Settling in · Irlam
Landing in Irlam? Start here.
The first fortnight in Irlam, in order: the paperwork that has to happen, then the places that make it feel like somewhere you could stay.
Week one and two
The order to do things in
1
Ring your Sama contact when you land
Whoever placed you. Tell them you arrived and that you are all right.
2
Apply for your National Insurance number
You can start work before it arrives, but do not leave it: your tax will be wrong until you have it.
3
Open a bank account
Passport, visa or share code, and proof of address. A letter from your employer usually does it.
4
Get a UK SIM
A local number makes the bank and the GP straightforward.
5
Register with a GP
Free at the point of use. Do it in your first week.
6
Check your tax code with HMRC
Get on the right code early or you will be paying too much for months.
7
Save your share code
You will be asked to prove your right to work and rent more than once.
8
Find the nearest shop, place of worship and club
The part that decides whether you stay, and the part no handbook covers.
Official, and free
Official finders
Run by the State, so they stay current. Search each one for your own town.
Find a GPThe NHS list of GP surgeries, searchable by postcode.Apply for a National Insurance numberYou need one to be taxed correctly. Apply once you are in the UK.Find an NHS dentistHarder than the GP. Start early and ring around.Check your visa and BRP or eVisaView and prove your immigration status online.Find your local police stationEmergency is 999 or 112. Non-emergency is 101.Understand your tax codeCheck what HMRC thinks you earn, so you are not overtaxed for months.Driving on a foreign licenceHow long you may drive on it, and whether it can be exchanged.Renting: know the rulesYour rights as a tenant, deposit protection and what a landlord may and may not do.Citizens AdviceFree, independent help with anything at all.Public transportNational rail and bus times and tickets.
Near you
78 places in Irlam worth knowing in week one
From OpenStreetMap, the map that locals build, plus places our team knows. Every card has a map link. If one has closed or moved, WhatsApp us and it comes down.
Nothing nearby matches that yet. Try a shorter word.
Places of worship
Every faith near you, listed so people can find a community when they arrive. Sama Talent Group is not affiliated with any religion or religious organisation.
Churches
Saint Mary Magdalene's Church
Christian, Anglican
Westbourne Road, Salford, M30 8DE
About 5 km away
Church of the Transfiguration
Christian, Anglican
Admirals Road, Birchwood, Warrington, WA3 6QG
About 8 km away
St. Winefride's Catholic Church
Christian, Catholic
Booths Hill Road, Lymm, WA13 0DL
About 9 km away
Mosques and prayer rooms
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo, Manchester
About 8 km away
101 Edge Lane, Stretford, Manchester, M32 8PU
Worship services: Tue 7:00pm · Sat 8:00am (Tagalog) · Sat 11:00am · Sat 1:00pm (children)
Iglesia ni Cristo, Liverpool
About 41 km away
St Laurence's School, St. Laurence Drive Birkenhead, England CH41 3JD
Worship services: Wed 7:00pm · Sun 11:00am
Addresses and worship service times from the Iglesia ni Cristo directory, checked October 2026. Times can change, so check the locale's own page before you go. directory.iglesianicristo.net
Shops from home
Food and takeaways
Nando's
Chicken, portuguese. restaurant
New Ellesmere Approach, Salford, M28 3UD
About 8 km away
Shun Hing Supper Bar
Chinese. takeaway
1 Admirals Road, Birchwood, Warrington, WA3 6QG
About 8 km away
Shaan Balti & Tandoori Restaurant
Indian. restaurant
Mealhouse Lane, Wigan, M46 0DB
About 10 km away
Sports and clubs
Flixton Cricket and Sports Club
Cricket, tennis, bowls. Sports centre
Goldsworthy Road, Trafford, M41 8US
About 2 km away
Sale Sports Club
Cricket, field hockey, rugby union, soccer, tennis. Sports centre
39 Clarendon Crescent, Trafford, M33 2DE
About 8 km away
Bowdon Vale Cricket Club
Cricket. Sports centre
Priory Street, Trafford, WA14 3BQ
About 10 km away
Little Hulton Cricket & Bowling Club
Sports centre
Manchester Road West, Salford, M38 0PJ
About 9 km away
Irlam and Cadishead College
Multi. Sports centre. Hours: Mo-Fr 18:00-22:00;Sa 10:00-12:00
Station Road, Salford, M44 5ZR
About 2 km away
Winton Bowling, Tennis and Social Club
Bowls, tennis. Sports centre
Grange Road, Salford, M30 8JW
About 5 km away
Eccles Leisure Centre
Swimming, multi, fitness centre. Sports centre. Hours: Mo-Th 06:15-22:00; Fr 06:15-20:15; Sa-Su 07:00-17:00
Barton Lane, Salford, M30 0DD
About 6 km away
Fishing spots and tackle shops
Days out and things to do
Driving schools
Community and support groups
Boothstown Community Centre
Community centre
Standfield Drive, Manchester, M28 1NB
About 6 km away
United Services Club (Sale & Ashton)
Community centre
30 Southern Road, Trafford, M33 6HQ
About 6 km away
Higher Folds Community Centre and Nursery
Community centre
Stirling Close, Wigan, WN7 2UB
About 7 km away
Walkden Gateway
Community centre. Hours: Mo-Th 08:00-22:00;Fr 08:00-19:30;Sa 09:00-13:00
2 Smith Street, Salford, M28 3EZ
About 8 km away
Leigh South Community Centre
Community centre
32 Hope Carr Road, Wigan, WN7 3ET
About 8 km away
Barbers and hair specialists
Barbers and salons
Cutting Corner
Hairdresser. Hours: Tu,We,Fr 09:00-17:30; Th 09:00-19:00; Sa 09:00-15:00
186 Manchester Road, WA1 4HN
About 10 km away
Karl & Co Barbers
Hairdresser. Hours: Mo-We 07:30-17:00; Th-Fr 07:30-18:00; Sa 07:00-15:00
9c Lostock Road, Trafford, M41 0PS
About 4 km away
Cinemas and libraries
Irlam Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo 09:00-18:30; Tu 09:00-17:30; We 09:00-13:00; Th-Fr 09:00-17:30; Sa 09:00-13:00
Liverpool Road, Manchester, M44 6FD
Cadishead Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Fr 08:30-19:00; Sa 08:30-13:00
126 Liverpool Road, Manchester, M44 5AN
About 3 km away
Winton Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo 09:30-13:00,14:00-19:00; Tu 09:30-13:00,14:00-17:30; Th-Fr 09:30-13:00,14:00-17:30; Sa 09:00-13:00
Old Parrin Lane, Manchester, M30 8BY
About 5 km away
Boothstown Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo 13:30-19:00; Tu 09:00-12:30,13:30-17:00; We 09:30-12:30; Th-Fr 09:00-12:30,13:30-17:00; Sa 09:30-12:30
Standfield Drive, Manchester, M28 1NB
About 6 km away
Worsley Village Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Tu 10:00-13:00,14:00-17:00; Th 14:00-17:00; Fr 10:00-13:00; Sa 11:00-13:00
Worsley Road, Manchester, M28 2PB
About 6 km away
Eccles Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Th 08:00-22:00; Fr 08:00-19:30; Sa 09:00-13:00
28 Barton Lane, Manchester, M30 0TU
About 6 km away
Hope Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: We 09:00-13:00,14:00-17:00; Fr 13:00-17:00
Eccles Old Road, Salford, M6 8FH
About 7 km away
Swinton Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Tu 08:00-22:00;Fr 08:00-19:30;Sa 09:00-13:00
100 Chorley Road, Manchester, M27 6BP
About 8 km away
Walkden Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo-Th 08:00-22:00;Fr 08:00-19:30;Sa 09:00-13:00
2 Smith Street, Manchester, M28 3EZ
About 8 km away
Everyman Altrincham
Cinema
74-78 George Street, Trafford, WA14 1RF
About 8 km away
The Height Library
Library, free to join, warm, and with wifi. Hours: Mo 09:30-12:30,13:30-19:30; Tu 09:30-12:30,13:30-17:30; Th-Fr 09:30-12:30,13:30-17:30; Sa 09:00-13:00
King Street, Salford, M6 7GY
About 9 km away
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. We do not make places up: if the map has it wrong, fix it on openstreetmap.org and it comes through at the next refresh.
Saving money
What locals use to spend less
The shops and sites people here use for cheap clothes, second-hand furniture, a car, and the weekly shop. We are not paid to list any of them.
Facebook Marketplace and GumtreeSecond-hand furniture, bikes, tools and cars, often for very little. Meet in public, and never pay before you see it.Freecycle and OlioThings people give away for free, and food from neighbours and shops that would otherwise go in the bin.Too Good To GoSurprise bags of food from cafes, bakeries and supermarkets at the end of the day, at a fraction of the price.PrimarkCheap everyday clothes, work basics and bedding.Aldi and LidlThe cheapest big supermarkets for the weekly shop.B&M and Home BargainsCleaning products, kitchen kit and household bits for less.Charity shopsClothes, coats and furniture, and the money goes to a good cause.MoneySavingExpertFree guides to cheaper phones, energy, bank accounts and sending money.
Getting around
Getting around from Irlam
TravelineBus, coach and train times for the whole of Great Britain.National RailTrain times, tickets and railcards.Transport for LondonThe Tube, buses and the Oyster and contactless fares.
Driving here on your licence
Once you live in Great Britain you can drive a car or motorcycle on your full, valid licence for 12 months. After that, a licence from a designated country can be exchanged for a GB licence; from other countries you apply for a provisional licence and pass the theory and practical tests. Lorries, minibuses and buses have stricter rules: check before you drive one.
Check your licence on GOV.UK Exchange a licence
Hiring a car
Each rental company sets its own rules on age, how long you have held your licence and which licences it accepts, and young drivers often pay more. Check those rules before you book, and bring your licence and passport to the desk.
Driving rules taken from the official pages linked above, checked October 2026. They change, so the official page is the one to rely on.
While you are here