Love where you live: new banners unveiled in Grotton, Springhead and Lees

The banner in Grotton

New artwork is on display in Lees, Springhead and Grotton, celebrating the unique beauty of the villages.

The banners, fixed to lighting poles in each of the villages, were funded by Councillors Sam Al-Hamdani and Mark Kenyon.

Mark originally planned to have the banners in place when the Tour of Britain passed through Saddleworth, but was surprised that there were no fixings in place in the villages to place the signs.

Sam said: “I think it’s really important to be able to visibly celebrate the best of our villages and special events, and putting these up is a small but very visible thing we can do to make this happen.

The signs, which have gone up in the centre of Lees, Springhead and Grotton, show images of a sunset over Leesbrook Mill, the linear park, and a woolen heart created by the Saddleworth yarn bombers.

Mark says the images display a positive image of the villages: "Going forward, we want to have a wide range of artwork to look at both the history and the future of our villages. Whether it’s celebrating the mill heritage of the villages – Lees, Springhead and Grotton had at least 44 mills in their heyday – or looking at the next generations by running competitions with the local schools.  Whatever we can do to remind people of the great things that there are about living in our area.”

Sam added: “We can also use them to celebrate major events – I have already asked to see how long it will take to produce new banners and have them installed. I would love to use them to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in June.”

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.