One of Darwen's best known firms has made a colourful donation to a charity to help give them a fresh new look.

Crown Paints on Hollins Road has provided paint to renovate multi-use spaces inside Blackburn Empire Theatre on Aqueduct Road, including the foyer, box office, rehearsal studios and dressing rooms.

Speaking about the donation, Russell Kitchen, operations support manager at Crown Paints, said: “We are delighted to be able to support the Blackburn Empire Theatre.

"The theatre is an important part of our community and is used by thousands of people every year including artists, performers, amateur groups, and audiences.

“The theatre is such an important asset, and we hope our donation can encourage more people to discover the venue.”

The donation includes a range of Crown Paints products, including paint from both the Crown and Sandtex ranges.

Blackburn Empire Theatre has a rich history and is dedicated to providing exceptional live entertainment & arts to the local community.

Corporate communications executive at Crown Paints, Josie Cawdry added: “Here at Crown, we want to help everyone paint their own possible, especially those in our local communities.

“We’re really proud to be able to support such wonderful projects like this one with donations of recycled and repurposed paint, which comes directly from our Darwen site, allowing us to manage our waste in a responsible way while brightening up the places and spaces around us for everyone to enjoy.

“The Empire Theatre is such a beautiful building and we can’t wait to see the end result once all work has been completed in the coming weeks – we’re sure it will be a show stopper!"

It is also the home of many of Blackburn’s amateur arts’ organisations, including Blackburn Drama Club, Blackburn Musical Theatre Company, Blackburn Gilbert and Sullivan Society, along with thriving youth dance and drama schools.

In thanking Crown Paints, Jamie Haddow, trustee at the Empire Theatre, said: “We are very grateful to Crown Paints for their donation, it will help to give the theatre a fresh new look.

“We have a dedicated team of volunteers who are just about to begin our annual maintenance program.

"Each summer, we take a short break from shows, so we can get all those jobs done that are so difficult to complete at such a busy venue.

“I know the volunteers are looking forward to brightening up all the spaces using this generous donation.”