A COTTON mill town went back to its roots as hundreds of entertainers gathered for an extravaganza of music, drama, dance and fun.

A dazzling procession of 500 performers and 20 arts and community groups sparked a day-long celebration marking how the cotton industry shaped Burnley down through the years.

The King Cotton carnival, jointly sponsored by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and Endsleigh Insurance, was a massive attraction for Saturday shoppers.

The town centre was given over to a wide range of performances depicting the story of cotton.

Starting with Snapshot Punch and Judy show at 10.15am through to a specially produced work by Burnley College music students at 4pm, the town centre was alive with music and colour throughout the day.

A Cotton Queen who was never crowned passed on her title to the new Queen.

Janey Smith, 79, of Brunshaw Road, Burnley, was named Cotton Queen in 1937 but never received her crown. She passed on her title to 11-year-old Alison Nicholas of Gainsborough Avenue. Cotton King was ten-year-old Darryl Slack of Rome Avenue. They took part in a procession which made its way from the Weavers' Triangle through the town centre to the bandstand.

Entertainment included a display of Victorian dancing, an eight-strong percussion band playing Brazilian Samba music, a Burnley Youth Theatre production, a French Quarter Parade Band, Morris dancers, Burnley College bands, clog dancing and music from the Pendle Jazzmen.

The excitement also spread to Burnley Mechanics Theatre where there were displays of spinning, paper making, batique and lace making as well as poems and pints from the Fiftysomething theatre company.

The carnival follows the tradition of cotton-related events once held in the area and organisers are hoping the King Cotton celebration will be the rebirth of the tradition.

One of the organisers, Anthony Preston, said: "Half a century ago, Queen Cotton beauty pageants were common throughout Lancashire. We are trying to remake a tradition, moving away from beauty pageant origins and turning it into a celebration of diversity and sense of place."

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