The trail has been commissioned by visual arts organisation Portraits of Recovery( PORe) to mark the opening of Northern Roots, a new community hub and visitor destination set on 160-acres in the heart of Oldham. Called If You Could Speak to the World, the self-guided walk takes people on both a physical and emotional journey from Oldham town centre out into the woods.

To create the trail, which features seven spoken works of poetry, celebrated poet Phil Davenport collaborated with a group of people with lived experience of substance use and recovery from the Rochdale and Oldham Active Recovery( ROAR) programme, which is operated by Turning Point. The project has been supported by the team at Northern Roots Natural Health Service, with around 15 people aged between their 20s and 70s taking part. For many, it was their first experience of working

creatively with a professional artist.

EXPLORATION Throughout spring and early summer, the group met outdoors at Northern Roots, exploring the landscape as a source of inspiration for making poetry and recording sound. Together, the group shaped every aspect of the trail – from mapping the route and identifying key stopping points to capturing the sounds of the landscape itself. Davenport then mixed the recordings together with fragments of specially commissioned brass compositions written by composer Sophie Cooper and played by the local Milnrow Band, which dates back to 1869.

Different routes are available, with the shortest two-mile path taking in all seven locations, while longer trails run up to six miles. Notable locations along the trail include a boating lake, beehives, an old mill and water meadows, and walkers will be able to follow the route by picking up a map at Northern Roots’ new visitor centre or accessing it online.

Snipe Clough Oldham Way

Portraits of Recovery hopes that the commission offers a new way of experiencing the new eco-park,‘ combining walking, art and lived experience to explore the connections between recovery, wellbeing and the natural environment’. The arts initiative was developed and delivered in partnership with Northern Roots and ROAR, and is funded by the Transport for Greater Manchester( TfGM) Wheels and Walks programme.

SPEAK TO THE WORLD If You Could Speak to the World is part of Recoverist Month and Oldham’ s Greater Manchester Town of Culture

Rising Up programme. Through exhibitions, performances and creative events Recoverist Month places the arts at the centre of conversations on substance use and recovery. Led by Portraits of Recovery and held every September to mark International Recovery Month, the programme now brings artists, communities and audiences together on an annual basis.

SAY YES Former bar and restaurant manager John Bailey, who has been in recovery for just over a year, contributed to the trail.