where locals reported a heavy police and fire service presence Witnesses described seeing more than ten police vehicles as well as fire engines and Tactical Aid units converging on the wooded area alongside the river A cordon was quickly put in place and a footbridge over the River Irwell was also sealed off Greater Manchester Police confirmed they were called following a concern for welfare report involving a man a body was recovered from the water shortly afterwards Formal identification has not yet taken place and no further details about the deceased have been released Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service assisted police at the scene as the response unfolded The nature of the incident led to a significant deployment of resources although authorities have not indicated whether the death is being treated as suspicious Officers remained at the location into the evening as investigations continued situated in a more secluded area of the riverside woodland was cordoned off as police examined the area A GMP spokesperson said enquiries into the man’s death are ongoing and further updates will be provided when appropriate Our photographer has sent us these photos from the scene:  Want to tell us about something happening in our Borough Let us know by emailing newsdesk@rochvalleyradio.com Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated Roch Valley Radio is a not-for-profit radio station serving Bury and Rochdale including the surrounding areas on DAB The information on this page is intended for journalists If you click NO you will come back to Mynewsdesk.com Ramsbottom have advanced over the winter months to create top quality sports facilities full size 3G floodlit-all-weather football pitch with full completion expected in early May include an extended and improved changing pavilion better parking provision and a refurbished play area with the addition of a new zip wire The off-road pathway from Ramsbottom Cemetery leading to the rear of the park has also been improved to make it easier for local people to reach the park on foot The new facilities have been funded with a £1m external grant from the Football Foundation together with £450k match funding from Bury Council The £50,000 play area and ball zone improvements are being funded by Bury Council’s ongoing play areas refurbishment programme said: “The fantastic new 3G will give a huge boost to grassroots sport in Ramsbottom helping to unlock football’s many benefits to physical and mental health for people of all ages “And the improved play area will also be a great asset for children and families Quality outdoor play facilities are so important for children’s health and development “I’m excited to see the site fully finished and look forward to seeing youngsters enjoying the new zip wire.” Remaining works at the site to complete the project include: the project also includes planting a number of semi-mature trees within available space on the site in partnership with City of Trees The new 3G at Ramsbottom adds to the recent successful provision completed in Radcliffe at Redbank Playing Fields in 2024 and other well-established facilities at Goshen For more information about outdoor play facilities in the Bury borough visit www.bury.gov.uk/playfacilities Find us on: Facebook.com/burycouncil, Flickr.com/buryphotos. @burycouncil and bury.gov.uk Formed in April 1974 as a result of Local Government re-organisation it was one of the ten original districts that formed the County of Greater Manchester The Borough has an area of 9,919 hectares (24,511 acres) and serves a population of 187,500 When you choose to create a user account and follow a newsroom your personal data will be used by us and the owner of the newsroom for you to receive news and updates according to your subscription settings To learn more about this, please read our Privacy Policy, which applies to our use of your personal data, and our Privacy Policy for Contacts which applies to the use of your personal data by the owner of the newsroom you follow Please note that our Terms of Use apply to all use of our services You can withdraw your consent at any time by unsubscribing or deleting your account A new roof and solar panels will ensure that Ramsbottom Library has a watertight and green future Work is due to start on 31 March and will finish by 14 June The library’s car park will be used as the site compound for the works Enabling works have already taken place to clear gullys and vegetation and scaffolding is being erected around the building some library events will be moved to the nearby Ramsbottom Civic Hall and alternative arrangements made for certain adult education classes Surveys found that it was necessary to replace the roof following a number of leaks which had caused damage to the fabric of the building will generate 4800kwh per year of renewable energy This will save the library up to £1,000 per year in electricity costs helping to protect it from future energy price rises It will also support the council’s commitment to tacking the climate emergency and reaching its target to be carbon neutral by 2038 cabinet member for culture and the economy said: “This really is a win-win situation – a much-needed new roof on a well-used local facility It’s all part of our commitment to improving the centre of Ramsbottom and we will work with the contractors to limit disruption as much as we can during the works.” Bury Council is launching a public consultation on plans to enhance travel options in Ramsbottom town centre aiming to make the town a more enjoyable place to live local businesses were given the opportunity to be briefed on the proposals by scheme consultants The consultation starts today (12 November) and ends at midnight on Friday 6 December 2024 Feedback can be provided online via the virtual consultation room or at a drop-in event said: “This is a consultation on proposals residents and visitors what impact they think these plans will have on travel around the town as well as any issues or opportunities it’s important for us to consider “Please do take this opportunity to get involved either by attending a drop-in event or providing feedback via the virtual consultation room.” The Ramsbottom Town Centre Streets for All proposals have been developed taking into consideration feedback from an earlier consultation about the Ramsbottom Town Centre Plan This scheme is one of several local schemes to be funded by UK Government via the Streets for All element of Greater Manchester’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement It is part of the investment in the Bee Network to transform the way we travel across Greater Manchester contributing towards 50% of trips (1 million journeys) to be made by public transport A public consultation on plans to enhance travel options in Ramsbottom town centre has been extended to Friday 20 December And an extra drop-in session has been arranged for Thursday 12 December for people to come along view the plans and ask questions of the project team It takes place at Ramsbottom Civic Hall from 3.30pm to 7.30pm Residents are also invited to provide feedback online via the virtual consultation room - visit Streets for All Ramsbottom - town centre - Bury Council to find out more and complete the survey The Streets for All proposals have been developed taking into consideration feedback from an earlier consultation about the Ramsbottom Town Centre Plan It is part of the investment in the Bee Network to transform the way we travel across Greater Manchester said: “Traffic and congestion have been a big concern for people in Ramsbottom for many years “Since these proposals were published last month we have already had more than 1,000 responses This is why we have extended the consultation period and organised an extra drop-in session to give more time for even more people to view the plans in detail and have their say “Let me be clear - this is a consultation on proposals All opinions will be considered before any further proposals are made “Please take this opportunity to get involved either by attending the extra drop-in event or providing feedback online.” More top-quality sports facilities are on the way as works progress to create a new state-of-the-art full-size 3G floodlit all-weather football pitch at Top Park The enhancements at the park will also include an extension and improvements to the changing pavilion The new 3G football pitch and associated improvements are being supported by a £1m external grant from the Football Foundation together with £450k approved capital matched funding from Bury Council Major site works are in progress and will continue until late spring 2025 there is no direct access to the playing field from the main Bolton Road West entrance Improvements have been carried out to an existing informal footpath from Ramsbottom Cemetery for pedestrian access with suitable footwear said: “This will be a fantastic high-quality football facility for the benefit of Ramsbottom and North Bury It will also provide improved community facilities for a wide range of users A recently completed 3G pitch in Radcliffe is now being used by more than 70 clubs and we are hoping for the same here at Top Park.” added: “This new facility will also support wellbeing and healthy lifestyles and give young people better opportunities for physical activity at a safe and well-maintained modern facility.” Picture: Cllrs Alan Quinn and Gareth Staples-Jones at Top Park Teenage captain Maeve Jones describes how the talented junior side ‘surprised a lot of teams’ on the way to four wins The Ramsbottom faithful were out in force on a chilly Saturday in late April to mark an historic occasion at Acre Bottom. After their women’s first XI had gone unbeaten throughout 2023, winning the league for the second year on the bounce and lifting the T20 trophy, the club had taken the unprecedented step of entering them into the Lancashire League, joining the third XI section to take on teams comprised exclusively – barring one or two exceptions – of men. “It’s the right thing for this group at the right time,” Iain Collier, Ramsbottom’s women’s and girls’ head coach, told WCM back in January. “We’re still going to play in the women’s competitions but this is a fantastic opportunity to do both.” Read moreTheir first test was a home encounter with Accrington a fellow founder of the Lancashire League back in 1892 “It was a really good atmosphere,” recalls Jones “All of the players’ families came and watched It was just a really good support system for everyone.” but then came unstuck against Ramsbottom’s spinners bagging a five-fer to stall Accrington’s progress “It was just so interesting to see that when Shriya came on they didn’t know what to do,” says Jones who snaffled two wickets of her own with her off-breaks “They weren’t sure how to play her and I was like Shriya Pindoria’s five-for set up a famous victory against Accrington Photograph: Kate PetersonHaving been set a target of 158 in 40 overs Jones took her side halfway there with a hard-fought 37 before a quickfire unbeaten 47 from Grace Johnson saw Ramsbottom home with 16 deliveries to spare “To chase 150-plus down and see that composure and maturity was just fantastic,” says Collier Despite fielding a side made up almost entirely of juniors – Collier reports that of the 23 players who represented the women’s first XI in the Lancashire League this summer 22 were aged 19 or under while 11 were 15 or under – Ramsbottom went on to win four of their 14 completed matches and finished a very respectable seventh of 11 “During the season a lot of players had A-levels and it got to the point where a lot of young players came in,” says Jones “We had a lot of players who’d never really played men’s cricket before and that was an amazing opportunity for them It’s those four wins that will stick in the mind when we think back on our first season in the Lancs League.” Jones says the experience of playing in a male-dominated environment rapidly accelerated the development of her young side but coming into the men’s league I was playing people I’d never played against before A few of them were giving a bit of chirp so you’ve always got to be switched on Every team we played was a different atmosphere so the girls were constantly learning how to deal with it When we played Accrington in the first game and won they surprised me really with how gracious they were the opposition were always very supportive of us and we took that encouragement into each game.” Having faced up to pacy bowlers and led her side against battle-hardened club players with decades of experience Jones says her team have learned a lot as their thoughts drift to a second season at this level in 2025 “I found that as an opening batter facing men’s opening bowlers some of them were quick and had pace on their side I’ve played other female spinners who I found were better Free weekly newsletterSubscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week’s action “We focused on our strengths,” adds Collier, “which was good spin bowlers, playing straight and batting through the innings. It’s been a major part of our development.” Jones topped 1,000 runs across all cricket for the summer, one of four of the women’s first XI to do so, and also claimed 46 wickets. She was one of seven Ramsbottom players to represent the Lancashire Under-18 side which won both the national T20 and 50-over competitions this summer and also represented Lancashire Thunder’s second team, while Grace Johnson, 19, turned out for the senior Thunder side in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. Meanwhile, Ramsbottom continued to dominate the women’s club scene, winning the senior women’s league for a third consecutive year, while their under- 18s and under-15s won their respective leagues. The under-15s – featuring eight players who had represented the first XI in the Lancashire League this season – also reached the National T20 Knockout final at Lord’s, where they lost to Apperley. Read moreHaving taken the leap, Collier believes the decision to enter the women’s first XI in the Lancashire League has been firmly vindicated. “We’re seeing the proof in the pudding,” he says. “Our main objective was the development of the girls and to give them new challenges, so it was definitely the right thing for this group.” While Ramsbottom are keen to emphasise that they see the future of women’s cricket as all-female sides playing against each other rather than competing against men, Collier hopes the performances of his players will encourage other clubs to give women greater opportunities in traditionally male club cricket, accelerating their development in the process. “I hope that’s a knock-on effect for the wider women’s game,” he says. The leading Lancashire law firm’s Managing Director spoke in depth to participants about his love for the club why Watson Ramsbottom are front-of-shirt partners plus his favourite memories supporting Blackburn Rovers Watson Ramsbottom are a local firm with offices in Blackburn Darwen and Accrington and employ more than 250 members of staff and have seen a rapid growth in recent years With more than 1,000 reviews on Trustpilot, with an average score of 4.9 stars out of 5, Watson Ramsbottom are a highly respected company and have a long affiliation with the club since becoming back of shirt partners in 2018 they are also back-of-shirt partners for Blackburn Rovers Women Speaking after his recent visit to Remember the Rovers which takes place every Wednesday from 10am in the Darwen End Elton said: “It was great to visit Remember the Rovers and meet so many Blackburn Rovers supporters who have been on an even longer rollercoaster ride with the club than myself “I hope they weren’t too disappointed with the stories of my four appearances at Ewood Park especially the 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Feniscowles Primary in 1983 “Remember the Rovers is a fantastic initiative and it has helped so many people and their families and it is great to see our award-winning Community Trust are running projects like this to help.” prior to our home fixture against Luton Town Watson Ramsbottom will have a donation drop-off point at Ewood Park to support women and children forced to spend Christmas in refuges Please consider making a donation to this worthwhile cause if you are able For full information about the support Watson Ramsbottom are offering this Christmas and the type of donations needed, please CLICK HERE.  For further information about Remember the Rovers, please email Ben.Howard@brfctrust.co.uk.