GROUNDWORK OLDHAM & ROCHDALE PHOT0 ANNUAL

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Every picture tells a story and each photo within this album says even more than the words do.

The most regular image is one of smiles – be they through enjoyment of the activities or from pride and achievement. There are lots of smiles from the very young and plenty more

from the not quite as young.The photos are very positive and reflect enthusiasm, commitment, enjoyment and activity as well as working and playing together.They give just a flavour of some of the ways that Groundwork staff and volunteers work with and for local people, communities and organisations.

I hope very much that you enjoy the album – and that you will get in touch if you want to work with us, get involved or just learn more about what we do.

With best wishes,Cliff EllisonExecutive Director

3The Environment Centre by season 4

7 A true reflection11 It captures everybody’s emotion

14 Memorable 18 About to take off 20 Lydia excelled

26 Dedication24 Have a go

22 Excitement and pride

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The Environment Centre by season - it shows a listed building that the Trust is helping to conserve. It’s not only

a base for Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale, it’s an asset for the local community - providing training

and opporunities for people of all ages. The pictures dramatically capture the building in the seasons of Oldham with which Groundwork is ever present...wind, rain or shine. I think they are great and a fantastic idea.Adam HoltContracts Manager

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Winter

Spring

Summer

Autumn

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A bit blurry but this was a very special moment for me. Signing the Flexible New Deal contract with Stephen Hornby from Serco was the culmination

of months of bidding effort. It secured our place in the mainstream world of Welfare to Work providers. We did not know then that we would have

the best performance nationally (thirty Serco ‘step 2’ providers) for getting people into work.Rob Glenn Employability & Worklessness Manager

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I like this picture for 3 reasons:1. I took it.2. I love fishing.3. I entered this for the

Groundwork Regional Photo Competition and called it: ‘A true reflection of Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale’s good work’ I thought I had it in the bag as I had loads of votes but the judges decided otherwise!Andrew PoinenYouth Works Scheme Leader

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I really like this picture. The little girl had just created a clay person that replicates her in her community.

I like the background, of people buzzing around at the CHARISMA (Campaign for Heritage and Recreation in the Sholver and Moorside Area) Easter Eggstravaganza event. You can see people trying to

get to the next stall or looking to see what they can do next. The community event was held on the Sholver Green in front of the Northgate Pub on the 10th April 2010.Gemma RussellCommunities Project Officer

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I really like this photograph as it shows just how much hard work and effort the young people

from St. Mary’s and Coldhurst put into the community wall project. It was great for them to have this achievement recognised by the Mayor and Youth Mayor of Oldham along with the local newspapers who came and took photo’s and interviewed them.Paula Wilkinson, St. Mary’s YIP Engagment Worker

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Down here in his world, surrounded but unnoticed by the big people, there’s a whole lot of adventures to

be had in the new play area. The excitement in the outstretched fingers, biting his lip to contain the delight and the wide eyes of anticipation; this dude’s gonna have him some fun… Robin DurkanLandscape Architect

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This is one of my favourite pictures of the year. It captures everybody’s emotion, a very positive image

and makes you smile each and every time you look at it. The picture is taken by myself and is of the young people from St. Mary’s in Oldham. Also in the picture is PCSO Tony Riley who

has helped us do some brilliant projects including this one. Higginshaw Vs St Mary’s young people’s football tournement.Ash Hall, St. Mary’s YIP Engagment Worker

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I chose this picture because it shows in action, how we practically assist the communities in which we serve.

It shows a group of youngsters learning brickwork and other relevant construction skills as part of their development in our indoor construction training facility.Providing clients with qualifications and enhanced abilities to make them better citizens in both an economic and moral way is a central part of our core as an organisation. Hopefully a number of these clients can move on to employment, which itself provides a sense of self-worth and respect which means that there is a sustainability to the work undertaken.Stuart Brierley, Finance & Corporate Services Director

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The group are from Royton & Crompton School and they completed their Prince’s Trust

Bronze XL award. For part of there alternative curriculum course the group took part in 6 weeks worth of Cook 4 Life sessions in partnership with Oldham PCT. The young people learned cooking skills and how to cook healthy meals from scratch. They also developed their team working skills and had fun along the way.Mark PoschaYouth Works Scheme Leader

This is a photo of me and Nick looking like a couple of astronauts in blue protective clothing!

The photo was taken on June 30th whilst we were carrying out a Resource Efficiency Review at a local company.What also made it a more memorable image was the couple caught on camera in the background having a cuddle!Paul HarrisonEnvironmental Business Advisor

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This photo is Groundwork Prince’s Trust Team 73 on one of their many fundraising events

over the 12-week programme.It demonstrates a wide variety of people from different backgrounds all working together to achieve the same goal. The team were given the challenge to raise funds to carry out a project that would benefit the community. The team decided to do a carwash at Gordon Riggs Garden Centre. The reason why I love this photo is because of the memories I had from working with this team. It was such an enjoyable 12 weeks with so many laughs. Some of the male team members decided that to boost their confidence levels they would dress up in bikinis to give the customers a smile when washing their cars. The day was fun and beneficial for the team, with lots of people donating money for the project.Jo ShawPrince’s Trust Team Leader

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This is a proud moment in the history of the Employability Skills Programme team. The photo

was taken at the Groundwork North West Conference in July when the team won the Green Triangle Award for ‘Project of the Year: Skills, Training and Employment’. Not all of the team were able to make it to the event but those that made it had a great time. The award reflected the hard work and commitment shown by the team to reach the level of referrals, achievements and job outcomes.Liane KirkSkills For Life Manager

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My favourite picture from v Challenge... This picture is from our final event at Hodge Clough

Primary School. The picture originally was quite serious with everyone stood in a line, but after five attempts at the photo it soon turned silly. James was on Richard’s back just before the picture was taken but fell off, Kirsty and I tried to jump as high as possible for the photo and Viki and Tamara look like they are about to take off. My favourite aspect of the photo has to be Usman stood in the same serious pose even with all the nonesense happening all around him.Danny Knightv Challenge Volunteer

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So much going on in this photo. The mixture of young and older children enjoying the same space is great to

see and the adults seeming to take pleasure in interacting with those playing while still being able to rest weary legs. The busy scenes in the picture document the popularity of the

new playspace which the local youth instantly warmed to over what the previous bland play area had to offer. Ian MansfieldPrincipal Landscape Architect

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Lydia was referred to Groundwork from the Job Centre as she was long term unemployed.

Lydia was a carer in Zimbabwe

but she struggled to get any kind of employment in the UK. Employers wanted UK experience and qualifications which Lydia did not have. Groundwork spent a lot of time with Lydia trying to establish

what her goals and aims were. We agreed that the best option for her was to complete a care course to gain some relevant qualifications. Lydia excelled in the course. The next step was was experience - we called a number of care homes and finally got her a placement at Briar Mead Care Home in Middleton. Lydia was taken on after her placement full-time. Briar Mead found Lydia to be a valued member of the team and she is now enjoying a job which she loves.Raj SanghaJob Broker

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This is a photo of the MBEET volunteers with a bench that they created on the Reclaim,

Repair, Recycle workshop (part of the River Valley Futures project). Some of the volunteers particularly have been widely involved with Groundwork and have benefited massively from our work. Dan started as a MBEET volunteer and then joined Prince’s Trust Oldham Team. He became Marketing Officer for MBEET and also completed Literacy and Numeracy courses. He is now working to establish his own business, with support from the Prince’s Trust. Jennie completed Prince’s Trust Oldham Team ?? a few months ago and is now an MBEET volunteer. Jennie has helped to organise MBEET events and also worked on the St. Stephens Church improvement project, further developing her confidence. Sophie HeywoodVolunteer Officer

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I think that this image typifies the Prince’s Trust Team programme. It is representative of the range of

challenging activities that the young people face, often in unfamiliar surroundings, and shows (in the expression on the face of the person abseiling) the feeling of excitement and pride upon overcoming obstacles and achieving a difficult goal.Alan HolmesPrince’s Trust Manager

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This picture shows Nick (compressed air leak detector extraordinaire!) helping a

local company easily save a substantial amount of money each year. The majority of compressed air systems have a large number of leaks, therefore the company will be producing far more compressed air than they require for their process. Groundwork can provide SMEs with a free compressed air leak detection audit, and supply a detailed report which enables the company to repair the system at a low cost - potentially saving thousands of pounds and reducing carbon dioxide emissions from inefficient equipment.Kate HarcusEnvironmental Business Advisor

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Skills 4 U provided Heywood residents with a 6 week basic guitar workshop, STS in Manchester kindly donated the

guitar’s for free for the duration of the workshop. This has given the group the opportunity to ‘have a go’ and they have learnt basic cords and can now play a couple of songs! Some

members of the group have said they will continue learning and are planning to have further lessons - a great success!Debs DrewSkills 4 U Broker

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This picture is from the Fresh Foods for Fresh Pupils project. I particularly like this image as it shows

some of the children I currently work with and the sheer enjoyment they get out of it. It was taken on the day the soil arrived for the raised planters which the children helped

design. The project teaches 12 topics related to growing over the course of a year. Along with the lessons the school receives their own allotment and tools for practical sessions like the one

shown above. It still amazes me how passionate and enthusiastic the children are week after week.Dene MarlandEducation Project Offiver

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This picture, taken at the beginning of December, shows the Green Team completing snow clearance in

Freehold on behalf of Rochdale

Boroughwide Housing. The team, not content with sitting down when bad weather interrupts the schedule, offer to help the residents of Rochdale remain accessible rather than being locked in their

homes. It also goes to show the dedication and teamwork involved in running the Green Team all year round, its not all tee shirts and sunscreen!Phil TreatonCommercial Manager

WITH THANKSWe are ever grateful to our funders and partners who support our work across Oldham and Rochdale.

Thank-you also to the photographers who have captured these images and to the 22 contributors of this publication.

Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale helps people and organisations make changes in order to create better neighbourhoods, to build skills and job prospects, and to live and work in a greener way. We’re a registered charity with over 25 years of experience working with partners to deliver successful projects in the Oldham and Rochdale area.

For more details on any of our projects or services visit our website at www.gwor.org.uk or call us on:

0161 624 1444