Oldham

Oldham

LandAid - Young Futures Fund

Aims/priorities: The Young Futures Fund provides grant funding to organisations supporting young people who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness. The fund focuses on projects that increase access to safe, secure, and affordable housing, alongside the support needed to sustain tenancies and progress towards independent living.

Who can apply? Applications are open to UK-based charities and not-for-profit organisations working with young people aged 16-25 who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

The UK Youth Fund

Aims/priorities: UK Youth and Pears Foundation have launched a new £10 million fund to champion an approach that works: providing multi-year, unrestricted funding alongside targeted capacity-building support to small youth organisations.

The aim of the Fund is to strengthen the financial resilience and capacity of small youth and outdoor learning organisations across the UK.

We aim to achieve this through two key outcomes:

Celebrating volunteers across Oldham

Our 2026 Volunteer Celebration Fund is all set to launch this week, giving Action Together member organisations the opportunity to apply for up to £500 to celebrate and strengthen their volunteer offer, whether that’s:

  • Saying thank you to their volunteers
  • Recognising their impact and commitment, or
  • Recruiting new volunteers to grow their teams

Are you looking to apply this year, and planning a celebration for your organisation? Read on for inspiration as we share with you some of the examples from last year where groups across Rochdale paid tribute to their amazing volunteers. 

You can also see details of every group who received a grant from the Volunteer Celebration Fund in Oldham last year HERE.

Chadderton Together

Chadderton Together runs Lydia’s Tearoom, a not‑for‑profit café in Foxdenton Park, Chadderton. The café relies entirely on its dedicated volunteers, who generously give their time to keep it open five days a week.

After receiving funding from the 2025 Volunteer Celebration Fund, Chadderton Together organised a celebratory meal at a local restaurant to recognise the hard work, commitment, and countless hours their volunteers contribute to both the organisation and Lydia’s Tearoom.

"We arrived early to be around as everyone arrived... but all our volunteers were already sat down and waiting for us! We think that this indicated how excited everyone was to be having a get together with friends and fellow volunteers. 

Overall the event was very successful. Everyone expressed their gratitude to Oldham Action Together for providing the funding for our celebratory meal.

My only feedback is to say how comfortable it was to complete the application process and to provide feedback using this form." - Graham Taylor

Volunteers enjoying a meal together

Northern Lily

Northern Lily is a social enterprise based in Failsworth, Oldham, built on the belief that gardening should be accessible to everyone. They run horticulture workshops designed for people of all ages and abilities, creating welcoming spaces to learn, grow, and connect.

To recognise their volunteers, Northern Lily used their funding to organise a day trip to RHS Bridgewater. Volunteers explored the gardens, enjoyed a guided tour of the site, and relaxed together over refreshments, a chance to celebrate their contribution and spend meaningful time as a team.

The volunteers shared their reflections on the day:

  • “Absolutely brilliant day. Loved the gardens, and it was nice to spend time together as a team.”
  • “So inspiring - got lots of ideas from the day and can’t wait to put them into practice at our community garden.”
  • “Thank you for a lovely day out. Nice to celebrate all that we have achieved together.”
People standing in a garden having a tour

Oldham Pride

Oldham Pride thanked its volunteers by taking them on a group trip to Manchester Pride, celebrating their commitment and giving them the chance to be part of a much larger LGBTQ+ community event. For those who couldn’t make the trip, Oldham Pride held a separate celebration shortly after the main Oldham Pride event, ensuring every volunteer felt appreciated for the hard work that made the festival such a success.

A standout moment of the project was bringing a group of volunteers to Manchester Pride. For many, it was not just an exciting day out but a powerful experience of belonging. One volunteer summed it up beautifully: “I've been before as a spectator but being involved with tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people and allies gathering to march through the city for equality and seeing how everyone just got on was something else.”

Oldham pride group at Manchester pride

Apply for the 2026 Volunteer Celebration Fund

The application window will remain open for two weeks from Tuesday 21 April 2026 to Tuesday 5 May 2026.

Apply NOW

The Space - Digital Commissions

Aim/priorities: Funding is available to develop and deliver creative digital projects for online or in-person audiences in England. 

The wider aim of the funding programme is to build the arts and cultural sector's capacity for making and distributing digital content.

Who can apply: Applications will be considered from art and cultural organisations, including:

National Archives - Project Grants

Aims/priorities: This initiative aims to respond to a long-standing challenge in the UK’s GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) and heritage sectors: how to make innovation and learning from community-facing projects more sustainable, transferable, and accessible across the sector. Through a supportive funding structure, it aims to help communities and organisations share their work more widely and contribute to a growing body of knowledge that others can learn from and build upon.

Funding Focus 2026: Made in Oldham

Every day across Oldham, local organisations are quietly creating change - supporting people, building connections and responding to the challenges that matter most to their communities. Behind each project is a story of passion, resilience and impact.

Much of this work is made possible through access to funding and dedicated development support. By helping organisations identify opportunities, strengthen their applications and secure vital resources, Action Together supported groups to turn ideas into action. This investment not only enables projects to get off the ground, but also helps organisations grow sustainably, extend their reach and continue delivering meaningful impact within their communities.

Here, we share some of the fantastic feedback from our member organisations across Oldham:

Greenacres Community Centre

Greenacres Community Centre is a valued community space serving all of Greenacres and it’s surrounding areas. The group are proud to run and manage a community centre serving residents local to Greenacres and its surrounding areas, supporting individuals, families and groups from all backgrounds, whilst providing facilities for recreation, leisure, and education in the interest of social welfare, benefiting the whole community.

Greenacres Community Centre were successful in receiving funding of £1,000 from the One Oldham Fund Children and Young People's Grant. The group organised a pantomime performance from a theatre company that families could attend at only minimal cost. An audience of 90 people attended the show and was a huge success for families to enjoy.

Feedback:

"The fund is positive, straightforward and a relatively quick turnaround which really helps us. Thanks for your support." - Steph Gill

Audience watching pantomime

Women's CHAI Project

The Women’s CHAI Project is a community-led organisation supporting women and families across Oldham through groups delivered in schools and community centres. Their work creates safe, inclusive spaces where women can connect, build confidence, and access peer support, made possible by a dedicated team of local volunteers.

CHAI currently delivers groups in eight Oldham schools and community centres, supported by 30 active Oldham-based volunteers who play a vital role inbuilding trust, belonging, and positive outcomes for women and families.

To recognise their contribution and support volunteer retention, they delivered the CHAI Volunteer Celebration Event in July 2025. The event brought volunteers together to reflect on their impact, receive personalised certificates and wellbeing packs, and connect through shared food and activities in a warm, inclusive setting. 

Action Together awarded the Women’s CHAI Project £500 via the Oldham Volunteer Celebration Fund to support the group to ensured volunteers felt valued and appreciated, strengthening their sense of belonging and motivation to continue contributing to their community and supporting the sustainability of CHAI’s volunteer-led work in Oldham.

Feedback:

"We found the grants application process to be clear, accessible, and well communicated, with guidance that made it easy to understand the requirements and timescales. Support throughout the project was responsive and helpful, which gave us confidence in planning and delivering the activity. We were especially supported by Jane Glysher-White from Action Together, who attended the CHAI Volunteer Celebration Event. Jane played a key role in making the volunteers feel welcomed and valued by speaking directly to them and presenting certificates. Her presence and engagement added real value to the event and reinforced the importance of volunteer recognition. Volunteers commented positively on how meaningful it was to be acknowledged by Action Together, which further enhanced their sense of pride and appreciation. Overall, the support provided contributed positively to the success of the project and to the experience of our volunteers." - Najma Khalid

Group photo of women holding certificates

Autism Family Support

Autism Family Support are a dedicated community of professionals, caregivers, and advocates united by a common goal: to provide compassionate support and resources to individuals with autism and their families. The team understands the unique challenges faced by those on the autism spectrum, and are committed to offering personalized guidance, education, and empowerment.

After receiving £3,000 from the OOF Family Hubs, Autism Family Support were able to set the wheels in motion for the project “The Sensory Sanctuary”. This project helped strengthen the Oldham Family Hubs network by offering an autism-friendly outreach space where families could access support locally.

They provided a calm, inclusive environment that made it easier for parents—especially those who don’t usually engage with formal services—to connect with Family Hub-style activities. Families were also signposted to other local partners for additional help, creating stronger links between our organisation and the wider Family Hub network.
By making services more accessible and welcoming, Autism Family Support helped more families take their first steps towards engaging with support across Oldham. 

Feedback:

"The application process was clear and straightforward, and the guidance notes were really helpful in shaping our proposal. Communication from the Action Together team was supportive and timely, especially when we needed clarification during the early stages.

We also appreciated the friendly follow-up and encouragement throughout delivery — it made the whole process feel collaborative rather than administrative. Overall, it’s been a positive experience, and we felt well supported from start to finish." - Sidra Ifzal

Girl holding craft project

Grants Awarded in Oldham

Action Together are committed to Equitable Funding Distribution. We openly share information about the grants we distribute and who they have been awarded to on our website.

Take a look at more of the grants awarded in Oldham

Men's Health Community Fund

Aims/priorities: The fund is intended to support projects that improve the physical, mental and social wellbeing of men and boys aged 16 and over, with a particular focus on those living in disadvantaged communities or experiencing the poorest health outcomes.

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