Landmarks the Singing Ringing Tree and Turf Moor are magnet for film makers keen to come to Burnley/ Burnley brand manager Rachel Bayley

The idea was sparked when we kept getting film requests from ‘Brassic’ and Netflix for ‘Bank of Dave’ and we could see a real gap for someone to co-ordinate all the various parts of the process to make it as easy as possible for film crews. We knew nearby cities like Manchester and Leeds were always going to be attractive, but we also knew that in Burnley, we could offer a more personal service.

So we took the plunge, created a dedicated page on Burnley.co.uk, asked Jack Hartley to write us a film permit template from all of his experience (Jack is the man behind The Baths and has also worked on Liam Gallagher’s music videos and Brassic) and liaised with Film in England to help us get the word out. We might not be as big as a city, but where we excel is our compact size. As a brand team, we have an expansive network which means when a film crew get in touch, we can easily reach out to an array of businesses, people, locations and local authority departments to move things as quickly as possible.

Another benefit of our size is that film crews can film at an array of locations all within a day due to how easy it is to get around – and this is something they often cite. With our Green Flag parks, historic halls, Queen Street Mill, Singing Ringing Tree, Turf Moor, incredible aerospace facilities, period properties and amazing university and college hubs, we really can offer everything a production crew may need.

And this approach has paid off. Crews tell us how easy we make it for them and word is spreading amongst location scouts. Many are now referred to us and we’re delighted to have had a steady stream of filming in the borough, from independents to larger productions. Two latest projects for us are ‘Bank of Dave 2’ and BBC Morning Live. ‘Bank of Dave 2’ needs no introduction – they will spend an entire month filming here and it’s great to hear that there will be even more Burnley locations showcased on the global giant Netflix. What people may not realise is for us, the Film in Burnley service isn’t about making money, but about showing off Burnley externally and changing perceptions. Any income received

gets invested into the community. For example, when ITV parked for two weeks within Towneley’s grounds, the money went towards events such as Brass in the Parks and maintaining the grounds for everyone to enjoy.

Of course, there is also the positive economic benefits for our accommodation, cafes, restaurants, coffee shops and, our ultimate goal, from attracting more visitors into Burnley to see for themselves the beautiful countryside and attractions we have to offer.