People have been queuing to be one of the first to get their hands on limited-edition footwear set to go on sale at Decade – the SPZL exhibition.

The Blackburn edition will go on sale today (Friday) with all proceeds from this run being donated to charity Nightsafe.

The exhibition celebrates the iconic trainers and the journey of lifelong fan and proud Darrener Gary Aspden who created the SPZL concept for Adidas back in 2014.

Only a hundred of the trainers are available and people from across the country have been camping out, complete with deck chairs and sleeping bags, to be first through the doors.

And they could have picked a worst day with heavy rain making this feel more like autumn rather than the end of May.

Fan, Gary, had travelled all the way from Romford, Essex and joined the queue at around 3pm on Thursday.

He said: “I set off about eight in the morning and got here in the afternoon. I am number 14 in the queue.

“The thing is, I only found out about a week ago.”

Gary works for the London Ambulance Service and had never been to Darwen before.

“It is my first time in Darwen and I am very surprised. The people are lovely.

“It is very similar to where we are.

“It is not the places but it is all about the people.”

Some of the others had got to the venue on Market Street very early in the morning.

It might be everyone’s idea of spending 30 hours but there was a real friendship and comradery developing between the men.

Lancashire Telegraph:

Jack arrived at 11am and was not the first in the queue.

He told us: “I came in 2019 to the one in Blackburn. It is lovely to meet different people and I am really looking forward to it.”

Tony, from Darwen, said: “I got here about noon and got delayed a bit due to work. It great to be here.”

Wayne, also from Darwen, said: “It is boring, but you have to look at the light at the end of the tunnel. We are here for the trainers.

“The last one was 36 hours back in 2019!”

Lancashire Telegraph:

The Golden Grill takeaway were on hand to treat some of those waiting to some chicken kebabs, pizza and chips.

Last week, hundreds of people descended on Darwen to view the exhibition which features everything from posters, caps and embroidered patches with the distinctive Adidas trainers.

Over the past 10 years the SPZL range has released a number of products that give nods to the Blackburn with Darwen area, from the Feniscowles jacket to the Intack SPZL trainers and the Sudell tracksuit.

The exhibition will run for 10 days in Market Street and takes up residency in an empty shop space recently leased by Blackburn with Darwen Council as part of its £120m regeneration plans for the town.