OSWALDTWISTLE'S new visitor and heritage centre is on hold due to lack of funds.

The Straits Visitor and Heritage Centre, on Union Road, is still without carpets on its upper floors and members of the Oswaldtwistle Civic Society don't yet know when they will be able to open it.

Civic Society member, Winnie Hogan, said: "We are looking into lottery funding, but we haven't decided anything definite yet.

"We are hoping to get some money from the Great Oswaldtwistle Walk, which takes place in July, and also the Army cadets will be running a disco for us."

Chairman of the Civic Society, Eric Roberts, said: "We still have a bit of refurbishing to go but the main problem isn't getting the building ready to open - it's keeping it open once it's started. Getting the centre this far has used all the money.

"We could open in a fortnight but we just don't have the funding to keep it running so it wouldn't last."

So far, Lancashire County Council and Hyndburn Council have both donated money for the centre, which will house a scale model of Oswaldtwistle's old prisoner of war camp, along with features about some of the most famous sons of Oswaldtwistle, Robert Peel and James Hargreaves. There will also be a room containing extensive local archive footage where people can research local history for themselves.

The society are asking for donations to enable them to open the centre. Anyone wishing to pledge money is asked to phone their Treasurer, Joan Hogan, on 232797.

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