BOLTON’S Albert Halls were officially reopened yesterday afternoon following a huge £6.5m revamp of the historic venue.

A plaque marking the occasion was unveiled by the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Lynda Byrne and council leader Cliff Morris.

The ceremony was attended by dozens of dignitaries including Michael and Beate Dreier, the Mayor and Mayoress of Bolton’s German twin-town, Paderborn.

Cllr Morris told the gathering that the results of the refurbishment had given him ‘a real sense of home town pride’.

He said: “We have always said this is the people’s town and it’s this which motivated us to start on this journey back in 2015.

“This was an ambitious project to restore this central piece of our heritage to its former glory. Buildings like this need to be preserved, because if we don’t they will be consigned to history, they will be gone and all we will have left will be pictures.”

He added that he hoped the work carried out over the past two years would sets up Bolton for the next 200 years.

Cllr Byrne also spoke about how proud she was to be a part of the official reopening.

And she added: “It has given me a great sense of pride to show our guests around the building and share its history and architecture.”

The multi-million makeover got under way in August, 2015 and was completed late last year.

It included repair and replacement of the roof, as well as refurbishment of all rooms in the Albert Halls.

The aim was to retain and restore the halls’ historic features while bringing them into the 21st century with modern décor and technology.

The history of Bolton is portrayed throughout the halls, with one corridor featuring the past mayors of Bolton, while another pays tribute to the town’s influential women.

The Hall of Remembrance is full of plaques to the fallen and tables which were used more than 100 years ago have been polished up for the conference rooms and more of the town’s historic silver is also on display.

The theatre, which has been modernised while retaining its old fashioned glamour, will stage a dozen high quality productions a year, with the first likely to be a Christmas pantomime.

The refurbished halls are now open for conference bookings.

However the project, led by Donna Ball, Bolton Council’s assistant director of place, was not without controversy.

The original plans for the revamp included cutting away the façade to create a new café and restaurant, which prompted critics to accuse the council of planning to ‘wreck’ the historic Victorian architecture.

The council then revised its plans in response to the criticism.

And Bolton’s drama community was also hit hard by the lengthy closure of the theatre.

Groups, including Farnworth Performing Arts Company, Bolton Premier Productions and Bolton Catholic and Musical Society (BCMS) said theatre productions in Bolton were at risk due to delays over booking the Albert Hall.

And they claim they have been left in limbo while they wait for a decision on rent prices for the hall to be made.