OLDHAM has been named one of the top 10 most entrepreneurial towns in the UK.

The borough was recognised as entrepreneurial by Gravity Global, a specialist B2B marketing agency network.

The top 10 ranking is based on a calculation that uses the latest government business data and factors in population sizes to generate fair results.

To celebrate the achievement, Oldham Enterprise Trust named the period between March 30 and April 6 as Oldham Enterprise Week and held a series of events to showcase the range of business support available in the borough.

Events included a role model conference at Kicksonic where Oldham business ambassador Frank Rothwell addressed delegates, a build a business workshop, and a speed dating event at Oldham College where principal Alun Francis discussed the Oldham Economic Review, which he chaired, and his new role as deputy chair of the Social Mobility Commission.

The Oldham Economic Review was commissioned in September 2021 by Arooj Shah "to help us plot a brighter economic future for the borough" as Oldham prepares for levelling up.

The review lays out how Oldham needs to break away from the ‘dependence’ on the ‘foundational economy’ of basic services and public sector jobs and attract more private sector wealth.

Around 70 per cent of those who are employed in Oldham work in the public sector and basic services, which includes health, care, education, housing, utilities and food supply.

The report calls for more manufacturing, business support, enterprise, and innovation to come to the borough and for Oldham to liaise with Innovation GM and network with Greater Manchester to bring emerging innovation projects to Oldham town centre.