Oldham children's gym in desperate search for new home

Team Taz is currently based on Roundthorn Road in Oldham but is having to find a new home for their gym.

Taz Tariq, who owns Team Taz, said they were served three weeks notice, which the landlord has said is due to the end of the natural five-year lease.

The landlord initially gave the organisation three weeks to move, but confirmed to The Oldham Times he has agreed to a two-month extension of which they now have one month left to find new premises.

Mr Tariq said: "This really isn't the best news for the kids. 

"The venue was in the centre of a community where two deprived areas were really benefitting from it.

"We've got the temporary accommodation and we'll have to do with that for a time being but we have looked around and there's nothing much in the area."

A local youth zone has granted Team Taz permission to use their space temporarily, but this means a lot of their services may be limited or unavailable.

The boxing space available at Team Taz's current premises (Image: Team Taz Muay Thai)

Team Taz works with disadvantaged children in Oldham and has also branched out to helping vulnerable women. 

Recently, they have began teaching women who have been victims of domestic violence to defend themselves through muay Thai. 

They have also opened a women's only gym as Mr Tariq says women in the area were not satisfied with existing options, as they required having to walk through the men's gym.

He said the gym they have opened has a separate entrance to the building all together, making it accessible to women.

Branching out recently as well to other sports like table tennis and swimming, the gym allows for disadvantaged children to access sporting opportunities.

Mr Tariq says that he is looking for a building that will enable him to keep providing lessons to the children at Team Taz. 

Anyone who is able to help can contract Mr Tariq via the Team Taz Facebook page.