BLACKBURN Rovers are to host their first-ever One Rovers festival later this month which will celebrate the town’s diversity.

The multi-cultural event is an extension of the club’s ‘#OneRovers’ brand and follows on from their involvement in last month’s Eid in the Park.

Ewood Park will play host to the celebrations on Saturday, July 28, from 1pm, and will include international food stalls, a fashion show and fairground rides, as well as a number of sporting activities.

Drawing the event to a close will be a performance from BBC Music Ambassador 2017 Zack Knight.

Rovers general manager Lynsey Talbot said the event promised to showcase what an important role the club plays, and can continue to play, in the wider community.

“It’s an extension to the One Rovers brand that we’ve been building over the last few seasons which is very much our diversity banner,” she said.

“That is to encourage everyone and anyone to come to the club and to bring us back to the heart of the community, not just as a football club.

“We want to work together for the better good of the town.

“We recognise the diverse make-up of the town and in order to continue being sustainable that’s something we need to concentrate on.

“We want everyone to feel welcome. It’s about bringing the community together, maybe those who don’t watch football, to see Ewood Park as part of the community rather than just a local football club.”

First-team boss Tony Mowbray has taken on board the One Rovers brand and helped forge a close connection between the support base and the club after last season’s promotion from League One.

And the club are keen to show that Rovers, and Ewood Park, are about more than what happens on matchdays.

“The One Rovers brand to us as a club is the team, the employees behind the scenes, the season ticket holders, the supporters, we’re all One Rovers,” Ms Talbot added.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, when you come to the stadium we want everyone to feel welcome and we’re looking at the various different angles to do that."

“We had Elton John here last year to bring in other audiences who maybe haven’t been to Ewood, or even Blackburn, for the better good of the town.

“The town has received some negative publicity, but we want to show the nation that everyone here is working together for the better good of the town.”

Rovers were named EFL Family Club of the Year for 2018 and continue to carry out work within the local community.

While about more than football, the event will incorporate sport, with some of the club’s coaches, and Community Trust branch, on hand to lend their support.

Ms Talbot added: “We have our academy coaches on hand to teach some of the youngsters some tricks of the trade, and to do a few drills with them.

“We have various other football and sporting activities that will be provided throughout the day.

“We hope it will be a great community event where people will have lots of fun, lots of good food, singing and dancing and then it will culminate with the singer Zack Knight at 6.30pm.”

Entry is £5 for adults, while under-12s go free with a paying adult.

For more information, or to buy tickets, call the club’s ticket office on 01254 372000 or visit the Roverstore at Ewood Park.