Spooky date for scouts

Ben Robinson in the empty tomb of the crusader knight with Corey Pearson (left) and John Hennessey

Scouts from St Thomas’s Church, Moorside, put fear to one side for a visit to an old crypt.

They enjoyed an evening exploring the caverns at Oldham Parish Church. The bravest scouts even squeezed themselves into the empty tomb of a crusader knight, which dates back to 1200.

The crypt took up £10,000 of the £30,000 spent to build the church but was not open for long before a change in the law meant that all burials had to be in the ground.

It is the final resting place of the notorious Oldham Giant, whose coffin is at least 7ft long. Rumour has it the occupant is Robert Scholes, who used to sell pots and pans at the top of George Street in Oldham town centre.