£19,000 pledged to back Saddleworth tourism

New tourist-boosting schemes planned for Saddleworth will be financially backed by council grants, according to a new report.

More than £19,000 has been pledged by Oldham Council to spend on new and existing projects in the area, including events such as the Diggle Blues Festival which took place for the first time in June. This is the second time the council has helped such projects, following financial aid last year to the new tourist bus and community toilet scheme among other causes.

New projects benefiting from this year’s programme include the Great Days Out trade show, Seven Songs music festival and a reprint of the Saddleworth Village Trades leaflets.

The council’s aim is to improve visitor information and encourage new events to bring people into the area.

Next year’s Blues Festival in Diggle has been awarded £1,700 from the council’s Priority Investment Fund (PIF).

Organiser, David Wood, said: “People really seemed to enjoy the festival and visitors came to Diggle who may not usually have done — which boosted local business.

“We’re exploring the possibility of using more venues next year to make it bigger and better.

“Events like this do draw people in and I’m really pleased the council have decided to back us.”