THE FINAL wishes of a local artist who died 45 years ago are finally being realised.
Agnes Eccles, late of Hawkshaw Avenue, Darwen, bequeathed £2,000 for art scholarships at the then Blackburn Municipal School of Art.
This request was made in her will, revealed after she died on February 13, 1957.
It was never possible to fulfil her wishes, but the present trustees, appointed in June 2000, have sought to use the fund in a way they believe Miss Eccles would have liked.
And now they think a solution has been found.
They have decided to fund two annual 'Art Student of the Year' prizes in Agnes's memory.
These will be affiliated to Blackburn College after discussions with representatives from the Department of Creative Arts.
The Municipal School of Art was based in the old 'tech' building, which is now part of Blackburn College. It is not known if the £2,000 sum left by Agnes has grown into a much larger amount, although the money has been protected in a registered charity for some years.
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