Secret Millionaire found in Falinge

Date published: 04/07/2008

The Rochdale Federation of Tenant & Resident Associations (RoFTRA) have been working television researchers over the past month to help record the second series Channel 4's Secret Millionaire, to be screened this Autumn.

The researchers originally focussed their attention on Lower Falinge following the hostile and negative publicity surrounding the area, as published in the tabloid press and on GMTV.

The team’s researcher, Rachel Fennel, met with ROFTRA early last month to ask for help in introducing her and her director to the some of the people, community groups and programmes working for the good of the estate.

They were shown the work of the Opportunity Knocks project as well as RoFTRA’s community development work and to introduce them to partner organisations including the Lower Falinge Activities Group, New Steps for African Communities (NESTAC), Sure Start and Hebron Church.

Earlier this week RoFTRA learned of the actual purpose of their work: to produce one of the programmes for the new series of Secret Millionaire in which rich individuals move into a deprived area anonymously, spend time with the individuals and groups working for its benefit and then reveal their real identity and distribute some of their money to support them.

The programme is due to screen in October this year.