King George’s Hall in Blackburn hoping to host more stars like Alan Shearer following £8m renovation news
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King George’s Hall will be hoping to attract bigger stars to the venue after a new £8 million renovation to the building has been announced.
The hall, which is Blackburn’s biggest venue for events, has hosted nights with the likes of Alan Shearer and Brian Cox in the past but wishes to garner an even higher calibre of celebrity.
Surrounding the renovation, King George’s Hall is seen as the cornerstone of Blackburn’s new £50m Cultural Quarter, which has symbolised a major leap forward in the town's development.
Conservative group regeneration spokesperson, Cllr Paul Marrow said: “I am delighted with the money for King George's Hall which is an vital part of the cultural, artistic and leisure life of the borough and wider area.
“The hall is the jewel in the crown of Blackburn town centre and this investment dovetails with the money spent on other projects.”
This £8m renovation has been made possible after Blackburn with Darwen Council secured £20m of new Levelling Up funding from the Government.
Funding has now reached a total of more than £125m for the borough as the Levelling Up fund has helped the council to invest into education, transport and culture.
The announcement comes after months of hard work between Council and Government officials, who have together developed a strong investment package to support town centre growth priorities.
There will also be new investment for the likes of Tony’s Ballroom, The Exchange and Imperial Mill.
Creating new jobs and supporting businesses is high on the agenda too with money secured for Blackburn College to deliver new cyber and digital skills opportunities an example of this.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Phil Riley said: “We have a proud and proven track record of delivering here in Blackburn with Darwen and the amount of funding we are securing is testament to that.
“They know we’ll spend the money wisely and on projects that will make a real difference, projects that are important to our residents and to our businesses.
“Indeed, town centres are hugely important, and this latest investment package has a strategic focus on culture – something that is helping to transform our offers with great success.”