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Frank Rothwell Uses OBE Investiture to Ask Prince William for Oldham Garden Party, Reveal IVF Tribute Statue Plan

His recognition for record-setting Atlantic rows gave him a platform to press Oldham’s case for civic recognition.

Overview

  • Rothwell handed the Prince of Wales a letter at Windsor Castle requesting a royal garden party in Oldham’s Alexandra Park.
  • The request seeks to replicate a 1992 event and to mark the NHS’s 80th anniversary alongside the birthday of Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first IVF baby.
  • He discussed a proposed 20-metre-wide embryo-shaped landmark by the M60 to honor Oldham’s role in the first IVF birth, with local schoolchildren contributing to design ideas.
  • The garden party and the statue remain proposals with no royal confirmation or planning approvals reported.
  • Rothwell received his OBE for raising over £1.4 million through two solo Atlantic rows and, as Oldham Athletic owner during the club’s return to the EFL in June, says he wants to lift the town’s profile to attract investment.