Main News

John Shaw becomes the 30th Springhill Hospice Man of Rochdale

Springhill Hospice has held the Man of Rochdale awards annually since 1994 with winner after deserving winner taking home the coveted title for their good deeds across the Rochdale borough. This year the award went to John Shaw.

Date Published 11/12/2024

Over £124,000 investment agreed for "local improvements"

Local community investment totalling over £124,000 is being delivered across the borough following the latest round of townships funding agreed by Rochdale Borough Council. Five...

Date Published 11/12/2024

Revamp of popular Heywood venue to get underway before Christmas

A revamp of Heywood Civic Centre is set to get under way before Christmas, with Lancashire firm Conlon Construction now formally appointed to deliver the project.
The scheme will...

Date Published 11/12/2024

MP urges people to shop local after celebrating ‘Small Businesses Saturday’ in Heywood

Elsie Blundell MP has praised the quality and variety of small businesses in her constituency, Heywood and Middleton North, after a visit to the growing Heywood Market for Small...

Date Published 11/12/2024

Two children suffer serious injuries in another Rochdale car smash

Two children suffered serious injuries following a crash close to Rochdale town centre last night (Monday 9 December). Emergency services were called out to Yorkshire Street...

Date Published 10/12/2024

Keep the festive cheer going by stocking up on repeat prescriptions

With Christmas and New Year just around the corner, NHS Greater Manchester is urging anyone who has repeat prescriptions to check they have enough for the festive period when...

Date Published 10/12/2024

Christmas appeal launched to support local families and homelessness centres

S. Wellens & Sons Funeral Directors in Middleton has launched its annual Christmas appeal to assist families in need and support local homeless centres this festive season. The...

Date Published 10/12/2024

‘It’s just getting worse’: Chaos as key roundabout left underwater twice in three weeks

A busy roundabout has been left underwater for the second time in three weeks after successive storms. The Mainway East roundabout in Alkrington, to the south of Middleton, was...

Date Published 10/12/2024

New church to be built on grounds of former town centre bank

The site of a former Barclays will become a church two years after the bank closed its doors. The Redeemed Christian Church of God will build their newest new place of worship in...

Date Published 10/12/2024

Buses and trams to run despite strike action

Passengers in Greater Manchester are being reassured that buses and trams will continue to run during planned industrial action which is expected to start on Thursday.

Date Published 09/12/2024

Petrol station and drive-through plans for Kingsway refused

A planning application for a Euro Garage petrol station and two drive-throughs on Sir Isaac Newton Way in Rochdale has been rejected.

Date Published 09/12/2024

Struggling school rapidly improved thanks to new headteacher

A primary school in Littleborough has undergone a huge turnaround thanks to a new headteacher who motivates everyone to go ‘many extra miles.’
Stansfield Hall Primary School is...

Date Published 09/12/2024

Man arrested for persistent and "dangerous" begging in Rochdale

A man has been arrested in Rochdale for five breaches of a Community Protection Notice (CPN) following reports of persistent begging on the central reservation at the junction of...

Date Published 09/12/2024

Brewery wraps up 'Big Coat Day' after big success

Winter has bitten especially hard this year for those struggling to make ends meet, but a Middleton pub stepped up to help those in need. The Joseph Holt brewery called on its...

Date Published 09/12/2024

NHS Greater Manchester says it's providing "53,000 extra GP appointments" this winter

This winter, NHS Greater Manchester is set to provide around 53,000 additional GP appointments for patients thanks to the Winter Surge Hub scheme – following its success last...

Date Published 08/12/2024

Police issue Greater Manchester’s first Domestic Abuse Protection Order in pilot scheme

Rochdale residents are set to benefit from a groundbreaking initiative aimed at protecting domestic abuse survivors, as Greater Manchester Police (GMP) secures its first Domestic...

Date Published 08/12/2024

Local Co-op members celebrate as Rochdale causes receive over £20,000 in funding

Eight local causes across the Rochdale Borough have shared a total of £20,623 raised by Co-op Members, marking a momentous celebration of community support. The event, held last...

Date Published 07/12/2024

NHS appeal as five million women not up to date with cervical screening

Women are being urged to come forward for cervical screening as new figures show more than five million are not up to date with their routine check-ups. The NHS invites women for...

Date Published 07/12/2024

£1m investment to enhance Rochdale power network

Electricity North West is carrying out work worth £1m to enhance and upgrade its technology on a large section of Rochdale’s power network. The firm, which operates the region’s...

Date Published 07/12/2024

On fire - Rochdale total beginners deliver show-stopping performance at Ignite Fire Festival

Rochdale’s arts scene blazed bright last month as a group of first-time fire-spinners delivered a show-stopping performance at the Ignite Fire Festival. A group of 12 total...

Date Published 06/12/2024

Search continues for missing man as fundraiser aims to support his family

A fundraising campaign has been launched to support the family of a 27-year-old Heywood man who went missing late last month, leaving behind his wife and two young children....

Date Published 06/12/2024

Mayor ‘concerned’ about potential TfGM strike weeks before bus overhaul

Potential strikes by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) staff just weeks before HALF of the city-region’s buses are taken into public control are a ‘concern’, the mayor has...

Date Published 06/12/2024

Bikes to be allowed on Metrolink trams after 32-year ban

Bikes are to be allowed on Greater Manchester’s tram network after being banned for 32 years. The network is to allow bikes on trams during off-peak times, but not for at least a...

Date Published 06/12/2024

Man charged with 'death by dangerous driving' and drug offences after fatal Manchester Road crash

A man has been charged with a range of offences including causing death by dangerous driving, and driving whilst unfit through drugs - after a fatal crash on Manchester Road on...

Date Published 05/12/2024

Our guide to what's on in Rochdale Borough this weekend

Lots to do in and around the borough this weekend: Christmas Markets, Santas Grotto, Winter Wonderland Christmas Party, Christmas Spectacular (Rochdale Phoenix Opera Society),...

Date Published 05/12/2024

Yellow weather warning: Heavy rain and winds

A severe weather warning has been issued by the Met Office as heavy rain sweeps across the region this afternoon, Thursday, 5 December. The downpour is expected to bring 20 to 30...

Date Published 05/12/2024

“I couldn’t believe it” - Cancer survivor’s shock as fundraising efforts reach whopping £25,000

A man who was given six months to live has recovered from cancer and is living in remission - but that’s not the only mountain he’s moved. Littleborough man Warwick Smith used his...

Date Published 05/12/2024

Teen Lives Matter marks first anniversary & celebrates impact in Rochdale

Teen Lives Matter (TLM), a not-for-profit organisation based in Greater Manchester, has celebrated its first anniversary this November. The milestone was marked by an event that...

Date Published 05/12/2024

Police appeal to trace wanted man

Police in Rochdale are appealing for help to locate Elliot Newman, who is wanted on recall to prison. Newman, born on 7 July 2002, is known to have links to Rochdale, Middleton,...

Date Published 05/12/2024

Teenager killed in police chase collision - two arrested

An 18-year-old has been killed in a large car crash on Manchester Road. The Greater Manchester Police Serious Collision investigation unit is now appealing for information after...

Date Published 04/12/2024

M62 closed in "police incident" connected to person on Rakewood viaduct

A stretch of the M62 near Rochdale was closed today following a police incident, in which there was concern for a person’s welfare on a viaduct. Officers attended the scene and on...

Date Published 04/12/2024

Rochdale Borough to spend £1.35m on new sports pitches

Five new football pitches will be built across the Rochdale borough thanks to a £1.35m cash boost. Work has started to deliver Football Foundation PlayZones in all five townships...

Date Published 04/12/2024

Serious incident on Manchester Road

Emergency services rushed to a major road junction last night (Tuesday 3 December) after reports of a serious collision between multiple vehicles. Manchester Road was closed in...

Date Published 04/12/2024

Diabetes awareness seminar marks one year of health talks in Rochdale

Deeplish Community Centre hosted a community health seminar late last month, marking one year since the first seminar on stroke awareness was held in 2023. The event, organised to...

Date Published 04/12/2024

Pension pot is funding "climate change destruction and war", says councillor

A pension fund with 400,000 members in Greater Manchester is putting money into “climate change destruction and war”, a councillor has claimed. The Greater Manchester Pension Fund...

Date Published 04/12/2024

Reed Hill car park reopens in time for Christmas

Reed Hill car park which has just reopened in Rochdale town centre in time for Christmas. The opening is part of the wider redevelopment of St Mary Gate, which the council says...

Date Published 04/12/2024

Littleborough community joins together for festive light switch-on

The annual Littleborough Christmas lights switch-on drew crowds to Littleborough on Saturday (30 November) delivering festive cheer and showcasing local talent. Organised by...

Date Published 03/12/2024

Charities lead white ribbon procession to tackle violence against women

Two local charities, Rochdale Connections Trust (RCT) and WHAG (formerly Women's Housing Action Group), led a powerful procession through Rochdale to raise awareness of the White...

Date Published 03/12/2024

Devoted volunteer wins national award for Mosque service

Mohammed Ilyas, a devoted volunteer at Jamia Masjid Bilal in Rochdale, has been honoured with the ‘Best Mosque Volunteer Award’ at the British Beacon Mosque Awards 2024.

Date Published 03/12/2024

Green light for council block to be turned into flats

A former council office block in Middleton will be transformed into an apartment block. Platinum House was formerly used by the local authority but now operates as a retail...

Date Published 03/12/2024

Rochdale Council plans to ban polluting taxis from the roads

Old taxis pumping out too much pollution will soon be banned from the streets of Greater Manchester – but the councils can’t force this on every cabby. Rochdale council officers...

Date Published 03/12/2024

Councillor Alan Neal made Honorary Whitworth Townsman

At the meeting of Whitworth Town Council on 19 September 2024, the Town Council voted to bestow the title of Honorary Townsman of Whitworth on Councillor Alan Neal. The nomination...

Date Published 02/12/2024

Assisted dying bill opposed by Rochdale and Heywood & Middleton North MPs

Both local MPs voted against a bill on assisted dying in the House of Commons on Friday (29 November) - the first time the issue of ‘choice at the end of life’ has come before the...

Date Published 02/12/2024

Off-road bike crackdown on Rochdale moorlands sees success

An operation targeting off-road bikes on the moorland areas of Rochdale North was carried out on Saturday, 30 November, involving officers and PCSOs from Rochdale North...

Date Published 02/12/2024

Flag of Palestine raised in Rochdale to mark international solidarity event

The flag of Palestine has been raised in Rochdale on the United Nations International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29 November). The decision to raise the flag...

Date Published 02/12/2024

Toad Lane Concert: Nina Savicevic

Born in Exeter in 2001 of Croatian Serbian descent, Nina Savicevic began her studies at St Petersburg's Rimsky Korsakov Conservatoire, giving her first concert after three months....

Date Published 01/12/2024

Star-studded Beauty and the Beast panto to enchant Heywood Sports Village

A star-studded line up will tell ‘a tale as old as time’ this Christmas when Beauty and the Beast hits the stage at Heywood Sports Village. Coronation Street‘s Steven Arnold and...

Date Published 30/11/2024

Winners of the 2024 Rochdale Diversity Awards

The winners of this year's Rochdale Diversity Awards have been revealed at a ceremony on 22 November at Rochdale Town Hall with over 300 guests, finalists and and representatives...

Date Published 30/11/2024

Rochdale groups unite to promote White Ribbon Campaign 2024

Rochdale Connections Trust (RCT) is partnering with WHAG (Women’s Housing Action Group) and other local organisations to promote the White Ribbon campaign for 2024. The initiative...

Date Published 29/11/2024

The war over who should sort out a roundabout plagued by flooding

A roundabout often left underwater is at the centre of a long-running spat. The roundabout on Mainway East in Alkrington, Middleton was almost submerged when Storm Bert hammer the...

Date Published 29/11/2024

Eight-year-old girl leads heartwarming effort for Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary

An outstanding eight-year-old girl has launched a heartfelt campaign to support Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary’s Christmas Shoebox Appeal. Lilly Arna Dawson, a pupil at Newhey Primary...

Date Published 29/11/2024

Our guide to what's on in the Rochdale borough this weekend

Lots to do in and around the borough this weekend: PossAbilities Decade of Light, Gallery Exhibitions, Christmas markets, Christmas with the Curleys, Winter Wonderland Christmas...

Date Published 28/11/2024

Views sought on conservation area status for Syke

Residents are being asked for their views on proposals to give Syke conservation area status in order to celebrate and help protect its historic character.

Date Published 28/11/2024

Rochdale Council ‘nowhere near’ needing government bailout despite facing financial pressures

Rochdale Council has a budget gap of £3.4m – but a senior councillor insists the authority is ‘nowhere near’ in need of a government bailout.

Date Published 28/11/2024

Men jailed for total of 34 years for sexually assaulting boys in the 80s and 90s

Two men have been put behind bars for grooming and sexually abusing young boys in Rochdale and Manchester in the 1980s and 1990s.

Date Published 27/11/2024

Young vandals ‘bussing in from Blackley' to cause trouble in Middleton town centre

Young troublemakers from outside Middleton are bussing in to cause havoc, smashing windows and destroying planters, a politician has claimed. According to Councillor Dylan...

Date Published 27/11/2024

Springhill Hospice opens new shop in Milnrow

Milnrow shoppers were out in force recently as they headed to the newest Springhill Hospice shop. Opened on 16 November by the Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Shakil Ahmed and Paul...

Date Published 27/11/2024

Police call for footage of dangerous driving to help make roads safer

Greater Manchester Police is calling on residents across the borough to help make local roads safer by submitting footage of dangerous driving via its relaunched dashcam...

Date Published 27/11/2024

Rochdale coach wins prestigious 'Coach of the Year' Award

A Rochdale coach specialising in helping those over 40 achieve their health and fitness goals has been named Coach of the Year at the Rochdale Active Awards.

Date Published 27/11/2024

Christmas panto set to bring the magic of Sleeping Beauty to life

A new production of Sleeping Beauty featuring Strictly Come Dancing favourite Karen Hauer is set to land at Middleton Arena this festive season.

Date Published 27/11/2024

Success for Rochdale pensioner as minister orders Pension Credit Form review

A Rochdale pensioner’s call for change, championed by local MP Paul Waugh, has prompted the Secretary of State to order a review of the daunting Pension Credit application

Date Published 26/11/2024

More Main News

While you are here...

...we have a small favour to ask; would you support Rochdale Online and join other residents making a contribution, from just £3 per month?

Rochdale Online offers completely independent local journalism with free access. If you enjoy the independent news and other free services we offer (event listings and free community websites for example), please consider supporting us financially and help Rochdale Online to continue to provide local engaging content for years to come. Thank you.

Support Rochdale Online