On the trail of fascinating facts

Rochdale’s stunning town hall will feature on the trail

Keen historians are invited to learn about more about Rochdale’s past with the help of the experts on the town centre heritage trail this Saturday (May 5).

Walkers can find out all about what life was like in 19th century Rochdale during the free trail, which will be led by Blue Badge Guides and will take in the Town Hall, the Toad Lane Pioneers Museum and other historical gems.

The walks, which will start at Touchstones Rochdale and last approximately one hour, mark the launch of the Rochdale Town Centre Heritage Trail leaflets to celebrate the naming of Rochdale as the World Capital of Cooperatives.

This year is the International Year of the Cooperatives and Saturday’s walk is just one of a series of events which will be taking place throughout the borough in 2012 to mark Rochdale’s unique contribution to the world-wide Movement.

Tim Nuttall, Tourism Officer for Rochdale Council said: “As a borough we’ve always been rightly proud of our heritage, but this year is a special celebration.

“These walks are particularly exciting because they’re being led by Blue Badge Guides who have a really extensive knowledge of our past and can give their groups a fascinating insight. It’s also completely free to take part so we’d encourage as many people as possible to come along and take a look.”

The walk starts at 2pm and anyone wishing to take part is asked to book first by phoning 01706 924 928 or by emailing tic@link4life.org

And there will be plenty of opportunities for people who can’t make this Saturday, as the walks will be taking place every other Saturday at the same time and various weekdays starting on Thursday 10 May.

Copies of the new heritage walk leaflets are available free of charge from the Visitor Information Centre at Touchstones, Rochdale, which is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm.