Children living in temporary accommodation and their families can enjoy free leisure activities this half term.
Oldham Council has teamed up with Oldham Community Leisure (OCL) to provide children living in temporary accommodation and their families with special passes to OCL’s five centres.
The passes will give all of the 500 eligible families the chance to enjoy up to 10 activities for free including swimming, the gym, exercise classes and badminton.
Cllr Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, said:
“Oldham is in a housing crisis with over 500 families currently living in temporary accommodation – and among them are 500 children.
“That's 500 kids without their own bed, a place to do their homework, living in places like hotels and B&Bs.
“We understand that finding enjoyable and affordable activities during the holidays as a family can sometimes be challenging – that’s even more difficult if you’re living in temporary accommodation.
“I hope these passes give them some free fun and family memories. Huge thanks to Oldham Community Leisure for their support in helping people in our borough to access their excellent venues for free.”
This announcement aims to be welcome news to the residents who may have otherwise struggled to afford activities due to financial pressures and the current cost of living.
Oldham Council has contacted families via email to promote the offer, and they can simply pop into the main OCL site to collect their pass for use at centres across the borough.
Families will be able to get access to a range of activities, including family swim sessions, exercise classes, state-of-the-art gyms, and badminton courts.
Activities can be booked at all OCL’s centres in Oldham, Failsworth, Chadderton, Saddleworth and Royton.
Stuart Lockwood, Chief Executive of Oldham Community Leisure, said:
“At Oldham Community Leisure, we want every family to have the chance to create memories together and we’re glad we could play a part in making that happen.
“We offer the largest range of leisure facilities, activities and gyms with swimming pools in Oldham, and we hope families enjoy using the offer during half term.”
The Council recently hosted the first Oldham Housing Roundtable with senior representatives from all of Oldham's major social housing providers, along with private landlords, letting agents, developers and housebuilders, charities and more.
Together with the Council, they discussed Oldham’s housing crisis and how partners can work together to tackle it.
At the roundtable, Oldham Council pledged to get 500 new social homes built in the borough over the next five years.
For more information and support with housing, visit www.oldham.gov.uk/housing
Alongside this offer, an additional investment has been made by the Council into a programme of free half-term activities for all children and young people.
Parents with children aged 5 to 16 can book these activities now, with this extra offer further highlighting the council’s efforts to support families who are struggling with the cost of living.