The Exchange Assembly Rooms on Town Hall Street was the venue for a grand social and dance by the Blackburn and District Retail Confectioners Association in November 1933. In 1929 a photo of the committee appeared in the local paper, having won commendation from the national Retail Confectioners Association. According to the accompanying article, ‘Within a year of its formation, the Blackburn and District Retail, Confectioners’ Association have secured practical reforms which have won generous appreciation from the National Federation. The outstanding achievement has been the order enabling’ shops to sell smokers’ requisites. Thanks to the hard work of the sweet shop owners of Blackburn you could now buy your tobacco, cigars, cigarettes and pipe paraphernalia with your chocolate bars and Victory Vs. The society was also commended for it’s rapid growth, attracting 100 members in its first year of formation.
Here’s an image from the Blackburn Time which shows the association on an annual day out. This was to Bourneville, the home of Cadbury’s chocolate.
