Paul Scholes has opened a state-of-the-art gym in Oldham in partnership with his own children.
The Manchester United legend, along with his son Arron and daughter Alicia, has launched Scholes Gym on Lees Road.
The £500k building spans 10,000 sq ft and is spread over two floors.
Inside, there’s a huge range of equipment, including some machines rarely seen outside a professional athlete training facility.
Scholes, who now co-owns Salford City Football Club, said it was ‘really important’ to him to open Scholes Gym in the town where he grew up.
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Paul Scholes with his children Arron and Alicia in Scholes Gym, Oldham. Credit; Supplied
The Scholes relatives, along with designer Mark Mason, have designed the space to be as warm and welcoming as possible.
Gym-goers are greeted by a lounge and reception serving protein shakes, before heading through to the fitness studio itself.
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Equipment includes personalised steel dumbbells ranging from one to 50kg, pin and plate loaded elite bodybuilding machines; a bespoke Astroturf; and top-of-the-range kit such as the plate loaded fly, which is designed to hit all chest muscle fibres.
Scholes Gym also has a Batak reaction machine, which is commonly used by elite sportspeople to improve hand eye coordination.
On top of that, there’s cardio equipment like treadmills, assault bikes, rowers, ski ergs and more.
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The enclosed studio space at Scholes Gym will host a selection of cardio, strength and conditioning classes.
The Lees Road venue will be run by siblings Arron, 22, a Level 3 qualified personal trainer, and Alicia, 20, a part-time professional athlete playing netball for London Pulse and Level 3 qualified personal trainer.
Speaking on the launch, Arron said: ”After six months of hard work it’s amazing to open the doors and welcome guests to Scholes Gym.
It’s something Alicia and I have long talked of, and so to make it a reality is fantastic. We’re looking forward to welcoming guests and, along with our brilliant team, sharing our sports expertise. To have the opportunity to play a part in our members’ fitness journey and improving their mental and physical health is a privilege.”
Sibling Alicia added: “Gyms can often feel quite cold and functional spaces, we wanted to challenge that head on and create the type of warm and welcoming environment in which we as a family like to train; we’ve all contributed to the design. It’s early days but we’re really pleased by the response to date.”
Speaking on the importance of investing in the local community, Paul said: “Oldham is where I grew up and got a first taste of sport. To open Scholes Gym here is really important to me; it’s the sort of venue I dreamed of having access to back then and, along with Arron and Alicia, I’m pleased to be able to create it for others.”
Memberships start from £40pm for unlimited gym use and £50pm including classes, with the gym open seven days a week. A day pass is available for £12.
Featured image: Supplied
Oldham
Oldham police issue dispersal order following ‘repeat incidents’ of disorder in town centre
Emily Sergeant
A dispersal order has been issued in Oldham following ‘repeat incidents’ of disorder between groups of youths.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that it has implemented a Section 35 dispersal order and additional Section 60 ‘stop and search’ powers in Oldham following repeat incidents of disorder between groups of youths in the town centre.
The measures were introduced yesterday afternoon (9 December) after reports of disorder came into police, which also followed similar incidents seen earlier this and last week.
So far, five arrests have been made in connection with the incidents – two for violent disorder, and three for possession of offensive weapons.
A Section 35 dispersal order is in effect for 48 hours until 1:25pm this Thursday (11 December), and the Section 60 is in effect for an initial 24 hours until 1:25pm today.
#UPDATE | We have implemented a Section 35 dispersal order and a Section 60 stop and search powers in Oldham Town Centre today at 1:25pm.
The measures will remain in place for 48 hours for the S.35 and for 24 hours for the S.60 following disorder.
The dispersal order allows officers to exclude a person, or people, from an area for up to 48 hours through a written notice, while the Section 60 authority grants officers extended powers to stop and search individuals within the area.
Neighbourhood officers will maintain a high-visibility presence in the area and will use these powers where necessary to ‘keep the public safe’.
“These measures are in place to prevent further disorder and ensure the safety of those living, working, and visiting Oldham town centre,” commented Inspector Amie Whitehead, who is the Neighbourhood Inspector for Oldham South & West.
“We will not tolerate antisocial behaviour and will take robust action against anyone involved.
“These powers are crucial to preventing any further offences from taking place. If you have any concerns or any information, then please speak to those officers who are there to help.”
Anyone with any information is urged to contact police via 101 or using the LiveChat function on www.gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1619 of 09/12/25.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
Oldham
Paul Scholes shares touching message over response to quitting punditry to look after his son
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes recently announced that he has stepped away from football punditry and other media duties to look after his son, Aiden, and he has clearly been touched by the response to his deeply honest interview.
The former United star and England international has three children with his wife, Claire Frogratt, recently revealing that the two have sadly separated.
While his only daughter, Alicia – a thriving young netball player with London Pulse – and eldest son Arron (who runs the family’s self-titled Scholes Gym in Oldham) are both fully grown and in good health, Paul recently opened up about the challenges of looking after his youngest child, who has autism.
Aiden Scholes was diagnosed as autistic when he was just two and is largely non-verbal, meaning there are added difficulties not just when it comes to communicating but overall welfare. Opening in a fairly rare instance on a recent episode of The Overlap, the ex-midfielder is now putting all his focus on care.
As a dad to a young boy with autism, I can’t help but have more respect for Paul Scholes after seeing him open up about his own experiences. Not only does it hit home, his priorities are in order. ❤️ https://t.co/kCjfQye3ef
Speaking with his old Man United teammates, including host Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as the rest of the panel, the 50-year-old retired pro and one-time manager turned pundit says that he recently made the conscious decision to put virtually everything else aside to put all of his efforts towards Aiden.
Put simply, he said, “I just decided everything I’m going to do is around Aiden.”
Of course, he went on to explain some of the important “routines” and obstacles in more detail during the sit-down, but even from the brief clip that went viral online, he’s been met with an incredible reaction on social media.
Sharing an update on his Instagram story, he went on to add: “Would just like to thank everyone for all your kind messages since The Overlap interview regarding Aiden – there’s been loads and tried to read as many as possible”, he said.
“The response from families (especially Dads) shows how much speaking about it helps so many… There was one quote from a parent in a similar position that’s just got me…”
The anonymous line he shared read: “My job is to stay alive one day longer than my son/daughter”. Truly tearjerking stuff.
Now 20, the Scholes family are a couple of decades into learning how best to meet Aiden’s additional needs, but Paul has admitted in the past that the climate was different back in the day.
Neville himself said that his long-time friend, teammate, and fellow Class of ’92 graduate has always been a private person and didn’t talk to anyone about anything.
He signed off by urging people to enjoy the little things, like the weekend and having a few drinks – as well as wishing the best of luck to his beloved Salford City FC – but it can’t be overestimated how much his candid words have resonated with people all over the country.
You can see Paul Scholes’ most recent appearance on The Overlap in full down below.
Daisy Jackson -
29th April 2022 
