Spirit of Oldham

Craig Dean of Oldham’s Web Applications

We look for the brighter side of Oldham life...

THE Oldham Chronicle tonight launches “Oldham Works” — a long-running campaign to highlight success stories, celebrate good news and offer help and advice to those who have lost their jobs or are struggling to manage through the credit crunch.

We are not papering over the cracks. The Chronicle has been reporting Oldham’s highs and lows for more than 150 years and we are not about to change now. Credit where it’s due, criticism where it’s deserved.

But in what is, for many of our citizens, a time of doom and gloom, there are flashes of optimistic light; bright sparks of enterprise, initiative and hard work that deserve recognition.

Oldham Works will set out to show that Oldham does work as a town and as a borough and that if we can open up the scattered pockets of inspiration and spread it to all four corners, Oldham will work even better.

So yes, these are tough times; yes, there will be more job losses and, no doubt, further hardships and a temptation to focus on the negatives.

But we are setting out to prove, initially with a 32-page supplement, that Oldham Works — and we invite you share the journey with us.

Every story that promotes Oldham in a positive light will be branded with the Oldham Works logo. And, over the following weeks and months, we will be putting our all into lifting recruitment in the borough.

We will be backing a series of business roadshows to get the very best help and advice to those small businesses that have a key part to play in the local economy.

As we lead up to the Oldham Works supplement, to be published next month, we will feature stories of enterprise on several fronts. The first you can read below.


::Do you have a success story to tell us? Call 0161 622 2109.

::Does your company want to get involved with advertising in Oldham Works? Call 0161 622 2101.



Oldham’s got a lot to shout about

ONE company that really believes in Oldham’s future is Hollinwood-based IT company Web Applications UK — so much so that it has come on board as commercial sponsors of the Oldham Works campaign.

Founded in 2000 by two local developers, Gordon Pearce and Lee Tudor, it started by offering reliable web-based reservation systems to small tour operators and coach companies.

In 2005, Craig Dean, a former Hulme Grammar School pupil, joined the small team and admits: “The guys had already started making a success out of the company before I came along.

“Along with Kamal Choudhury, they’d signed on some great clients.

“My goal was to allow the company to grow sustainably, which meant introducing procedures that would remove our dependence on key people.

“I have a real passion for education. The key to our success has been focussing on training and team work — in 18 months we grew from eight people to nearly 40.”

Their success has necessitated a move, but they’ve not chosen to relocate to plush city centre offices, instead they’re currently refitting out Windsor Works off Mumps roundabout in Oldham town centre.

“All of our executive board live locally, and we’re part of the community.

“Oldham needs to attract hi-tech service companies if it wants to remain vibrant and relevant in the 21st Century, and with our new hi-tech offices, sat in the heart of the town, we get to be the vanguard.

“There are a lot of great things happening in Oldham, and we want to shout about them.

“That’s why we’re behind the Oldham Works campaign.”