My Burnley: Former leader of Burnley Council and former Mayor Mark Townsend on the pride and passion of Burnley people

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? My name is Mark Townsend. I’m 60 years old and happily retired after a career that started as a miner at Hapton Valley Colliery in 1979 and ended last year as a local government worker.

How long have you lived/worked in Burnley? I was born with blue ‘n’ white eyeballs and lived in Darwen until I was 13 when my parents made the fantastic decision to move to Burnley. Originally I went to Burnley Grammar School where I received a true Burnley welcome for someone with a preference for colours that didn’t include claret.

Why did you choose to live/stay/work in Burnley? Burnley gave me a great education and there were great engineering companies in the town at the time offering me fantastic career opportunities. Joining Michelin, Prestige, Lucas, National Coal Board, Bellings to name just a few were all open to me. I decided to join the NCB as an apprentice mining engineer which is a decision I never regretted. It paid the most at £45 per week! I met my wife Kerry, who had arrived in Burnley when she was aged two, in the Rose & Crown on Manchester Road and we knew that there was no better place to live, work, enjoy and raise a family.

What do you think are the best parts of the town? The people of the town are its greatest asset. The pride and passion we have in our place cannot be beaten. In tough times neighbours come together to support each other and in good times we celebrate together. This is what Burnley is all about and when you add to that our fantastic location with beautiful countryside only minutes away, our first class parks, fantastic industrial heritage and a vibrant town centre there is no place better.

Is there anything you dislike about Burnley? There is nothing to dislike about Burnley. As a town we just need to be more appreciative of what we have. We can be overly critical of ourselves at times but beware those who criticise from outside. We defend our Burnley like tigers.

How would you describe Burnley to a visitor who has never been here before? Burnley has an energy, vibrancy, beauty and diversity that surprises people. It’s a changing town with a massive heart and through its booming businesses, compassionate voluntary sector and fantastic people is a great place to live now and will be even better in the future.