THE successful exhibition on the Transit of Venus could be hitting the road around the country.

Thousands of people visited Astley Hall in Chorley where the Jeremiah Horrocks exhibition, which finished this month, was held from March.

Now Chorley Borough Council, which organised the festival celebrating the event on June 8, are looking into the possibility of organising a tour of the exhibition which was opened by Professor Allan Chapman, the world's leading historical expert on astronomy.

The transit focused international attention on the borough and Chris Mellor, the council's cultural service manager said the success of the festival was out of this world.

The exhibition drew more than 800 people every weekend from across the North West to Astley Hall. Astley Park attracted more than 3,000 spectators on transit day itself.

The festival also attracted around £30,000 in grants and £25,000 in sponsorship which made it the most community accessible transit in the country, according to the council.