Local News from Monday, March 16th, 2026

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.