A SEVEN-year regeneration programme that has transformed parts of Pendle is to be celebrated at a conference next week.

Pendle Partnership was awarded £9.2m in 1996 from the Government's Single Regeneration Budget for a seven-year programme targeting economic development in the borough.

Since then, the funding has been matched with more than £39m of additional public and private sector money.

The conference, on Wednesday, January 14 at Northern Technologies, will give main stakeholders the chance to reflect on the progress of the pro- gramme. Speakers will include East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce chief executive Mike Damms, Community Safety Partnership chairman Dr Ibrahim Malik and Nelson and Colne College principal Kath Belton.

The SRB2 regeneration funding helped to fund a number of key developments in Pendle including:

Linden Business Centre

West Craven Business Park

Pendle Business Centre

Developments at Pendle Heritage Centre

Centre regeneration in Barnoldswick, Colne and Nelson

Business advice and grants

Training and support for the aerospace industry

Refurbishment of Colne and Nelson market halls

Development of Pendle Village Mill (now Junction 12 Shopping Centre)

These developments have helped to create more than 3,000 jobs and safeguard another 8,500. Pendle Partnership chairman Dennis Mendoros said: "I am looking forward to the conference.

"It is a chance to celebrate what has been achieved. We should talk up the economic progress we have made in Pendle. About 100 projects have benefited from this money."

SRB2 was Pendle Partnership's first successful bid for regeneration funding and since 1996 the Partnership has also won £25m of funding from SRB4, SRB5 and SRB6 and the European Regional Development Fund.

A few places are still available for the conference from Nick Molyneux on 01282 661 780.