Chelmsford Street Park has never looked so enticing

Happy days in Coppice: From left to right, front row - Ryan Smith (Great Places); Claire Molden (Great Places); Sheila Bishop (Great Places); Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Shadab Qumer; Cllr Fida Hussain; Masood Chaudry (Great Places). Back Row - Jan Wade (Great Places); Tina Loving (Greenfingers); Dave Stewart (Great Places); Naseem Ahmad (Great Places). Holding the red tape is (left) PCSO Renshaw and (right) PCSO Quarnby.

Neighbourhood Coordinators David Stewart and Sheila Bishop are determined to make a difference in Coppice and Primrose Bank by giving a number of underused, neglected and untidy areas a very welcome makeover.

Fly-tipping and general neglect mean some open spaces are becoming eyesores for the community due to flytipping, but the team from the Great Places Housing Group have been working with the local council, local businesses, residents and other groups to improve these areas, in a bid to inspire customers to feel proud of their neighbourhood.

The space at the junction of Chelmsford Street and Werneth Hall Road in Coppice was chosen as the first targeted area.

Greenfingers, who provide grounds maintenance services across Coppice, generously provided labour for the project as well as lending their design expertise, with further funding being provided by Great Places and Oldham Council.

The area has now seen a huge transformation, from an old dumping ground into a quaint pocket-sized park.

David said: “It’s great to showcase how collaborative working can provide fantastic results for the community - this old dumping ground, previously filled with litter and old mattresses, has been transformed into a pleasant usable space for the community.”

The Mayor of Oldham – Cllr Shadab Qumer – officially opened the new community space in Coppice.

He said: “It's been excellent to see what the maintenance men have been able to do here in such a short space of time.

"It's now a nice place where people can come together and engage, talk and chat.

"Hopefully this will help to bring the community together.

"You could even hold small events here. I think it's going to be priceless for the area.

"This was an eyesore for years, so to see it like this now is credit to everyone involved."