Lowton East Neighbourhood Development Forum
The group came about in January 2009 when the Labour government of the day proposed the merging of our two local high schools - Golborne and Lowton - into one “megaschool”.
We were opposed to this for various reasons - the main one being the proposed new school was to be built on the last decent piece of open land in our over-built town - Hesketh Meadow Playing Fields.
Also, it would mean the demolition of a popular venue - Lowton Civic Hall, a much-loved and well-used venue (Wigan Jazz Club had their base there; the high schools put on plays; there were regular theme nights; used for blood doning sessions etc).
Many were also concerned that having just one school for the area would create plenty of other problems - access to the site, traffic chaos, danger to pupils and cyclists, loss of jobs.
We were also convinced that Wigan Council had got their sums hopelessly wrong - they were claiming that the population of Lowton and Golborne would get smaller over the next 15 years, so a “smaller” (1,500!) school would suffice.
And so it was that “Hesketh Meadow Action Group” (HMAG) was born. And the rest, as they say, is history!
Hesketh Meadow Action Group (HMAG) - history
