A 'TASTE Lancashire’ marquee will be among the food and drink highlights for visitors to next month’s Festival of Making in Blackburn town centre.

And synth pop pioneer Martyn Ware will be offering them a complementary feast for their ears.

The founding member of both The Human League and Heaven 17 is appealing for people to share their memories and mementoes of the popular Blackburn nightclub Tony’s Empress Ballroom.

He will use them to create a sound installation at the free festival on May 12 and 13 to go with the variety of food and drink on offer at various venues.

Tony’s was a cornerstone of the Northern Soul scene in the 1980s and a home of legendary all-nighters before becoming a popular rave venue.

Mr Ware wants to hear from couples who met on the dance floor and people who have flyers, photos and other mementoes from the venue from the period tucked away.

He said: “Lancashire was the home of the Northern Soul all-nighter.

“After the fire at Wigan Casino, Tony’s Empress Ballroom was one of the places that kept the tradition alive.

“Ever since the Industrial Revolution, from rock and roll to jazz and brass bands to punk, music has been an outlet for workers and has provided a meeting place for communities.”

The Taste Lancashire marquee will host several of the county’s best-known food and drink makers, including Calyx Drinks from Burnley, who create botanical juices and syrups, while makers like Choc Amor, hailing from Mawdsley, will satisfy cravings for something sweet.

Manchester’s Cracking Good Food will demonstrate how to turn unsold food into delicious, wholesome and fun-to-cook meals, gathering families together to get busy in the kitchen.

Linking with Fareshare, a charity with a mission to limit food waste, the cooking sessions will use fruit and vegetables that would have otherwise gone uneaten.

Blackburn College joins the festival with the results of the Reg Johnson Young Chef Schools Competition held for the first year in memory of the influential Goosnargh poultry farmer.

Wayne Hemingway, director of the festival, said: “The UK is blessed with an ever-growing community of makers, developing brand new designs as well as reviving traditional products from within our diverse communities, meaning that handmade markets really are a treasure trove for shoppers, collectors and foodies.

“It’s hungry and thirsty work, so there will once again be the impossible choice to make between a range of handmade and locally-produced food and drink options. Best arrive hungry and thirsty!”