THE borough of Blackburn celebrated its 150th birthday yesterday -- and officials announced a bid to give local people the best possible present!

Leader Coun Bill Taylor broke off from the celebrations to confirm the council is to launch its second bid in three years for City Status for Blackburn and Darwen.

One town from each of the United Kingdom's countries will be granted city status, opening up a wealth of business and investment possibilities, next year to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

The Government will pick the winners along with the Royal Family, who have stipulated that they want towns which are of cultural and historical significance.

That, along with the fact Blackburn MP Jack Straw will be able to back the town now that he is no longer Home Secretary, has convinced Coun Taylor the council stands a good chance.

He said: "We took the view that it was a case of Why Not? Why can't Blackburn be a city?

Bell ringers brought nearly a month of celebrations to a resounding climax with a three-and-a-half hour peal from the bell tower of Blackburn Cathedral yesterday.

Ten dedicated bell ringers -- including council deputy departmental head George Campling -- and one conductor spent last night pulling the ropes and sending out the chimes.

The peal is one of the longest in recent memory. The last, to mark Barbara Castle's birthday last year, was not officially recognised as a peal because the wrong bells were pulled at the wrong times.

"For it to be a peal, we need to ring out 5,000 different permutations of the 10 bells over a period of time," said Cathedral Ringing Master, Ian Smith.

"Because the bells are so big you cannot actually use them to play tunes, but you can use them to ring permutations.

"That takes about three-and-a-half hours and is done at any special civic occasion. This is important and we are glad we managed to take part in the occasion."

Yesterday marked the 150th anniversary of the creation of the Town Council of Blackburn.

The council was established in 1851 following the granting of a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria.

Darwen was not incorporated until 37 years later and only merged with Blackburn in 1974.

Coun Taylor added: "This is a town of long traditions and we were at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution which has helped shaped the Britain we know today.

"We have taken a look at the criteria for this round and we believe we stand a good chance.

"They seem to be looking for less traditional type and less snazzy town to become a city and we could fit that bill.

"We are conscious that we cannot go spending fortunes on this bid. We are updating a glossy magazine we produced last time to make it relevant to this bid.

"We also hope Jack Straw will be able to work with us this time. Because of his role in the home office last time, he had to take a back seat."

The Council has held a whole series of events to mark the 150th anniversary under the Festival 150 banner including the International Women's Festival, Darwen Music Live, Arts in the Park,Children's Day, South Asian Festival and last weekend's Fiesta, which involved three days of summer-themed events across Blackburn.

Five former Mayors joined in the celebrations yesterday by throwing open the doors of the Town Hall and showing visitors around.

Items including the first mayor's chair and a stuffed greyhound which belonged to a former MP were put on display.

Coun John Williams, the current mayor, said: "It was an historic day, but it was more than that."

And the council had its own surprise for the public on its birthday - it is bidding for City Status again.

The next event on the calendar will be the CAMRA sponsored Beer and Folk Festival at King George's Hall, from Thursday, September 6 to Sunday, September 9.

Blackpool and Preston have all declared their intention to run in the competition.

Like Blackburn, both lost out in the hunt to find new cities for the Millennium. Winners included Brighton and Hove, Wolverhampton and Inverness.