A MULTI-MILLION-pound windfall was on its way to Blackburn to breathe new life into the heart of the town.

Jubilant council bosses and business people learned the borough had been successful in its bid for £37.5 million of City Challenge cash, spread over a five-year period.

But it was bad news for Burnley, which had also hoped to be one of the 20 winners out of 54 bidders nationwide.

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