Lifting the gloom of the credit crunch

THE Limo Lounge in Waterloo Street, Oldham

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OLDHAM WORKS — a major Chronicle boost to Oldham’s people and economy

IN these days of recession and economic woe, it is pleasing to visit a business that is trying to bring a little cheer to the good folk of Oldham.

And good cheer was in plentiful supply when I chatted with Andrea Bamford, who has established the Limo Lounge in Waterloo Street, in what was once Bailey’s crockery business and latterly traded as a second-hand goods emporium.

No doubt you will have seen two gleaming stretch limousines in the spacious parking area of the double-fronted premises.

These sumptuous vehicles are available for private hire, having been relocated to Oldham by owner Anne Bamford, from Worsley, who set up the business two years ago in Rochdale.

Making use of the extra space available in Waterloo Street, Andrea — working to a tight budget and putting in the hard hours — has created an oasis of escape . . . a well-appointed and cosy lounge offering a quality audio-visual system, comfortable seating, dance floor and bar area.

And, intriguingly, a pole. Yes, that’s right, a gleaming dancing pole.

I have had occasion to visit a pole-dancing bar — purely as a matter of research, you understand — and some of the moves, as witnessed in countless films and television dramas, are quite athletic.

Andrea doesn’t intend this to be the case here in Oldham, saying: “The pole is purely for fun. There are lots of people who want a private party for friends and relatives in such a setting as the Limo Lounge.

“As I said, it’s just fun. We are getting inquiries for all sorts of events, from 18th birthdays to divorce parties, from wedding groups to karaokes.

“This is a flexible space which has been tastefully finished and offers somewhere different to relax and be at ease.”

Andrea has contacts with discos and gaming tables. Themed evenings such as a James Bond night, complete with a roulette wheel and blackjack table, are proving extremely popular.

Andrea said: “We want to try and bring a smile back to people in these hard times.

“There is a lot of doom and gloom out there at the moment, but people can come here and have some fun in a private setting and get away from everything, if only for an evening.

“They can be picked up in a stretch limousine, and taken on somewhere else later, if they choose, but that’s just another part of the service. They can use the vehicles and the Limo Lounge independently.”

As good news stories go, this is one that shows Oldham will always have a sense of style.

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