Contents:
- Editor's welcome
- Paul Waugh: From Rochdale to Westminster
- Rachel Winnard: One in Two Million
- Rochdale Sixth Form College wins at prestigious Further Education awards
- Rev Mark Coleman
- Baillie Street Quarter
- Touchstones reopens with new exhibitions
- Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum
- Highlights of a Mayoral Year
- Fancy dress posties raise £1,700 for MIND
- John Swinden’s Captain Tom 100 challenge
- Littleborough’s Tackling Minds to become first organisation to work with NHS in prescribing angling
- Keith Hicks retires after 33 years of service at RAFC »
- Bid for local digital radio signal
- Carpet Creations celebrates 25 years in business
- Help fill Springhill’s gardens with sunflowers in memory of your loved ones
- Local author reminisces about Rochdale high streets in the 80s and 90s in new book
- After the storm, the healthy hazy days of summer
- Rochdale Heartbeat honoured with Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
- Ian Jenkins: Forty Years of Making Music
- Hairdressing Trend - Babylights
- Lasting Power of Attorney
- Cupcakes recipe
- Brown’s Cakes celebrates 10 years
- Beauty Feature: Coming back strong after lockdown
- Take a walk at Ealees
Summer 2021Keith Hicks retires after 33 years of service at RAFC
The Rochdale AFC Community Trust manager officially retired from his role in March 2021.
Keith himself played for Rochdale AFC between 1985 and 1987, noting that his career highlight was playing at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the FA Cup in 1986.
After being forced to retire through injury, Keith was at the heart of Rochdale AFC’s Community Trust from the very beginning; returning to the local club to join the trust in its infancy, just a month after it officially began operating in October 1987.
The first session took place at High Birch School with just two bags of footballs, and bibs and markers, a long way from the current set-up that Keith has grown it into today.
The trust now engages with hundreds of people every year delivering their four main themes – education, health, social inclusion, and sports participation - as well as continuing their long association with local primary schools.
On his retirement, Keith was presented with a one-off gift a custom-designed keepsake, made from one of the bricks taken from the old 5-a-side pitch at Spotland’s Crown Oil Arena when it was demolished.