IT'S plastic and it's fantastic!

Oldham children are making a big noise thanks to an innovative music project which uses plastic instruments instead of their heavier, more expensive brass counterparts.

The Incredible Plastic Street Band is run by local organisations including First Choice Homes Oldham and is designed to give kids confidence and bring the community together.

The weekly after-school sessions for children from Lees and Holts have not only given children in the area a chance to learn how to play an instrument, but it has also given parents in the community the opportunity to come to the sessions and meet other parents.

One parent, who attended the project at the Holts and Lees Community Hub, said: “It has brought out my daughters confidence and allowed her to make some new friends and meet new people”.

FCHO's Susanne Knapper who works in the Holts and Lees team and is involved in the initiative, said: “This is a fantastic project for children aged four to twelve.

"They have lots of fun whilst learning how to play an instrument. With some of the parents attending too it allows us to speak to them about what other activities they would like to see on the estate and enables us to encourage them to get things started with our help."

After a successful pilot scheme on the Holts estate in early 2017, The Incredible Plastic Street Band was given funding by Oldham Partnership to continue with the musical project.

It will now run until July 2018.