Great to see that local councillors Junaid Hussain and Umar Nasheen, along with the newly-elected Mayor of Oldham Eddie Moores, were at the opening of the refurbished facilities at Fitton Hill Bulldogs.
After visiting the site in June last year, you can see the hard work that has been put in over many years for the club to be in the position it is in now, with a brand new hub which will serve the surrounding community well.
So much progress has been made, from re-establishing the sports club in 2000, to acquiring a 25-year lease for the playing fields from Oldham Council, and then teaming up with local organisations to get the funding to revitalise the facilities.
Now it provides a host of regular community drop-in and sports events including junior football; activities to support adults with learning disabilities and autism; social events for the over-60s; and free Yoga classes.
Grassroots action rooted in the community has always driven me, and giving local people opportunities to build institutions like this is what politics is all about.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 