The Edge, as it is fondly known by local residents, is a well-used open space attracting dog walkers, families, young people and visitors throughout the year.
It is also very close to Life for a Life, a charity memorial site and sacred space where memorial trees have been planted in memory of loved ones who have died.
The arrival of the Travelling Community brought mixed feelings among local people, with some residents saying they had concerns about the impact on the area, while others appeared more accepting of the community using the open space.
Following their departure, however, the condition of parts of the site has become a particular concern, with residents and dog walkers raising the issue of rubbish, plastic broken children’s toys, plastic bottles and the potential impact on the environment.
One resident said: “It’s the mess that attracts vermin and other pests.”
Another said: “Young kids play out up here and we will have to keep them away for a while until it’s been properly cleaned up.”
A further resident said they believed the rubbish was ultimately what let them down.
“If they took away the rubbish, it would be fine,” they said. “That said, they’re probably off to make a mess for someone else.”
Police and Oldham Council officers have also been spoken to by residents and dog walkers as concerns about the state of the site are raised.
For many people, the issue is less about who has used the land and more about what is left behind and the potential spike in crime and antisocial behaviour.
Oldham Edge has long been shared by different communities and groups, but residents say that sharing the space comes with a responsibility to leave it in a condition that allows everyone else to continue enjoying it.
With the community now having left the site, attention has turned to the clean-up and to ensuring that the Edge can return to being the much-loved community space that local people know and value.
