Lancashire four universities: Lancaster University, the University of Central Lancashire, Edge Hill University and the Lancaster campus of the University of Cumbria. Seven colleges offer higher education courses. The Lancashire economy relies strongly on the M6 motorway which runs from north to south, past Lancaster and Preston. The M55 connects Preston to Blackpool and is 11.5 miles (18.3 km) long. The M65 motorway from Colne, connects Burnley, Accrington, Blackburn to Preston. The M61 from Preston via Chorley and the M66 starting inside the county boundary near Edenfield, provide links between Lancashire and Manchester] and the trans-Pennine M62. The M58 crosses the
St Christopher's Church of England High School, Accrington St Christopher's Church of England High School, Accrington St Christopher's C of E High is a Church of England High School with academy status located north of Accrington in Lancashire, north-west England. The school was founded in 1958, and in 2005, the school earned Technology College status. The "Sunday Times" ranked it 49th in 2007, and 30th in 2006, in its "Top 50 state secondary school with no sixth form" category. The school has received an 'Outstanding' inspection report by Ofsted. It now caters for around 1236 pupils, aged 11–18, drawn from the Accrington, Blackburn and Burnley areas, following recent