Published Friday 26 November 2021 at 18:07
Support for Blackburn’s City Bid has grown rapidly since the announcement that the town was applying for city status.
The town’s nearest and dearest have all come out in force to show what makes Blackburn special.
Prominent voices, organisations and businesses right across the borough are keen to highlight what makes them proud of the town and why Blackburn wholeheartedly deserves to be called a City.
Alan Shearer is a former Blackburn Rovers football player and regarded as one the greatest players in Premier League history. He is also a regular on BBC’s Match of the Day. To recognise the key role he played in bringing Blackburn Rovers to Premiership glory, a major road was named after him in 2015.
Alan said:
I was lucky enough to play and work in Blackburn for 4 memorable years. The people are amazing and there is such a brilliant community – Blackburn truly deserves City status! That’s why I’m #BackingBlackburn.
Influential Red or Dead fashion design co-founder Wayne Hemingway MBE went to school in Blackburn. He also designed an award-winning housing community in Feniscowles and is among the organisers of the National Festival of Making.
He said:
Blackburn has its own distinctive history in Britain and around the world. It has a manufacturing heritage.
The town also has its own distinctive, diverse make-up too. It has a cathedral – but there are 18 cities around the UK that don’t. I regularly visit Blackburn for the Festival of Making and throughout the year.
When you look at the other towns that have been made cities, like Stoke and Wolverhampton, then why should Blackburn not be?
Carl Fogarty, MBE, is a Superbike racer, who has lived in Blackburn for over 50 years.
Foggy, who has also had a Blackburn road named in his honour, became a household name after being crowned King of the Jungle in the hit TV show I’m a Celebrity.
He said:
Blackburn has been my home for 56 years and you don’t live in one place for that long unless you have a deep connection.
It has changed a lot over that time but the character of the people has stayed the same. There are so many other reasons why Blackburn should be recognised as a city – its culture, history and sporting tradition. That’s why I’m #BackingBlackburn.
Television presenter AJ Odudu who is also taking part in the current series of the BBCs hit show Strictly Come Dancing, is a passionate and vocal supporter of her hometown and visited to film for Saturday’s show.
AJ said:
I love Blackburn with all my heart. This is where all my grit, determination and dreams were made. I’d love Blackburn to get city status. I remember the last time when we missed out to Preston and I don’t want it to happen again. Look, it all happens in Blackburn – we’ve even got a cathedral, what more do you want and need. The people here want it and need it, so good luck to us. Let’s have it!”
AJ isn’t the only TV personality backing Blackburn. The Great British Sewing Bee judge and fashion designer Patrick Grant has already tweeted the reasons he supports the bid. Patrick said:
Blackburn was at the centre of the first textiles revolution which transformed Britain in the 18th century, and with its unique blend of can-do spirit and a legacy of innovation it is uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in a new textiles revolution for the 21st century, one focused this time on sustaining and regenerating both our natural world and local communities.
Talksport Radio Presenter Adam Catterall appreciates Blackburn’s diversity. He said:
I was lucky enough to grow up in Blackburn, a town that shaped my attitude, which now allows me to work in some of the greatest cities in the world. I believe the prestige of becoming a city would provide even greater opportunities for generations to come and that at its core is what we all want. The chance for our kids to believe in and follow their dreams and city status makes this even more accessible for so many. Blackburn’s appreciation of diverse cultures, like every city I visit in the world, is why I believe it is a prime candidate for city status.
Londoner Rizwan Wadan has recently moved his film and television production company Pixeleyed Pictures to Blackburn after seeing the potential to grow his business in the North of England. He said:
I’m passionate about helping to develop Blackburn’s capabilities as a northern hub for filmmaking, across a variety of disciplines including engineering and technology.
Blackburn has so much to offer. It has the right infrastructure and there is so much potential for growth. I’m excited for my business’s future here.
Gary Aspden, brand consultant, lifelong Blackburn Rovers supporter and curator of the adidas Spezial range, said:
My mother’s side of the family were all proud Blackburners. I was born and raised in Darwen and was educated in Blackburn (both secondary school and art college). Since graduating in the late 90s I have worked with adidas in various capacities.
My upbringing in the area has consistently been a source of inspiration and constantly informs my design work on the adidas Spezial range that I curate. A multitude of the products that I have created for this global sportswear giant use names that pay homage to Blackburn and its surrounding area. One of the most historic and iconic footwear ranges in adidas’s rich archive is the ‘City Series’ – a group of shoes named after key cities globally. In 2019 we created a new chapter in it with the adidas Blackburn SPZL trainer. There were many who commented that it perhaps shouldn’t have been included as Blackburn does not officially have city status. The response to the shoes quickly silenced these comments (and raised a significant amount of money for Blackburn charity Nightsafe) when they sold out in minutes after people queued for three days to purchase them! This has made them one of the most sought after and collectible ‘City Series’ releases of all time. Perhaps including Blackburn in adidas’s City Series was wishful thinking on my part (and I am biased) but I personally believed Blackburn to be worthy for inclusion in it regardless of the town never having been granted the honour of that city status officially. I suppose I was making a point as my parents were married in Blackburn’s beautiful cathedral – an ingredient that I was told was essential to city status and furthermore I believe Blackburn to be deserving as it’s history is colourful and rich. It was at the epicentre of textile manufacture during the industrial revolution (Gandhi visited in the 30s), it gave us one of the founding clubs in the football league and in the late 20th century became the hub of northern Acid House that led the dance music revolution.
Other influential people supporting the bid include, actor Steve Pemberton, singer Grace Davies, comedian Tez Ilyas and more!
See their quotes about why they are Backing Blackburn and others who support our Blackburn’s City Bid:
Support for our City Bid | The Shuttle: Blackburn with Darwen Council News
The competition to grant city status to towns in the UK is part of the celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and will take place next year.