It used to be THE place to end up in Darwen, and thanks to Shaun Ryder it was once again

Back in the day when a Friday night pub crawl was the highlight of everyone's week, every venue in Darwen would be packed as drinkers made their way along the A666.

Often starting at the likes of the Cemetery, Swan or Bowling Green, you would stop off in every pub on the main road before ending your night at either the Millstone or Marigolds as they were then known.

Darwen is a lot different now. So many of those once-popular pubs have since been closed or converted into flats and while Darwen still offers a great night out it's not what it once was.

Until Friday night, that is.

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Home-grown designer and Adidas legend Gary Aspden has brought the East Lancashire town into the limelight thanks to his work with the brand, and the 10-year anniversary of his Spezial range is being marked with an exhibition in Market Street.

It was kick-started by a series of gigs at the weekend.

It's been several years since I went to Marigolds, now called Level One, but it's fair to say it felt like I'd never been away as I made my way up the stairs and into the main front room. The place was rammed and I bumped into so many friends I had once shared many a good night out with.

When I spoke to Gary I was keen to get a sense of the pride he has in his hometown. And it poured out of him as universally as the sweat poured from the faces of those who were lucky enough to witness a DJ set from Mani of Stone Roses fame and a set by Shaun Ryder's Black Grape.

There is no doubt that the motivation behind Gary's desire to put his hometown on the map is altruistic. He is seen as something of a legend in Darwen but he also tends to shy away from the limelight.

And the way in which Gary has brought the attention to Darwen is only heightened by his unassuming but down to earth personality. He's not doing this for personal gain - he does it to repay the town and to give his fellow Darreners something to look forward to.

Friday night at Level One - or Marigolds as those of us of a certain age will always remember it - was more than just a blast from the past. It was a reminder of why we are so proud to be from Darwen.

The price of drinks might have gone up somewhat in the 20 years since a night out in Darwen was the highlight of everyone's week but Friday night's gig proved that the town has as much to offer now as it ever has.