A HISTORIC Catholic club in Darwen is to be given a new lease of life as a blues bar.

Darwen Catholic Club, built in the 1920s in Wellington Fold, has been shut for around a year but it will soon become the Big House Blues Bar and Grill which is expected to open by Christmas.

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The venue has been given a complete makeover since it was bought in November last year.

Eddie Valentine, one of the new owners, said he hopes the venue will be very popular.

He said: “We are in the process of setting up an expensive sound system which will play recorded blues music and we will also have live music at weekends.

“We wanted to come to Darwen because it seems to be doing very well with its nightlife for such a small town.

“We are hoping it will be popular as blues does have a good following and we are going to make sure that we don’t deviate at all away from that theme.

“We have completely refurbished the place, we created a bare shell and worked from a blank canvas, so it will have a completely new look.”

The bar will join a long line of venues that have come into Darwen in the past year including H20 Bar, Cin Cin, Essence and Esco Bar. It will also be part of a host of live music venues in the town which includes The Crown, Number 39, The Belgrave, Level One Live and the Park Inn.

Mr Valentine said: “We know there are a lot of live music venues in Darwen but we think it’s great that more venues keep coming in because that’s what’s going to encourage people to come to the town.

“We remain positive that we will get a good following and that we have come to the right place.”

Community leaders said they were pleased new businesses were seeing Darwen as a good place to invest.

Cllr Brian Taylor, who Darwen on the borough council, said: “It is another piece in the jigsaw of Darwen and it will help to the complete the full picture of the town’s economy.

“Darwen’s night life is going well at the moment and this will offer something a bit different .

“I hope it will be a popular and well used venue, it should please the blues aficionado’s in the area especially.”