A PRETTY town has become split for a bizarre reason - but residents say they would not want to live anywhere else.
Whitworth, just north of Rochdale, sits just over the Lancashire border and is nestled in the shadows of the Pennines.
Residents love its cluster of cottages and mini-neighbourhoods, combined with the town's steep lanes and countryside walks.
But Whitworth is a bit odd when it comes to its location on the map - an issue that divides some of its 7,500 residents.
It sits within the Rossendale Borough Council boundary, but some homes have an Oldham postcode and Rochdale on their address.
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Whitworth sits in the Rossendale Valley and is at the tip of the Lancashire boundary bordering Greater Manchester, with West Yorkshire just to its east.
Nearby Rochdale uses the BL area postcode for Bolton, but Whitworth uses OL for Oldham.
That is confusingly despite Whitworth being significantly closer to Rochdale than Oldham.
Ann Edwards, who moved to the town from the Canary Islands, describes herself as living in Lancashire and avoids reference to nearby Rochdale.
She added: "I don't associate myself with Rochdale at all, I live in Lancashire.
"I say that I am in Rossendale and it has been in that council for quite some time."
She fell in love with Whitworth while looking for a place for her sister and now lives in a bungalow set away from the town centre.
Ann said: "The people are great, I wouldn't live anywhere else now."
She highlighted the short walk from the main shopping parade to the Cowm Reservoir as "simply stunning".
Jill Gooding, who runs the Scruff 2 Kruffs dog grooming parlour, echoed the sentiments.
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She said: "It's such a nice little village. I love getting to know the dogs, it is great living here.
"You might get in a traffic jam behind a rogue cow or sheep sometimes, but it's fine.
"There's so much to do, like going to the reservoir, the moors to walk over. I'd never live anywhere else."
'It has character'
She builds good relationships with both the dogs she grooms and their owners.
Residents also get to enjoy the Healey Dell Nature Reserve a short distance from the town, along with the River Spodden and a plethora of waterfalls.
Whitworth also boasts a golf course and both commercial and independent businesses woven into the fabric of the community.
Ruth Greenwood, who runs Seasons Florist, has lived in the town her entire life and praised the support she gets from residents.
She said: "When it was Covid times, people were shopping local more often and discovering what was actually on their doorstep. And that has carried on.
"So many new people have moved in as well, with new houses being built."
Ruth also praised the "unspoilt" nature of the Whitworth countryside, adding that it is "beautiful and has everything you need".
She continued: "Sometimes little villages can lose their personality - Whitworth has got a lot of character and a lot of characters in it," Ruth says with a chuckle.
"It's also safe, it is great to see kids still playing out like I did when I was growing up."
In the 19 years she has run the shop, she has overcome the 2009 recession, the Covid pandemic and is now battling the cost-of-living crisis.
But she says the residents have pulled her through the tough times.
Rossendale Borough Council has been approached for comment.
