A STRING of events has been planned for the spectacular launch Accrington's New Era Centre lottery bid.

The bid, to transform the centre into a large venue for public performances, Asian events, education and training, is being submitted to the Lottery Millennium Commission.

Performance poet Lemn Sissay will be joining Hyndburn MP Greg Pope and other local dignitaries for the celebration launch.

Setting off from Accrington Town Hall next Saturday, a push chair race will take the bid in an envelope to the New Era site in Paradise Street.

An archer will then fire the bid across the length of the main hall. DASH, the disability sports organisation, will then take the envelope to the Globe, in Scaitcliffe Street, where it will be passed to a group of young people, dressed in traditional Asian clothes.

They will take it via Higher Antley Street mosque, Hindle Lodge Community Centre in Steiner Street and Lower Antley Street mosque.

In the afternoon a vintage motorbike, driven by Lancashire Youth and Community Service's Peter Haken, will pass over the bid to Mike Chambers, Hyndburn Council chief executive, who will pedal it up the old railway line to Baxenden.

The New Era partnership have invited the Vice Consulate of Pakistan to receive the bid in Manchester, from Asian Community Forum members.

Council leader George Slynn said: "We hope to have a bit of fun on Saturday, but there's a serious side to this too.

"We can show the number of people who support the partnership's plans for New Era, and are prepared to put in time and effort to showing that support, and hopefully winning new friends for the bid on the day."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.