Northern Roots

Northern Roots Northern Roots exists to transform neglected land, connecting communities and creating opportunities for all to grow. Please keep it clean.

Northern Roots Social Media Rules

We encourage you to have your say by commenting on our social media posts. We won’t censor comments - even if they are critical of Northern Roots. However, we do have a few rules everyone must follow and will remove posts that don't meet these standards. Monitoring

Although we try to manage the content our social media channels inside office hours, we can't monitor posts 100% of the time. We will remove any content that doesn't fit within our guidelines as soon as we see it. Respecting others

Bullying of any kind will not be tolerated. Anyone making abusive, discriminatory or offensive comments will have them removed and they will be blocked from posting on our channels. Please note any comments implying discrimination will also be removed. No trolling

Where posts or comments are off-topic, insulting or use threatening remarks to upset another user, group of users, or Northern Roots employees and volunteers, they will be removed, and users will be banned from commenting. Strictly no swearing

While you may be passionate about subjects we post about, swearing and offensive language will not be tolerated. Any swearing or offensive language will be removed completely and any repeat offenders will be blocked. Blocking of users

We reserve the right to block users, without notice if necessary, for seriously breaching or continually breaching these rules about acceptable use. We reserve the right to change these rules, without notice, to better align with our values and other online protocols.

Illuminate Oldham is fun, FABULOUS and free!Save the date, take family and friends, and be bedazzled by the magic of lig...
04/02/2026

Illuminate Oldham is fun, FABULOUS and free!

Save the date, take family and friends, and be bedazzled by the magic of light night in ✨️

04/02/2026

One polytunnel up, four to go!

These polytunnels will create opportunities for local people to learn new skills and grow healthy veg.

Northern Roots is a long-term, evolving project, and we're proud to have local people involved at every step.

Want to hear about new opportunities, jobs and updates from us? Sign up to our email newsletter📩 http://eepurl.com/iUqIx2

New Exhibition at Gallery Oldham - 'Women Portraits: Trades & Professions' by Charlotte Hodes.Through intricate papercut...
02/02/2026

New Exhibition at Gallery Oldham - 'Women Portraits: Trades & Professions' by Charlotte Hodes.

Through intricate papercuts and ceramic vases, this exhibition honours women’s historic contributions to the workforce by depicting them through their tools.

From Oldham’s first female GP Dr. Olive Clayden and botanist Lydia Becker to contemporary changemakers, Hodes connects the past and present and invites us to consider broader representations of womanhood.

Northern Roots is proud to be a source of inspiration. As we transform 160 acres of post-industrial greenspace into a thriving urban farm and eco-park, we’re championing practices such as beekeeping, gardening, and botany, and promoting community, sustainability, and skills sharing — closely connecting with the thematic backbone of Charlotte Hodes’ work.

Our site has a rich history, with links to Mary Higgs and the Beautiful Oldham Society events held on Snipe Clough, to female mill works in Brook Mill, and suffragettes meeting at Strawberry Gardens.

The exhibition features quotes from our Grower Silvie, CEO Anna and beekeeper Damson, showcasing the work of modern day women in .

Make sure to check out this fascinating and inspirational exhibition. FREE at Gallery Oldham until Saturday 9th May 2026. Plan your visit - https://www.oldham.gov.uk/news/article/2880/gallery_oldham_celebrates_women_at_work_in_powerful_new_exhibition

Visit Charlotte Hodes website - https://charlottehodes.com/artworks/women-portraits-trades-and-professions/

30/01/2026

Starting 2026 the Northern Roots way🌿

This month our Land Team and volunteers have been building polytunnels, creating new hedges and doing a spot of birdwatching for RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch.

Our Heritage Champions are continuing their research into the of the Northern Roots site, and they visited the ‘Women Portraits: Trades & Professions’ exhibition by Charlotte Hodes at Gallery Oldham.

If you’d like to get involved at Northern Roots, sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear of opportunities📩 http://eepurl.com/iUqIx2

New Community Gathering Space at Northern Roots, Oldham - "Let’s Gather at the Farm!"We’re delighted to announce we’ve r...
28/01/2026

New Community Gathering Space at Northern Roots, Oldham - "Let’s Gather at the Farm!"

We’re delighted to announce we’ve received £31,168 in funding from the 6th round of the Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund.

This funding will enable us to build a beautiful new gathering space in the heart of our Phase 2 Urban Farm, providing space for people to learn, grow, cook, and eat together🍽️

The structure will be created in a roundhouse style made from timber harvested from the Northern Roots site - timber that has fallen naturally during storms or has had to be brought down due to disease or for public safety.

The gathering space has been designed by our local community, volunteers and land team, will feature seating, outdoor cooking facilities, a planting station, edible, sensory and pollinator plants, and will be used for outdoor workshops, events, visiting school groups and much more.

We can’t wait to get started! 🐝🦋

Want to get involved at Northern Roots? Sign up to our newsletter for opportunities straight to your inbox👉 http://eepurl.com/iUqIx2

Thank you Greater Manchester Environment Trust and Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Because of National Lottery players, Northern Roots has been able to celebrate incredible heritage stories - stories o...
26/01/2026

Because of National Lottery players, Northern Roots has been able to celebrate incredible heritage stories - stories of cotton spinning, migration, botany, Industrial Revolution and social reform - and use these stories to inspire creative conversations about identity, environment, and place.

Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we’ve been able to hire 28 Community Champions on a paid, part time basis.

They’ve conducted detailed research into the social and natural of the Northern Roots site and shared their findings with the public through event days, heritage walks, interactive workshops, school visits, a podcast series and much more.

We look forward to sharing our latest discoveries with you.

Listen to ‘My Northern Roots’ podcast series by Oldham based KUPOD🎙️ https://northern-roots.uk/our-nr/gallery/my-northern-roots-podcast/

Check out our ‘Beautiful Oldham – Why Not?’ Gallery page to relive the fun-filled day🤸‍♀️ https://northern-roots.uk/our-nr/gallery/beautiful-oldham-why-not/

Want to do some research? The Archive at Gallery Oldham is a valuable resource and is open to everyone🔎 https://hla.oldham.gov.uk/oldham-archives/

The National Lottery

23/01/2026

We’re taking part in the Big Garden Bird Watch 🐦

Our staff and volunteers split into teams and settled on benches across Northern Roots with flasks, binoculars and ID books to record how many birds and species we could spot.

Along the way, we also did some litter picking to help keep the area safe for wildlife🐦‍⬛

The Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey happening 23rd – 25th January 2026, and there’s still time to get involved!

Visit RSPB’s website to learn more - https://www.rspb.org.uk/

Visitor Notice – Car Park Closure 🚧 The Northern Roots car park will be closed for the next 5 weeks while essential upgr...
16/01/2026

Visitor Notice – Car Park Closure 🚧

The Northern Roots car park will be closed for the next 5 weeks while essential upgrade works are carried out. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience.

Alternative free parking:
- On-street parking along Kings Road
- Alexandra Park Car Park (off Kings Road) which is 0.2 miles / 4 minutes’ walk

Access to Northern Roots Urban Farm remains open via the pathway between Northern Roots and Alexandra Park.

We’ll keep you updated and let you know as soon as the car park reopens.

I love Oldham

15/01/2026

‘’What runs through all of Northern Roots’ Natural Health Service is a sense of community, a sense of connection with other people and to nature.’’ Dan, placement student

Meet Dan, a trainee Clinical Psychologist at Lancaster University who has recently moved to Oldham and is on placement with our Natural Health Service team.

Dan has been shadowing our team, specifically the Cancer Recovery group, to see now nature connection and can support physical and mental health wellbeing.

Read more about Dan’s placement experience here👉 https://northern-roots.uk/our-nr/stories/meet-dan/

The Natural Heath Service Cancer Recovery group is commissioned by Oldham Integrated Care Board. It is part of the GreenME Project and is a national first.

I love Oldham, National Academy for Social Prescribing, NHS Oldham, NHS Greater Manchester

09/01/2026

‘’Everyone can gain something from Northern Roots. If only being together and being active in a friendly environment.’’ Dominique, volunteer

Dominique has been volunteering at Northern Roots since 2024 and has been involved in all aspects of the Urban Farm, from scything and wheat winnowing to woodworking and polytunnel building.

Read Dominique’s full story here👉 https://northern-roots.uk/our-nr/stories/meet-dominique/

The Northern Roots volunteering programme is an opportunity for local people to learn new skills, contribute their own skills, and join a welcoming community. They support vital conservation and ecology work and play a key role in the creation of Northern Roots🌱

Applications for volunteering open in early 2026. To be the first to hear, sign up to our newsletter, where we share all upcoming jobs, opportunities, events and development updates📩 https://northern-roots.uk/opportunities/jobs-volunteering/

06/01/2026

Yesterday's winter sun in our Phase 1 Urban Farm and funded community garden and nature pond❄️

2026 is going to be an exciting year for Northern Roots!This year we open the doors to our beautiful new Visitor Centre ...
05/01/2026

2026 is going to be an exciting year for Northern Roots!

This year we open the doors to our beautiful new Visitor Centre and welcome you in.

Situated on the edge of woodland, looking out over four acres of Urban Farm, inspiring children’s play facilities, and the foothills of the Peak District, the Visitor Centre incudes a cafe, shop, multi-functional spaces, prayer room and a production kitchen.

A place for community, nature, creativity, enterprise, learning, food, fun and connection🤝

A milestone moment in a long-term, evolving project.

Over the coming years, as funding permits, we plan to create outdoor play facilities, cycle and equestrian routes, further learning and performance spaces, and a swimming pond.

Sign up to our newsletter for progress updates, to hear of upcoming volunteering and paid roles, and to learn how you can get involved📩 http://eepurl.com/iUqIx2

The capital build is funded by the UK Government Levelling Up Fund and made possible through our unique partnership with I love Oldham

Visit our website to learn more👉 https://northern-roots.uk/

Address

Kings Road
Oldham
OL82BJ

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