ORGANISERS say a landmark Darwen celebration of the town will be the 'biggest and best yet'.

The annual Parade and Gala is being staged for the 50th time this August on the Borough Road playing fields and around Bold Venture Park gates.

And the Darwen Gala Committee meets next week as organisers start to thrash out this year's programme of events.

It will, however, definitely feature a race to Darwen Tower, a central arena filled with a variety of free performances, a fun fair and stalls run by local businesses, pubs, charities and groups.

There will also be 'ale testing' in the Lost Dads' Tent and the Catherine Dowdall Memorial run - a 4.7 mile fell run including a climb of 282metres at the Bold Venture Park.

John Sturgess, joint owner and chairman of Darwen Gala committee, says the actual starting date of the event is unclear.

He said: "We are 99 per cent sure it's the 50th gala, not the 50th year. We do know it skipped a few years for different reasons."

The gala, which was possibly first held in either 1953 to tie in with the Coronation or in 1955, has faced threats through the past three decades.

In 1981 it lost a grant from the council worth £4,000, leading to organisers deciding to organise it alone, and it faced the axe in 1995 over dwindling numbers of committee members.

The event, which was handed a £1,500 grant boost last month, is still organised independently of both the town and borough councils.

Treasurer Vanessa Moore said the actual attractions were still being planned but she did reveal the main act will be the Fool's Circus.

She said: "They are a couple of guys who do acrobatics on bikes and fly through the air and they are new so we hope they'll be good.

"We want this year's to be as good as possible.

"There were four of us who joined together when the old committee all wanted to leave a few years ago.

"They put an impassioned pleas in the Lancashire Telegraph and asked for new people to come forward.

"We are all still there along with one of two others who have joined.

"It is the 50th year and we want all the townspeople of Darwen to get involved.

"The parade has been in decline for a number of years but this year we are hoping people will take an interest."

On the day, the celebrations will include handing out community awards - last year The Friends of Square Meadow was given the maximum £2,000, while Cheer Valley Cheerleaders received £1,550 and AFC Darwen Reserves got £750.

Rosemere Cancer Charity is hosting a tombola stall and would like people to donate prizes by contacting Dan by email at daniel.hill@lthtr.nhs.uk or calling 01772 528346.