Alma is Woman of Oldham

PROUD moment . . . Alma crowned the 2014 Woman of Oldham

A CHARITY supporter who has been raising money for charity since she was 10 has been crowned the 2014 Woman of Oldham.

Former Saddleworth Parish Council chairman Alma McInnes received a standing ovation when she as named the 22nd woman of Oldham at yesterday’s presentation lunch at the White Hart, Lydgate.

The causes she has helped range from children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster to people suffering from a debilitating neuromuscular disease.

Accepting the Oldham Chronicle Rosebowl, the great-grandmother said: “This is so unexpected. I do enjoy helping all the charities I am involved in and I get more out than I put in.”

Alma (75) of Alexandra Mill, Uppermill, first got involved in fundraising when she helped her mother as a child. She spent time out of Olham with her family, but has worked in the local community since returning to the borough in 1974.

Twice parish council chairman, the retired preschool leader is a veteran of the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline, organising holidays in Oldham for children affected by the fallout from the nuclear disaster in Ukraine in 1986.

Other charities she supports include the hospital League of Friends, Oldham’s Link Centre, the Disability Arts Centre, Macmillan Cancer Support, the parish council chairman’s charity and Myasthenia Gravis research.

Guests at the lunch included the Mayoress of Oldham, Tanvir Hussain, and last year’s winner Marjorie Bamforth. The Queen sent a letter of congratulations to the organisers.