Get your skates on to catch festive treats

Mayor and Mayoress of Oldham, councillors Jim McArdle and Kay Knox, got to grips with the town centre ice rink which has played host to 800 children from primary schools across the borough.

The synthetic rink is the centrepiece of Santa’s Festive Village, a collection of stalls selling Christmas gifts, food and drink, in Market Place.

Councillor McArdle said: “The Festive Village has certainly brought a real ‘wow factor’ to the town centre this year.

“Christmas is all about children and it is fantastic to see the fun they have all been having in these 20-minute sessions.

“It was a simply fabulous idea to offer this as a little early Christmas present to our local primary schools and you can see how much they appreciate it.

“I would urge all local families to get themselves into the town centre and grab a taste of the Festive Village — and the ice rink — before it is gone.”

Budding skaters and shoppers only have until Sunday to take advantage of the Festive Village attractions.

On its final weekend, the village is again hosting another array of popular family characters, including a special appearance from Rumpole the Clown on Saturday.

Barry McQueen, the town crier extraordinaire, will also be present throughout the last two days to cheer the crowds with his witty festive proclamations.

Ice rink sessions — which run from 10.30am to 4pm daily — are limited to 25 people per session. A 20-minute session costs £1 with skates included.