twelve years after his death at the hands of extremists.

The following statement is attributable to Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry:

Bury Business Improvement District have begun hosting the Knife Angel in partnership with Bury Council and GMP and several organisations and partners.

An old empty mill is to be transformed into much-needed housing for people with mental health issues.

The National Poppy Appeal has been launched in Bury today (Thursday 26 October) as we remember the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives and livelihoods during past and current conflicts.

On Tuesday 19 September 2023, Greater Manchester Police were called to reports of a burglary on Brandlesholme Road, Bury.

Asian Community Radio Station in Moorgate, Bury Sparks Controversy with Anti-LGBT Education Signs

The charitable organisation known as the LGBTQI+ Forum in Bury, has issued a statement.

On Tuesday 29 August 2023 at around 11:55pm, officers were called to reports of a man who had been attacked with a knife on Haworth Walk in Radcliffe, Bury.

Housing association Onward Homes and construction firm John Southworth will be working in partnership on a new development of 30 affordable homes in Whitefield, Bury.