A FILAKER gave hundreds of people a nostalgic glimpse into the heritage and identity of their town.

Four hundred eager Darreners attended Darwen Library Theatre this week to view their town as it used to be in the 1950s and 1960s in the Darwen Movie Story (part two).

It was originally planned to have just one showing of the film but 215 tickets were sold within days. Theatre bosses announced an extra showing on Thursday and, to the audience's delight, plans for repeating parts one and two on alternate nights are already in the pipeline for September.

The extraordinary success of the films is down to Dave Reddy, a film archivist and former member of the Darwen Cine Club. He has been collecting old footage dating from the 1920s since 1982.

Dave, 56, of Beechwood Drive, Feniscowles, Blackburn, said: "I'm so glad that I can bring something like this to Darwen. I was brought up here and know what proud people they are and how much they love their town."

Dave dedicated the film to the late Maria Gomez, a film archivist from Manchester who persuaded him to fix the damage films.

He said: "In the early 1980s I was given film from the Historical Society and it was in a really bad state.

"I repaired it and took a lot of time to find the right balance of clips and music to make the film. It takes a lot of time and effort but it's worth it."

The first part of the movie, which showed last September, could have filled the theatre three times over, according to Steve Burch, theatre manager.

He said: "The theatre has about seven shows sold out at the moment and it's not difficult to see why this film does so well.

"It's about knowing what the people in Darwen want and this film has certainly done that."

During the showing, organised by Darwen Rotary Club, audience members frequently recognised a relative or friend in the footage.

The audience was treated to clips from 'Charles and Diana' parties in 1981, the 1968 Civic Gala, a parachute jump for Action Aid in the 1970s and even a glimpse at the old baths, converted into Darwen Leisure Centre in 1979.

The former Darwen Weightlifting Club also featured.

Audience member Alan Kershaw, 59, said: "I got a real shock when I saw I was on the tape as one of the weight-lifters. I was also in the hot water blowing competition and I couldn't believe I was on there."

Michael Grime, 45, saw himself as a five-year-old judo star. He said: "It was back in 1963 and I don't even remember anyone filming us at the time. It's great to recognise people in the film and even to see how Darwen has changed since then."

For most, the nostalgia represented the sense of identity Darwen had apparently lost over the years.

Coun Paul Browne said: "This film is blind evidence to me that Darreners are Darreners and it proves a point that these people love the town and you can see that by how many turned up."

John East, district commissioner for Darwen Scouts, said: "A lot of people feel that, for one reason or another, our identity has been stripped away and the council gets it wrong a lot of the time with Darwen.

"So many people turning out to this film shows that residents still have a great passion for their town."

Colin Briggs, former chairman of Darwen Gala, said: "It's a wonderful film and you get to see all the things that Darwen doesn't have any more.

"It used to be a real community and everyone joined in with the gala."