A scheme to encourage people to take an active interest in seeing Blackburn town centre revive and thrive is being launched this summer.
The Blackburn Business Improvement District (BID) is encouraging supporters of the town centre to become stakeholder friends and to play an active role in helping to increase visitors and support businesses.
Harriet Roberts, Manager of the Blackburn BID explained, “The key to our success has been collaboration between the Council, businesses and a wide range of partners. We already have a number of citizens from the borough and beyond playing a really important role as volunteers.
“We’d like to develop community relationships. We want to encourage people with a pride in Blackburn to take an active role and increase their sense of place by increasing the number of champions & the setting up a constituted group of friends of the town centre. Together they can have a voice, helping to shape the partnership events and the activities and initiatives being organised by the Blackburn BID.
“We have been looking at similar schemes in Knutsford, where they have over 100 Knutsford hosts who are on a database of volunteers. Skipton BID uses volunteers as town centre ambassadors.”
Karen Brooke from New Longton, Preston is a member of the Friends of Blackburn Cathedral and organised the award-winning Blackburn Cathedral Flower Festival. She has been involved in the BID events and activities for the last two years helping to organise this year’s street fairs and Christmas activities.
Karen said, ‘’It’s been a joy to watch the regeneration project in Cathedral Quarter and with it witness the growth in confidence about the whole of Blackburn and its future. I love being part of that journey and witnessing the surprise and pleasure the changes have brought to the local community and to the many visitors that Blackburn attracts. It’s great to feel such positivity in the town.”
Paul Mason from Blackburn is Chair of Commnunity CVS and has been working with the BID to develop a series of history walks. He said, “Blackburn is definitely on the way up again. There is a palpable vibrancy in the air which is tremendously exciting to engage with.”
There will be information stand about the Town Centre Champions at the next BID street fair on Saturday 15th July, or to register an interest please complete the form below
[form champion]
Pictured Above: Paul Mason costumed for a Town Centre Tour
