I trained at Southampton a few years ago but fly into Blackpool from time to time. I would expect it to be an excellent environment to train at - it has most of the features one would want to become used to such as full ATC, IFR facilities, nearby MATZ, several hard runways etc. Additionally this part of the NW is excellent for VFR - Blackpool seems to get much better weather than the areas around it (Pennines, Lakes etc). You also cannot beat it for easily identifiable landmarks (B/pool twr, Morecambe Estuary etc, etc).
I 'm not sure about the schools but I believe there's a few to chose from,
Fuji