HISTORY OF ROSSENDALE FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY

Step back in time with LANX and historian Peter Dunn

'There was also the social side of the industry...we even had a beauty contest! It was more than making shoes, it was a community.'

Whalley-based LANX is hosting an event on the evening of February 15th 2024, with historian Peter Dunn exploring the history of footwear manufacturing in Rossendale.

LANX founder Marco Vaghetti explains: 'We're excited to welcome people to the LANX HQ in Whalley for a unique opportunity to listen to Peter's personal recollections and his research into Lancashire's fascinating shoemaking heritage.

'In the 1950s Rossendale had its own independent union and even had a footwear college where people could go to learn footwear technology, pattern cutting and design. At the industry's height, a single Rossendale factory produced 72,000 pairs of slippers per week.'

Peter Dunn says: 'Like my father and mother before me, I was part of this community and with the passage of time the world got smaller and we saw the industry decline and disappear. The footwear industry is part of my heritage and I spent 18 months researching its history and talking to people that were part of that history. Today I am happy to share this heritage and hope future generations can see how important the footwear industry was to the people of Rossendale.'

Tickets are £8 including a complimentary drink on arrival. All proceeds will go to Bacup Blokes Breakfast Club; a cause that Peter supports at the ABD Community Centre in Bacup.