A REVIVED landmark, dedicated to one monarch, proved to be a breathtaking backdrop to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of another.

Thousands trekked up to the red. white and blue bathed Darwen Tower to witness the iconic edifice's official relaunch and the lighting of a beacon to mark The Queen's 70 years on the throne.

Historically the tower was unveiled to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1898. But its other purpose, revelling in the right to roam the moors, was also given due deference tonight.

Eight-year-old Edie Turner tackled the ascent to the tower every day in May and collected £3,300 for Ukraine relief work.

And so it was only fitting she took custody of a royal lantern, lit earlier by 103-year-old Eva Carter, Darwen's oldest resident, and ferried from Market Square by Running Mayor Andrew Gardner, en-route to the beacon being illuminated.

Community champion Janet Pearce, the driving force behind Keep Darwen Tidy, was given the honour of lighting the beacon, one of hundreds which sparked into life across the country to mark the jubilee.

An honour which she told the crowd "made my heart burst" as she paid tribute to fellow green volunteers who go out in all weathers to maintain the town's streets.

Her official duties were heralded by both Darwen town crier Darryl Counsell and Gordon Smith, of the Accrington Pipe Band.

Cormac Thompson, who has appeared on Britain's Got Talent after recording his own album in lockdown, aptly performed Snow Patrol's Run beforehand.

Father Brian Keeley, vicar of St Joseph's and St Edward's, was also on hand to remind the windswept onlookers of the significance of The Queen's reign, as Darwen Live supremo Darren James took on the MC role.

Even the beacon framework came together with a little local knowhow as WEC engineering apprentices Conrad Waddicor, 16, and Declan Brewer, 18, used their newly-acquired welding skills to great effect.

Rotarians had been banging the drum for the tower's restoration for several years and their hard-earned £70,000 was boosted by a £225,000 bequest from the Darwen Town Deal and £10,000 from Blackburn with Darwen Council to deliver the much-needed upgrades. Townsfolk didn't let the side down with steady streams of people creating a throng around the tower and generating a carnival atmosphere.

Moments after the beacon flared into life, a swirling rain gripped the moors. But even that couldn't dampen the spirits, and with a rousing chorus of God Save The Queen, and a last plea for people to help each other down off the moors, the proceedings drew to a close.