Your Local Independent 209

Page 2 July 2026 AD SALES 01204 478812 No part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure that the articles and advertisements that are carried are authentic, however the publisher accepts no responsibility for claims made. © Investors in Publishing Ltd 2026. This newspaper is published monthly by Investors in Publishing, Publishing House, 3 Bridgebank Industrial Estate, Taylor Street, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7PD. Tel. 01204 478812 EDITOR: Ged Henderson ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com ADVERTISING : JayneMeadowcroft 01204 478812 or 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk CLASSIFIEDS : Teresa Bond 01204 478812 teresa@independentnewspapers.co.uk CONTACT US Man sentenced after Covid fraud A £20million initiative to boost regeneration across Smallbridge, Hurstead and Belf- ield has taken a step forward with a board now in place to over- see the project. The government’s ‘Pride in Place’ project seeks to bring about major improvements to particular areas by committing money to be spent on projects over a 10-year period. The work is overseen by a board made up of local residents, businesses and political leaders. Smallbridge, Hurstead and Belfield’s board is now in place, with Laura Rodwell, from the Small- bridge-basedM6 Theatre Company appointed as its chair. The board also includes Rochdale MP Paul Waugh, and Rochdale Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and hous- ing Danny Meredith, as well as a number of local people. Its job is to help guide and manage the project and engage with the community. Laura, who has lived in Littleborough all her life, is the managing director of M6, which creates work with, for and by children and young people and aims to nurture their curiosity and creativity. She also brings in expe- rience fromprevious roles, which included stints at Oldham Coliseum and The Piece Hall inHalifax. She said: “Our goal at M6 is to make a dif- ference and give people access to transforma- tive opportunities. “That’s exactly what the Pride in Place project is going to do, but on a much bigger scale and in a way which will transcend the arts and involve peo- ple and groups who may not have benefitted from this type of programme in Arts champion to help lead regeneration bid Leading role: Laura Rodwell, from the Smallbridge-based M6 Theatre Company to get involved and have their say, because this is your project and your chance to help build the area you want to see.” The Pride in Place board is currently work- ing with the community to formulate ideas and a full plan on how the £20m could be spent will be submitted to govern- ment for consideration in November. The delivery of the programme will then get under way in spring next year. A second Pride in Place scheme is also being delivered in Hey- wood, with initial plans approved by government. the past. The fact that it will be a community led project, where residents will work with us and tell us what they want, is also very exciting.” Paul Waugh added: “This £20m investment is a huge vote of confidence in Smallbridge, Hurstead and Belfield and in the people who live here. “For too long, commu- nities like ours have been overlooked when it comes to the long-term funding that can really change lives. Pride in Place gives us the chance to put that right, with local resi- dents in the driving seat deciding how the money is spent. “I’m pleased to be part of the board, and Laura is exactly the right per- son to chair it. She knows this area inside out and has spent her career proving what’s possible when you trust people to shape their own future. “As a schoolboy in Rochdale, I was one of the many who bene- fited from M6’s ability to widen our horizons thanks to a high-qual- ity arts organisation on our doorstep. “I’d encourage every- one across Smallbridge, Hurstead and Belfield A ROCHDALE man who claimed more than £22,000 in Covid business grants he wasn’t entitled to has been handed a sus- pended sentence and ordered to pay all the money back. Mohammad Kabil Saddique, 33, of Clay- ton Street, claimed to be running a car business, known as Medallion Motors Limited, from the Fieldhouse Indus- trial Estate. He made six successful separate claims for Covid assistance between May 2020 and April 2021. In total, he successfully claimed £22,336. Investigations by Rochdale Council’s counter fraud team and Greater Manchester Police, which were sup- ported by intelligence from the National Fraud Initiative, revealed that he had deliberately falsified his business lease documents. He had only ever used a pigeonhole at the industrial estate for post and there was no evi- dence he had ever run a business from there. Saddique admitted two counts of fraud by false representation when he appeared at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court. He also pleaded guilty to theft of a motor vehi- cle, after he ordered a car costing more than £58,000 from an Audi dealership and cancelled the payment while it was already on its way to him. Police eventually tracked down the sto- len Audi RS3, after he took possession of it and ignored all correspond- ence from the dealership regarding payment or returning the car. TWO new anthologies of poetry, written by Rochdale people inspired by its year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture, have been published. The first, titled ‘Weav- ing Words’, is a 120-page collection and captures the uniqueness of the borough, packed with poems celebrating local people and places. The second is aimed specifically at children and is called ‘Poems to change the world.’ Both include over 65 new poems from a total of 96 local poets. Both anthologies (£10 each) are now available to buy from any of the borough’s 16 libraries, or from Rochdale Pioneers Museum on Toad Lane. Over the last year, Rochdale’s Poet Laureate Sammy Weaver has led writing workshops with local people and more than 650 young people. They have drawn on Rochdale’s co-operative history as a source of inspiration and many of the poems created Poetry reading: SammyWeaver and young poets in residence, Alende Amisi and Sasha Mostafa with a copy of WeavingWords Bringing local voices to life TO ADVERTISE IN THE INDEPENDENT CONTACT OUR TEAM ON 01204 478812 TWO new Rochdale bands will play the biggest gig of their careers this summer after being added to the line-up for bor- ough’s Feel Good Festival. House-pop, funk and indie disco 4-piece K-ESTATE and rock band Metro will take to the main stage on Saturday, August 8. K-ESTATE, formed last year in Middleton, are described as a modern crossover between Happy Mondays and jungle, playing ‘euphoric, groove driven tracks’thatmix dance, house and electronic funk. They’ve already played a stack of live shows, including support slots with Inspiral Carpets and have a busy summer ahead including slots at Kendal Calling, Lakefest and this home- town debut. The band were selected for the Rochdale line-up by London based internationalmusic agency FreeTrade, after festival organiser Rochdale Development Agency put forward artists who appeared on the recent ‘Rochdale Music Stories presents: Kenion Street’album. Released this year, it celebrated the borough’s musical legacy, with local bands playing classic tracks by world renowned artists who recorded at the iconic studios. Five -piece rock bandMetrowill open the main stage. They also formed in 2025 but are rapidly rising. In March they made the final of the GreaterManchester andBlackburnwith Darwen Music Hub Battle of the Bands Competition, representing Rochdale. Their style is influenced by a range of acts including the Foo Fighters and Deftones and they are heading to the recording studio in September. K-ESTATE and Metro will be joined at the festival by the previously announced headliners – pop/soul icon Gabrielle, rock bandAsh, and Starsailor. Main stage: Rock band Metro New bands are feeling good Saddique was sentenced to 22 months imprison- ment, suspended for 18 months, 270 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity days. He has also been ordered to pay all the money back. Speaking after the case Carol Wardle, Rochdale Council’s cab- inet member for finance and growth, said: “While legitimate businesses were relying on covid grants to protect their livelihoods and pay their bills, chancers like Mr Saddique unfortunately chose to use this time of national crisis to line their own pockets at tax- payers’ expense.” feature in the books. Sammy said: “These beautiful collections of poems really reflect our people, places and the moments that make this borough feel like home. The feedback and reviews we’ve had so far has been amazing.” The antholog ies include illustrations by local artist and poet Mark Rothwell and community artist Phoebe Foxtrot, as well as a painting by Eliza- beth White.