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 Athletic have founded a brand-new deaf football club
Danny Jones
Oldham Athletic FC have just started a brand-new team for deaf players ahead of the upcoming 2026/27 season.
A dedicated side built around footballers with hearing impairments, it’s an uplifting show of accessibility by the Greater Manchester side.
While this is by no means a first, and we’re proud to say that there are multiple deaf football teams across the region and North West at large, having an EFL club of this stature and history get behind the initiative is a deeply moving development and statement of intent when it comes to helping key causes.
Officially confirmed this past weekend, OAFC are set to join the North League of the deaf football pyramid imminently.
Writing alongside the social media post, the Latics said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of Oldham Athletic Deaf Football Club.
“Oldham Athletic Deaf Football Club is a brand-new team that will provide deaf and hard of hearing players with the opportunity to represent the club and compete under the Oldham Athletic badge, competing in the North League of the Deaf football pyramid.”
Once again, they are not the first local outfit to develop a deaf football programme, with the likes of Radcliffe FC, Manchester Futsal, the Deaf Rhinos in Rochdale, and Greater Manchester Deaf FC all having helped pave the way for this particular sector of the beautiful game.
In yet another recent display of their grassroots work in action, Frank Rothwell’s community-driven club have also reaffirmed their commitment to developing more pathways for young talent:
🗓️ There are extra opportunities for Year 11 school leavers to join our Football Centre of Excellence this week.
⚽ Register now for our men's programme pre-season training on Tuesday 28 and Thursday 30 July with Chris Taylor. #oafc
Circling back to the new deaf football team, the statement goes on to read, “The new team marks another important step in OACT’s commitment to ensuring that football is accessible and inclusive for everyone across the borough.
“Through the creation of Oldham Athletic Deaf Football Club, the Trust aims to provide a welcoming environment where players can develop their skills, enjoy the game, and experience the pride of representing Oldham Athletic.”
If you or someone you know might be interested in getting involved with Oldham’s new deaf football team, you can find out more about the wider project in their full announcement HERE.
As for the mainline men’s team, you can see the highlights from their most recent pre-season game against nearby opponents and old Lancashire rivals, Bolton Wanderers, down below.
Featured Images — Oldham Athletic Football Club (publicity picture)
Oldham
Greater Manchester moorland fires still burning after more than two weeks
Emily Sergeant
Firefighters tackling moorland fires across Greater Manchester are still at work more than two weeks later.
Most notably, a blaze broke out on the evening of Saturday 11 July near the popular beauty spot of Dovestone Reservoir in Oldham, prompting a major multi-agency response with fire crews from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) working hard in challenging conditions to contain the fire and prevent further spread across the moorland.
Specialist wildfire resources, command support units, drone technology, and partner agencies were also deployed as operations continue across multiple sectors of the incident.
However, firefighters are tackling Dovestone on two fronts, as the fire at Saddleworth has gone on to merge with a fire at Tintwistle, and at Swineshaw.
Greater Manchester moorland fires are still burning after more than two weeks / Credit: GMFRS
The fires have burned hundreds of hectares of moorland, which is equivalent to the size of 1,250 football pitches, the landowner told BBC News.
The fire service said the rainfall and mist over the weekend had dampened the moorlands a bit, but despite this, the fires had not been extinguished and are still being classed as a ‘major incident’.
Three arrests have been made in connection to the Dovestone Reservoir fire, including one woman who has been charged.
20-year-old Shania Care-Slede, from Hyde has been charged with aggravated arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, and dangerous driving, and is next due to appear in court next month on 18 August.
“I’m incredibly proud of our firefighters, who have shown outstanding resilience and bravery this weekend to tackle these wildfires in challenging weather conditions and difficult terrain,” commented GMFRS’s head of response, Ben Levy.
Daisy Jackson -
29th April 2022 
