Celebrity nightclub owner Margo Grimshaw was last night given the honour of turning on the Thwaites Star - one of the best loved Christmas sights in East Lancashire. But where did it come from and why does it enjoy such a place in people's affections? Reporter ADRIAN WORSLEY sheds some light on the issue. . .

LEGEND states its twinkling lights can be seen from as far away as Yorkshire, while many claim Christmas hasn't started until it lights the Blackburn skyline.

And to children the Thwaites is nothing less than the Star of Bethlehem itself.

But the ornament that adorns the roof of Daniel Thwaites brewery, has its origins in the more earthly surroundings of a management meeting in 1980.

Desperate to give something back to the town, bosses put their heads together to find a way to brighten the lives of workers, not to mention Christmas shoppers.

Ian Harkness, a member of that team and now managing director of Shire Hotels, the firm's hotel division, suggested it placed an eight-sided star on the building that reflected its official address - Star Brewery, Penny Street.

David Kay, then managing director, said the decoration was a symbol of hope.

Now retired, he looked back on 24 years of the glittering beacon and said: "I am so proud of what the star has become and the impact it has had on people. At the time we felt the Thwaites tower was in such a prominent position we needed to do something to signify Christmas to everyone. I've been surprised by the place it now has in people's affections.

"We thought it would light up the town but it seems to mean more than that."

Switched on in the first week of December, the star is usually lit by a celebrity, loyal Thwaites employee or member of the public - but, contrary to popular belief, they don't shimmy up a rickety ladder to do the honours. Instead, they climb to the top floor of its car park to plunge a detonator switch.

Margo last night joined the high-profile celebrities given the honour of flipping the switch, following in the footsteps of world Superbike champ Carl Fogarty, Blackburn Rovers stars Matt Jansen and David Dunn, and ex-England cricket skipper Michael Atherton.

But it's not just the great and the good of the sporting and showbiz world that get the chance.

Brewery bosses have always been keen to share the honour among Blackburn folk they feel have deserved to shine in their own right. Over the years, long-serving brewery workers, excited school children, grateful grandmothers and, bizarrely, in 1988, Kris - a guide dog - have all been invited to do the honours

Ten years ago, gran Kathleen Hargreaves was nominated by her daughter and grand-daughter and described it as "the best day of her life."

Nightclub owner and Evening Telegraph columnist Margo said she was honoured to be asked to take part in a this year's ceremony. She said: "It's wonderful to be asked because the star has plenty of symbolic meaning for Blackburn.

"I didn't realise it was actually a plunger instead of a switch to turn it on. So, in a way I plunged Blackburn into light instead of darkness - must be a first."

She added: "It's always great to see the star, especially as it comes on later than Blackburn's lights. It signifies the true start of Christmas in Blackburn."