A BLACKBURN road bridge is the first in the country to have received a Lancashire-themed wallpaper makeover.

Wallpaper manufacturer Graham and Brown was behind the innovative idea for the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

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It is just one of several local companies in the area who have adopted a stretch of waterway following the launch of a new scheme by the Canal and Rivers Trust.

The company’s premises in Stanley Street straddles the canal and when bosses were thinking of ways to spruce up the area, papering the bridge seemed an obvious choice. They commissioned London designer and illustrator Lizzie Mary Cullen to create a giant Blackburn canalscape which is on permanent display in the company’s foyer.

This was turned into wallpaper and now adorns the underside of Sour Milk Hall Bridge (no 104, Harwood Street).

Ian Brown, a director at Graham and Brown, said: “Graham and Brown is a business rooted in the Blackburn community.

“A town with a proud past, the canal is a legacy of the times of the Industrial Revolution. Today it not only can tell the story of how Blackburn developed but also create a linear parkland through our town to be enjoyed by all.

“To decorate the bridge was a natural step. As a business we are inspired by creative design and the bridge supplied us with a large blank canvas to work on.

“From feedback we have received from passers-by, the project has added to the beauty of this waterway and many more projects are planned for the future.”

The Canal and River Trust cares for the nation’s 200-year-old canal network and is currently working on a new Blackburn canal heritage trail, having just launched a virtual tour of Daisyfield Mill.

At Eanam Wharf, Dance and Performing Arts Centre staff have also adopted their canal and brought new visitors by promoting canal festivals and heritage weekends.