Oldham newspaper archives preserved

The archive of the Oldham Evening Chronicle has passed into public ownership at Oldham Council, preserving it after the independent newspaper, which opened in 1854, closed in August last year. The council’s leader, councillor Jean Stretton, hailed the “brilliant news”, saying: “It would have been a tragedy for this important collection to have been lost to future generations.” The newspaper cuttings and images will be held in temporary storage before being made available to the public after the collections store at the new Oldham Heritage and Arts Centre opens in late 2019/early 2020.