Mayoress – Mrs Margaret Holly
Mayoress of Rochdale 2023-2024
Margaret was born and brought up in Summit, Littleborough and has spent most of her life living in the borough. After passing her 11-plus exam she attended Heywood Grammar School and then trained as a teacher.
Mayoress Margaret Holly.
Following her marriage to Mike in 1972 she returned to Littleborough where they bought their first house when Mike joined a firm of chartered accountants in Manchester. Her first teaching job was at St Mary’s RC School in Littleborough where she worked until the birth of Sarah, the first of 3 children. During this time at St Mary’s the new school building on Whitelees Road opened leaving the old building to become the church hall.
After being a stay-at-home mum for several years, Margaret went back into teaching enjoying several years at Sparrow Hill in Rochdale and many years at Crossgates Primary School in Milnrow, specialising in early years education.
Not long after retiring fully in 2011 Margaret became actively involved in grand-parenthood and is now, not only a very proud mother of her three grown-up children but also a proud grandmother, spending as much time as possible with them all and loving nothing better than having the whole family together as often as possible.
Both Margaret and Mike love to travel. They have visited many countries with a diverse range of cultures, languages and cuisines but still have a list of places they would like to visit now. Seeing penguins in Antarctica is currently top of Margaret’s list.
In her spare time, she loves gardening and tending her allotment where she is a keen, though not always successful vegetable grower. She enjoys cooking and having the opportunity to incorporate her own freshly grown vegetables into meals.
Margaret has been an active member of the Heywood branch of the NSPCC for several years, helping organise and run regular events for this vital children’s charity which has been looking out for children for more than 130 years.