CAMPAIGNERS are looking to ‘crowdfund’ an important viability study which could determine the future of the former Burnley Empire Theatre.

Supporters of the Burnley Empire Theatre Trust have set themselves a deadline of Friday afternoon to collect £3,000 towards a survey for the historic Cow Lane venue.

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Last night the grand total was just under £1,000, with various pledges coming in from across the county.

For the £15,000 study, Burnley Council has pledged £5,000, there is the promise of the same amount from the Theatres Trust, and BETT are finding the rest.

So far they have already staged a fundraising gig at the Inn on the Wharf and were behind an old-time revue, at Colne Muni, to swell their coffers.

Theatre trust chairman Steve Grist said that while East Lancashire had the likes of Burnley Mechanics, the ACE Centre in Nelson and theatres in Colne, nothing could compare to the 1,500 seat capacity of the Empire.

“There is nothing between Manchester and Blackpool and this could be the jewel in the crown for theatres in this region,” said Steve, himself an actor and director.

Gill Grist, the trust’s chairman, said that the viability study would establish if the Empire had a workable future.

Trust members had already been in discussions with course leaders at Burnley College and the University of Central Lancashire, with a view to students assisting with any refurbishment of the building, which dates back to 1894.

She added: “Once the viability study is complete we are looking to raise a lot more money for the redevelopment.”

Gill believes that the ‘dilapidated’ facade of the Empire, last used as a theatre in 1938, and latterly a cinema and a bingo hall, typifies what many outside the town might think of Burnley.

“Let us give people a better view of what this town could be. Let’s bring the magic back,” she said.

The auditorium was reconstructed by famed theatre designer Bertie Crewe in 1911 and was a wartime home for the renowned Old Vic and Sadlers Wells companies.

The crowdfunding site is available through the trust’s Facebook page.