HELPING Blackburn and its businesses has become the raison d'etre of a town PR firm.

Square Cactus, based on King William Street, has said its chief aim is to work with companies and enterprises to help promote Blackburn and boost its economy.

This year the firm has been nominated for a prestigious Hive Creative and Digital Award in recognition of its unique approach to marketing.

Owner Ian Holmes said that the team were 'really surprised' with the nomination.

He said: "To be nominated is fantastic, we don't really do awards but this year a lot of people encouraged us to put our names forward.

"We never thought we would get shortlisted.

"Everyone here is excited, we're just looking forward to the awards now."

In February 2017 the firm received a “Be Surprised” award from the Healthy High Street Team in Blackburn.

Judges praised the commitment of Square Cactus and the willingness of staff to go above and beyond for the town.

The firm started life as Blackburn Life, a website which regularly published positive stories to advertise East Lancashire online.

From a news website Square Cactus has grown to establish a record for website design, social media advice and PR services.