Stunning pictures of restored stained-glass windows give a glimpse of the remarkable transformation happening at The Exchange which will reopen later this year, following a £1.5m facelift. Chair of Trustees, JJ McGregor has confirmed that the team are on track to reopen the building before Christmas when The Exchange will be operational. Fundraising will continue…

The team working on £1.5m renovations at The Exchange have released photographs of hitherto unseen areas dating back to the cinema in the 1920s. Builders have discovered the back of the ‘cheap seats’ entrance to the cinema which has been mentioned in recollections as being a route to the first two rows, referred to in…

Stakeholders, Volunteers and Supporters Update: Christmas 2024   A message from JJ McGregor, Chair of Re:Source I would like to share some important news, as we look ahead to 2025 and the exciting developments in store for The Exchange. Over the last few years, The Exchange has been the venue for a diverse range of…

The Exchange has announced the next phase of its regeneration journey thanks to a £1.5m grant from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, part of £20 million of new Government funding secured for the borough to support town centre priorities. Over the next 12 months, access improvements will include a new 8 person lift which will…

History detectives piece together the remarkable story of The Exchange The story of the early years of Blackburn’s most iconic building has been brought to life by two volunteers with a passion for local heritage. The Exchange: The Foundation Years has been written by Howard Foy and Chris Walton and is being produced with funding…

Blackburn’s most iconic building will play host to an inaugural brick show when The Exchange on King William Street hosts a free exhibition of LEGO® models on Saturday 11 May 2024 from 10am – 4pm. Organisers, Northern Brickworks are coordinating the display of creations brought by fans of LEGO® from across the region, including Star…

STEP INTO SPRING: Walk an indoor mile at The Exchange A pop-up indoor track has been created at The Exchange in Blackburn town centre as part of a community health promotion campaign dubbed ‘Step into Spring’. On weekdays throughout March, workers in the town centre and other visitors are invited to use the weatherproof space…

Our £9m redevelopment plan has been approved! We’re delighted to receive the news that our planning application has been approved by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. Operations Director, Caer Butler said: ‘We are delighted with the successful outcome of the approval for The Exchange’s whole building application. This momentous moment enables Re:Source Blackburn, the charity…

This weekend, The Exchange invites the community to embark on a festive journey through time with its inaugural historic Christmas Tree Festival.

Following extensive consultation, research and design expertise, we’re delighted to announce that the planning application for our £9 million redevelopment of The Exchange has been submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. This is a major milestone on our journey. Our grand plans include:- The lower ground floor – formerly Tiggi’s restaurant – redeveloped for…

Historic Christmas Tree Festival appeal for Decades of Decorations Blackburn’s iconic Exchange building, known to many as the former Apollo cinema, will welcome hundreds of visitors to the stunning town centre venue when it stages a free Christmas Tree festival bringing together community organisations, schools and local businesses. The event is the first of its…

Final preparations are underway for this history-making festival which showcases some of the brightest new talent on the live music scene. With just two days to go until Confessional 2023 starts, it will be held again in the historic Grade II-listed former Cotton Exchange in Blackburn, opposite the Town Hall. Usually a single-day affair, the…

Vintage red cinema tip-up chairs, movie posters and the smell of buttered popcorn will be used in a multi-sensory reminiscence space to capture stories which celebrate a people’s history of cinema-going at The Exchange. The ‘Skip Back’ events will take place in a mini-museum and reminiscence space in what used to be Tiggi’s bar area,…

  Are you excited about helping to bring The Exchange back to life? Would you like to be involved in creating a legacy and discovering more about the heritage of this iconic building? Thanks to National Lottery Heritage Funding we now have a Volunteer and Heritage Coordinator, Lisa Clarke who is ready to recruit and…

We’re delighted to be hosting Confessional 2023, a unique and creative two day music and arts festival featuring some of the best emerging grassroots artists from around the UK, along with higher profile artists. Now in it’s 7th year, each year the event just gets bigger and better with live bands, DJs, spoken word, live art,…

WE’VE GOT BIG PLANS – AND WE’D LOVE TO SHOW YOU THEM! Our next open day is on Tuesday 28th March and would love you to pop in between noon and 1pm or later, between 6pm and 7pm to meet our architects, Buttress. The team will share their draft plans based on your aspirations and ideas…

The Exchange has been awarded £192,000 from the Lottery Heritage Fund Re:Source, the charity behind the £9 million development of The Exchange, on King William Street, Blackburn has received £191,326.00 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund) for a project called Embracing the Past to Transform the Future.  The project aims to open up the building…

Manchester based architects, Buttress have been appointed as the design team who will produce the architectural plans, with listed building consent, up to RIBA stage 3, to begin the transformation of The Exchange into a cultural and community hub for the town centre. John James McGregor, Chair of the Trustees said: “In appointing Buttress, we…

Christmas is traditionally a time of light and hope in dark times. It’s a moment to look back at the achievements of the last 12 months and look forward to the exciting times ahead. Despite continued uncertainties of the times we are living in, we can plan for the future development of The Exchange with…

Former Cinema to become a multicultural  ‘Hub on the High Street’ The Exchange launches a 5 year business plan and fundraising strategy to bring communities together Flags from across the globe, representing the diversity of races and religions, cultures and communities in Blackburn with Darwen will decorate The Exchange at a special event to launch…

The Trustees of Re:Source, the charity behind the development of The Exchange, Blackburn are delighted to welcome Nudrat Alexxander Mughal to the team. Nudrat has worked in the arts, cultural and voluntary sector for over 9 years. She has a passion for working on ambitious projects that result in achieving positive impacts for communities. She…

Huge congratulations to Caerwen Butler, Manager of The Exchange who has passed her MBA and ILM Level 7 to finish her Senior Executive Level Apprenticeship. Caer, gained a distinction in her MBA and a merit in the ILM Level 7, passing with flying colours under challenging circumstances. Over the last 12 months she’s been juggling…

The full splendour of The Exchange is being witnessed for the first time, as close-up photos are released showing the beautiful architectural detail of the building. Drone photography funded by a grant from Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub shows the detail of the rose window. Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a…

Alongside the physical building restoration, we are seeking funding for a community heritage and engagement project to work with volunteers.