Thursday 30th October 2025
Around 45 local young children and their parents will have access to high quality, accessible learning experiences thanks to a grant from East Lancashire Freemasons to the Oasis Community Hub Oldham charity.
The £60,000 grant will support Oasis Community Hub Oldham’s ‘Early Learning Project’ which will deliver play and learning sessions for young children living in Oldham. Families living in these areas have low incomes and access to free, high quality early years provision is limited. The project will focus on providing help and support to families that will lead to better learning outcomes and school readiness among children that attend. It will engage and empower parents to support the educational needs of their young children supporting the transition into school.
The funding will make a significant difference in the lives of children and their families by providing three safe, well equipped community hub spaces to deliver weekly sessions for children aged under five years and their parent / carers to attend together. The sessions will focus on the skills needed to ensure that children are ready to start school e.g. self-care skills, social skills, early numeracy and literacy skills, fine and gross motor skills.
The grant will also fund monthly workshops and community events empowering parents / carers to support their children’s learning at home using every day / inexpensive items from around the home. As well as delivering evidenced based parenting groups.
It will also recruit and train 10 community champions to support the delivery of the project and engage with local schools and other community organisations that support children’s learning.
Strategic Community Development Lead for Oasis Community Hub Oldham, Adele Murray said:
“We’re very grateful to East Lancashire Freemasons for their generous grant. Research shows that children who spend longer in early years provision have better educational outcomes later on. It also shows that high quality early years provision particularly benefits children from low income families. The Early Learning Project will provide support to local families to help ensure that their children have a good start at school”.
Assistant Provincial Grand Master John Curry from East Lancashire Freemasons, said:
“I’m really pleased we’ve been able to help Oasis with their hugely important project helping low income families in Oldham. Children only get one chance at starting school and Oasis will help them to make the most of it. This programme is potentially life-changing”.
