It was great to visit the Oldham Coliseum Theatre at Fairbottom Street to see how works are progressing.
I joined Friends of Oldham Coliseum Julie Hesmondhalgh and Zoe Hodges alongside Cllr Arooj Shah and contractor Tilbury Douglas.
The sheer scale of works is significant and the repairs needed go deep into almost every aspect of the structure. It was odd to see parts of the building visitors would be familiar with bare and stripped back to the original structure.
There were a few interesting finds, one was what is believed to an original timber from the old 1885 wooden circus originally on Henshaw Street and relocated to Fairbottom Street two years later.
It was also the first time with the whole stage and fully tower exposed and seating removed to see just how vital the flytower is to the operation of the theatre.
And still very striking are the personal messages left on the walls of what was the corridor near dressing rooms, not all of which can be repeated (!) which show the strength of feeling and love for the Coli. Thankfully efforts to secure its future are coming together nicely.
Keep up the good work everyone.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 