Westminster streets ahead with £50,000

Oldham MP Phil Woolas swopped the corridors of Westminster for Westminster Street, Oldham, when he dropped in on a successful community project.

A neglected area of Derker will get new landscaping, seating and paths after local people won a Lottery grant.

The Derker Wardens, a group of community-minded local volunteers, have secured almost £50,000 from Community Spaces — a Big Lottery grant administered by Groundwork UK and used to help communities brighten up neglected areas.

Angela Cosgrove, secretary of Derker Wardens, said: “The land is at Westminster Street and Stoneleigh Street. “It has gone to rack and ruin and local people have told us they would like landscaping, new benches and tarmac paths.”

Work should start on the site by the end of August, with a formal opening in the autumn.