BLACKBURN town hall will be thrown open to the public tomorrow,on Tuesday as part of the borough's 150th birthday celebrations.

And hot on the heels of the Bank Holiday weekend Summer Fiesta, Tuesdaytomorrow will also be a fun-day in the town centre, with entertainment and activities for all the family.

"There will be something for everyone," promised the Mayor, Coun John Williams. "Tomorrow is an historic day and we want people to come along and get involved."

Numerous items from the town's past will be on display in the town hall, including the stuffed greyhound Bed O' Stone, winner of hare coursing's premier competition, the Waterloo Cup, in 1872.

The dog was owned by one-time Blackburn MP John Briggs, who always attracted large crowds to the hustings, not because of his words of wisdom, but because of the information he gave on the dog's current form.

Five former mayors will be on hand during the open day to answer questions and show people around the historic old town hall, including the impressive council chamber.

Visitors will be able to see the very chair that William Henry Hornby, Blackburn's first mayor, sat in to preside over meetings of the council and they will be able to sit in the current mayoral chair. The town hall open day begins at 10am and guided tours start from the reception area in the old town hall.

A celebratory peal of the bells of Blackburn Cathedral, lasting more than three and a half hours, will mark the 150th anniversary.

The peal will involve the ringing of over five thousand changes, or numerical permutations on the 10 bells, performed by bell ringers from all over Lancashire.

The peal will start at 6pm and will be conducted by George Campling, from Heptonstall, West Yorkshire, who works at Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Outside, BBC Radio Lancashire's Norman Prince will host a road show, which Blackburn Rovers boss Graeme Souness is due to take part in.

The family fun-day is part of the ongoing programme of events to celebrate the granting of a Royal Charter to Blackburn by Queen Victoria in 1851. The next event on the calendar is the CAMRA-sponsored Beer and Folk Festival at King George's Hall, starting on Thursday September 6.