The District Headquarters is situated on the corner of Glodwick Road and Brompton Street and is jointly owned by Oldham Scouts and Guides.

This building was officially opened on 26 April 1986 by The RT. Hon Lord Rhodes of Saddleworth in the presence of the Mayor and Mayoress of Oldham, Councillor and Mrs. A B McConnell, and other invited guests from the Scout and Guide Associations.

The centre is used by the leaders for meetings, and various events for the children take place in the hall and other rooms as appropriate.

There is a large hall, two meeting rooms, a kitchen and a shop selling Scout and Guide Uniform and equipment.

The Shop is normally open:
Tuesday evening 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm
Thursday evening 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm
Saturday morning 10.00 am - 12.30 pm

The above hours are effective from 21st April 2009

The shop will normally be closed during school holidays.

Telephone number 0161 624 1073

To order equipment or uniforms
The shop at the BP Centre carries a large stock of Scouting & Guiding equipment & uniform and if it is not already in stock they can obtain it for you within a few days.

By using our shop rather than ordering direct you will save any postage and packing costs, and the profit made by the shop goes towards the considerable running costs of the BP Centre.

If you want to check before travelling that the item you require is in stock just give them a call on 0161 624 1073, alternatively send an e-mail to "shop@oldhamscouts.org.uk" (without the quotation marks) with details of the items you want and a contact phone number. A member of the shop staff will then contact you when the item is available for collection.

A short history of the Baden-Powell Centre

In 1960 the Oldham Scout Association decided to ask the Oldham Guide Association to join them in a project to purchase and run a joint headquarters.

After a search for an ideal property a building at 12 Glodwick was found to be suitable. Built in the 19th Century the building had previously been a doctor's residence, surgery and dispensary. It was purchased in May 1961 for £2000 and became the first Joint Scout and Guide Training Centre in the Country.

A House Committee was appointed to administer the Centre and the following few months saw Guiders and Scouter's working hard to modify and decorate the centre in time for the opening ceremony on 7 October 1961. The opening was performed by Miss Anne Shepherd OBE, Commonwealth Advisor for Lone Guides and supported by Sir Geoffrey Hulton Bart JP, Scout County Commissioner for South East Lancashire.

The centre was extensively used by all sections of both movements over the following twenty years but it became increasingly apparent that the building would need expensive renovation work. After considering many possibilities the decision to demolish and rebuild on the original site was taken. Planning permission was granted in July 1984 and work began in November the same year. The new building was handed over on 31 January 1986. The cost of the project being £112,000

We now have a training centre with ideal facilities of which Scouting and Guiding in Oldham can be proud.

This page was last updated on 01 March 2010