A BRAND new visitor guide for Colne has been sent to tourist information centres across the north of England in a bid to attract more visitors to the town.

Tourism chiefs have also created a new website to help sell the town and pull in new punters who haven’t been to Colne before.

The initiative was led by the Town Centre Forum and Pendle Council with local retailers as the stars.

Coun Paul White, who leads on enterprise for Pendle Council, said: “Colne is a fantastic town on the up, with lots of new and established independent shops and businesses.

“The welcoming new website, www.visitcolne.com, and Bonnie Colne Welcomes You guide celebrates all of that.”

The guide has been paid for out of £26,000 the council provided for Colne from the Government’s High Street Innovation Fund designed to boost Pendle’s high streets.

Thousands of copies of the eye-catching guide are now being distributed to 50 Tourist Information Centres in the north of England to encourage visitors and shoppers from outside the area into the town.

Louise Burns who’s recently opened a Gobstoppers traditional shop in The Arcade is one of many retailers featured in the guide.

She said: “I was a psychiatric nurse before I did my back in and decided to try something new.

“My new shop is going really well and other traders have been really supportive.

“The historic arcade I’m in is beautiful. It’s not finished yet, but lots of people come in and comment on how lovely it’s looking.”

Paul Collins, from the council’s regeneration team, said: “The guide is designed to increase local loyalty to shops and businesses as well as boosting the town by increasing the number of visitors.”