THE Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival will be back on Colne on August Bank Holiday Weekend next year.

The full meeting of Colne Town Council on Tuesday and agreed to continue with the 28-year-old event for 2018.

Councillors recognised the ‘enormous financial impact’ the festival had on the local economy and just how well supported the weekend was.

The meeting decided that: “The ambition for next year is to deliver a bigger and better event, but at less cost, made possible by having learned so many things from this first year of delivery.”

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The 2018 event will run from August 24 to 26 but not include the actual Bank Holiday Monday August 27.

It will include the return of multi-venue all-weekend tickets and Blues band King King, who pulled out this year because of illness, will headline one of the nights.

Vivary Bridge councillor Joe Cooney, one of the organisers, said: “It stayed within our £60,000 budget, was well-attended with many volunteers.

“We want it to be a long-term success and hope it will break even within three years.”

Waterside Liberal Democrat councillor Tony Greaves said: “This is good news.

“The Blues festival is a key part of Colne’s calendar and we want to see it continue and succeed.”

Artists are being booked and an improved web site and ticket offer will be available from December 2017 with regular announcements as artists commit to the event.

This year’s festival has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Lancashire Small Event Tourism Award and Barnfield Construction Ltd have confirmed they will again be a major sponsor next year.

Barnfield chairman Tim Webber said: “By committing our support at this very early stage, we hope this will help keep Colne well and truly on the Blues map help make this a great event.”

Cllr Cooney, chair of Colne Town Council’s finance committee, said: “We have listened to lots of feedback from festival goers, local residents and our outstanding team of volunteers, who were simply the best over the weekend, and will be making some improvements including launching a limited number of ‘all venue all weekend’ festival tickets in the very near future.

“It will be just three days again next year but we are looking at a smaller non-Blues but linked event on the Bank Holiday Monday for 2019.”

Colne Town Council took over the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival last year from Pendle Leisure Trust.