Beer festival, Hospice walk cancelled, cinema closed

A scene from a previous hugely popular Oldham Beer Festival

Local lovers of real ale have been hit with the news the 32nd Oldham Beer Festival - set to have taken place at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on April 17 and 18 - has fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic.

It's usually one of the highlights of the Oldham calendar, but months of planning for the two-day extravaganva of beer and cider has been set aside in view of the risks to visitors, volunteers and the the event itself.

The festival is organised by the Rochdale, Oldham and Bury branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in support of the Mayor of Oldham's charity appeal fund. 

With the venue's assistance, the August bank holiday weekend is pencilled in for a return of the popular festival, provided the risks to health assessed by the government have subsided.

Similarly, Dr Kershaw’s Hospice, along with their counterparts Spring Hill Hospice, has taken the difficult decision to postpone this year’s Hospice to Hospice Walk which was set to take place on Sunday, April 26 in response to the COV-19 pandemic. 

The Hospice to Hospice walk, which is one of the hospice’s biggest events and brings in vital income for the hospice, will be rescheduled by the event’s organisers who will be monitoring the situation in the coming weeks with the view to the event going ahead later in the year.

Events Fundraiser, Grace Carr, said: “Participants who have already pre-registered for this event will automatically have their funds transferred to the rescheduled date.

"However, if you have already pre-registered and wish to have your fee refunded simply call the hospice on 0161 624 2727 or contact us via email at: fundraising@drkershawshospice.org.uk"

The Odeon group - which has a cinema in Parliament Square in central Oldham - also closed its doors today as they 'follow Government guidelines'.

Finally, in football, Euro 2020 has been postponed by one year until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, says Uefa.

European football's governing body made the decision during an emergency video conference involving major stakeholders today.

The tournament, due to take place from June 12 -July 12 this summer, will now run from June 11 to July 11 next year.

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