Burnley's Got Talent launch set to unite the town and raise cash for NHS

Burnley's Got Talent aims to bring the town together in a fun and entertaining way and also raise money for the NHS

Burnley's Got Talent was the bright idea of best friends Shelly Heap and Justine Lorriman.

Gutted that their annual Good Friday charity pub crawl had to be called off this year due to the coronavirus the pair put their heads together to come up with another idea that would bring people together.

As Shelly received such a positive response to karaoke style videos she posted of herself singing her favourite songs online, prompting dozens more to follow suit, she came up with the idea for the talent show and set up a group on facebook on Wednesday afternoon.

Friends Shelly Heap (left) and Justine Lorriman came up with the idea for Burnley's Got Talent to help bring some entertainment and fun to the community during the lockdown.

It now has over 1,000 members and contestants are lining up to take part.

And the competition could not have come at a better time since the government announced yesterday that the Covid 19 lockdown would continue for at least another three weeks.

Shelly said: "We know what a fantastic little town Burnley is and the people always pull together in times like these.

"We thought that a Burnley's Got Talent show would be a really good, fun thing to do.

"It's not about who is the best, it's about people getting involved and having a laugh. Anyone of any age can enter with whatever talent they have."

Shelly, who is bar manager at Lowerhouse Cricket Club and Royal Dyche landlady Justine, put up £50 each as prize money. Then Liam Kilbride of LPK Facilities Management put another £50 in the prize pot followed by local well known DJ Kev Riley who added another £50 to make it £200.

Each contestant pays a £5 fee that goes directly to a justgiving page Shelly and Justine have set up for the East Lancashire NHS Trust with the aim of raising £1,000.

To kickstart the competition Kev donated another £50 to help pay the entry fee for anyone struggling financially who wanted to take part.

The competition officially starts a week tomorrow ( Saturday, April 25th) when contestants will be asked to upload their videos to the Burnley's Got Talent facebook page.

The 20 with the most 'likes' by the following Tuesday at 10pm will go through to the next round followed the top 10 in the third round and the top five in the final.

Shelly said: "People can also donate to the just giving page just for joining in and being in the audience and enjoying the entertainment during the lockdown."

Anyone who would like more information is asked to go to the Burnley's Got Talent facebook page.