TWO East Lancashire businessmen who helped kickstart regeneration in Blackburn and Darwen have retired after more than a decade promoting the borough.

Peter Robinson, chief executive of the Blackburn with Darwen Partnership, and chairman of the partnership, Peter Sharman, have left a legacy which includes a proposed £150million pound regeneration of the town and a borough named as the North West's Capital of Enterprise for 2004.

Since it was set up in 1990, the Blackburn with Darwen Partnership has forged strong bonds between local business people and senior members and officers of the borough council and was the foundation of a successful campaign to to bring huge investment to the borough.

But it hasn't always run smoothly as Peter Robinson recalls: "Back in the early 1990s the public and private sectors simply weren't used to working closely together for the good of the district.

"There was a certain amount of suspicion and lack of trust and understanding between private, public and voluntary sectors. Our aim was to bring these resources together and the work we did made the partnership the forerunner to today's Local Strategic Partnership, which attracts millions of pounds of investment into the area.

"Looking back I would say the biggest achievement to date is when I look around the borough and think about where we came from to what we have today. It has been hard work but now when I see all the future plans for the town and all the awards for business development and enterprise the borough has been awarded it makes us feel very proud."

Peter Sharman, 60, first met Mr Robinson 11 years ago before becoming chairman of the Partnership five years ago. He added: "Having been born in Blackburn I knew at first hand the challenges facing Blackburn with Darwen and I wanted to help and encourage the private sector to get involved.

"I think over the years we have managed to break down a lot of those barriers to regeneration and have been voted one of the best towns in the country for our regeneration work and I can honestly say that we are." Peter Robinson remembers that it all started in July 1990. He was working as a manager with Barclays Bank when his chairman met the Prince of Wales to talk about creating a new form of co-operation between businesses and public agencies.

Prince Charles had just returned from Massachusetts, in the USA, where pioneering work between the public and private sectors was under way. Impressed with what he had seen, he asked Barclays to help and approaches were made to the local authorities in Blackburn and Halifax.

Mr Robinson was offered a secondment to take the fledgling Blackburn Partnership forward.

After setting up in its first base - a small empty office space in Blackburn's Glenfield Park - the first major project was establishing the Groundwork Trust in the borough, which eventually became the environment arm of the Partnership.

The partnership then started pioneering community work with families and children in the Roman Road area, which got more public agencies like the Police and Health Authority on board with community and voluntary groups.

Gradually Partnership initiatives like Employers' Forums, Employee Volunteering, School Friends and later the business start-up project Guardian Angels were rolled out across the borough. It was here the partnership developed its strategic lobbying function working closely with East Lancashire's MPs. Much of the massive investment in new jobs and training, housing, environmental improvements and the M65 extension came as a result of this joint working.

Peter has received a personally signed letter from Prince Charles thanking him for making the dream reality and wishing him well in retirement.

Now the pair are weighing up how to keep themselves busy in retirement. Mr Sharman said: "I'm going to review things first and not get involved in too many things, I'm still involved as a school governor and other bits and bobs so I'll enjoy seeing my wife a bit more and decide what to do later."

Mr Robinson, 62, who is busy with voluntary organisations, said he was going to take a year out and see what happened.

Business leaders Amanda Meachin and Mike Murray will be taking over the roles.