A CAMPAIGN to bring a unique part of Blackburn’s heritage back to life will take a step forward at the weekend.

On Saturday there will be two invitation-only screenings of a specially-commissioned documentary in which former regulars at Tony’s Empress Ballroom share their memories of the dancehall which for 80 years was at the heart of Blackburn’s nightlife.

Then the public will be able to see the film when it becomes ‘an exhibit’ at Blackburn Museum with regular screenings over a two week period.

The documentary is the brainchild of music promoter Pete Eastwood who is pushing for Tony’s to be brought back to life as a venue.

“It is very much a labour of love for me,” he said. “Obviously nothing is going to happen overnight but the documentary captures the passion that so many people have for the venue.

“The most important thing for me was to record those stories and those memories while the people were still around.”

The documentary has been made by award-winning Blackburn film-maker Aaron Dunleavey and was shot in the ballroom. It features former staff, regulars from the thriving Northern Soul scene who travelled to Blackburn every Saturday night and couples who met there.

“People had tears in their eyes when they shared their memories,” said Pete. “If a venue can have such an impact you know it must have been very special and it would be fantastic to bring it back.”

In the 1920s Tony Billington took the lease of the first floor of premises on Town Hall Street and obtained the town’s first licence for music and dancing. In the 1930s a sprung dancefloor was added and the Empress Ballroom would continue to operate until 2003.

It retains many of the original features and is currently owned by Blackburn with Darwen Council.

“I just fell in love with the place when I saw it,” said Pete who is responsible for the Confessional and Night at the Museum events.

“I couldn’t believe it had the original dancefloor and so many original features. It is probably one of the very few original Northern Soul dancefloors in the country.”

Pete set up the Facebook group Friends of Tony’s Empress Ballroom which already has over 850 members from all over the country.

“I would love to see it reopen as a venue, it would offer something unique,” he said. “Hopefully this little film can at least show how special it was to so many people and make people think that perhaps it could become that special again.”