A TOWN has been twinned with another in Scotland for a project aimed at reinvigorating local economies.

Oswaldtwistle is one of 10 areas to be selected to participate in the trial and has been paired with the small Scottish town of Whitburn in West Lothian which sits between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Both towns are known for their history of mining, with people from Oswaldtwistle often known as ‘Gobbiners’ which stems from their industrial roots.

Town Bent colliery was one of the 15 coal mines operating in the Oswaldtwistle and Church area in the 1800s.

Oswaldtwistle’s three major mines together employed some 1,000 men.

The twin town partnership is being led by the Civic Arts Centre and Theatre.

Gayle Knight, creative director at the Union Road centre, said: “We liked the idea of the town twinning programme because we thought it was a good opportunity to get ideas from other areas of the country to see how they are regenerating their towns.

“We’ve spoken to the people from Whitburn already and we’re hoping to visit soon.

“This could be a fun thing for the whole of Oswaldtwistle to get involved in.”

Over the coming 18 months, both towns will build their ties, receive economic planning support and have access to funds to kick start new social enterprise activity.

The initial six months of the partnership will see each of the towns devise a twinning action plan.

Both areas hope to boost employment and youth engagement through the scheme.

Leader of Hyndburn Council Cllr Miles Parkinson said: “Oswaldtwistle has a wonderful community spirit and any project which aims to come up with new and innovative ideas to boost local economies is to be welcomed.”

The scheme follows the search for partnerships launched in October last year by the Carnegie UK Trust.

Gina Wilson, development manager, said: “Twin Towns is aimed at encouraging towns to make a positive impact.”