I SEE we are to have a shopping guru, Mary Portas, advising the government on how to regain the high street.

Here in Blackburn, a good start would be to open Church Street then, along with Darwen Street, we could have a proper shopping centre and hold markets there twice a week.

Hey presto, folk would then have something to come into our town for.

The Mall is great, but all towns have them. We need to create something special, so I went to Ormskirk to see how it could be.

The town was heaving and their Saturday market is now all the way down three separate streets — moreover, the shops were also doing good business.

But the real extra bonus was the people, who were enjoying themselves, the bustle, the chat and the music from the fellow singing and playing his guitar under the clock.

Now, they are things you don’t get in a supermarket.

I have no doubt that we could do it. First, we would have to reduce the rates at the beginning to give sole traders a chance and also a few specialist, individual shops.

We would have to clear all down the centre of Church Street and then arrange one vital thing — cheap, easy parking.

Then voila!

We are away.

We have to recognise that if we want folk to choose Blackburn, we have to make their visits pleasant.