Published on Thursday 13 August 2026 at 11:17 am
A unique travelling museum showcasing remarkable works from the Government Art Collection is set to make a special stop in Darwen this summer.
Published on Friday 7 August 2026 at 8:00 am
Kier is set to be appointed as the contractor for Blackburn’s landmark Star Square development – part of the largest town centre regeneration scheme of its kind in Lancashire.
Published on Wednesday 15 July 2026 at 2:27 pm
The UK government has announced a social media ban for under-16s which is intended to come in to force by Spring 2027.
Filed under: Children's literature festival | Christina Gabbitas | Council Leader | Leader | Leader letter | Leader Phil Riley | open letter
Published on Wednesday 8 July 2026 at 1:24 pm
Students in Blackburn with Darwen have become the first in the country to complete a pioneering new digital and technology scholarship scheme.
Published on Friday 26 June 2026 at 2:27 pm
The incredible National Festival of Making is set to return to Blackburn next weekend with a blockbuster line-up – including a brand-new Film Festival!
Published on Thursday 18 June 2026 at 11:00 am
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s latest school outreach programme figures show that 78% of all trips to schools in the borough are done actively, with over 50% being walking journeys.
Filed under: active travel | Councillor Julie Gunn | Councillor Quesir Mahmood | Living Streets | School | walking | WOW
Published on Friday 12 June 2026 at 3:01 pm
Hundreds of excited schoolchildren erupted into loud cheers and rounds of applause when legendary author and poet Michael Rosen made a special guest appearance at the Blackburn with Darwen Children’s Literature Festival.
Published on Friday 22 May 2026 at 3:58 pm
Little Harwood Family Hub was honoured to host the Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel De Souza this week (21st May 2026).
Filed under: Children and Young People | children's centres | Children's Commissioner | Family Hubs
Published on Wednesday 20 May 2026 at 4:02 pm
Lancashire’s biggest making festival will take over Blackburn town centre on 4th & 5th July for a family-friendly weekend packed with exhibitions, live performances, hands-on making activities, film screenings, makers markets, street food and lots more.
Published on Thursday 26 March 2026 at 10:39 am
As part of Exploitation Week, Blackburn with Darwen Family Help Engage Team brought together agencies from across the borough to shine a spotlight on key issues facing young people today.
Filed under: building safer futures | child exploitation | engage | schools | Schools and Education
Published on Tuesday 24 March 2026 at 4:09 pm
A new youth provision at Audley & Queen’s Park Children’s Centre is near completion – part of almost £10m of new investment in facilities for young people across the borough.
Filed under: Audley | Audley and Queens Park | Children and Young People | childrens centre | IMO | YIF | YIF funding
Published on Wednesday 4 March 2026 at 4:30 pm
Star Academies is set to anchor a £45m landmark regeneration scheme in Blackburn town centre – part of the largest development of its kind in the Lancashire region.
Published on Tuesday 3 March 2026 at 11:49 am
The finishing touches are being made to Darwen’s brand new youth centre – part of almost £10m of new investment in facilities for young people across the borough.
Published on Tuesday 17 February 2026 at 10:15 am
An inspection into Special Educational Needs support highlights the work of ‘caring and understanding’ professionals who work with children and young people.
Filed under: OFSTED | SEND | SEND Area inspection
Published on Tuesday 10 February 2026 at 10:33 am
More children across Blackburn with Darwen are walking, wheeling and scooting to school thanks to the continued growth of the borough’s walk-to-school programme – ‘WOW’, run by charity Living Streets on behalf of the council.
Filed under: Blackburn | children | Councillor Julie Gunn | Councillor Quesir Mahmood | Darwen | Living Streets | School | walking | Walking to school | WOW | young people
Published on Thursday 15 January 2026 at 6:15 pm
Blackburn with Darwen will feature as part of the Tour de France Grand Départs – set to be the largest free sporting spectacle in British history.
Filed under: Tour de France
Published on Tuesday 6 January 2026 at 11:51 am
This month, BwD Leisure launches a brand-new fitness offer exclusively for 10–15-year-olds.
Following demand from parents to help keep their children and teenagers active in a safe and structured environment, Blackburn with Darwen borough council’s leisure team have designed a tailored programme specifically for those aged 10 and above, which will be available in all three leisure centres in the borough – Blackburn, Darwen and Witton, from Monday 12 January.
Published on Monday 8 December 2025 at 4:50 pm
In conjunction with the council’s highways team, the Local Council Roads Innovation Group and key council contractors have donated £3,050 to buy the borough’s care leavers a gift this Christmas.
Published on Tuesday 18 November 2025 at 2:56 pm
Blackburn with Darwen has received new funding from the government for its Family Hubs.
The exciting 4.5 million is until 2029 and has been received to be used for Best Start Family Hubs.
Filed under: Family Hub | Family Hubs | funding | government funding
Published on Tuesday 11 November 2025 at 10:38 am
Blackburn with Darwen’s Youth Member of Parliament, Zainab Shah, proudly represented the voices of local children and young people at the annual UK Youth Parliament debate in the House of Commons.
Filed under: BwD Youth Forum | UK Youth Parliament | Youth MP
Published on Wednesday 5 November 2025 at 10:59 am
Youth workers from Blackburn with Darwen, Young People’s Services (YPS) are proudly highlighting the difference they make in young people’s lives as part of Youth Work Week 2025.
Filed under: YIF | Youth Investment Fund | Youth Work | Youth work week
Published on Wednesday 22 October 2025 at 4:19 pm
There was a heartfelt show of appreciation for the ‘invaluable’ staff and volunteers as Blackburn Library celebrated its 50th anniversary at Town Hall Street.
Published on Friday 17 October 2025 at 11:05 am
Blackburn born author Christina Gabbitas has gained national recognition for her work on the serious issues of county lines exploitation and related knife crime.
Filed under: author | books | Christina Gabbitas | council officer | county lines | poetry | reading
Published on Thursday 9 October 2025 at 2:50 pm
Blackburn Central Library is marking a major milestone – 50 years since its move to Town Hall Street – with a full week of celebrations.
Published on Wednesday 8 October 2025 at 11:58 am
Not only have the students from St Luke & St Philip’s Primary School dramatically increased how much they walk to school, but they’ve also seen the environment outside their school transformed.
Filed under: Blackburn | children | council | Highways | Julie Gunn | Living Streets | Phil Riley | quesir mahmood | School | St Luke & St Philips | Walking to school
Published on Friday 19 September 2025 at 12:54 pm
An artist’s impression has been revealed showing how an empty building could be transformed into a multi-million-pound post 16 Special Educational Needs centre in Blackburn town centre.
Published on Thursday 18 September 2025 at 10:50 am
Darwen Cricket Club has officially unveiled its impressive new all-weather facility – only the second of its kind in the whole country.
Published on Wednesday 30 July 2025 at 12:48 pm
Ofsted inspectors have praised Livesey Family Hub for meeting the needs of local children and providing exceptional support for those who need it most.
Filed under: Family Hub | Family Hubs | Livesey | OFSTED | Outstanding
Published on Thursday 17 July 2025 at 10:59 am
Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery was filled with a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ on Wednesday morning to celebrate an incredible milestone for their longest-serving volunteer.
Published on Monday 7 July 2025 at 11:47 am
Tens of thousands of visitors – from near and far – turned out to Blackburn at the weekend drawn by the promise of the ‘most exciting line-up yet’ for the National Festival of Making.
Published on Monday 16 June 2025 at 1:53 pm
A new planning application has been submitted for a multi-million-pound post 16 Special Educational Needs centre in Blackburn town centre.
Published on Monday 9 June 2025 at 1:58 pm
A staggering 96,000 trips where children walked or wheeled all the way to school were recorded as part of a challenge over the spring term.
Filed under: School | walking | Walking to school
Published on Friday 23 May 2025 at 2:17 pm
The annual transitional meeting for early years providers and reception teachers, to assist with children’s crossover to school, took place on Monday.
Published on Thursday 15 May 2025 at 3:59 pm
Blackburn with Darwen Children’s Literature Festival will return to the borough for the 8th time next month.
Filed under: Children's literature festival | childrens lit fest | Christina Gabbitas
Published on Wednesday 14 May 2025 at 12:52 pm
Blackburn with Darwen Council Fostering Service, and the Foster with Us Recruitment Hub, have launched the start of Foster Care Fortnight with this year’s theme being ‘the power of relationships’.
Filed under: foster care | fostering | fosterwithus
Published on Thursday 8 May 2025 at 1:00 pm
Plans to transform Blackburn’s already super successful Making Rooms into the UK’s leading makerspace have officially been given the green light.
Published on Friday 2 May 2025 at 10:33 am
A new planning application is set to be submitted for a multi-million-pound post 16 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Centre in Blackburn town centre.
Published on Thursday 3 April 2025 at 1:13 pm
A Council run short break service for children with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and autism, has been praised for their ‘outstanding’ work by Ofsted.
Filed under: Apple Trees | OFSTED
Published on Friday 28 March 2025 at 10:53 am
Work to demolish the existing Darwen Youth Centre building to pave the way for a multi-million-pound transformation is set to get underway.
Published on Monday 10 March 2025 at 2:02 pm
Mums from across Blackburn with Darwen are the first in the country to take part in a pioneering data skills programme.
Published on Wednesday 26 February 2025 at 4:50 pm
Following its launch over a year ago, a project that sees children walk or wheel to school has beaten ambitions set by the government.
Filed under: active travel | Living Streets | primary school | School | travel | Walking to school | WOW
Published on Tuesday 11 February 2025 at 3:57 pm
National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) is back for 2025, running from February 10th to 16th, and it’s set to be an exciting week-long celebration that brings together businesses, apprentices, and learners from all across the country.
Filed under: Apprentice | National Apprenticeship Week
Published on Wednesday 22 January 2025 at 11:31 am
A brand-new Repair Space has just launched at The Making Rooms in Blackburn, aiming to tackle e-waste and promote digital inclusion.
Published on Friday 17 January 2025 at 11:42 am
Students in Blackburn with Darwen are set to be the first in the whole country to benefit from a pioneering new scholarship scheme in cyber and e-sports.
Published on Friday 17 January 2025 at 11:32 am
A three-day recruitment event will be hosted by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Blackburn College in February 2025.
Filed under: careers | get job ready | Graduate education and Jobs | job fair | jobs
Published on Monday 13 January 2025 at 12:06 pm
Plans that could transform Blackburn’s already super successful Making Rooms into the leading makerspace in the whole of the UK have been revealed.
Published on Tuesday 26 November 2024 at 4:17 pm
The annual Celebration of Achievement for Children in our Care and Care Leavers took place at Ewood Park last week.
Published on Tuesday 26 November 2024 at 3:40 pm
A three-day recruitment event will be hosted by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Blackburn College in February 2025.
Filed under: Careers and jobs | employment | get job ready | jobs
Published on Tuesday 26 November 2024 at 10:17 am
How about this for work experience! Impressively, a cohort of trainees from the Blackburn-based ‘Futures in Film Academy’ were invited to join the production team behind the brand-new and critically acclaimed, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light.
Published on Friday 4 October 2024 at 11:40 am
Schools in Blackburn with Darwen have this week been learning some powerful lessons on effective ways to combat crime and feel safe.
Filed under: Blackburn | Darwen | knife crime | schools
