8 Signs You Grew Up In Oldham

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If you were born in Oldham then no matter how far away you travel, you’ll never be able to shake that fact. Trust me, I’ve quickly come to learn that you can take the girl out of Oldham, but you can’t really take the Oldham out of the girl. Somethings just stick with you! Here’s my little list of 8 different signs that you grew up in Oldham!

1. Breadcake vs. Barm

This is an age-old debate, what do you call those soft white… buns? baps? barmcakes? bread cakes? Well this is an argument that will go right over an Oldhamer’s head. It’s a muffin, and no one else can convince us otherwise.

2. The big coat

In Oldham, bad weather doesn’t mean shit to us. Hell, there’s been a storm warning all week, and all it’s meant is that we’ve broken out the big coats a little earlier than usual.

3. The M62

In Oldham, you’re never more than about 20 minutes away from the M62, so we find it ridiculous that some places have to travel for almost double that just to get on to the closest motorway!

4. The green stuff

You know what we mean. Pukka, bud, green, weed. Whatever people prefer to call it, as an Oldhamer it really doesn’t faze you. If you haven’t tried it you’re at least unfazed by the smell because you can smell it pretty much anywhere in Oldham.

5. Public fights

If you’ve grown up in Oldham, chances are public fights just don’t bother you anymore. It’s not uncommon for someone to be starting on someone else, be it on the bus, High Street or Metrolink.

6. Using the buddy system

Always sticking with someone is like second nature to you. be it in crowds, clubs, whatever. You always stick with someone, even if that means grabbing onto their bag strap. It’s like an instinctual reflex you’ve kept from battling the lunchtime crowds at school.

7. Smoke Yard

You know that Smoke Yard is the highlight of Oldham. Hell, people even travel from other places just to visit it!

8. Glorious shit hole

Oldham gets a bit of a bad rep a lot of the time, and you know you’re a true Oldhamer when you’ll defend it to the grave, despite knowing it is a little shit. But that doesn’t matter, you’re proud of where you come from.