A REMINDER has been sent out to Blackburn and Darwen people for innovative ways to celebrate the millennium.

A project has been launched to try to make local celebrations among the biggest and best in Britain, with £210,000 of council funds being set aside and bids for more cash being made to the Millennium Festival fund.

The aim is to attract 500,000 people to the borough between December 30, 1999 and January 2, 2001 with something happening every day in between.

Ideas from residents of Blackburn and Darwen will shape the celebrations and a £100 cash prize is on offer to the person with the best idea.

International, technological, cultural, environmental and sporting themes will be considered, although any other ideas will be welcome. Both one-off events and ideas that will leave a permanent reminder of celebrations will be used.

The council has set up a millennium task group to co-ordinate the planned year of celebrations and its chairman is Coun Ashley Whalley.

He said: "We are conscious that it is Blackburn holidays and many people are away from the area. But we hope, by repeating our appeal in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, that as many people as possible will come up with suggestions."

A countdown to the year 2000 will begin in Blackburn and Darwen on August 19 - exactly 500 days before the start of the new millennium.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.