Residents’ priorities to be delivered as first Ashton Pride in Place projects agreed

An evening security team to tackle anti-social behaviour and improvements to parks are among the first projects to be approved as part of Ashton’s £3m Pride in Place programme.

Other schemes include a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style fund to help people start new businesses, a youth-led art project to make subways feels safer and more events and activities to bring people into the town centre.

The range of new projects, decided on by the Ashton Neighbourhood Board and given approval by the Government, will begin from summer 2026, focusing on what matters most to residents including making the town centre safer, improving public spaces, supporting local groups, and creating more opportunities for local people.

The board is chaired by Phill Brown and includes a mix of business, education, and community representatives as well as councillors.

With £20 million earmarked for Ashton over the next decade, the £3million funding is being released from part of a £41 million Government investment across Tameside. The funding includes a boroughwide pot and recent addition of £20 million pound for Hattersley.

The programme aims to strengthen community pride and puts the community central to deciding how the funding will be spent. Earlier this year, some initial Pride in Place funding was used to support a programme of events in the town centre, led by Ashton Town Team. These included events like Amazing Ashton, Heritage Day, and Small Business Saturday, which have brought people together and helped support local businesses.

The Spring Family Festival three-day event was also part funded by the Pride in Place funding and attracted hundreds of visitors to the town.

The first projects include:

• a new evening security team to help tackle anti-social behaviour and make people feel safer in the town centre
• improvements to local greenspaces and parks, including King George V Park, Oxford Park, and Waterloo Park
• £750,000 investment in Ashton Market Hall, creating a lively space for food, events, culture, and local businesses
• funding for community groups and organisations to support local activities and services
• a youth-led art project to improve subways and make them feel safer
• a new Adult Support Hub offering advice, support, and opportunities for residents
• a programme of events and activities to keep bringing life into the town centre and supporting the transformation of the Market Square
• a sports and leisure grants scheme to improve facilities and help more people get active in a way that works for them
• investment in skills and training at Tameside College
• a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style fund to help local people start new businesses

Phill Brown MBE, Chair of the Ashton Neighbourhood Board, said: “These projects show what Pride in Place is all about, investing in what people have told us really matters to them.

“Earlier this year, we announced funding to support an events programme from the Ashton Town Team, and these showed that Ashton can be busy, welcoming, and full of life. These next projects build on that by making lasting improvements, from safer streets to better community spaces and more opportunities for local people. This is just the beginning, we will keep talking to local people, but we will start to see real changes very soon.”

Councillor Andrew McLaren, Tameside Council’s Deputy Leader Executive Member for Growth, Housing and Homelessness, added: “This is an important milestone for Ashton. These first projects show what Pride in Place is all about and what the board is aiming to achieve by investing in what matters most to our communities.”

The grant funding for the community groups and sports and leisure facilities is currently being finalised by the board and details of how groups can apply will be released soon. Local people, businesses, and community groups will continue to play a key role as the plans move forward with lots more opportunities coming up to talk about what’s important to them.

You can find out more about the fund and the investment’s being made on the web page www.tameside.gov.uk/ashtonprideinplace

More details on the individual programmes will be shared in due course.

There are more opportunities for the wider borough to get involved in projects too through your Neighbourhood Community Forum.