DARWEN has had its fair share of problems over the years.

Jobs have gone as a number of large employers left town or went out of business and the battle to improve rail links to Manchester and upgrade the single track has gone on for decades.

On top of that is the fact many of its people feel Darwen’s lot is to be perpetually in the shadow of ‘big brother’ Blackburn with its grand college, council HQ and King George’s Hall.

But in recent times things have begun to change in this conurbation which straddles the A666 for several miles.

There was the revamp of Darwen Leisure Centre which, although a long time coming, now means the town centre has probably the best public swimming facilities in East Lancashire – an eight-lane, 25 metre pool with a teaching pool and a gym with 80 pieces of equipment.

Another development which had a gestation period far longer than that of an elephant was the Darwen Aldridge Academy.

Acquiring the site next to Sainsbury’s and getting the place built was a long and controversial process.

Before that there was the actual principle of shutting Darwen Moorland High School and replacing it with a school outside local authority control financed by the Aldridge Foundation.

Also, should an unelected body that was the brainchild of a millionaire businessman be running a school?

And what of its mission statement that it: “harnesses entrepreneurship as a catalyst for social change, helping young people to reach their potential and improve their communities.”

Didn’t that sound a bit like bland marketing-speak? Well, I’m considering eating my words.

Last month a portable living room toured Darwen collecting 100 ideas for community projects. More than 100 people then turned up at a ‘Turning Ideas into Action’ day at Darwen Academy and shortlisted 36 schemes which will be turned into reality. They include a time bank, a Glee club and an enterprise to renovate bikes.

The project, financed by a lottery grant, is called Stand Out In Darwen and its details are all on a website of the same name. The Academy is at the heart of the action and clearly establishing itself as a place that doesn’t just school children but also plays a vital role in the community.

If half of these projects do happen Darwen will have taken a huge step towards becoming a model for East Lancashire in showing how a community can roll up its sleeves and get things down.