[JohnW]

You have to realize that it's 50 years since I lived in the area. I had not been back there for six years until recently. I'm sorry to report that, in my opinion, it has declined. I can only say it as I see it. Much of the way in to Accrington down through Church along Blackburn Road looks like what I remember Liverpool's Scotland Road looking like in the seventies. Metal grills covering shop windows. This was at about noon on a Thursday. I can only conclude that the shops are empty/out of business. Generally, I would have thought that a financially prosperous area would be reflected in how the place looked. It does not give the impression of being financially prosperous. There was not the old "hustle and bustle" of a thriving community evident in the short time I was there. It was not a particularly nice day, but it wasn't ****ing down either. Anyway, Lancastrians are not known to hibernate just because of a little inclement weather.

On the other hand, I had the impression of resurgence in Preston. Perhaps Preston was not so reliant upon the cotton industry as were the towns further east. Maybe they have adapted to change better. That is what I am trying to find out. This may bring forward ideas of how to make changes for the better in Accrington and surrounding districts. Even if it doesn't, we won't have lost anything apart from a little effort to give it some thought.

My intention is not to insult the place or cause some kind of bitter argument. If anyone has percieved otherwise, I apologise for not making myself clear.