The open day ran from 1pm to 5pm, with members helping visitors try pickleball.
The programme included exhibition matches, games, a tombola and an auction. Organisers had also arranged bouncy castles, face painting, pizzas, a cake stand and a wood turner, with the bar open during the afternoon.
Debbie Abrahams addressed visitors before speeches from Pam Byrne and a question-and-answer session with Frank.
Debbie spoke about her work with the all-party parliamentary group on dementia and the need to support research.
She thanked people for raising money and spoke about the importance of clinical trials. She also said she had not heard of pickleball before and wanted to try it.
Pam thanked the club for organising the event and spoke about the effect dementia has on people and their families.
She praised Frank’s fundraising and said donations could help charities continue their work.
The mayor also spoke about the importance of health and wellbeing and said she wanted to find out more about pickleball.
Frank was asked why he had chosen to row across the Atlantic for Alzheimer’s Research UK and what had persuaded him to take on the challenge a second time.
He spoke about friends and relatives affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia, and said he wanted to support a charity whose work would make a difference.
He described the help he received from Sir Malcolm Walker, who offered to match donations up to £500,000.
Frank said being able to tell people their donations would be matched had helped his fundraising.
He was also asked about receiving an OBE for his charitable work supporting dementia research.
Frank recalled attending Windsor Castle for the presentation and using the occasion to talk about Oldham’s connection with the world’s first IVF baby.
He said he also raised the idea of another royal garden party in Oldham, recalling the event held at Alexandra Park in 1991.
During the Q&A, Frank spoke at length about his idea for a large statue of a pregnant woman in Hollinwood.
He said it would be called Oldham’s Gift and would recognise the town’s role in the development of IVF.
His proposal includes a garden beneath the statue where people whose families have benefited from IVF could visit.
He described plans for information about Patrick Steptoe, Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy, along with Louise Brown and her parents, Lesley and John.
Frank said he wanted information in different languages and an explanation which could be used during school visits.
He told visitors he intended to raise money by selling personalised bricks bearing the names, birth dates and home towns of children born through IVF.
He said he did not plan to ask Oldham Council or the Government to pay for the project.
Questions then turned to Oldham Athletic, which the Rothwell family took over in July 2022, and the club’s return to the English Football League in June 2025.
Frank spoke about Darren Royle’s plans for the club and said he wanted sport to help make Oldham more prosperous.
He recalled discussing the plans with Andy Burnham and said the meeting had lasted much longer than expected because of the interest in what they wanted to do.
Frank also discussed plans for netball courts and other sports facilities, as well as the use of the club’s new 3G pitch.
Club secretary Michelle Nye said Tame Valley introduced pickleball in 2024. It had attracted people who had not played sport since leaving school.
“It’s an easy game to pick up and is lots of fun,” she said.
Members play several times during the week, with a main social session on Saturday afternoons which anyone can attend.
Michelle said organisers wanted more people to learn about the physical and mental benefits of playing pickleball.
Last year, the club held a smaller World Pickleball Day fundraiser for Oldham Mountain Rescue. Alzheimer’s Research UK was chosen for this year’s event, with a JustGiving page set up for donations.
Tame Valley was established as a tennis club in 1923 before adding squash and racketball. Its covered padel courts opened in March.
Michelle said the club is run by volunteers on a not-for-profit basis. It provides its courts free of charge for the schools tennis tournament and for training and events connected with the Saddleworth Olympics.
