The Mayoralty of Oldham Metropolitan Borough
The Worshipful the Mayor Of Oldham 2009 – 2010 Councillor Jim McArdle
Councillor McArdle (66) was born in Oldham at ‘Boundary Park’ hospital. He has always lived in Oldham and presently lives in Waterhead.
He was educated at Corpus Christi School in Chadderton and Newton Heath Technical High School, from where he joined Ferranti Ltd, Hollinwood as an electrical engineer. He later became a taxi driver.
Councillor McArdle has always had an interest in football and played for Manchester Schoolboys whilst at Newton Heath Technical High School and as a teenager was signed on an amateur basis by Bury FC. When he finished playing football he became a class 1 referee, refereeing in the former Lancashire Combination Football League and became a well known referee in the Oldham Amateur Leagues. Interested in drama, he was a member of a local amateur dramatic group for a number of years.
He has represented St James’ Ward since his election in 1994. He has served on a number of committees and has a particular interest in regeneration, licensing and the environment; he has chaired the East Oldham Area Committee. He currently serves on the Hodge Clough and St Thomas’ C of E Primary School Governing Bodies.
Between them Councillor McArdle and his partner have four adult children and three grandchildren.
Mayoress
Councillor Knox was born and has lived in Oldham all her life. She was born in Counthill Road and attended Watersheddings Primary School and later Grange School, where she was Deputy Head Girl.
Councillor Knox represents the Waterhead Ward and is Cabinet Member for Children’s Services. She also serves on the Sixth Form College and Littlemoor Primary School Governing Bodies.
Mayoral charities
Councillor McArdle will be supporting the following charities during his year of office. He wishes to provide one third of whatever his fundraising achieves to each of the following:
Young Carers
Young Carers are young people aged between 5 and 18 who are involved in a wide range of caring responsibilities for family members, including domestic tasks, personal care, caring for younger brothers and sisters, managing household budgets, providing medical care, emotional support and interpreting for older family members.
Our young carers sometimes receive physical injuries; suffer mental health and behavioural problems, disruption to their daily lives, social isolation, stigma, poverty and low income and loss of educational and career opportunities.
Dr Kershaw’s Hospice
Dr. Kershaw’s Hospice provides a range of clinical specialist palliative care services for patients suffering non-curable life threatening illnesses, together with support and counselling for patients’ relatives and carers. The Hospice costs over £1,600,000 a year to run.
The Mayor wishes to give a donation to enable the Hospice to provide or go towards to providing a facility for children whose family members are receiving care at the Hospice.
Other charities
The Mayor is aware that during his year of office he will visit organisations within the Borough whose needs only become apparent to him at that time. He wishes to reserve one third of his charity total for those charities to whom a small donation will make a huge difference.