INTO THE FUTURE: Rocket man Steve Bennett (front, left) meets Oscar the robot watched by Brenda Rudge (centre, right) managing director of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and (back, from the left) John Calway (Chamber of Commerce president), Tony Panaro (The Business), Lancashire Evening Telegraph editor Peter Butterfield, Alan McColgan (business development manager for Blackburn Rovers FC), Michael Damms (Chamber of Commerce chief executive), Mike Lawton (Chamber of Commerce vice-president) and Kathryn Czaja (Chamber of Commerce commercial director) WE have lift off!

Amateur rocketman Steve Bennett and Oscar the robot were special guests at the opening of the Chamber of Commerce East Lancashire business exhibition at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel, Clayton-le-Moors.

The pair were at the event to promote the Visitors from Space tour being staged at Ewood Park, Blackburn, next month, when two Russian cosmonauts will talk to schoolchildren about life in Space. They will also join Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson for a special business dinner on June 10.

The Visitors from Space tour is being sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, Blackburn Rovers, Lancashire Evening Telegraph and Accrington-based The Business.

The business exhibition attracted hundreds of visitors and featured a 'meet the buyer' event to enable local firms to meet purchasing managers from major companies face-to-face.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.