Oldham

Eagle-eyed residents spot Olympic hero in Oldham Council’s Christmas advert

The animation shows a local family exploring the high streets of Oldham for the perfect Christmas gift.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 9th December 2021

Olympian Matt Walls has been spotted by eagle-eyed residents in Oldham Council’s new animated Christmas advert.

With the adorable animation – which is aptly-titled ‘Christmas in Oldham’, and was released at the start of December – Oldham Council is giving retail giants a run for their money by encouraging visitors to the borough’s town centre to “shop local” over the festive season.

Following a turbulent 18 months for Oldham’s high streets and markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council say the new animation is intended to promote the Christmas season in the town and urge locals to support independent businesses when shopping for presents for their loved ones.

The animation shows a local family exploring the high streets of Oldham for the perfect Christmas gift, and ends with Santa and his reindeer flying high over Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre.

And, to make the film even more “authentically Oldham”, the clip also features the iconic Oldham Lights, reference to the wonderful outdoor markets of Royton and Shaw, and Delph Brass Band – who along with conductor Phil Goodwin provide the music for the clip.

Oldham Council has worked with Jo and Paul Perry from Delph-based award-winning animation production company, Periscope Studios, to create the festive film.

But that’s not all.

Eagle-eyed Oldhamers also noticed that 23-year-old Olympian Matt Walls – who was born and raised in the Greater Manchester borough, and won both a gold and silver medal for track cycling events at Tokyo 2020 – made an appearance in the animation.

He was shown with a beaming smile outside the town’s cycle shop.

Matt’s appearance in the animation may be obvious in one scene, but he’s actually hidden in there a few more times than initially meets the eye too, which is why the Council is soon to launch the ‘Where’s Walls?‘ competition – its own take on Where’s Wally – and those who enter can win one of five £50 Love to Shop vouchers by simply watching the video and commenting under the Facebook post how many times they spot Matt in the background of the animation.

Winners will be notified on Friday 17 December.

Oldham-born Olympian Matt Walls made an appearance in the animation outside the town’s cycle shop / Credit: Oldham Council

Speaking on the launch of the new Christmas animation, Cllr Arooj Shah – Leader of Oldham Council – said: “Christmas is an important time for us all, and a chance for us to spend time with loved ones [so] we wanted to reflect this when creating our Christmas animation, which was commissioned to promote the boroughs retail business offer. 

“We’re incredibly proud of our markets and retailers – independent and high street alike [as] they’ve worked tirelessly to adapt against ever mounting odds to keep residents safe.”

The animation shows a local family exploring the high streets of Oldham for the perfect Christmas gift / Credit: Oldham Council

She continued: “People say that it’s a shame that the high street is dying, but if people are sat at home buying online, that is unfortunately what could happen. If you’re looking for the perfect Christmas gift, why not visit your local Oldham high street first?  

“The heart-warming message of the animation is something that we can all relate to after the restrictions on seeing loved ones last Christmas.”

Head over to Oldham Council’s I Love Oldham Facebook page here for more details on the competition.

Featured Image – Oldham Council

Oldham

Urgent appeal after woman, 70, dies after being found unconscious with ‘serious injuries’ on a Tameside road

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Waggon Road

An urgent appeal has been issued after a woman was found unconscious with ‘serious injuries’ on a road on the Tameside / Oldham border.

Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Serious Collision Investigation Unit is appealing for information after the woman, aged 70, was taken to hospital upon being discovered on Waggon Road in Park Bridge, which is an area on the border of Tameside and Oldham, at around 2:30pm this past Sunday afternoon (10 August).

Police say their investigation is centred on trying to find out how the woman came to be on the road, and ultimately, uncover more about the incident as a whole.

This is why officers are now appealing to the Greater Manchester public.

Anyone who saw the incident, or who may have dashcam footage, is urged to call GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 0161 856 4741, quoting incident number 1858 of 10/08/25.

You can also call 101, or talk to GMP via the LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk.

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Any reports or concerns about the incident can also be made anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Featured Image – Google Maps

Oldham

More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson 104 counterfeit Labubus have been seized

More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.

The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.

The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.

The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).

Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.

Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.

What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds

They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.

Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.

“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.

“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”

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Featured image: Oldham Council

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