Colne Blues Festival: Anger as annual music event axed

Axing an annual blues music festival which attracts about 25,000 people to a small Lancashire town was "disgusting" and "out of touch", a campaigner said.

Organisers Colne Town Council said it was scrapping the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival due to rising costs.

It said the event, which has been running for over 30 years, would be replaced with a summer music festival.

Carl Allen, who has started a petition to save the festival, said the decision had "angered a lot of people".

"I've gone to the festival since I was a kid. It put Colne on the map and is unique to Colne. It is the staple of the town," he said.

The event, which won the UK Blues Festival of The Year Award in 2019, has been cancelled for the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The town council said it was "with great regret we announce the end of the legendary Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival".

It said the event was "not only one of Europe's ultimate contemporary blues festivals, but also a one-of-a-kind and much-loved festival for people of the local area".

However, chairman of the town council, Liberal Democrat Mary Thomas, said it "no longer has the resources" to run it.

Naomi Crewe, the council's town clerk, said it had been an "extremely difficult" decision made during "unprecedented times", but organisers would put on a summer music festival in Colne from next year.

Mr Allen said: "Businesses such as pubs, clubs and independent shops can make more revenue during that weekend than in the rest of the year.

"People travel from all over the world for it, including American Blues bands because it is so targeted."

He added summer festivals were "ten a penny".

Wayne Blackburn, chair of Colne Labour branches, said cancelling the blues festival was a "huge mistake".

Residents and businesses were "angry and disappointed", he said, adding it was "short-sighted" not to explore other options such as making it a bi-annual event.

He said it was "the cultural highlight of the year in Colne".

Andrew Stephenson, the Conservative MP for Pendle, said the decision was "shockingly bad" and it was a "disgrace the council didn't even consult local businesses or residents".

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