THE artists and firms involved the 'Art in Manufacturing' events for in Blackburn's third National Festival of Making have been announced.

Five venues will host creative the month residencies during June's two-day celebration of the town and East Lancashire's industrial heritage.

Yesterday's announcement follows Arts Council England pledging continued investment in the festival.

The national event is the brainchild of Blackburn design guru Waynes Hemingway and last year saw more than 40,000 visitors attend over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

The year's festival is on Saturday June 15 and Sunday June 16.

Elena Gifford, co-director with Mr Hemingway of The National Festival of Making, revealed that Darwen steel fabricators, Ritherdon have invited on of last year's Art in Manufacturing stars Nicola Ellis in 2018, to return its factory for a two-year residency.

This year multi-media artist Amy Pennington will be at Heritage Envelopes in Davyfield Road, Blackburn.

She uses performance, drawing, film, events and conversations and materials including cardboard.

Chelsea College of Art and Design graduate Dan Edwards will be at Altham-based furniture manufacturers The Senator Group.

He is a renowned picture framer who last year he held his first solo exhibition ‘is this enough?’(LOWER CASE CORR) at Blackburn’s PRISM gallery.

Manchester-based Daksha Patel will be at Blackburn Yarn Dyers Grimshaw Park works.

She works at the crossroads of data and drawing using colour, light and mapping and natural materials such as oil or clay.

Digital artist Liz Wilson will take her creative ideas to Clitheroe's bulk material handling equipment manufacturer Spiroflow exploring the relationships between industrialisation, technologies and print.

Textile artists Anna Ray will host a residency at Bamber Bridge's Forbo Flooring Systems factory working with cloth, fibre and thread.

Ms Gifford said: "Art in Manufacturing provides an incomparable platform for artists to make brand new work in, and alongside, major industry with outstanding results that would often be impossible in the confines of an artist studio.

“This is evidenced nowhere more than at Darwen’s steel fabricators Ritherdon, who after hosting a residency with artist Nicola Ellis in 2018, have now engaged her to return."

Cllr Phil Riley, Blackburn with Darwen Council's regeneration boss, said: "This programme absolutely highlights the role of manufacturing and creativity in the local economy, not to mention why Arts Council England supports this event. It has become on of the major attractions of the festival."

Last year's event is estimated to have generated just under £1million for local businesses.