AS hordes of people turned out to mark Darwen Tower's centenary, thousands of miles away businessman Frank Bull was also raising a glass to the famous landmark.

In the Australian state of Victoria, Frank had just christened his new company Tower Personal Development - in honour of his home town - and decided to use the tower as his training firm's logo.

The company is part of Aussie Host, which has an affiliated programme in England and Wales called Welcome Host.

Frank emigrated to Mildura, Australia, in 1966, aged 21, to marry his sweetheart Wendy.

The former Darwen Technical School pupil has always held the town close to his heart and his sister, Margaret Gaskell, still lives in the town.

Frank, whose mother Mona King was heavily involved in Darwen's entertainment scene, said: "The old poem of The Mucky Little Town called Darren may hold some credence but Darwen nestles in one of the most attractive valleys in Lancashire and the view from the tower, on a clear day, is quite spectacular.

"I used to visit the tower about once a month and have seen Blackpool Tower many times from there, but never the Isle of Man."

Jazz enthusiast Frank returned to Darwen recently with a friend from his teenage years, David Schofield.

David and wife Helen have also emigrated, to New Zealand, and the couples were keen to make a video of the town, including Tockholes and Sunnyhurst Woods which he described as "one of the most beautiful places on Earth", for their families back home.

Frank said: "The old tower looked superb. The last time I was up there was on my only visit back in 1989 but I hope to get back again soon. A walk to the tower will definitely be on the agenda."

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