Thousands of people have enjoyed spending time in Barrow’s town centre this year thanks to a special project which aims to promote the area as an inspirational place to live, work and visit.

A programme of activities and events organised at both The Dock Museum and The Forum throughout the summer attracted more than 15,000 people in total, with 26 per cent of those travelling to the borough from outside of the area.

Part of #BrilliantBarrow’s Place Development project, the programme will continue to be developed in 2023 to help increase pride in the area and to boost the local economy.

Councillor Tony Callister, Barrow Borough Council’s Lead Member for Arts, Culture and Leisure, said: “These figures are excellent and show that offering a good range of entertainment and activities results in a vibrant and bustling town centre filled with people of all ages.

“Barrow has such a lot to offer yet it can too easily be overlooked in favour of its neighbour, the Lake District.

“I’m delighted that this initial programme of events has generated visits from people outside of the area as well as residents from within our communities, something that will harness a wide range of benefits for the borough.”

The #BrilliantBarrow Town Deal secured the maximum award of £25 million from the Government’s Towns Fund earlier this year for seven major regeneration projects.

One of these is the Place Development project.

Alongside the development of an events and activities offer through partner organisations BarrowFull and Barrow BID, the project will provide two quality event spaces in Barrow – at The Dock Museum and adjacent to a brand new destination created within a transformed Barrow Market Hall building. The spaces will be used to host a range of events in the future.

The events this summer included a series of fun taster sessions, family friendly activities and street theatre performances. Those attending were invited to complete a survey to help identify the types of events they would like to see in the future.

The feedback will be used to help develop a successful programme for the future that has high levels of engagement.

Cllr Callister added: “People are at the heart of #BrilliantBarrow which is why it’s fantastic to see so many people enjoying the fun this summer.

“The feedback will be used to help shape further events and to ensure they reflect what everyone wants to see.”