The Friends of Gallery Oldham are a group of volunteers who aim to share their passion, enjoyment and appreciation for local heritage, art and culture with the wider community in Oldham.

The group will support Gallery Oldham in its mission to inspire, educate, and entertain the public, as well as assisting the Gallery with publicising and promoting their events and exhibitions, as they believe that art can have a positive impact on people’s wellbeing.

During September and October 2023, Gallery Oldham with the assistance of Action Together held four consultation events with almost 50 Oldham residents attending and it soon became clear that there was a strong desire to create a Friends group for the Gallery. 

Following the initial discussions, a small working group met a number of times to bring the idea forward which resulted in the creation and adoption of a constitution, appointment of a Management Committee and, with the help of our friends at Action Together, created a logo for the group.

All this work culminated in a formal launch event of the group in March 2024.

The group arrange regular “member only” events which are special opportunities that normally would not be available to the public. Regular newsletters are produced and distributed to members advising what both the Friends and Gallery Oldham are doing and planning. 

Membership of the Friends of Gallery Oldham starts at just £10 per year and is open to anyone over the age of 18. 

The group would also like to raise funds through events, by Easyfundraising and donations to our GoFundMe page. These funds will help to support the gallery’s projects and initiatives, such as acquiring new artworks, restoring old ones, and supporting local artists.