Big Brother boost for Blackburn's nightlife (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Big Brother boost for Blackburn's nightlife

10:10am Thursday 23rd August 2012 in News By Simone Yates

A POPULAR Blackburn DJ is teaming up with Big Brother contestant Becky Hannon in a bid to give a boost to the town’s nightlife.

This weekend, former Marley’s Wine Bar DJ Claudio Bellusci will be joined by VIP guest Becky who is making her first appearance in the town since the show.

Claudio is among the thousands of people in Blackburn who have fond memories of the busy pubs and clubs scene in the late 1990s.

Now, a decade later, dad-of-two Claudio will be hosting an event at The Blue’s Bar at Ewood Park to get ‘that generation’ back together, bring trade back to the bar owners and make the town popular again.

He said: “I know hundreds of people who are travelling to Preston and Burnley for a night out and avoiding Blackburn all together. It’s not fair that people aren’t supporting their local nightlife.

“It’s such a shame that nobody goes into town anymore.

“In the 1990s Blackburn’s busiest bars included The White Bull, Marley’s, The Blob Shop, Moist and many more.

“We are a generation older now, but we must show people that Blackburn can be a good night.

“It will be great to have Becky here because she is a local girl who has enjoyed a night out or two.

“She will be coming down with friends and family all from the area who want to help support our nightlife.” Working alongside bar owners in the town, Claudio, a former Saint Bede’s RC High School pupil, is launching a monthly dance at Ewood Park.

With free entry, the 30-year-old says that he will ‘bring back the clubbers’ eventually.

He said: “This new night out in Ewood is a way of starting off gently. Everyone used to start off at The Blues Bar and go to Blackburn — it was buzzing and alive with people and everybody knew each other.

“With the town centre’s recent regeneration people should be queuing to get into bars like the good old days. We need to work together and get it done.”

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