Oldham receives ACE funding for cultural activity

Oldham Council has successfully applied for £1.845m of funding from Arts Council England (ACE) to support creative and cultural activity in the borough over the next three years.

ACE ringfenced the funding for the council, equivalent to the amount Oldham Coliseum Theatre applied for in the latest national portfolio round, after the funder rejected the theatre’s portfolio application.

According to a statement released by ACE today (19 June), the investment will help Oldham Council test new approaches to programming, creative learning and talent and audience development ahead of the opening of a new performance space in 2026, which the Coliseum is expected to become the anchor tenant of.

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Oldham Coliseum and Oldham Theatre Workshop are among the cultural partners set to be involved in the programme of events, which will feature a mix of commissioned work, festivals and participatory events including community and school workshops, as well as shows from visiting companies.

Key components of the cultural programme will be nurturing local talent and providing an opportunity for young people across the borough to unlock their own creativity, as well as commissioning work from Oldham-based theatre makers.

Oldham Council Leader, Councillor Arooj Shah, said the funding will “help us to retain great cultural activities in the borough while the work to build our new theatre is underway”.

“We’ve worked closely with local cultural organisations in building our application for this funding and both Oldham Coliseum and Oldham Theatre Workshop will be helping us to deliver a fantastic arts, culture and performance programme for Oldham,” Shah added.

Oldham Coliseum Theatre Chair of Trustees, Duncan Craig, said the announcement is positive news.

“It will give the Council the ability to turn our collective plans into a reality, to deliver a strong arts and culture programme in the town – we look forward to helping them deliver it.”

Confirmation the theatre company will be involved in Oldham’s programme of events comes ahead of publication of two independent reports into the Coliseum’s former building and the governance, performance and decisions made by the general and wider leadership of the theatre.

According to the latest update on the Coliseum’s website, which was published towards the end of June, the report into the Fairbottom Street building is “now concluding”, while the second report is expected to be ready in July.