Oldham families had a first chance to spend time outdoors at Northern Roots on September 19, when the project welcomed visitors to a free opening celebration. Children could try an outdoor play area while visitors explored a working urban farm, joined activities and got a first look at the early phase of a project set beside Alexandra Park.
The Saturday event was the first public celebration at Northern Roots, a long-planned urban farm and green-space project developed by the Northern Roots charity with Oldham Council. The organization described the celebration as free and open to all ages. The council reported that thousands of people from Oldham and beyond attended, though it did not publish an exact count.
Among the visitors were a family who traveled from Stockport. In comments included in the council’s account, they said they appreciated sustainable projects and described the opening as a good day out for their family. Sami Al-Othman, visiting from Stretford, said the family is always looking for new things to do with the kids and called the site perfect. Those brief reactions point to what Northern Roots is trying to offer: a shared local destination, not just a one-day festival.
A first look at the farm
One of the opening-day activities centered on Snipe Clough Farm, a four-acre working urban farm. Visitors could explore the farm, meet growers and make wildflower seed bombs with volunteers, according to the project’s event information and the council’s report afterward. The organization says produce from the farm is grown for its café, linking the growing area to another part of the visitor experience.
Families also had an outdoor play area with a sandpit, climbing frames and water play. The council said the program included face painting, outdoor games, live music and roaming performers. The mix gave children room to play while adults could explore the site, meet the growers or take part in an activity together. The event was designed as a family day, but the organization’s welcome was for all ages.
The first phase also introduced visitors to the Welcome Building, a café, a Forestry Skills Centre and an expanding network of trails, orchards, woodland and wetlands. The café menu was developed with chef, food writer and restaurateur Mary-Ellen McTague, using ingredients from the farm as part of a farm-to-fork offer. Northern Roots says the wider site will provide space for school visits, community events, meetings, exhibitions and performances.
A long-term place, opening in stages
Northern Roots covers a 160-acre development on underused land beside Alexandra Park. The September celebration opened its first phase; it did not mean that every proposed feature across the full site was complete. The Independent’s September 22 report likewise described the attraction as a first phase and noted the four-acre farm, play areas, café, skills centre and walking trails.
The project’s longer-term environmental and visitor figures are goals, not results already achieved. Oldham Council says Northern Roots aims to attract 300,000 visitors a year by 2030 and increase wildlife habitat by 25 percent. The project also has a target to store 30,000 tonnes of carbon by 2050. Those aims will take years to measure; the opening-day report documents the first visitors and facilities now in place.
The timing makes the launch more than a single celebration. Northern Roots’ official site says regular public hours begin Thursday, September 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. That gives families and other visitors a recurring place to return to, with the farm, play space and nature trails available as the project continues to grow.
Northern Roots describes the celebration as the beginning of its next chapter and says it will keep developing the landscape, programs, partnerships and opportunities on the site. For visitors, the next chance to return comes with regular public hours from September 24: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The schedule makes the first phase available beyond its opening celebration while the wider project continues to grow.
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