This is Rammy

News, Information and an award winning Podcast right from the heart of Ramsbottom

Young Ramsbottom crafter gets her own shelf at The Whispering Moon

by Leave a Comment

A local 11-year-old has landed her very first retail spot, with The Whispering Moon gift shop in Ramsbottom giving her a shelf to sell her handmade crafts from.

Emmy spent Easter making stock and now has necklaces priced at £2 and bracelets at £2.50 available in the shop. Other items start from as little as £1. Brilliant for a browse and even better if you pick something up.

The Whispering Moon is open 10am to 5pm and is opposite the urn in the town centre. If you’re out shopping in Ramsbottom, it’s well worth popping in to support her.

It’s a big deal for a young person to take that first step into selling their own work, and it sounds like Emmy has put in a proper shift to make it happen. Lovely to see a local business getting behind her too.

Have you spotted Emmy’s stall or picked something up? Let us know in the comments!

Ramsbottom’s Oliver Drake of metal band Evile is fundraising to clear his debts – and the story behind it is worth knowing

by Leave a Comment

Oliver Drake, 42, lives in Ramsbottom, plays lead guitar and sings in thrash metal band Evile, and has just set up a GoFundMe to clear the last of his debts. If you’ve not heard of Evile, formed in Huddersfield in 2004, signed to Earache Records, six studio albums, tours across Japan, the USA and Canada. One of their songs even features in the film Final Destination: Bloodlines. Not bad going.

But here’s the thing about being in a touring band that a lot of people don’t realise: it’s really, really hard to make it pay.

Oliver has spoken to the Bury Times about how years of funding the band, selling possessions, and being unable to hold down a steady job while disappearing on months-long tours gradually built up into a serious debt problem. Add in the cost-of-living crisis, and chipping away at that debt has become incredibly difficult.

He put it plainly: “Metal music is not the most lucrative genre to be a part of, and pretty much since we started, I was doing most things like writing music, logistics and everything behind the scenes. No one will give you three months off to go touring, and then you come back for two weeks and then leave again.”

Evile still exist and still play the occasional festival when something good comes up, but regular touring is off the table. Oliver now works full-time as a service engineer, which means long stretches away from his wife and two daughters, aged five and eight. Both girls have autism, and his wife, who works at a nursery, manages things at home whilst also dealing with her own mental health. The debt hanging over the household makes all of that harder.

That’s really why he set the fundraiser up. As he says himself: “It’s all for them, really.”

Alongside his day job he runs an online guitar school, streams on Twitch, and makes guitar and comedy content online. He’s done 24-hour charity streams before to raise money towards the debt, and this GoFundMe is described as “the last hump to get over.” The goal is £8,000, and it’s already raised around £3,000 in the early days.

The response from Evile fans has been something else. Oliver told the Bury Times: “A lot of Evile fans have come forward and said, ‘You helped me through tough times, so this is me repaying it’. It’s very humbling.”

Running a band for two decades, funding it largely from your own pocket, and then having to ask for help publicly takes some guts. Worth giving the campaign a look if this resonates with you.

You can find the full story over at the Bury Times.

Food Hygiene Ratings for Ramsbottom 2026

by Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever wondered how the cafes, restaurants, takeaways and other food businesses in Ramsbottom are rated for hygiene, this is the list for you.

I’ve pulled together the current food hygiene ratings for all 56 businesses in the BL0 postcode area, based on the Food Standards Agency database. There are another eight awaiting their first inspection or a re-rating, but they’re not included here.

The ratings run from 5 (very good) down to 0 (urgent improvement necessary). Most places in Ramsbottom do well, but there’s a fair spread across the board. It’s worth remembering that a rating is a snapshot of hygiene standards on a particular inspection day, and businesses can request a re-visit if they’ve made improvements since.

I’ve listed each business by name and address, grouped by their rating. If you want to see when a specific place was last inspected or get more detail about why it received a particular score, you’ll need to check the FSA website directly. That information isn’t included here.

[Read more…] about Food Hygiene Ratings for Ramsbottom 2026

Bury’s Big Balsam Bash is Coming to Nuttall Park

by Leave a Comment

If you fancy getting outside and doing something genuinely useful for Ramsbottom this spring, this one’s for you.

Bury Council has announced that the Big Balsam Bash is returning to Nuttall Park on Saturday 30 May 2026 at 10.30am, and they’re looking for volunteers to come along and get stuck in.

If you haven’t heard of Himalayan Balsam before, it’s a non-native invasive plant that spreads along riverbanks and causes some serious damage. The bashes are a chance for local volunteers to help control its spread and protect the riverbanks we all enjoy.

Last year’s events were a big success, so it’s brilliant to see them back for 2026. There’s something really satisfying about spending a morning doing something that actually makes a visible difference to your local area.

All you need to bring is a drink, a pair of gloves, and some sturdy shoes. Bury Council and local volunteer groups will be there to show you exactly how to bash the balsam correctly.

You can find out more about the full programme of events across the borough, and how to get involved, over on the Bury Council Big Balsam Bash page.

Are you planning to go along? It’d be great to see a good Ramsbottom turnout on the day.

Heatwaves: what you need to know if the temperature spikes this summer

by Leave a Comment

Most of us are glad to see the sun, but when it stays hot for too long it can become a genuine health risk – particularly for older residents, young children, and anyone with an underlying condition.

According to Bury Council, a heatwave health alert is triggered when average temperatures hit around 30°C during the day and 15°C overnight. The key thing is duration – those temperatures need to last for at least two days and the night in between to pose a serious risk.

If you want to understand why heatwaves cause harm and who is most vulnerable, the NHS has a straightforward guide on coping in hot weather that is worth a read.

The Met Office also runs a Heat Health Watch Alert service between 1 June and 15 September each year, so that is a handy one to keep an eye on through the summer months.

Worth checking in on any neighbours who live alone or might struggle in the heat. It does not take much.

Have you got any tips for keeping cool locally? Drop them in the comments below.