A travel YouTuber has come under fire from locals after claiming that two Greater Manchester towns were among “the worst places to live in England”.
The Learning Canteen – which has 2.2K subscribers, and usually amasses tens of thousands of views per video – describes itself as a channel that focuses on creating “interesting and informative videos on travel, education, business, and lifestyle” and is known for posting a wide range of and top 10 list-style videos and round-up videos.
And it was in one of those list-style videos that Oldham and Rochdale were named among the worst towns to live in the country.
In the video, which is titled ’10 Worst Places to Live in England’ and has been viewed nearly 60,000 times, Oldham came in ninth place, while Rochdale – which was described as “bleak” – ranked third.
Other northern towns on the list include Middlesbrough, Blackpool, and Bradford.
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In the description of the video in question – which has a voice over by who is believed to be a Canadian narrator – the channel claims that the list represents their personal opinion, which has been “formed out of careful research and inputs from friends and acquaintances.”
Of Rochdale – which they pronounce ‘Rockdale’ – the narrator says the town has received “negative reviews by most of those who had been there.”
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They quoted one Rochdale resident as saying: “leave fast, or stay forever.”
Oldham town centre / Credit: Jody Hartley
Then turning the spotlight onto Oldham, the narrator describes it as “another not-so-good town in the north”, before bizarrely complaining that there’s not a “single tower to boost the town’s image” and adding: “You certainly won’t have a hard time agreeing that this is one of the worst places, even in the UK.
“The Office of National Statistics once announced it as Britain’s most deprived town [and] according to one resident, Oldham looks as though the government has been performing nuclear testing in the area.”
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This wasn’t the end of the criticism for the two towns either, as a later but similar video posted to the channel – this time titled ’12 Worst Towns in the UK’ – also named Oldham and Rochdale on the list once again, in 11th place and a tragic 1st place, respectively.
As expected, given the towns’ harsh rankings on both videos, local residents have a few things to say – and understandably, they aren’t happy.
Over on Facebook, one clearly-offended person said: “So a guy from Canada decides that Oldham is the second worst place in the country based on that there isn’t a high rise tower in the area”, adding that “Oldham isn’t the best but is certainly not the worst, shouldn’t even be top ten.”
“I could name 20 places that are worse than Oldham,” they concluded.
The incorrect pronunciation of the towns also drew quite a bit of criticism too, with another Facebook user commenting: “The video would be more interesting if the guy talking could actually pronounce the areas that he’s slagging off correctly.”
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But one Oldham resident chose to remain a little more optimistic by claiming that: “It’s not the best place to live but it certainly isn’t the worse place.
“The people who live in Oldham are the most friendliest people that you will ever meet.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons | Geograph
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Manchester City Council green-light new venue at Medlock Square, with Mamma Mia! The Party to open the immersive space
Danny Jones
The smash-hit ‘Mamma Mia: The Party’ is set to land in Manchester next year as the maiden event of another brand-new space set to open as part of the upcoming Medlock Square development.
Etihad Campus has seen a lot of moving pieces over the past few years, be it the building of Co-op Live, the ongoing expansion of Man City’s home ground, the soon-to-launch hotel attached to the stadium and now Medlock.
But those in control of the land are content with stopping there; this looks to be just the start of a whole new evolution for the East Manchester area, with an as yet untitled new immersive arts, experience and events venue also set to join the new slate of projects.
You see another glimpse of the purpose-built mini arena, of sorts, down below.
With plans having now been approved by the City Council, the ‘immersive’ space will be situated between the Etihad, Co-op Live and Medlock Square itself, holding up to 600 guests per performance.
Currently set to open in late 2027, following the rest of the square’s launch window being fully rolled out, we still don’t know the name of this next addition, but the structure itself will dovetail with the surrounding buildings and areas as part of seasonal activations, live shows and sports screenings, as well as pop-ups, brand collaborations and more.
Looping back, the interactive, multimedia extravaganza that is ‘Mamma Mia! The Party’ will finally be making its Manc debut as part of the 10th anniversary of the all-singing, all-dancing and even all-dining in-demand production.
As per an official press release from the Medlock Square media team, the show will combine “live music, theatre, food and storytelling” and “offer visitors an unforgettable night out.”
The original UK production at The O2 in London has now surpassed more than 1,500 performances, with a total of 700k guests attending these shows in 110 countries across the globe. Safe to say it’s rather popular.
As for Medlock Square and the surrounding Etihad Campus, Manchester City supporters have also been given another look at the soon-to-open, immersive hotel tie-in experience.
With a skywalk, rooftop bar, a new MCFC shop and various other bits set to spill out onto Medlock Square, it all feels like a period of wholesale changes over in the blue half of the city – especially with the football club bidding farewell to their manager Pep Guardiola after more than a decade.
Following the new and improved North Stand being named after him in the first of many tributes, the City Football Group (CFG) are also set to commission a statue in his honour over the coming months.
Meanwhile, Medlock Square is also due to open later this year, although an official completion date has not been confirmed.
You can stay up to date with all the latest on Mamma Mia! The Part’s Manchester shows right HERE.
Not forgetting a brand-new women’s football facility, too, there is so much stuff going on over at the Etihad that it can be hard to keep track, but here’s the latest look at some of the rooms set to feature in the hotel of the same name.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (CGIs via Medlock Square)
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Manchester City sign Beth Mead as European champion Lioness completes major transfer move to WSL title rivals
Danny Jones
In a major move for recently crowned champions Manchester City, two-time Euros winner Beth Mead has completed a switch from title Women’s Super League (WSL) rivals Arsenal.
This one is sure to cause quite the stir, especially given the players that have been transferred between them in the past.
Announcing the signing on Friday, 12 June, Man City Women confirmed the done deal in a social media post that also revealed she will don the number seven shirt.
With City having finally won the first title in over a decade earlier this year – only their second in the modern era – the England Women’s star and WSL heavyweight didn’t mince her words on arrival, telling the club and its fans: “I’m here to win.”
The 31-year-old from Whitby spent the best part of nine years at Arsenal, during which time she has also gone on to become one of the most prolific Lionesses under Sarina Wiegman.
Boasting not only 81 national team caps to her name, but also having scored 40 times in his career thus far (her assists included, guaranteeing at least a goal contribution every other game, on average), she’s been one of the most dangerous female forwards in Europe for some time now.
Speaking in a club statement, she said: “City have always played beautiful football, but I think this season they’ve been very cutthroat in front of goal, [found] different ways of scoring, different ways of creating goalscoring opportunities.
“I think that’s been the difference: they’ve found ways to score and win games when it’s been cagey, or whether it’s felt easy and you become complacent. I think that’s been the difference this season for City winning.”
Having already linked up with fellow England star Alex Greenwood upon making her first appearance at Man City’s brand new women’s football facility, she went on to add: “I’ve played with a lot of the players in the team, I’ve watched a lot of players in the team over the years and in the season gone [by], and I think that’s what created a lot of excitement.
They’ve aimed to set a new industry standard for the women’s game.
Penning a first MCWFC contract this week, she has signed a deal until the summer of 2029; both she and City supporters will no doubt be hoping she can add at least one more piece of silverware by the end of the 2026/27 campaign.
With head coach Andrée Jeglertz now looking to mount a title defence over at the Etihad Campus, and the Women’s World Cup in Brazil getting underway this time next year, Mead will obviously be looking to hit the ground running ahead of her first season in sky blue.
There is undoubtedly an element of curiosity to see who will have the better overall performance this upcoming term between her and national teammate Chloe Kelly, with the latter ex-City player having left the club for the red side of north London instead.
Speaking of cities split into two halves, football-wise, elsewhere in transfer news, Manchester United have also been linked to a new attacker of their own – it remains to be seen how strong the interest is going both ways…
Emily Sergeant -
27th October 2021 
