Three cheers for ‘unique’ Oldham

OLDHAM has a new face to promote its “uniqueness”.

Rebecca Yorke has landed the role of local distinctiveness co-ordinator for the South Pennines and is set to help promote the borough’s unique landscape, culture, produce and social heritage.

Taking over the two-year-old project, Rebecca told us one of her first ports of call will be Saddleworth’s beer industry.

“I will be working with local businesses in the Saddleworth area focusing on beer and breweries,” she said.”

“For example, there’s the Church Inn and Greenfield Real Ale Brewery.

“We’ll be working with these types of business and helping them come up with things like trails and promotional tours for visitors, ways which will bring people in and keep them coming back.

“We’ll also be working with industries linked to breweries like pubs and food producers, helping them make the right contacts and the knowledge to expand their businesses.”

The South Pennines Local Distinctiveness Project is funded through the South Pennines Leader Programme and has three key themes of “beer”, “creative” and “quirks”.

Beer will focus on micro-breweries, the creative aspect will highlight South Pennines’ artists and makers and quirks will explore the more unusual elements of historical features and social heritage.

“Local distinctiveness is what makes one place different from another,” added Rebecca.

“It’s the small details, often taken for granted by the people who live in an area, which are loved and remembered.

“Today’s visitors are looking for more than the glossy, packaged list of things to see and do.

“They want to feel they are really getting to know a place, experiencing something special and meeting local people.

“By developing and highlighting our local distinctiveness, we can offer visitors a unique experience which they will enjoy, take home with them and tell their friends about.

“They will also be encouraged to return resulting in a positive and sustainable impact on our local economy.”

For more information about the project, including details on how businesses can get involved, visit the website at www.southpennines.co.uk or follow @southpennines on twitter.