Blackburn Mela and Arts in the Park set to be axed (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Blackburn Mela and Arts in the Park set to be axed

10:31pm Friday 9th November 2007

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BLACKBURN'S annual Mela and Arts in the Park events are to be axed to make way for a single town centre festival.

Plans have been drawn up for a two-day community arts festival' to take place over the August bank holiday.

Council leaders desribed the new event as ambitious and say it will bring communities closer together.

But it has been widely condemned by members of the Asian community, council opposition, and a music promoter.

Coun Naushad Surve, the committee's chairman for seven years, said it was an absolute disgrace which was not going to work.

Labour councillor Zamir Khan, who was the secretary of the first Mela organising committee in 2000, said the proposals were a "kick in the teeth".

And Labour leader Coun Kate Hollern said that two "'wonderful" festivals were being replaced by a town centre event which would end up as a "pub crawl".

The new event will feature music, theatre and drama performances in a number of town-centre venues, including King George's Hall and Blackburn College.

Council chiefs have also drawn up a list of pubs they hope could host performances, and a fun run is being planned for the same weekend.

Council bosses say having a single festival "makes financial sense", but insist the merger is not a cost-saving exercise, with the same amount - £150,000 - set aside in the budget.

If the proposals are agreed, organisers will consider charging an admission fee for some parts of the festival.

They say bringing the event into the town centre will mean less money has to be spent on things like lighting, stages and fencing over the five days between the two weekends.

Both this summer's outdoor events were called off because of bad weather - costing the council £100,000 - and director of culture, leisure and sport Steve Rigby said moving into the town centre would help protect against the elements.

The proposal is expected to be rubber-stamped by Blackburn with Darwen's executive board next week.

Since the Mela and Arts in the Park were launched in 2000, the two events have both taken place on separate weekends a week apart.

In recent years they have attracted about 15,000 people each over a total of four days.

Holding the festival over the August bank holiday weekend would also clash with the popular Great British R&B Festival, in Colne, which attracts 45,000 visitors over four days.

Coun Michael Law-Riding, executive member for leisure and culture for the council said the new event would "bring people from different walks of life closer together".

He said: "Blackburn College, Blackburn Cathedral and the many town centre pubs and clubs, including King George's Hall will all play a major part in delivery this very ambitious event. It's envisaged that open air activities will also be a feature of the weekend.

"This event is just one of several the council organises or supports to promote community cohesion and can only bode well for the day and night time economy of Blackburn."

But Coun Khan said the move was a "kick in the teeth".

He said: "I am appalled. The Mela is a very important part of Asian culture. I have great respect for different communities, and they deserve their own events.

"You can't hold a Mela in the town centre, there's not enough space. It will be chaos."

Coun Surve said: "I think it's an absolute disgrace, and it's not going to work.

"The whole ethos is having a strong brand for the Mela and one for Arts in the Park, to promote Blackburn to other towns. At one point the Mela was the third biggest Asian event in the UK. Without that brand it won't work."

Coun Hollern said not enough consultation had taken place in drawing up the plans.

She said: "They were wonderful events. The parks were well-used, and the kids were safe. It was wonderful sitting in the park with flags watching the orchestra. This isn't practical. Are we going to let two-year-olds run around the town centre?

"It will end up as a pub crawl."

Alcohol was banned at the Mela, and Coun Iftakhar Hussain, who helped launch the first Mela, said he was concerned about drink being available in the town centre.

He said: "The original idea was to promote different cultures. If they merge both into one it's going to cause chaos.

"They can't do it in the town centre. It's not going to be fun, especially with the youngsters with drink available."

Music promoter Steve Stanley voiced concerns about the plans from a commercial point of view.

He said: "In a nutshell I would say mixing the two together would not work. You are dealing with so many different types of music. There is a small crossover but you're not going to please everyone at the same time."

Last year's Mela attracted leading urban pop band the Rishi Rich Project, while previous acts at Arts in the Park include the Lightning Seeds and the Northern Chamber Orchestra.

One of the most popular elements of Arts in the Park has been the open-air classical music concerts. Organisers of the new event say there will be classical performances around the town, but have not yet decided if there will be one big stage or a number of smaller shows.

Mr Rigby said: "There will be specific activities for different parts of the community."

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