Best foot forward for Whit Walkers

Date published: 25 May 2015


WHIT walkers had their prayers answered when the skies cleared up just in time for the celebrations.

The grey clouds and drizzle on Sunday morning made way for the sun, which came out briefly to greet the processions.

Accompanied by brass bands, congregations from churches in Shaw, Royton, Chadderton and Lees took to the streets in their hundreds for the Feast of Pentecost, which falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter.

Worshippers from Zion Methodist Church, Springhead Congregational, St John Hey and St Agnes set off from their respective churches at around 11.45am for a noon service at St Thomas Leesfield.

Around 300 people packed the church, where there were performances from the Diggle Band and a combination of school and church choirs.

After the service, worshippers returned to their churches where they enjoyed afternoon tea.

The Rev Lindsay Neal, minister at Zion Methodist Church, said: “It was a lovely day. We had a lovely time and it was a happy day. People enjoyed it, especially seeing faces you only see once a year.”

In Chadderton, Christ Church, St Saviour’s and St George’s joined together at Christ Church Primary School for a Whit Walk ending in Coalshaw Green Park for a short, open air service at around 3pm.

Elsewhere in Shaw, congregants from the Holy Trinity Parish Church, St James, St Paul’s Methodist Church and the Salvation Army gathered at the Market Street car park, where Ashton Brass Band entertained a very large crowd.

In Royton, around 60 adults and 40 children from the church rainbows and two brownie packs set off at around 10.45am from St Anne’s Church for the short walk to the Royal Oldham Hospital.

The church’s rose queen, Hannah Harewood, acted as ambassador and the Boarshurst Silver Band marched alongside the congregation.

Slyvia Coppock, a church warden, said: “We had a really good walk. People were waving at us from the houses along the way. It had stopped raining by then but it was too windy for us to have our banner out.

For the first time we walked without a banner.”

In Oldham town centre, the newly appointed Mayor, Councillor Ateeque Ur-Rehman, set off from the Civic Centre along with Mayoress and councillor Yasmin Toor to Oldham Parish Church for a short service.