Nostalgic Oldham hits residents with a blast from the past

The Yellow Circus Bus pitched up on Market Street, offering plenty of entertainment for people of all ages, while inside Spindles Shopping Centre there were arts and crafts.

Meanwhile, on Curzon Street, a collection of vintage Mini Coopers were lined up, and further up was Frank Rothwell's team-powered Land Rover and a traditional steam-powered train belonging to local businessman Rowan Ashworth.

There was stunning entertainment on Market Place (Image: Oldham Council)

Crowds gathered to take a trip down memory lane, with multiple generations enjoying the fun.

Mr Rothwell, owner of Oldham Athletic and founder of Manchester Cabins, said: "I was asked would I like to bring along my steam Land Rover because it's the only coal-powered Land Rover in the world and it brings nostalgia to Oldham so I brought that along today."

Jokingly, he added: "With this newfound notoriety I've got, anything I can do to make Oldham a better place and promote Oldham, that's what I'll do."

Frank Rothwell chatted to people about his coal-powered Land Rover (Image: Newsquest)

Many people were eager to get a look at Mr Rothwell's Land Rover, with children getting the opportunity to sit in it and pull on the steam whistle.

Mr Rothwell added: "It's been great, I've really enjoyed getting the kids on [the Land Rover], it's been really, really busy."

Many residents took an interest in the vintage Mini Cooper collection (Image: Oldham Council)

While children were entertained by acts playing retro games outside the bright yellow bus, those inside Spindles Shopping Centre were enjoying arts and crafts, face painting and a Lego Brick Show.

The town centre's streets also saw dancers in 70s clothes bringing a dance party to Oldham by grooving to classic hits.

The 70s dancers brought the nostalgic vibe to Oldham's streets (Image: Oldham Council)

Over in the Fox and Pine, punters were treated to live music, which featured folk tunes from the Oldham Tinkers and Lancashire Hotpots.

Mayor of Oldham, Cllr Zahid Chauhan, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "It was wonderful to see residents of all ages come together to celebrate our history and relive fond memories from decades past."