THREE women have described the historic day Mahatma Gandhi visited Darwen 80 years ago today.

As political leader of India, he was invited to see the effects of his country’s boycott of cotton goods on Darwen, by Percy and Kathleen Davies, owners of Greenfield Mill, in Darwen.

Then aged 62, he was in London for talks about the issue when the opportunity arose to speak to the town where 10,000 were unemployed because of the action.

Sigrid Green, of Ely Close, Darwen, was 11 when Gandhi’s entourage stopped walking outside her father’s works, in Crown Street, and he touched her hair and face.

She said: “The police had been in the previous day to check there were no nooks, or crannies, where people could hide and take a pot shot at him.

"He was a brave man to come because there was a lot of ill feeling in the town at the time.

“My father explained that he was a great man and decided it would be good for me to see him, so we joined the crowds outside.

“When he walked down the road he was with about 20, or 25, people and a little dog.

"Then Gandhi stopped in front of me and looked down at me.

"He touched my hair and cheek, grinned, then left. He didn’t say a word.

"At the time I didn’t really know what a great man he was, I just had to smile and be polite.”

Former mill worker Ethel Gunning, 104, saw Gandhi address crowds gathered outside Darwen Market.

She said: “I remember seeing him clearly. He was a funny little man and had old clothes on, he looked poor.

"There was a lot of excitement about his visit.

"It was quite something for Darwen, and we made him very welcome, even though there were a lot of people not so pleased about what he was doing.”

Former transport worker Grace Scott, 91, who lived in Olive Lane in 1931, saw Gandhi entering a cottage in Watery Lane as she left a friend’s house.

She said: “I was very young and didn’t know the significance of the visit.

“I remember there was a lot of excitement in the town and as I came out of my friend’s house I saw Gandhi and his party go into the cottage.

“It would be nice to have an exhibition about the visit for people to see.”