Cafe serves up award

Business partners Mike Cumiskey and Elle Clegg (right), celebrate their cafe’s success with (from the left) parks bosses Glenn Dale and Steve Smith, and Councillor John McCann

IT was praised by Ann Marie Ciccini, top model and former girlfriend of Rod Stewart, for having the best bacon butty in the world.

It was heralded by social services for training young people with learning disabilities and giving them a job.

And now the Pavilion Cafe, in Chadderton Hall Park, has earned a national award for innovation from the prestigious Green Flag scheme.

Oldham parks staff picked up the surprise award at a ceremony which also bestowed Green Flags — a national standard for parks excellence — on seven of the borough’s flourishing parks.

A delighted Councillor John McCann, Cabinet Member for Community Services and Housing, said it was excellent news, and the award for innovation showed the borough was recognised nationally as a leader when it came to the use of parks and access for everyone.

He said: “Our parks face a constant battle against vandalism, and take an awful lot of stick about not being up to standard because of that.

“It’s a major problem trying to make improvements, and having to keep spending to repair vandalism is dead money as well as despairing.

“This award, and our Green Flags, is great news. Parks are such a cheap way for everyone to enjoy themselves.”

Nick Temple-Heald, chief executive of national landscape maintenance company, Glendale, which sponsors the Green Flag scheme, presented the award.

He said: “As an Oldham native and a long term user of Chadderton Hall Park I am delighted.

“I am also extremely impressed with the work that has gone on across the borough to bring so many parks up to such a high level of design and maintenance.”

There are plans to open a cafe in High Crompton and other parks.