Oldham Coliseum will reopen in late 2025!
Oldham Coliseum being saved, with its historic site and amazing heritage, is brilliant news and a direct result of grassroots community action. The value culture and the arts have in forging relationships between people and the places where they call home is evident. I applaud those who came together to make this happen, including local people, local arts organisations and Oldham Council.
Theatres in this country have suffered not only from the impact of the economic crisis, as hard-hit families have been forced to reprioritise budgets and spend less on cultural activities, but also from reductions in central arts funding and from the squeeze on local government budgets, which local arts organisations rely on for much of their funding.
My fourth priority at the general election for the people of Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton was securing community ownership. The hard work we’ve put in to save the Coliseum with the co-operative model of ownership shows the success community ownership can bring in safeguarding our heritage and local venues.
Local investment and the co-operative model now mean local people are in charge of their community venue, giving communities a stake in the future of the Coliseum. This innovative approach across organisations in Oldham and beyond will help ensure that the Coliseum Theatre becomes stronger, more resilient and able to continue its inspirational work for generations to come.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 