I would like through the medium of your letters page, to say a big thank you to Bill Charnley and Kelvin Gudger for their tremendous achievement in organising a very successful weekend at Eanam Wharf with the Blackburn Canal Festival.

Dancers from the D.A.P.A Centre were there to entertain the crowds, along with the Mayor and Mayoress who opened the event. The event was attended by around 3,000 people, with the boat trips on the canal proving very popular. Ice cream vans and food stalls helped keep the visitors refreshed on a hot summer’s day. This area is ideal for events of this type – close to town, but set back from the main road, giving a relaxed historic feel to the venue.

I hope this is the first of many festivals, and I thank the council and the Calypso Caribbean Restaurant for their financial support in getting this to fruition. I hope the Canal and River Trust, along with other agencies, can come together for further events on this historic site – maybe a Dickensian Christmas Market?

Coun Jim Shorrock, Blackburn.