ONE voice Blackburn has received a grant for an exciting new heritage project looking at life in the Lancashire Mills.

Young people will be given the chance to record oral histories of 10 South Asian people's life in the Mills in the 1950s to the 1970s. The project, supported by the heritage lottery fund, encourages the youth of Blackburn to engage with the history and the people connected to the Lancashire mills.

One Voice will produce a video of the oral histories which will be officially launched at the 2019 One Voice Annual Dinner.

The project will be delivered by the multi award-winning West End Girls (WEGs), a girl group of 10-17-year-olds that work to give back to the community. Kiran Sadiq, lead for WEGS, the girl’s group in One Voice, said:

"We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players and are confident the project will support young people like myself to be active citizens with pride in their Lancashire heritage."

The interviews conducted by the WEGs will be completed in English, with an interpreter if needed, interviewing South Asians with a Pakistani, Indian and African background at their homes.

One Voice is an organisation that aspires to create an inclusive, cohesive and vibrant community in Blackburn with Darwen and will help young participants from across the town to get involved in this project.