Special reports

Shop Local in Rochdale

WITH a third of Rochdale town centre premises standing empty, local traders are struggling to keep in business and the Observer has launched a campaign to encourage people to ‘shop local’ in a bid to boost trade and help rejuvenate the town’s shopping centre. You can follow the campaign in this section, and see more at http://www.youtube.com/user/RochdaleShopLocal ...

Springhill Hospice Appeal

CAN You Spare A Minute? That's what we are asking Observer readers over the course of the year. To tie in with 25 years of fundraising for Springhill Hospice, we have launched an appeal which we hope will raise £75,000. This special section carries news about the fundraising and the hospice throughout the appeal. You can make a donation by going to www.justgiving.com/rochdaleobserver.

Obituaries

IF YOU have lost a close friend, colleague or family member and would like to pay tribute to them in the Observer, please contact our newsdesk on 0161 211 2812 or email rochdaleobserver@menmedia.co.uk. Tribute reports in the Observer are free of charge and are separate from the Family Notices service in our classified section but you can also ask your funeral director for a form to fill in and return to us. We are also happy to include a photograph of your loved one with the tribute report. Go to www.rochdaleobserver.co.uk/community/obituaries to read the latest obituaries. Classified death notices, acknowledgments and in memoriams appear in our Family Notices section where you can leave your messages and create your own 'moving tributes' to your loved ones - go to www.rochdaleobserver.co.uk/community/family_notices/

Turner Brothers controversy

A FIERCE battle against a housing bid for the old Turner Brothers‘ factory is being waged on a local, national and even international level. See how the Observer has covered the unfolding story so far ...

Rochdale Convent School - 100 years on

IT IS 100 years since the formation of the Rochdale Convent School - in the special section we tell the story of the school and the nuns who taught thousands of the town's children. Compiled by Helen Johnson and Chris Lloyd, with special thanks to the Pallottine Sisters and former convent pupils and staff.

Molseed murder - the full story

THE full story of Lesley Molseed's murder and the subsequent investigation which spanned over three decades is told here, with a look back through the Observer archives ...

Days out in Rochdale

SUMMER is here at last and if you're hunting for ways of entertaining family and friends over the holiday period, why not beat the credit crunch and take a look at the fabulous attractions on our own doorstep? Maybe you haven't visited some of them for a while or perhaps you're in charge of finding something to do for visitors, whatever the reason you'll find something for everyone to enjoy within just a few miles With help from Rochdale Council tourism officer Tim Nuttall, here is the Observer's list of brilliant places to go without cranking up the miles.