Situated nine miles north of Greater Manchester, the former mill town of Blackburn is bounded to the south by Darwen, with which it forms the unitary authority of Blackburn with Darwen. James Hargreaves, inventor of the spinning jenny, was a weaver in the nearby town of Oswaldtwistle and the most rapid period of growth and development in the town’s history coincided with the industrialisation and expansion of textile manufacturing.
Recognised as a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution and one of the first industrialised towns in the world, Blackburn’s textile sector fell into terminal decline from the mid-20th century and has subsequently faced similar challenges to other post-industrial northern towns, including deindustrialisation, economic deprivation and housing issues.
In recent years, the town has benefited from an ongoing investment programme aimed at attracting new leisure, retail and commercial businesses. Almost 4,000 new jobs have been created since 2009 and the recently developed £30 million Cathedral Quarter provides high quality public space and offices in the town centre.
A further £65 million has been invested in the Blackburn College campus which also has a University Centre to develop the skills of 3,000 higher education students. There has been a £40 million investment in the rapid bus transit system and £14 million in the Manchester train line, further stimulating local investment and job creation.
Building on Blackburn with Darwen’s rich industrial heritage, the Hive Ambassadors Network unites local businesses, organisations and individuals in a powerful network to help challenge perceptions and boost the town’s profile.
Launched in autumn 2016, the Hive mobilises businesses to be proactive advocates with the power to influence how Blackburn with Darwen is marketed, how it is portrayed in the media and to raise awareness of the town among key national and regional influencers.
Ian Brown has been Chair of the Hive Ambassadors Network since 2018. He has close personal connections with Blackburn with Darwen and represents the third generation in the family business of Graham and Brown which has been supplying decorative wall products to consumers around the world since 1946. See the video below where Ian explains how Hive mobilises businesses to be proactive advocates with the power to influence how Blackburn with Darwen is marketed, how it is portrayed in the media and to raise awareness of the town among key national and regional influencers.
Ian Brown, Chair of the Hive Ambassadors Network explains how Hive mobilises businesses to be proactive advocates with the power to influence how Blackburn with Darwen is marketed, how it is portrayed in the media and to raise awareness of the town among key national and regional influencers.