Colne - the capital of cool!
That is the title that has been bestowed on the town by Tourism Lancashire, the group which is responsible for attracting visitors to the Red Rose County. And the way the town has bucked the recession and has few empty shops has also been highlighted in the latest edition of Lancashire Life magazine. Tourism Lancashire representatives visited Colne recently at the invitation of local traders and were so impressed with the town centre that they gave it its new title – one which the traders hope will attract more people to come and see what it has to offer.
Spokesman Ashley Sutcliffe said: “We have some good quality shops in Colne. The traders are working together and
are not resting on our laurels.
“Nelson had the money from Mary Portas but we have done all of this ourselves.
“People are queueing up to take shops in Colne and things are looking really good.”
Mr Sutcliffe has written to Mary Portas to tell her of Colne’s success story.
In his letter, he said: “We, as businesses in the town, are grouping together and acting as a co-operative and offering each the support needed to revitalise and energise our town centre in the face of adversity.
“It is so rare to have the level of success and prominence that Colne has achieved that I simply had to tell you about it.
“For a town supposedly in the midst of a grim north, the future is bright, colourful and cool in Colne. Come and see for yourself soon!”