News

30 PER CENT OFF THE JOINING FEE IN JANUARY! People in Blackburn are being encouraged to get January off to a great start by making a date to join Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. As an added incentive, there’s 30% off entry fees* during January with the code RFL30. This year, for the first time, Cancer Research UK is …

Hampton by Hilton Blackburn joins nearly 50 Hampton by Hilton hotels trading or under development in the UK & Ireland. Hilton has signed a franchise agreement with Monte Hospitality Limited to bring a 150-guest room Hampton by Hilton to Frontier Park, Blackburn, one of Lancashire’s largest commercial developments. The hotel forms part of Monte Hospitality Limited’s business strategy to attract …

Unless you haven’t noticed, probably because of Brexit, it’s Christmas Day on Tuesday; a day traditionally filled with food, alcohol, tragic television and family arguments. Here at Blackburn Life, we understand how busy this time of year is, so, we thought it our duty to lend a festive hand and find the best mince pies Blackburn has to offer. We …

Blackburn has their People’s Vote The people of Blackburn have had their say on Brussels (sprouts), with 64% voters saying they DO love sprouts. The research, carried out by Blackburn Market, surveyed 201 Facebook users asking the biggest question which faces Britain today: Sprouts or No Sprouts? It was a landslide victory for Team Love Sprouts, with 64% of voters …

Darwen Leisure Centre have announced plans to renovate their gym area in time for the new year. The Leisure Centre, which opened in 2010, will create a completely new gym experience for members, including an updated layout, state-of-the-art equipment and new flooring. All this will be achieved at no additional cost to the council. A large functional training area with …

Blackburn’s packed Big Christmas programme continues this weekend with the Christmas Parade. Pop Up Entertainment in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council will stage a festive themed parade on Saturday 1st December featuring magical characters from family favourite Christmas tales. Families and friends are invited to join enchanted princes and princesses, Nutcracker ballerinas, acrobatic elves, Toy Soldier stilt-walkers, Father …

Former world super-bike legend and NSPCC ambassador Carl Fogarty visited Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Blackburn Volunteers from the child protection charity delivered a Speak out Stay safe assembly to pupils. Former world super-bike champion and NSPCC ambassador Carl Fogarty today (27th November) paid a visit to school children in Blackburn. Carl, who has just completed a trek through …

Monday 5th WW1 Exhibition: 5th Nov – 1st Dec First floor, Blackburn Library, Town Hall Street.  With newspaper articles from 1918, photographs and information regarding the Roll of Honour.  Mon 10am –7pm Tues – Fri 10am–5pm Sat 10am–2pm Tuesday 6th 100 Years of Remembrance Concert – King George’s Hall, Northgate. 7pm Free Admission, Tickets available from King George’s Hall. Thursday …

Age UK Blackburn with Darwen are appealing for volunteers for their growing digital inclusion service. Volunteers would be required to help service users on a weekly basis for 1-2 hours.  You would provide IT guidance and coaching through weekly lessons.  Helping service users increase their knowledge of all things IT from setting up an email address to surfing the World …

Witton Park became a sea of pink in June as hundreds of women joined the fight against cancer by taking part in Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. Over 900 mums, daughters, sisters and friends showed their incredible commitment to the cause as they came together to help bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. Now organisers of …

John Osborne, “Circled In The Radio Times” The Dog Inn, Belthorn Saturday 6 October, 8pm On Saturday 6 October, Lancashire pub goers are invited to try something a little different alongside their usual pint as The Dog Inn, Belthorn hosts John Osborne’s show ‘Circled In The Radio Times.’ The show will begin at 8pm, tickets are £8 Adults / £6 …

In September 2018, King George’s Hall will be celebrating ten years of George’s Comedy Club and we’re inviting you to our birthday party! To celebrate a glorious decade of laughs and to help get the party started, we’re offering a limited number of tickets for only £10! To claim, simply use the code 10GCC at the checkout. But what would …

Coffee chain, easyCoffee, has continued its expansion across East Lancashire with the official opening of a store at Darwen Leisure Centre on Thursday 9th August. Founded by easyJet tycoon Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, easyCoffee first launched in the UK in 2016 with two sites in London at Earls Court and Oxford Street. easyCoffee opened stores in Blackburn and Burnley in 2017, with …

  FooR have been announced as the special guest headliners at this year’s Restricted Forrest festival. FooR, a group of musicians and DJs from the South coast, have had tracks featured on Radio One, 1xtra, and Kiss FM as well as a huge social media following. They will play the Aslan stage, the main stage at the festival, along with …

Coffee chain, easyCoffee, is set to continue its expansion across East Lancashire with a store at heart of Darwen within Darwen Leisure Centre. Founded by easyJet tycoon Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, easyCoffee first launched in the UK in 2016 with two sites in London at Earls Court and Oxford Street. easyCoffee opened stores in Blackburn and Burnley in 2017, with Blackburn’s …

BLACKBURN women inspired by the heroic effort of participants at the Virgin Money London Marathon are being urged to take on their own fitness challenge by entering Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. Unlike the Virgin Money London Marathon, women signing up to Race for Life in Blackburn don’t need to train for months or be super fit to take …

The nostalgic memoir of a young man, eldest of fourteen, growing up in 40s Wednesbury. The heartbreaking true account of his son struggling to come to terms with his father’s dementia. A tribute to the unbreakable bond between father and son. When Simon McDermott first noticed his dad Ted’s sudden flares of temper and fits of forgetfulness, he couldn’t have guessed …

Darwen Children Centre Positive Minds courses and information sessions   10.00am – 12.00 Come along and learn about the wide variety of Positive mind courses on offer Henna Paining 9am – 10.30am 1.30 – 3.00pm Choose a design, large or small with Zaheda Bring mummy and Grandma to play 9am – 10.30 1.30 – 3.00pm Opportunity to play with your …

International Women’s Day (8th March) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. #pressforprogress Blackburn with Darwen are holding a number of events to across the Borough to celebrate IWD 2018. 01 -12/03/2018 Display of photographs of Barbara Castle and other local …

Come Dine With Me are looking for fun-loving people with a passion for cooking & they want to hear from you! (Areas within 45 minutes of BLACKBURN will be considered). Over five days of filming, five strangers from all walks of life will take turns to host the perfect dinner party! Anyone over 18 can apply. Send your area, name …

SPECIAL 30% DISCOUNT FOR EAST LANCASHIRE WOMEN IN JANUARY A BLACKBURN mum, who battled breast cancer, is pledging to take part in Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life this year as she calls on local women to sign up this January and join the fight against the disease. Fran Gallagher, 40, from Witton, stands proudly with her sign declaring her …

People in Lancashire are being urged to sign up to Swimathon, the world’s biggest annual fundraising swim, to raise money for two great causes, Cancer Research UK and Marie Curie. Swimmers of all ages and abilities are being invited to take part in the annual sponsored event in pools across Lancashire and help raise money for both charities. This year, …

Blackburn women are being invited to kick-start the New Year by signing up to Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. Every day 110 people are diagnosed with cancer in the North West region. That’s why the charity is urging women of all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities to enter Race for Life 5k event at Witton Park, Blackburn on Wednesday …

Age UK Blackburn with Darwen would like to remind everyone that our free, independent advice and information service is available through our offices based in both Blackburn Library and Darwen Town Hall.  Providing advice is one of our core functions and through this service, we offer local older people and their carers holistic advice to enable them to make their …

What do you think of your town? Beggars Belief Collective are currently researching and developing a new piece of storytelling from Darwen Library Theatre called Three Loud Knocks, and are interested in finding out what people think about their town. One of the characters they call ‘The Boggart.’ Traditionally a mischievous spirit from Lancashire folklore, he/she is a person with …

Join us at Darwen Library Theatre as snooker legend Steve Davis talks about his career and new-found hobbies. Discover for yourself that Steve is, contrary to popular belief, very interesting! Steve became a household name in the 80’s with the explosion of snooker on television. Winning six world titles between 1981 and 1989, he became a ruthless opponent on the …

The Mall Blackburn Friday 22nd December Late night shopping 09:00 – 20:00 Saturday 23rd December Late night shopping 09:00 – 20:00 Sunday 24th December Christmas Eve 10:30 – 16:30 Monday 25th December Christmas Day Closed Tuesday 26th December Boxing Day 09:00 – 17:30 Wednesday 27th December Normal hours 09:00 – 17:30 Thursday 28th December Normal hours 09:00 – 17:30 Friday …

On 7th December 2017 Blackburn Youth Zone invited guests from across the organisations Patron and Community Network to celebrate the generous support that has kept Blackburn Youth Zone open 365 days for the past 5 years for all young people across the borough. Guests were welcomed to the Supporters’ Event by Blackburn Youth Zone Chairman, Rt Hon Jack Straw, who …

It’s 1850, and Europe’s most feared terrorist is hiding in London’s Soho. Broke, restless and horny, the 32-year-old revolutionary is a frothing combination of intellectual brilliance, invective, satiric wit, and child-like emotional illiteracy. Creditors, spies, rival revolutionary factions and prospective seducers of his beautiful wife all circle like vultures. His writing blocked, his marriage dying, his friend Engels in despair …

In the run up to Christmas Blackburn’s own adventurer Dan McAreavey will be walking over 370 miles in aid of charity. Dan will be walking from where he currently lives and works in Northern France to his hometown of Blackburn, this will all be in aid of Combat Stress who are the leading veteran’s mental health charity. After Dan left …