A BODY set up to boost tourism in Lancashire has been forced to fold after its funding came to an end.

Lancashire Tourism Partnership was set up with government Single Regeneration Budget money in 1996. Since then the £7.5million originally granted has been used to support 57 projects across the area with grants starting from £5,000.

And that has helped to boost the number of visitors to the region, in turn helping the economy. It has also helped to attract private sector and public funding worth more than £43m.

Individual attractions, including Towneley Hall in Burnley, are among those to have benefited.

Chairman of the Lancashire Tourist Board, Anthony Goldstone, today said the work of the Partnership would carry on, even though its funding had run out. He said: "Now the SRB3 money is at an end the Lancashire Tourism Partnership ceases to exist. However the pioneering work done by the Partnership will live on.

"Analysts have recognised the improvement in quality of the attractions themselves and the marketing and branding of tourism in Lancashire since the LTP started. I want to see that trend continue so that visitors to Lancashire can expect an experience that compares with anywhere in this country or abroad.

"The LTP has helped create and safeguard 1,600 jobs related to the tourism industry and engaged 450 employers in projects. It is a success we should applaud and we must make sure its vital work continues."