Mayor thanks exceptional work by local volunteers during March snow

Date published: 06 April 2018

All the hard-working volunteers who rallied together during the March snow were thanked by the Mayor in a special ceremony at the Town Hall on Thursday (5 April).

Like the old idiom, March well and truly came in like a lion as the UK was battered by Storm Emma and ‘the Beast from the East’ throughout the first week of the month.

Hundreds of drivers spent the night stranded in their cars when the M62 was closed, resulting in numerous unsung heroes distributing essential provisions up and down the motorway.

All volunteers who helped out were invited for refreshments at the Grade 1 listed building before a heartfelt message of thanks from Mayor Ian Duckworth, who said: "It is good to see the real faces of the Rochdale borough - of Milnrow, Newhey, Rochdale and beyond. They gave up their time, space and money to hep stranded people who came from all walks of life and all points of the compass. It truly was community cohesion at its best, a really positive thing in such dire circumstances. I speak on behallf of the borough in thanking you all for a tremendous job. It is really heartwarming and genuine. Thank you."

Emergency centres were opened for those being diverted from the motorway, including Butterworth Hall, Oldham Fire Station, the Tesco at Sudden and the Flying Horse Hotel in Rochdale centre. Tesco opened the café as a shelter, donated numerous supplies, and later donated all the bedding items used on the night to Leopold Court.

A few volunteers shared their perspectives of the night, including Gary Foster, who was one of the pioneers in helping open Butterworth Hall, John and Esti Hughes, Julian and Ruth Hurst, who opened Milnrow Evangelical Church during the early hours, Crescent Radio, Claire Gaffney, Lead Manager, Pam Taylor, Store Manager and Angela Gilbertson, Community Champion from the Silk Street Tesco, and Numaan Shahid, Mustafa Rehman, Atif Hussain, Mohammed Zaheer, Omar Ghalib and Saiqa Naz.

Ms Taylor said: "The positive impact was massive, and my team were exceptionally proud to be a part of it."

Also amongst those doing their bit were farmers Elliot Eaton Greenwood and Stewart Greenwood, who drove up and down the borough’s streets in a JCB and tractor, clearing the roads and pulling people free from the snowdrifts.

Mark Widdup, the council’s director of neighbourhoods, said: “The borough ground to a standstill that night and only the kindness of strangers meant that people had a safe place to shelter from the horrendous weather that wreaked havoc across the country. The people recognised at this event represent the spirit of the Rochdale community and it is fantastic to see these wonderful volunteers thanked for their selfless actions.”