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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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Head over to Oldham Council’s I Love Oldham Facebook page here for more details on the competition.
Featured Image – Oldham Council
Oldham
Iconic ice cream cafe Grandpa Greene’s to ‘completely demolish’ canalside location, revealing big new plans
Daisy Jackson
Grandpa Greene’s fans have just one month left to visit the ice cream company’s iconic canalside cafe, with the team announcing its imminent closure – but not for too long.
The family-run business has huge plans for the site, announcing that it will be ‘completely demolishing’ the Diggle cafe to redevelop it into a new space.
This ice cream brand is one of the North West’s favourite food producers, creating dozens of ice cream flavours to serve from their parlours, as well as indulgent treats like pancakes, afternoon teas, hot chocolates, and milkshakes.
The location that most people think of when they think of Grandpa Greene’s is their spot right on the canal in Diggle, but after more than 20 years, it’s time to give the site some TLC.
Grandpa Greene’s has operated from here since 2005, when Carole Scholes opened an ice cream ‘shed’.
Now, they want to turn it into ‘the ultimate hospitality destination’, with reclaimed Cheshire brickwork, huge windows, and a vaulted roof, making the most of the scenic surrounds.
Rick Scholes, managing director at Grandpa Greene’s Luxury Ice Cream, said: “In 2005, my mum, Carole, opened a small canalside ice cream shed in Diggle after bringing my grandfather’s original family ice cream recipes back to life. None of us could ever have imagined where that journey would lead.
Grandpa Greene’s existing canalside location in Diggle will closeThe family-run business has grand plans for the siteCredit: The Manc Group
“Over the last 21 years, Grandpa Greene’s has grown organically thanks to the incredible support of our customers, our team and the local community. It’s amazing to think that what started as a small canalside ice cream shed will soon become the ultimate hospitality destination.
“This redevelopment represents the biggest investment in the history of our Diggle site and our commitment to securing the future of Grandpa Greene’s for many years to come.
“While we’re preserving everything that has made this place so special, we’re creating a fantastic new space that can be enjoyed all year round including one of the biggest milestones for the site… indoor toilets!
“We close our Diggle site this September to begin this exciting new chapter and look forward to welcoming guests back in December.
“On behalf of my family, thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last 21 years. We can’t wait to welcome you back and share the next chapter of the Grandpa Greene’s story.”
All Brewers Fayre and Beefeater locations across the UK are closing down
Danny Jones
It looks to be the end for not one but two of Britain’s best-known and long-running restaurant franchises, as Brewers Fayre and Beefeaters will be closing down all of their locations.
Dating back to the mid-1970s, there will soon be none left anywhere in the country
The pair of recognisable chains, owned by parent company Whitbread PLC – who also own Premier Inn, hence why they usually come as a joint package – have nearly 200 sites across the UK, but they are already in the process of a wholesale shutdown.
News of the impending closures first began circulating back in April, but now the process is said to be fully underway, with multiple Greater Manchester names on the chopping block.
A real shame all brewers fayres are closing down. As a member they’ve sent me a last free main. So enjoying a mixed grill pic.twitter.com/EIHMZ7LCvv
— Daniel Turner⚽️ 🏟️ 1️⃣1️⃣5️⃣8️⃣ (@puffpuff65) August 4, 2026
With roughly 3,800 staff set to be made unemployed as part of the major restructuring by Whitbread, the job cuts will see approximately 12% of their workforce laid off from a total of around 30,000.
One local duo due to face the music is the soon-to-close Stable Gate in Denton and Wheatlea Park in Wigan – both of which are Brewers Fayre branches.
89 of the brand’s boozers have been given until early September (some dates may vary) to shut up shop and hold not just their last orders, but their final dinner service full stop.
The rest of the venues closing next month are Beefeater pubs, including the Heaton Park one in Crumpsall, The Quay House at Salford Quays, and the Whitgate Inn over Oldham way.
As for others nearby, Macclesfield’s Springwood Park is also set to close.
The older of the two British mainstays is Beefeater, which was founded by Whitbread back in 1974 when they opened their first pub, The Halfway House, down in Enfield.
Brewers debuted up North in ’79, with a maiden watering hole called The Farmers Arms in Preston, before going on to open several locations around Lancashire and eventually nationwide.
Most of you will likely have visited or at the very least passed one of those food and drink spots in your time, and while they may be more associated with hotels and service stations these days, they still served as regular haunts for plenty of people who will no doubt be gutted to see them go.
Speaking of services, another big name is expanding further into the North West.
Emily Sergeant -
9th December 2021 
