IN a month where the phrase “football’s coming home” has been on everyone’s lips, Blackburn Rovers is aiming to be a second home for the community.

And business development manager Danny Davis, who is also on the Hive’s Steering Committee, is driving both bodies into a new future.

As Rovers head back into the Championship after a great season, the Hive is preparing to become a subscription-based network as it continues to adapt to the wants and needs of the Blackburn with Darwen business community.

Under new chief executive Steve Waggott, Rovers are aiming to turn Ewood Park into a community hub and making it available all year round.

And plans are coming to fruition to put the former Premier League champions back at the centre of the community.

And Mr Davis, who has helped to drive the recent Hive Awards ceremony at King George’s Hall, celebrated the best that Blackburn with Darwen had to offer.

And he’s already looking to next year to make them even better.

He said: “The awards were fantastic. They really showed off what’s best about the businesses in the area. But we still have a lot of work to do.

“There are a lot of businesses in the borough which are not members of the Hive network and it would be great to get more people on board.

“As we move to a subscription model, we have to change the way we do things. We are moving more towards digital to keep businesses engaged with each other.

“And the social events we hold have worked really well. They give smaller businesses a chance to showcase their wares and chance to get the Hive out into different parts of the borough.

“We don’t just invite Hive members, we like to get non-members involved as well so we can show them the benefits and opportunities of the network.

“The one thing that has come out of the sessions is collaboration.

“People, who may never otherwise meet, get a chance to talk about their businesses, their journeys and their challenges.

“Businesses may see others in the same fields as competitors, but in a lot of cases they will have faced similar obstacles and can maybe offer a solution.

“It helps businesses connect and it’s something that we are hoping to do more of.”

But it’s not just the businesses that are getting the Hive treatment. Mr Davis is also delighted with the work being done in the other sub-groups such as the Hive Business School, which supports collaboration between business and education.

Mr Davis added: “There is a lot of really great work being done by the business school and it will bear fruit as we go down the line.

“We have a lot of great business in Blackburn with Darwen, but we seem to be a very understated people and we just get on and do a good job. Those stories need to be shared.”

And as Rovers look forward to their assault on the Championship, Mr Davis said he was aiming to make Ewood Park rock once again.

He added: “We are looking to get another concert on next summer. The Elton John concert was a great success, and as we were doing work to the pitch we’ll look to do something again next year.

“It worked really well and it gave people a different reason to visit Ewood.”