Free Breakfast for Businesses at Liz n Lil’s

A town centre tearoom has been selected to host a programme of business breakfasts on behalf of the Blackburn BID. With the trend for pubs and shops closing down in Blackburn town centre, sister’s Sonia and Sharona Harrison embody the spirit of regeneration, showing an entrepreneurial vision, hard work, dedication and passion by turning one of the oldest drinking houses on Northgate into a thriving licenced tea and coffee house.  Titled in tribute to the sisters’ real great aunties who were typical Blackburn ladies, the quirky vintage themed décor and varied home-cooked menu is attracting a diverse client base and lunchtimes are often busy with solicitors, accountants and civil servants who work in the nearby offices.
 
It’s highly appropriate that the venue which used to be the Grapes pub has been picked as the place to host a series of fortnightly breakfast meetings for the Blackburn BID starting on Thursday 13 February.

Mick Smith from Newground who are the accountable body for managing the Blackburn BID project explains, ‘The Breakfast meetings are at aimed at traders and business people who want to work together to regenerate the town centre and attract new visitors.  There will be a topic for each meeting drilling down into the regeneration 12 point plan announced by Blackburn with Darwen Council.   We’ll discuss how business can work together to use additional funding of £1.5 million that is being made available through the BID.’

Manager Sharona said, ‘We’re delighted to have been asked to host the BID Breakfast meetings.  We’re passionate about breathing new life back into this part of Blackburn. I’m keen to find out what is being done to improve this side of the town and how the empty shops are going to be filled.’

Doors open at 7.30am for the first meeting on Thursday 13 February which will include an introduction to the BID by the interim chair, Mark Smith from Exchange Coffee and explanation of what exactly will be done with the levy that traders are being asked to pay.’

Forthcoming topics for discussion will include Blackburn’s disappearing heritage, an update on the Bus Station and an explanation of what the Cathedral Quarter regeneration will bring to the town centre.