Your Local Independent 192

March 2025 Page 3 AD SALES 01204 478812 MORE than 100 knives have been surrendered across district of Rochdale as the result of an amnesty by Greater Manchester Police (GMP). Between November last year and February this year, three amnesty bins located at police stations in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale received a total of 111 knives. GMP say that 67 were handed over in Heywood, nine in Middleton and 35 in Rochdale. Since the amnesty bins were introduced, GMP officers have been able to recover almost double the number of bladed articles they were obtaining beforehand. The ‘Forever Amnesty’ gives members of the pub- lic the chance to dispose of a knife of any kind anony- mously with no questions asked, by simply depositing it into the amnesty bin at their local police station. Those surrendering knives are not required to give any personal details and will not face prose- cution for carrying them. Recorded knife crime fig- ures for the district of Roch- dale showed that figures dropped from 182 incidents between January and June 2024 to 143 from July to December 2024. Officers are also carrying out more stop searches in the district, up to 1,265 between July and December compared to 1,114 between January and June 2024. More offensive weapons are also being found through these stop searches, up from 192 to 224 for the same time periods. Across the district, a suc- cessful test purchasing oper- ation was run to test whether knives are being sold to those under the age of 18 and to promote the ‘Challenge 25’ scheme to the stores. Test purchasing is vital in ensuring the shops are play- ing their part to reduce and prevent knife crime across Greater Manchester. Graham Cooke said: “In the last six months over 200 knives have been taken off the streets of Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood, this is a fan- tastic result and is testament to the knife amnesty bins ini- tiative and to the support of our communities. “We are determined to tackle knife crime and would urge residents who either have old knives they want to dis- pose of, or, are in possession of illegal knives and weapons, to place them in the knife amnesty bins situated at the front of Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood Police Stations. “You can do so anony- mously, knowing that these knives and weapons will be destroyed, preventing them from being used in criminality Knife amnesty sees over 100 handed in Slopes plan on the up THE redevelopment of the Grade II listed Broadfield Park Slopes in Rochdale town centre has taken a major step forward, with the appointment of a local contractor to deliver the scheme. The Casey Group is set to deliver the project, which will involve the restoration of the historic slopes behind Roch- dale Town Hall in the heart of the town centre conserva- tion area. The site has a fascinating history, with a natural spring feeding the Packer Spout fountain on The Slopes, which helped to spur the industrial development of the town cen- tre area many years ago. The restoration project will see the fountain and water supply restored, alongside a natural pond which is located further up the slopes. Obelisks close to the fountain will also be repaired, with historic lighting, similar to those which once stood on top of the obelisks, also being installed. The pathways which run across the site will be repaired and restored, with an additional accessible path- way being created to make Packer Spout accessible for the first time. New lighting will be installed to make the area more welcoming and a lawn will be created at the bottom with terraced seating to create a natural amphitheatre which could support events and per- formances at the site. The £3million project, which is being funded by the council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, also includes a full activity pro- gramme, so residents of all ages can get stuck in. Handed in: Inspector Graham Cooke with the knives dropped in the amnesty bins (Photo credit: GMP) and causing serious injury or death. “As part of our initiative we spent the day at Edgar Wood Academy, Middleton with a colleague from the prison service, talking to all year groups about the conse- quences of carrying knives. “We discussed recent tragic incidents, showed them some weapons seized on the streets and graphic images of inju- ries caused. The sessions were well received by stu- dents and staff and will hope- fully have a lasting impact on their futures.” ROCHDALE has been chosen to be GreaterMan- chester’s Town of Culture for 2025/26. The annual award by the Greater Manchester Com- bined Authority (GMCA) highlights the creativity and diversity of one of its towns, putting a spotlight on remarkable art, culture and heritage across the region. Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement with more than 35 arts organ- isations bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events and performances. Showcasing the very best local talent, Rochdale’s year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with local people helping to plan, develop and deliver a line-up of creative activ- ity alongside a number of major events. These include the ‘Feel Good Family Picnic’, an exciting new urban arts fes- tival, the ‘Street Eat’ food and drink festival, a lantern parade, ‘Ignite Fire Festival’, live music, a new people’s gallery and the Merhaba Halal food festival. More events are in the pipeline including major international collaborations. And a Poet Laureate and Young Poet Laureate will be commissioned to capture the spirit of Rochdale and celebrate the year. There will be plenty of opportunities for children and teenagers, with a young producer’s scheme, staging Rochdale’s first ever Youth Arts Festival in spring 2026. In addition to the title, Rochdale receives a £50,000 grant from the GMCA Cul- ture Fund to develop a pro- gramme of cultural events and activities celebrating its unique heritage, bringing new opportunities for resi- dents and visitors. Mayor of Greater Man- chester Andy Burnham said: “Rochdale is a place with a We’ve joined the culture club! rich cultural history so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era. “Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which was incredibly exciting and ambitious while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history. “We are definitely going to see the very best of what Rochdale has to offer over the next 12 months and peo- ple will come from far and wide to see it.” Paul Waugh, MP for Roch- dale said: “It’s fantastic that Rochdale has been awarded Town of Culture this year. Culture brings communities together, drives economic growth and is part of what makes life worth living. “Rochdale’s arts scene is more vibrant than ever, with creative entrepre- neurs in video, painting, photography, music, film and many more areas, making us the place to be in Greater Manchester.” Rochdale is the latest town to be awarded the title since 2020, following Bury, Stalybridge, Stockport and most recently Bolton, with all 4 using the award to raise their profile and celebrate the breadth and diversity of their cultural offer. Further details about Rochdale’s year will be announced in the coming weeks as the programme is finalised.