Young mayors into the history books

Youth Mayor Roll of Honour unveiled at Council Chamber

OLDHAM’S youth mayors will now have their names recorded for posterity on a specially created roll of honour.

A board in the council chamber at the cvic centre has long recorded the names of those who have served as mayor in the borough.

Now, the youth mayor will receive the same prestigious treatment after students at Oldham College created the new roll of honour to show the level of respect that young people have for the post.

It has been installed alongside the board for previous mayors of Oldham.

It was created after a former youth mayor Chantelle Birtwistle sent Oldham Council leader Councillor Jim McMahon a message on social networking website Twitter.

Oldham Council then approached the college to see if it was interested in the idea — and the wheels were set in motion.

The board honours all four previous youth mayors for their role in Oldham’s civic life.

Emma O’Donnell, who is currently in her first month in the post, is Oldham’s fifth youth mayor and has also been honoured with her name being added. Oldham is one of a handful of boroughs in Britain, and the only one in this part of the country, to have a youth mayor.

Councillor McMahon said: “We honour our First Citizen on the board in the Council Chamber, so it is only right that we do the same for our youth mayors.”

Oldham’s previous youth mayors have been Mohammed Adil (known as Eddie), Liam Turner, Chantel Birtwistle and Josh Payne.