Most local people will have seen the old Orphanage building in Whalley Road, Wilpshire and perhaps wondered about its past history and for that matter its present use.

Its past history is glorious! Over a hundred years ago James Dixon and his wife Jane dedicated their lives to helping the orphans and destitute children of Blackburn. Some were sleeping rough in the streets and in desperate need of care in all senses of the word.

James was a remarkable man. He set about fundraising and by 1891 he had built an orphanage followed in 1905 by a second. In total these buildings could house over a hundred boys and girls and so enabled him to change the lives of hundreds of young people - many of whom are still living and some are still in contact with us.