Is 2009 a year we should forget?

The Feel Good Festival

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Looking back over the last 12 months there have been struggles and scandals that some will never forget, the recession has hit businesses extremely hard, the exposure of MPs expenses marked the end of any respect for  our representatives in parliament. Locally Woolworths closed its doors, seven long standing Labour party members were expelled/suspended from the party for calling for an investigation into the Labour party prospective parliamentary candidate, Simon Danczuk, and Rochdale MP Paul Rowen went bananas at the antics of Mr Danczuk’s supporters!

So following a year of monumental downs, is 2009 a year to forget?

Rochdale Online reporter Laura Wild, has taken a look at the highlights for Rochdale in 2009, with the bad of course always comes the good.

• The founder of Springhill Hospice, Margaret Geoghegan, received the honorary ‘Freedom of the Borough’ from Rochdale Borough Council. 
• This year’s GCSE results were the boroughs best - 47% of students gained five or more GCSE’s including English and Maths, compared to 43% in 2008 and 42% in 2007. 
• History was made at Spotland Stadium when a Kabaddi Match took place on a professional football pitch for the first time ever. 
• Free after three parking was introduced in Rochdale and was deemed a success when figures revealed that more people were visiting the town centre. 
• The Feel Good Festival took place in the summer; the two day festival attracted thousands of visitors to the town centre, including plenty from surrounding towns as well as the indigenous population. 
• A train was named ‘Gracie Fields’ to commemorate the closure of the Oldham loop line, although the closure has caused problems to name the train after Gracie was an honour for Rochdale. 
• Springhill Hospice celebrated its 20th anniversary with a series of events including a grand masquerade ball at the town hall. 
• X-factor contestant Jamie Archer was a big hit with the Rochdale public when he turned on the Christmas lights, fans went wild at his introduction on stage. At the end of his set, with the crowd cheering and chanting his name he told them "Rochdale you are wonderful". 
• Frankie Whitworth of Queensway was crowned Miss Rochdale 2009 at the stylish grand final that took place at the Broadfield Park Hotel in November. 
• Thousands packed the streets of Rochdale to say thank you to the Second Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in their welcome home parade. The soldiers, many of whom are from the borough or have close family nearby returned from a six month tour of duty in Helmand Province, the most unstable area of Afghanistan. 
• The Middleton Arena was officially opened by Her Royal Highness, The Countess of Wessex. 
• Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg MP, visited Rochdale in early December as part of his ‘Nick Meets’ sessions held at town halls across the country. 
• Rochdale based Wireless CCTV were awarded the Queen's Award for Innovation 2009 -one of the most prestigious corporate awards in the UK. 
• Rochdale Football Club sit five points clear at the top of the second division with a very healthy goal difference and looking good for automatic promotion, which would be their first foray out of the bottom flight since the late sixties!

What do you think, is 2009 a year we should forget or not?