BLACKBURN businesses are being invited to find out how they can cash in on a festival aiming to bring record numbers of visitors to the town.

Organisers of the Blackburn Heritage Festival, which takes place from September 11 to 14, hope it will draw up to 25,000 people interested in learning about Blackburn’s past and industrial heritage.

Traders will have the opportunity to put on activities, display their archives or support the event with sponsorship.

And they will be able to find out more at the next Blackburn Improvement District (BID) breakfast event.

Event organiser, Harriet Roberts, will be speaking at the meeting and said: “The town centre will transform over the three days and we are hoping to attract up to 25,000 people to Blackburn.

“The aim is to attract people who have never been to Blackburn and give people a taste of what Blackburn has to offer. They’ll see the major investment in the bus station and Cathedral Quarter.

“We want people to try Blackburn again.”

The BID team has been holding a series of fortnightly breakfast events for businesses to network and give their views on how to improve Blackburn trade, the first of which took place in February.

The next meeting will give local traders a chance to learn more about how they can take advantage of the exposure from the heritage festival.

President of Blackburn Chamber of Trade, Tony Duckworth, said: “BID breakfasts have worked well and have challenged local authorities to various degrees. They have been more receptive to needs of local businesses.

“The heritage festival will be for local people and about local people. It will also be a draw for people from across the country to discover Blackburn’s past and learn about its industrial history.”

The breakfast will take place at Liz ’n’ Lil’s in Northgate, Blackburn on Thursday ((July 3)) from 7.30am.

The festival will include activities held at Thwaites Empire Theatre, Blackburn Cathedral and a ‘Carnival of Curiosities’ on King William Street, which will include street performers and a fairground carousel.