FRIENDS ART FOR SALE.
Gallery Oldham has very kindly allowed The Friends to have a display case which is on the landing next to the lift outside Gallery Three. Next time you are at the Gallery please go and have a look.
Over time, we have had various items of artwork donated for us to sell and assist in our fundraising. So far there has been limited opportunities to display the items. Everything is priced up, so if you are interested in purchasing anything on show, please see a member of the Gallery staff.
The display case outside Gallery Three showing artwork for sale.
ART FAIR SELECTION.
The selection committee met on Tuesday 2nd June and carefully reviewed all of the 32 submissions received for the GO! Artists – Oldham’s Art Fair.
This year’s applications were truly exceptional and the standard was incredibly high. The committee, which comprised of Roger Hindle, Tricia Golden & Anne Bardsley were blown away by the creativity, talent and passion shown in every submission. A huge thank you to everyone who applied – you made our job extremely difficult in the best possible way!
We are genuinely excited to support such amazing talent from in and around Oldham. We have selected a wide variety of art for the fair – jewellery, textiles, ceramics and glass as well as a number of illustration mediums. This year’s fair, on October 17th, is shaping up to be something really special, definitely one not to miss.
The selection committee of Tricia Golden, Anne Bardsley and Roger Hindle had a very busy morning.
VICE CHAIR AND SECRETARY STAND DOWN.
It was with great sadness we received notification that both our Vice Chair Sue Coggin and Secretary Shirley Mulock stood down from their positions at the recent AGM. Both Sue & Shirley have been an integral part of The Friends of Gallery Oldham going back to the initial consultation events in the Autumn of 2023, being members of the working group who took the Friends Group from an idea to launching in March 2024 and continuing to work hard for the benefit of the group for the next two years. We really appreciate the work they have done and wish them all the best going forward.
OUR SECOND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
We held our second Annual General Meeting at Gallery Oldham on Thursday 11th June. We reflected on the very successful Art Fair last November and the other events we have held over the last year. The meeting agreed to keep the Membership fee the same at £10 for an individual, £15 for two people residing at the same address and a student’s membership at £5. In his Chairman’s Report, Roger Hindle thanked everyone who has helped in any way during the last year, especially the members of the Management Committee, Gallery Oldham staff and of course the membership. After the business part of the evening, Principal Arts & Heritage Officer Sean Baggaley gave a presentation giving details of a number of items the Gallery owns which have come from various benefactors starting with one of the very first acquisitions in 1882 “A Winter’s Tale” by Charles Potter running through to the latest addition funded by The Friends of Gallery Oldham, “The Coliseum” by Cliff Murphy.
Sean shows images of one of the original acquisitions going through to the latest.
NEW MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE ELECTED.
At the Annual General Meeting, most of the new Management Committee was elected for 2026/27. Chairman Roger Hindle and Treasurer Tricia Golden were re-elected unopposed whilst Anne Bardsley was elected as Vice Chairman. Linda Edwards, Isabel Lunn and Jeremy Sutcliffe were also re-elected as member representatives. Following the meeting, Linda agreed to step up to the Secretary position whilst Caroline Moloney & Lee Nolan put themselves forward as member representatives. These positions were agreed at the Management Committee meeting held on 21st July.
BEST WISHES ISABEL.
We would like to send our best wishes to Isabel Lunn as she recovers from an accident which happened whilst she was on holiday recently.
Hopefully she will be back to full strength very soon.
UPCOMING FRIENDS ONLY EVENTS
We have had a request to look at alternative dates other than Thursdays for some of our events. Whilst Thursday evenings were initially chosen because the Gallery is open later, there is nothing to stop us looking at other days and times.
11th August 2026 – 6.30pm – Note change of date from Thursday to Tuesday – New Archive Tour. Archivist Jan Hicks will give us a tour of the new Archive building located on Ascroft Street at the corner with Parliament Square.
8th October 2026 – As we did during the last Oldham Open in 2024, we will be inviting some of the exhibitors to talk about their style and what they are showing in the
exhibition.
10th December 2026 – Details to be confirmed – but will have a Christmas theme.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for a Friends event, or if you can offer a presentation to us, please let us know by emailing fogoldham@aol.com
GALLERY OLDHAM LAUNCH MOBILE APP
Gallery Oldham has just launched a new digital guide which will make a visit to the Gallery even more interesting.
It features collections, exhibitions and an audio tour giving more details about some of the exhibits and their history, as well as a link to the Friends of Gallery Oldham website.
It’s a new fun way to explore whether you are visiting in person or browsing from home.
The free guide is now available on the Bloomberg Connects app. Download it via Google Play or the App store to find Gallery Oldham, alongside hundreds of other cultural institutions from all around the world.
It is hoped that over time, more popular exhibits will be added to the audio descriptions, so if you have a favourite item or painting and want to talk about it, let us know.
The new app will give more details about Gallery Oldham and some of the exhibits on display.
WHAT’S ON AT GALLERY OLDHAM
Following the reorganisation in Gallery One, a new Natural History exhibit is now in place and looks brilliant – well worth a visit. The popular short-term exhibitions have now moved to be in this area, starting with “Waterfall of Kites” which runs until 29th August. It is a vibrant cascade of colour and movement and forms part of the Khushi Festival 2026. Led by Manasamitra and Sue Warpole, three Oldham artists and communities have created 100 kites suspended like a waterfall, inspired by South Asian heritage and shared traditions.
“Wild Lives” by Anne Bardsley follows from 5th September until 7th November. This exhibition celebrates the beauty, character and vulnerability of animals. Anne’s mixed media and oil portraits are full of colour, energy and personality. The collection features endangered wildlife, working animals and often overlooked species.
If you would like to apply to exhibit in this space in the future, please email katie.madden@oldham.gov.uk for more details and the application criteria.
In Gallery Two, “Oldham Wakes” runs until 5th September. Taking inspiration from the seasonal traditions of Old Lancashire holiday festivals, rush carts and processions, Oldham based artist Sophie Tyrrell populates the gallery with fabulously colourful handmade carnival installations.
“Once Upon a Time” is in Gallery Three until 5th September. This is a family-focused, fun-filled space where everyone can enjoy brilliant books and special stories. With cosy corners for reading, colourful artwork to explore, and hands-on activities to dive into, it’s a place where creativity comes to life.
Then on 19th September, the ever popular Bi-annual “Oldham Open” returns. This exhibition, which will fill Gallery Two and the newly extended Gallery Three, showcases the extraordinary range of talented artists who live, work or study in the borough of Oldham.
There will be a wide variety of artists and styles on display, across drawing, painting, photography, ceramics and sculpture. Some of the work will be for sale, so it’s a great opportunity to pick up some Christmas presents while supporting artists in our area.
Further details of these and other upcoming events can be found in the Heritage, Libraries and Arts “What’s On” brochure. Printed copies are free and available from the Gallery and all local libraries and a pdf version is available on the HLA website or email fogoldham@aol.com and a copy can be sent to you.
SKILLS AUDIT
As we continue to grow and evolve, we know that some of our members will have skills, experience and qualifications which we could tap into. Would you be willing to share with us your knowledge and expertise, especially if you think it could help at any of our events.
Please let us know; what you do, or did, as a profession, are you a First Aider, do you have a Food Hygiene certificate, are you DBS checked or have some other useful skills? Please email fogoldham@aol.com
FRIENDS CAN NOW GET 10% OFF AT GALLERY OLDHAM SHOP
Don’t forget that members of The Friends of Gallery Oldham are eligible for a 10% discount in the Gallery Oldham shop. Just show staff the email sent to you with your membership card. This offer only applies to shop stock and cannot be used for purchases of art work from exhibitions, printing & photocopying and event tickets etc.
EASY WAYS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR FOGO
There are some easy ways you can help boost our funds and get some benefits yourself.
Easyfundraising offers organisations the chance to raise FREE donations when you shop online. Recently it has been announced that shopping in person at participating retailers can also now raise free donations when you download their App. So far, we have received over £107. If you need any more information or help with signing up, please contact our Treasurer, Tricia Golden.
We are now registered as a ‘good cause’ with the Oldham Community Lottery. Tickets are only £1 per week and if you chose us as the organisation you want to support, we can receive over half the ticket value and who knows, you may also win! You can sign up and buy your tickets using the link https://www.oldhamcommunitylottery.co.uk/support/the-friends-of-gallery-oldham?utm_campaign=cause-page-social-share&utm_source=cause-page&utm_medium=social&utm_content=Hyperlink
If you know of any local companies or organisations who may be able to either make a donation to us or allow us to apply for any charitable funding, please get in touch emailing us at fogoldham@aol.com.
