the ten golden castles represent both the urban landscape of greater manchester, and its division in to its ten metropolitan districts: bolton, bury, manchester, oldham, rochdale, tameside, trafford, salford, stockport, and wigan. the red ground represents manpower and the region's red-brick architectural heritage, both legacies of greater manchester's industrial past. the embattled border represents the unity and shared future of the region, and its bold, vigilant and forward-looking character.