Archive

  • Sivill miss as Tyldesley fade

    TYLDESLEY RU hopes of a run in the Lancashire Trophy faded as they were pipped 15-14 by Southport. The visitors scored a converted try, but Tyldesley took control with a trio of Dave Sivill penalties. Southport caught Tyldesley napping on the re-start

  • Super Oak bounce back for victory

    LEIGH Royal Oak showed patience and determination to overcome Ashton 16-8. They bounced back from a half-time deficit with half-backs D Buxton and Johnson calling the tune. Centre A Ashcroft was outstanding with D Fishwick named MoM. SCORES from the NorthWest

  • Fake coins used in store

    SECURITY officers at Tesco's Hill Street store in Blackburn set up surveillance cameras after a large number of counterfeit coins started to be used in a savings stamps machine. And Blackburn magistrates heard that Wayne Knight was caught on film as he

  • Ski men stranded in avalanche zone

    STAFF at Ski Rossendale were today waiting to hear news of two colleagues who were stranded in Austrian ski resorts after serious avalanches. Expert skier Geoff Jones was due back to teach at the Rawtenstall dry slope at the weekend, but yesterday was

  • The League is back where it belongs...

    FOOTBALL'S come home! The Football League officially opened its swanky new offices on Preston docks on Tuesday with some of the biggest names from football past and present in attendance. The legendary Sir Tom Finney opened the new offices, which the

  • Top 10 for double act

    TEN darts each from Keith Boardman (Bridgewater) and John McNally (New Inn) were the best of the week in the Bass Tavern-sponsored Lowton & District D&D League. On 11 were John Pilkington (Bridgewater), Peter Smith (Musketeer) and Kevin Lowe (

  • Health inspectors found rat droppings in chippie

    RAT gnawed potatoes, rodent droppings and even tiny footprints in old fat, were some of the discoveries made by environmental health officers when they carried out an unannounced visit to a village chip shop. The list of finds was read out to magistrates

  • Bronze for Karl in indoor rowing

    KARL Yost from Preston hit top form to take bronze at the World Indoor Rowing Championship held in Boston, USA, on Sunday. Karl was competing in one of the most fiercely fought classes of the championships - the men's 30-39 lightweight category - which

  • Fear of alleged murder victim

    A WOMAN allegedly murdered by her husband was frightened of him shortly before her death in June, 1997, Manchester Crown Court heard. Mother of two Pauline Stevenson was friendly with Rodney and Lisa McHugh and met their lodger, Joanne Higham, at a house

  • 40 jobs go in latest industry shock

    ANOTHER jobs bodyblow fell today with news that 40 jobs are to be axed at Wardle Storeys factory, Earby. The redundancies at the major PVC sheeting and car trim manufacturer follows a "significant reduction" in orders, forcing the company to reduce costs

  • Black MEP backs Lawrence report

    BRITAIN'S first and only black Euro MP, Lancashire based Mark Hendrick , has today welcomed the findings of the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry report. Mr Hendrick, who says he has himself suffered from racism while growing up in Salford, has hailed the

  • Ambulance bosses grilled by MPs.

    AMBULANCE chiefs have admitted that at least one man died because there was no proper back-up system for their new communications network. The admission came as local MPs David Chaytor and Ivan Lewis quizzed bosses over the tragedy. Service chairman Alan

  • Man may sue over nightclub arrest

    A MAN arrested following an incident in a nightclub is planning to sue Lancashire police after video evidence appeared to contradict a policewoman's statement. A charge of threatening behaviour against Tsagher Mahmood, 25, of Oxford Close, Blackburn,

  • Survival points crucial against the Gills

    Burnley v Gillingham - Pete Oliver's big match preview FROM this stage last season, Burnley needed five more wins to avoid relegation on the final day of the campaign with the last of those three-pointers coupled with a defeat for Brentford at Bristol

  • Open up GM food debate

    I WAS pleased to see that you want to enter into the debate on GM foods. A group of us in Lancaster have been campaigning for some time against this dangerous new technology. Its introduction into our food and fields is more about the profits of big business

  • Spend on schools now

    RAID our cash reserves and give our children the education they need now. That was the late plea by Tory leaders who demanded that Bury's schools get an extra £2 million. But their calls fell on deaf ears as Labour bosses said that any money would come

  • Rare birds' eggs at risk

    EAGLE-EYED East Lancashire bird lovers are being urged to be on their guard against thieves who raid the nests of rare birds for eggs. Campaign group the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds had written to thousands of local members after a number

  • Rovers in Broomes red card appeal

    BLACKBURN Rovers have appealed to the Football Association in a bid to have a three-match ban for Marlon Broomes wiped out, following his red card at Chelsea. The 21-year-old central defender, who was involved in a confrontation with Chelsea player-manager

  • Let's have some ideas

    THE word on the political grapevine is that the MBIs will be voting against the council's budget this year. It seems they are against Labour's plans to spend more on investing in the area for the benefit of us all. Apparently the MBIs intend to introduce

  • Preston boys fall to Arsenal again - San Juan Arsenal that is!

    PRESTON College's football stars returned home from America this week after battling it out in the Arizona desert in the 20th Annual President's Day Tournament, which saw our lads against the cream of the crop of America's junior soccer stars. Here we

  • Protesters get the hump

    RESIDENTS who have waged a campaign to stop their street being used as a "rat run" by motorists have slammed council chiefs for again ignoring their demands. Local authority bosses are going ahead with a package of road safety measures in the town's Fishpool

  • Site for sore eyes?

    AS a son of St Helens who now lives in Liverpool, I was shocked to see the state of the town today. People constantly barrack Liverpool, mostly undeservedly. I came back for a visit to my brother and nipped into town. What a sight. Hardshaw Street was

  • Christley disgrace

    ANYONE with any doubts about the dismissal of David Christley from his post at Lancaster City Council should take time to read the employment tribunal decision which unanimously found Mr Christley to be unfairly dismissed, both substantively and procedurally

  • Poor turnout for police meeting

    ONLY a dozen people turned out for a public meeting in Bury this week to help shape policing priorities for the next three years. The meeting, one of two planned for the town, was staged by the Bury Community Safety Partnership at the Mosses Centre on

  • Disgusted by attack on old folks

    I WAS deeply grieved and disgusted by the misconceived comments about pensioners, as it can easily create a youth versus elderly attitude which we can well do without. One day you will be a pensioner and see for yourself how pensioners are treated. Arriving

  • Commuter chaos on way

    TRAFFIC chaos is on its way for hundreds of local commuters with major roadworks earmarked for Bury town centre. Nine Bury streets and one road in Ramsbottom will be affected from the beginning of April, with some 3,700 metres of disintegrating sewers

  • Radio team making waves

    THE St Helens Sound team would like to thank everyone who took part, supported or advertised with us during our recent broadcast on 106.3 FM. We believe St Helens Sound is real community access radio and we intend to apply for a full-time community licence

  • Can your readers help me?

    I AM interested to know what happened to the children of Dr Buck Ruxton, the double murderer of the 1930s, after his execution in May 1936. They went to the Parkside Children's Home in the first place, but what happened to them subsequently? I know a

  • Area used to be so nice

    WITH reference to the letter (February 11) from a Mrs Burbage, concerning Borron Road, I too am an ex-resident of that area and I endorse all her comments. A nicer neighbourhood could not have been found up to some eight or nine years ago. Then, the first

  • Gulf veteran's dad thanks MP

    MAY I, through your letters page, express, on behalf of my family and I, our sincere thanks to Dave Watts MP for all the help and assistance he has given us since the death of our son John (Gulf veteran R.E.M.E) in May, 1996. From the moment of contact

  • Photographer's shock images to be used in schools

    A PHOTOGRAPHER is taking his prints into schools to highlight the issues surrounding HIV and Aids. Jeremy Makinson, of Whalley Road, Wilpshire, went to Zimbabwe in November to photograph families who are suffering from the disease, and will be bringing

  • Festive fleece

    THE Fleece, in Penwortham, is set to hold its Christmas celebrations in March when it re-opens after a £500,000 refurbishment. Licensee Valerie Appleton (pictured) is adding the final touches to her post festive celebrations at the historic pub in Liverpool

  • £20,000 posts when John goes

    IMAGE builder John Ayres next month leaves his post as Town Centres manager. Mr Ayres (pictured) two year contract as the man in charge of town centre revitalisation in Leigh, Golborne and Platt Bridge terminates at the end of March. His Coalfield Challenge

  • Extra warden turned down

    I WRITE regarding the comments made by Councillor Albert Richardson (Citizen, February 18), about leaving the prostitutes alone in the Fletcher Road and St Mary's Road area of Preston. I have a 21-year-old daughter living in that area and she has to put

  • Students making the news

    PUPILS from a Preston school visited Preston North End Football Club to research an article for their in-house newspaper. Eight young news hounds from Frenchwood County Primary School toured the ground yesterday (February 24), for leads to make their

  • Council turned down extra warden

    I AM writing in response to 'Realist, of Lostock Hall', who complains that South Ribble Council employs just two dog wardens when pavements throughout the borough are fouled with dog dirt (Citizen, February 18). The author of the letter may care to recall

  • Jessica's greatest wish

    PRETTY Jessica Schofield is heading for stardom as the nation's talented Mini Miss. The eight-year-old, from Landsmoor Drive, Longton, has the chance to take on competition from all over the country. Jessica - who took the Southport English Rosebud title

  • Journal makes Katherine's big day!

    PRETTY Katherine Hilton is The Journal's 'Bride for the Millennium'. And now she's won the top prize she hasn't a care in the world! The 20-year-old home care assistant is feverishly planning for her big day in July when she marries the love of her life

  • We offer quality and service in Leyland

    I AM writing on behalf of two local businesses, my own and that of my mother-in-law. We were disappointed in reading the letter from the Leyland pensioner dated, Thursday, February 11. We are both local family businesses, trying our best to make a living

  • Fairs attract the wrong sort

    AS a teenager in the early 1960s I joined the Civil Defence organisation where we learned a lot about rescue, first-aid and what to do if a nuclear war developed - although what I remember most vividly was volunteering to help search the moors around

  • Mum in a million

    AFTER fostering 135 children, adopting five and having two of her own, Joycelyn Hindle is definitely a mum-in-a-million. Caring Joycelyn, 54, of Cromwell Road, Ribbleton, has been tipped for a top award after winning a place in the finals of the Safeway

  • Guinea pigs needed for college image

    WIGAN and Leigh College is seeking volunteers desperate for a new look. Second year BTEC beauty students at the Leigh campus Image Centre need 'guinea pigs' to help them with their course, which includes a unit on human nutrition, metabolism and diet.

  • EU cash isn't what it seems

    I WOULD like to congratulate the East Lancs Railway and those concerned with the seed gathering sessions in Heaton Park on managing to obtain funding from Europe and I would urge anyone to take advantage of any Euro funding available. After all this country

  • Handy lad is our Kingsley

    FORGET the Iron Lady - it was a Preston teenager's metal digits which ensured he got a handshake from the Queen. Kingsley Chesworth, of Penwortham, got a date with Her Majesty after being highly commended in an art competition to commemorate the 75th

  • Crashed out

    CITIZEN reader Rebecca van der Putt snapped this picture after a van careered off the road and smashed into five cars on a busy car park. The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon this week in Sumner Street, Leyland. Inspector Graham Harrison of Leyland

  • The show goes on...after the break

    IT wasn't so much a case of breaking a leg as breaking a wrist for budding thespian Marion McDonald. During a rehearsal for a production of Pinocchio, performed by the St James' Players in Hoghton, Marion, who was dressed in wedding costume, walked backwards

  • Colin the man who refused to die

    COLIN Eccles died in the right place at the right time. But thanks to a quartet of Good Samaritans the 59 year-old Atherton man is now able to read all about it after three harrowing months! Lucky-to-be-alive Colin's remarkable story began on Sunday,

  • Frankenstein foods - now for the bad news

    DESPITE recent publicity, the issue of genetically-modified foods is worse than most people seem to realise. The current huge public pressure to ban or restrict Frankenstein foods is doomed to failure - thanks to the 'free trade' legislation voted in

  • Nothing calming about this

    DESPITE local opposition and dubious reasoning in the first place, the council pushed ahead with road marking "traffic calming" plans on Rectory Lane, Prestwich. The title implies that improved road safety was the objective. On Feb 10, the bollards of

  • Win a year's free membership for Fitness First

    FITNESS First has joined forces with the Citizen to offer one lucky reader full year's membership to the new Deepdale health club. And in this competition, there's no losers! Everyone entering will be eligible for a day pass to the Deepdale health club

  • Community groups to benefit from council cash

    PEOPLE in Preston are set to reap the benefits from a major improvement scheme if plans to re-vitalise town centre community services get the green light. Councillors have already earmarked more than £500,000 for various projects and a list of 29 schemes

  • Miles ahead of the opposition

    A PRESTON travel agent has offered his football team a once-in-a-lifetime chance to shoot their way to New York. Fulwood Travel Centre FC were promised by their sponsors that every goal they scored this season would put 50 miles on the clock towards a

  • 999...Please find our time capsule

    A PIECE of history has been 'stolen' from radio station Magic 999 by Cliff Richard fanatics. The station's time capsule, containing a tape of Red Rose's first ever news broadcast 18 years ago, a copy of the Citizen, signed football shirts and other memorabilia

  • No parking in the park

    A NEW code of conduct has been launched in Preston to ensure people holding events in the borough's parks take extra care. The council has decided to introduce tighter rules on use of the town's parks for private events following a public outcry about

  • Another fine mess

    AN ANTI-fouling vigilante is making sure residents in a Leyland village know where the dog muck grot-spots are - by placing large signs on lamp posts. The mystery person has taken to placing signs close to where dog dirt has been seen, warning innocent

  • Thanks petal!

    SHOPPERS to Leyland's rundown market will get a taste of the Continent when they go searching for Mother's Day presents. For stallholders have decided to give away red roses to all the women who shop in the market on March 13, just like their counterparts

  • Win the perfect mother's day gift

    THE House of Hair, in Friargate, was proud to be named 'Hair Salon of the Year' by the Preston Citizen newspaper in 1998. To celebrate owner Neil Hull has come up with a wonderful beauty treatment package to give to one of our lucky readers, as the perfect

  • From little acorns...

    COMMUNITIES in South Ribble could soon be swapping services for an acorn. South Ribble Borough Council has come up with the idea to boost community spirit in the area. The council's community development officer Billy Maxwell hopes to create Local Exchange

  • CRICKET: World Cup ticket boost

    LANCASHIRE gave World Cup fans a boost today when they put 3,000 more tickets on sale for Old Trafford's three matches. The first is a group game between West Indies and Australia and they then stage a Supersix tie and a semi. All three are expected to

  • DO fence us in!

    NEWLY-recruited Labour councillor Mick Moulding has pledged to fight his colleagues over plans to remove bowlers from the Smith's Recreation Ground. In a leisure services committee meeting last Thursday Coun Moulding said: "I will not support any motion

  • Green grant

    A GRANT of £75 has been given to Manor Beach Primary school, Cleveleys, to help with the pupils' wildlife garden. The money was donated by Yorkshire Bank under a scheme to reward projects which help the environment. It will be used to purchase a seat

  • Bowls trio on national finals trail

    BLACKPOOL trio Mary Mallinson, Pat Barker and Diana Hunt from Blackpool Newton Hall Indoors Bowls Club have qualified for the national finals of the Golden Charter English Womens Indoor Bowling Association Two Wood Triples to be played at the ISCA Centre

  • Girls' new soccer kit is Topps!

    NATION-wide major ceramic tiles retailer Topps Tiles is continuing its local youth football support via sponsorship of Bispham-based Blackpool Rangers Girls football team. The firm currently sponsor more than 60 teams from Edinburgh to Exeter and the

  • Outrage over clothes vouchers

    MY flabber is gasted - Burnley College has given away £60,000 of public money to its own staff. What a kick in the teeth to all our local schools who can't afford new equipment and decent basic facilities. What a chop in the solar-plexus to the schoolchildren

  • School homely and friendly

    I WAS most upset and offended by the article entitled 'Schools OUT and Luxury Homes are IN' (Journal February 11). I would like to point out that the referral to the drab Victorian buildings could not in my opinion be further from the truth. The building

  • NON-LEAGUE SOCCER: Stanley face relegation showdown

    SPENNYMOOR United boss Colin Richardson is confident his side can beat the drop at the expense of Accrington Stanley ahead of tomorrow's crucial relegation showdown at the Crown Ground. A win for the 'Moors would put a massive 14 points between the two

  • Pupils influence Dome.

    TWO Blackpool teenagers are being given a unique opportunity to influence the look of the controversial Millennium Dome. Kenny Logue and Erin Shanagher, both pupils at St Mary's RC High School, are helping to come up with ideas for an identity section

  • Take pride in town

    HOW I agree with Mrs C Lloyd (Letters, February 15). Why should we have to live surrounded by others' filth? Have people no pride in where they live? I walk my dog most days and, yes, I do clean up after her. But I wonder why I bother, when I see the

  • Taximan loses red cab fight

    CABBIE Alan Hosker has lost his appeal against Burnley Council's refusal to allow him to use a red and black taxi. The council was awarded £225 costs by Pennine magistrates sitting at Reedley. They upheld the council's ruling that as part of the licence

  • Great...but beware can artists

    THE Journal's front page story on Councillor John Lea's suggestion to put boundary signs on the six main roads in to town, should in my opinion be supported by all concerned parties. The suggested layout of the signs is, I think, excellent - showing to

  • Get real, Mr Straw

    REGARDING Home Secretary Jack Straw's call for an end to the "walk on by society," for law abiding people to take a more active stance against "low level crime" (LET, February 18), I wonder if he really knows what he is asking. I seriously doubt his knowledge

  • Scrap the signs - move the Cenotaph!

    I WRITE regarding the proposed boundary signs for Leigh. May I respectfully suggest that although I personally think the idea is quite 'nice' and indeed would probably look most effective on roads entering our town, they would be more appropriate if we

  • What's in a name?

    I SEE Scary Spice has followed the trend to find the silliest name possible for a new baby. She has named her sprog Phoenix Chi, almost as daft as the Geldof offsprings' Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches and a third I can't summon to memory, but perhaps not as

  • Small-sided soccer leagues round-up

    IN Division A of the Rossall Sixes small-sided soccer league The Untouchables stay in the lead after a 3-3 draw with Supreme Plastics. Sporting QCS move up into second place after they beat Team Macprint 2-1. David Halsall FC had a good night and picked

  • Trio tipped for the top

    A TALENTED trio of amateur boxers have blasted their way to more glory. The teenage threesome - all members of the St Helens Town ABC, based at Bobbies Lane, Eccleston - are earmarked for stardom following their latest triumphs against top-class opposition

  • Sound of music not so sweet

    RESIDENTS whose bedrooms are within yards of a nightclub have been assured that the sound of music will be reduced. They objected to the renewal of the public entertainment (music and dancing) licence for Guyfold Cabaret Club, Padiham, saying that late

  • Blackpool's Millennium mayor

    BLACKPOOL'S mayor for the Millennium is to be a sandgrown'un through and through. Councillor Bill Burgess, who was born in the resort 74 years ago and has lived here all his life, was voted Blackpool's mayor-elect for 1999-2000 by the full council yesterday

  • Wardens really care for your lost animals

    I WAS concerned to read a letter (Journal Mailbox, January 21) from P.Higgins of Lowton. In the letter there was mention of a dog straying in 1998 and being collected from a kennel in Widnes. Wigan MBC has never used the Widnes kennels. We checked our

  • Former lodger burgled woman's home

    THREE men planned to raid a house after one of them fell out with his former landlady, a court heard. Robin Thompson, 38, who had no previous convictions, and William Poole, 18, carried out the £2,000 burglary, but Dominic Wilson, 19, who had smashed

  • Nurse found it healthy to talk

    WHEN district nurse Maureen Baker introduced a six- to eight-week Look After Yourself course for carers and the newly bereaved, little did she guess what she was starting. For the idea took off like a rocket and two years later people can't stop joining

  • Bob's your uncle!

    MORECAMBE builder Robert Ozols has become one of the few in the country to be recognised as a Chartered Building Company. The designation is only awarded to people experienced in all aspects of the building industry following intensive study courses and

  • Gymnasts' success story

    IT'S been a great 12 months for a gymnastic club. And the future is looking even brighter. The St Helens Women's Artistic Gymnastics Club returned from competitions with no fewer than 60 plus medals. The highlight came when 24-year-old Emma Potter claimed

  • Baby death: Nurse sacked

    A NURSE has been sacked following a hospital investigation into the death of baby Charlie Louise Taylor, Burnley Health Trust revealed today. Another nurse has been reprimanded and ordered to take re-training as a result of the incident in which hours-old

  • Miners tame Tavern

    Vine Tavern 6 Bold Miners 42 THE Miners won this St Helens Hays Chemicals Cup tie in a workman-like fashion against a young Tavern team who never gave up till the final whistle. Chris Burgess opened the scoring with a well taken try, Mick Joseph, Wayne

  • Bickershaw: it's your golden opportunity

    I WONDER what the people of Atherton, subjected to years of open-cast mining with little or no support or strong policing by Wigan MBC, feel about Cllr Strett's words of comfort and outrage. Yes, I would agree with him the closure of the colliery was

  • Bulk interest in green box scheme

    THE successful "green box" recycling scheme is to be extended to the Bulk area of Lancaster. An extra 2,600 households will now be able to separate newspapers, magazines, plastic bottles and food and drink cans from their refuse to be collected fortnightly

  • Rally into second gear

    THIS weekend's Mather Signs Bay Stages at Flookburgh is the second round of the regional one venue series and vital for crews looking to beat Morecambe's Alan Peat and Steve Turner to the Flookbugh Challenge title. The event is also the second round of

  • Extra-time drama

    Clock Face 16 St Helens Crusaders 11 CLOCK finally clinched victory in extra time of an energy-sapping St Helens Hays Chemicals Cup tie. It came after the sides had been locked at 10-10 at the end of normal time. The Crusaders' tries came from Cottingham

  • Plucky Harriet's achievement award

    A PLUCKY youngster who is constantly smiling despite suffering from a serious form of leukaemia has been given a Child of Achievement award At the age of eight, Harriet Sharp has already undergone three intensive courses of chemotherapy, lost her hair

  • Prohibitive price of postage

    IN answer to K Best's letter (Citizen, Feb 4), it is not a case of being unable to afford a few cards, even charity cards need a stamp. I used to post 100 cards (postage £25), but how many pensioners can afford to send out this amount and give to charity

  • Haydock power past Hounds

    Haydock 74 Hare and Hounds 10 PREMIER Division title hopefuls Haydock proved too strong for their Division Three neighbours in this Hays Chemicals St Helens Cup tie. The Yickers opened the scoring after 12 minutes when good interpassing saw Boland score

  • Unions D-day over axe on buses

    UNIONS were meeting this week over Blackpool Transport's decision to close Squires Gate bus depot with the loss of 12 jobs. Affected workers - mainly engineers and management staff - are being offered redeployment at the company's main Rigby Road depot

  • CS gas complaint

    A HEYSHAM man has made a formal complaint against the police claiming officers used CS spray to arrest him for nothing more than driving his own car. The local father says skin peeled from his face and his throat and lungs suffered burns after officers

  • Rifle show true calibre

    RIFLE shot down their rivals in the under 16s section of the St Helens McDonald's JOL. They won 3-2 at Bleak Hill Rovers. At under 14s level, Penlake won 4-1 against Knowsley South, while Blackleyhurst strolled to a 4-0 success against St Annes Rovers

  • Imp-robable!

    ONE moment of inspiration from Martin Aldridge was the high point of this dreary and forgettable match at Bloomfield Road on Saturday (Feb 20) as lowly Lincoln stole the spoils from a static Seasiders. Martin Aldridge's 19th minute overhead volley was

  • Man of courage

    A REMARKABLE book charting the struggle for independence of a unique young Blackpool man has been launched in the town. When Martin Yates decided to fly the nest it took a great deal more planning, not to mention courage, than most young people would

  • Voices drove woman to stab

    A LANCASTER woman who admitted attacking another woman with a knife has been placed on probation with a condition that she continues to get help for her psychological problems. Penelope Greer, 29, of Ryelands Road, admitted causing grievous bodily harm

  • Teen yob attack

    A GANG of youths attacked a schoolboy as he waited for a bus in Whalley Road, Clayton-le-Moors. The 15-year-old boy was kicked and punched in his face and back by at least three teenagers, who then ran away. He was left with bruises on his face and body

  • Recs fit the bill

    Widnes Albert 4 Pilkington Recs 30 PROMOTION-chasing Recs secured two more vital league points as superior fitness saw them stroll away with the game in the second half. Once again their defence looked solid. However better handling in the first half

  • Outing the louts

    LOUTS who drive people out of Blackpool town centre are to be driven out themselves. Inspector Kevin Boyce, the new man in charge of policing central Blackpool, is determined to turn the tide of anti-social behaviour which deters visitors, disheartens

  • Fed up with filthy dogs

    HAVING read A Foul Welcome (Citizen, Feb 4), I couldn't agree more with the writer's comments about dirty dogs and their owners. I have recently moved to Ansdell from Trafford, Gtr Manchester, thinking that this area would be clean compared to Trafford

  • Five-goal blast rocks Lincoln

    THE second division promotion race slipped into overdrive as North End kept up the pressure with a vintage display of all-out attacking football which destroyed Lincoln 5-0 and sent the fans home singing. Lincoln were in the match for just 15 minutes,

  • We need you

    A BLACKPOOL based committee to raise money for ChildLine is one step nearer thanks to a special luncheon hosted by the charity's chairman Esther Rantzen. Teaming up with Tracy Dawson, widow of Fylde comic Les, Esther told invited guests from all walks

  • Traders curse gipsy site!

    A GIPSY who wants to build a travellers' park just behind the city's Dalton Square explained his plans this week. Patrick Young (pictured) lives just up the road from the proposed site on Nelson Street (next to the baptist church) and did his best to

  • Resort resting on laurels

    SIR, - I AM an ex-pat sandgrown'un now living in South Africa. Up until 1985 I owned The Capri Grill on Squires Gate Lane - and before that the SandGate Hotel on Wellington Road. I was educated at Thames Road and Arnold school, which I left 1972. I read

  • Dance festival is pure Folly!

    THE district's vibrant arts scene has been boosted by a lottery cash windfall which will create three new festivals to celebrate the millennium. Lancaster and Morecambe will be one of the "hippest" places in the region during the year 2000 with a dance

  • Religious debates for Lent

    THE Christian season of Lent is prompting a series of religious debates in churches throughout Accrington. The first discussion, organised by the the Accrington Team Ministry, invited people to state their views on baptism as part of Sunday worship. The

  • High court date for Oyston(pic: Oyston)

    OWEN OYSTON will next week give evidence before a High Court judge deciding whether he raped an East Lancashire fashion model seven years ago. The 23-year-old has been given Legal Aid to sue the tycoon and owner of Blackpool Football Club, for civil damages

  • Charity boxes in burglar's haul

    A BURGLAR took two charity boxes among his haul of goods from a shop, a court was told. Steven Symonds, 22, who struck at the store in Higher Antley Street, Accrington, with an accomplice, also walked off with a CD system, cash and other electrical equipment

  • Bury FC: I'm playing on - Lucketti

    CHRIS Lucketti has vowed to play on for the Shakers and help steer the club to First Division safety The inspirational skipper, who has been pursued by Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town in recent weeks, has shrugged off transfer talk to concentrate

  • £50,000 to make baths safe

    A TOWN swimming pool is to get a £50,000 new lease of life. Atherton Pool is to be brought back into action after an eight-week project to make it serviceable and safe. The Mayfield Street pool, seen by top councillors as essential for local swimmers,

  • PlayStation: Extreme machine

    GAMES File has been swamped with sporting titles in the past few weeks and so it goes on. This time, it is NFL Xtreme which publishers Sony claim is "a totally new concept in American Football games" and which has been created with sports duffers in mind

  • Blues' draw blank

    Lancaster 1 Emley 1CITY are still searching for their first league win of 1999. However, signs from this match show that with a bit more luck they shouldn't be kept waiting for too long - and with the return of Steve Trainor and Stuart Diggle during the

  • Schoolgirls top of the class

    TWO schoolgirl gymnasts have landed a national title. The moment of glory for Jane Critchley and Adele Mercer came in the Rhythmic Gymastics National Duets and Trios Competition at Burton-on-Trent. The 13-year-old pupils of De La Salle High School pupils

  • Anger as CPS drops dog attack case

    A PENSIONER whose pet dog was killed in a savage attack by a bull terrier has slammed a decision not to prosecute a youth following the incident. Andrew Czocher, 83, who lives in the Peel area of Accrington, was devastated when his sheepdog Sheba died

  • Comb launches refs plea

    COME and join the men in black. That's the message from the St Helens Combination. A league spokesman told the Star: "Because of a chronic shortage of referees, not only in the Combination, but around the North West in general, we have launched a recruitment

  • Rampant York make Lynx pay for errors

    TWO weekends, two heavy defeats - things can only get better for Lancashire Lynx. The York 32 Lynx 6 scoreline was remarkable considering that York were runners up to Lynx in Division Two last season. It would be nice to say that the harsh weather - driving

  • Where's true grit, asks Tory leader

    A CONCERNED councillor has written to Hyndburn Council to complain that roads in the borough were not gritted properly when snow fell recently. But the council say the roads could not be treated despite advance warning of the snow, because heavy rain

  • Wealth of history at castle gates

    Drive and Stroll, with Ron Freethy - today, Lancaster Castle A FEW weeks ago I wrote about Lancaster pointing out that as we approach the year 2000 we ought to know about our county town. I know well that Preston is regarded as the centre of administration

  • Anything but a Gray day...

    NOTTINGHAM Forest winger Andy Gray has joined Preston North End on a month's loan as David Moyes continues his "try before you buy" policy on potential new players. The 21-year-old played his first game just hours after arriving at Deepdale, playing an

  • Bury FC: Ten man Shakers lose the script

    Bury 0, Norwich City 2 WITH three debutants on show, skipper Chris Lucketti back in the side and the surprise return of top scorer Laurent D'Jaffo, this was all set to be Bury's day. An air of excitement and expectation swept across Gigg Lane as the club

  • Georgie backs Charter plans

    EXCITING plans to celebrate Leigh's Charter Centenary have got a star-spangled endorsement. Georgie Fame, the lad from Cotton Street who shot to the top of the pop charts and is still making world-class music, is coming back to Leigh. He will appear at

  • Palace date for busy company

    A THRIVING Bury company will keep a right royal appointment at Buckingham Palace on Monday, March 1. W. H. Tracey, which won a Queen's Award for Export Achievment last year, has been invited to attend a reception. And representatives from the Bury firm

  • Peter probes 'other side'

    LOWTON paranormal writer, Peter Hough, and co-author Jenny Randles have updated their successful 1996 publication "Life After Death and The World Beyond". The book, now re-printed in large format paperback, complements the duo's previous work "The Afterlife

  • Out of the Saddle!

    A COUPLE who started a Blackpool tradition will pull their last pints next Tuesday (March 2) at the Saddle Inn. Pam and Don Ashton, who started the Easter Beer Festival in 1994 to mark the resort's centenary, held a big retirement party on Saturday (Feb

  • Check your pensions

    THE Benefits Agency is urging pensioners to check the amount they receive, due to problems with its computer system. According to the Bury Society of Chartered Accountants, up to a third of all new pensions paid since last July were wrongly estimated,

  • Dad, 39, dies after runway accident

    A YOUNG mum has told of her heartbreak after her partner's death in a freak accident on Saturday. Roger Brimelow, aged 39, died after suffering serious injuries as he changed a huge tyre on an earth moving machine at the site of Manchester Airport's second

  • PlayStation: Tomb Raider 111

    WILL this lady's star ever fade? Will I ever stop lusting over Ferraris? Well at the moment the answer is not likely. The lady in question, of course, is dishy cyber-babe Lara Croft (nearly as shapely as a Ferrari) who is back in Tomb Raider 111, the

  • School alert over 'preacher'

    WORRIED parents in Heysham have called in the police after a stranger tried to convert young children to a fire and brimstone brand of Christianity. The unorthodox preacher lectured the children on heaven and hell, handed out bibles and wrote on their

  • Eric the dog is saved by firemen friends

    IT was nearly a case of "dog-gone" when Eric the family pet was overcome by fumes during a fire at a house in Whitefield. Now, however, firefighters are the dog's best friend after they revived the mongrel when he was discovered unconscious. The fire

  • PlayStation: Back to basics with Rugrats

    WHEN you get to my age, tuning into the world of babies and toddlers takes a little doing - even on the PlayStation. But that's what I've been trying to do for the past week or so with Rugrats: The Search for Reptar. Rugrats didn't mean much to me but

  • Second safety award for firm

    FOR the second year running, Hoogovens Aluminium Building Systems Limited of Haydock has received a Four Star Award from the British Safety Council and is now well placed to secure the coveted Five Star Award during the coming year. Hoogovens' safety

  • Firefighters may vote on action

    FIREFIGHTERS in Bury could be balloted over possible industrial action. Their union is opposing the Greater Manchester Fire Authority's decision to review the management and structure of divisions within the brigade. The Fire Brigades Union says apart

  • Extra help from Plumb Center

    STAFF and customers at Bury's Plumb Center have helped raise £2,200 for leukaemia research. The money was raised at events organised by the Bolton Road Trading Estate-based company's customer club, "Extra". The money will help the Children with Leukaemia

  • Appeal to help beat loneliness

    CAN you spare a few hours a week to extend the hand of friendship? The St Helens Coalition of Disabled People is looking for volunteers to join its Befriending Scheme to help physically or mentally handicapped adults. Their aim to help relieve the loneliness

  • Seeing doubles

    HOLLYWOOD glamour beckons for a local photographic stylist who could be sampling life on the other side on the lens. Hilary Shaffer-Segal, of Bury Old Road, Prestwich will rub shoulders with the likes of Piers Brosnan at what promises to be the most star-studded

  • Video sales check by watchdogs

    TRADING Standards Officers have expressed their disappointment at the result of a local survey into the sale of age-restricted videos to children. In a recent check, three local stores sold 18-rated videos to a 15-year-old girl, who was assisting the

  • Bury in a book

    EVERYTHING you wanted to know about Bury as it heads into the new Millennium is now in one handy document. Residents can snap up copies of the borough's new official guide. The full colour 85-page Millennium edition is packed with facts, figures and information

  • Injury boost for coach Millward

    IAN MILLWARD has had the best bit of injury news since the season started. Injured trio Craig Dean, Heath Cruickshank and Paul Wingfield could all be back in action within a month. Fears that skipper and play-maker Dean would need immediate surgery on

  • More help for minimum wage changeover

    LOCAL company chiefs have welcomed the Government's efforts to reduce the burden to businesses through the new National Minimum Wage. Although endorsing the change to the legislation, due to come into force on April 1, Bolton and Bury Chamber is concerned

  • Gunman steal post cash box

    AN armed robber escaped with a cash box after threatening a security guard at gunpoint outside Prescot Post Office. The robbery took place at about 1.05pm on Wednesday, February 17, when the security van pulled up outside the Aspinall Street office. As

  • Yobs face last orders

    SEVENTY pubs and clubs in Prestwich and Whitefield are calling time on troublemakers. And a new framed poster, now featured in each of the bars, spells out the fact that unruly patrons face a three-year ban. If they commit acts of vandalism, damage or

  • Here comes the bride

    A SPRIGHTLY couple have proved that age is no barrier when it comes to falling in love. And this weekend 87-year-old Ann Thomas and her husband-to-be John Harris - a mere 'stripling' at 79! - will tie the knot at their local church. The happy couple are

  • GM food off school menu

    FRANKENSTEIN foods are off the menu in Bury schools. Council chiefs have assured parents that genetically modified food will not be served to children in the borough until it is proved safe. Up to 9,000 primary school children a day eat school meals in

  • No more messing around please!

    ST HELENS Council is not messing around with irresponsible dog owners by blitzing areas of the borough where fouling is a problem. Because of the continuing high level of complaints, the authority is boosting new'poop scoop laws' which have already seen

  • Police seek the bobcap burglar

    POLICE are appealing to anyone who may be able to help them with their inquiries regarding break-ins at two homes on the same night. Officers believe that the same person could be responsible for breaking into homes in Haydock and Windle, on the evening

  • Bury FC: Daws is big doubt

    BURY'S "Mister Reliability" Nick Daws, is in a race against time to be fit for tomorrow's crucial clash at Tranmere Rovers. A niggling back injury is threatening to bring an end to the tenacious midfielder's amazing run of 151 consecutive league games

  • A double act to savour

    THE excellent acoustics of St Helens Parish Church were put to the ultimate test when York Street Band and Haydock Male Voice Choir presented their annual joint concert. Dubbed 'Brass and Voices', it spelled a night of superb entertainment for an appreciative

  • French without tears for kids

    YOUNGSTERS at a local nursery are being given the chance to learn a second language - at the same time as they learn their first! Petite Ecole, based in Liverpool Road, Pewfall, is believed to be the only nursery in the North West to offer language training

  • Meet the Loan Arranger!

    This week, Larry Bennett has e-mailed us with a somewhat unusual, offbeat and entirely tongue-in-cheek, version of events regarding the arrival of Andy Gray... THERE have been alarming developments at Deepdale following the announcement that Preston manager

  • Special praise for teachers

    STAFF at a Whitefield school with a significantly high number of pupils with special needs were praised for raising confidence and self-esteem. A team of inspectors from Ofsted - the Office for Standards in Education - highlighted the quality of teaching

  • Sponsors give splendid salute

    THE 1999 St Helens Volunteer Awards were officially launched on Friday, February 19 by St Helens North MP, Dave Watts. Invited representatives from the voluntary sector and key organisations were present at St Helens Town Hall to hear how the awards celebrate

  • Clean up in litter war

    PEOPLE across East Lancashire are urged to roll up their sleeves, grab a bin bag and join the country's biggest clean-up. National Spring Clean is organised by the Tidy Britain Group charity. Every year scores of volunteers around the country get together

  • Banned driver faces prison

    A MAN was warned that he could face prison after admitting driving less than three months after being disqualified. Troy Bennett, 27, of Lily Street, Darwen, pleaded guilty at Blackburn magistrates to driving while disqualified and without insurance.

  • Police get tough on mobiles

    POLICE are getting tough with irresponsible drivers who use mobile phones while on the road. Operation Bad Call, which was officially launched in St Helens on Tuesday, will target all drivers guilty of using their phones while driving their cars. It is

  • Nurse sacked following probe into death of baby

    A NURSE has been sacked following a hospital investigation into the death of baby Charlie Louise Taylor, Burnley Health Trust revealed today. Another nurse has been reprimanded and ordered to take re-training as a result of the incident in which hours-old

  • Tofts score a high five

    LEIGH RU Tofts scored their fifth straight win, a tense 7-6 at Kirby Lonsdale. Vickers went in for an early try, converted by Porteous; then it was backs-to-the-wall stuff as they Cumbrians edged back. Minis & Juniors: U13s won 19-5 at Rochdale (Ryan

  • Have your say on waste

    MEMBERS of the public are being given the chance to air their views on the long-term arrangements for disposing waste in the area. Currently 95 per cent of domestic waste is sent to landfill sites, but because of a projected shortage of current landfill

  • Karrimor jobs axe bombshell

    STUNNED workers at outdoor clothing firm Karrimor have been told up to 80 jobs will have to go as production is axed just days after it was sold to a South African firm. The decision will bring to an end more than 50 years of manufacturing by Karrimor

  • Cunningham reverses shock quit decision

    STEVE CUNNINGHAM is staying with Atherton LR. He sensationally quit on Saturday following a 5-1 defeat at Bootle - one of the shock defeats of the season in the North Western Trains League. But 48 hours later the popular manager was persuaded to stay

  • 'Trees of hope' idea boosts hospice fund

    TREES of hope will grow golden apples for generous givers in a new scheme to raise money for the East Lancashire Hospice £1.3m appeal. Paintings of the trees will be given to pubs, offices, factories and any organisations that decide to raise money for

  • Village Inn hold their nerve

    THE hotshots of Higher Fold Village Inn almost missed their chance. A series of misses in their Leigh & District Amateur Football League Coronation Cup semi-final with Atherton C&N kept it tight right. But Higher Fold held their nerve to win 3

  • Bootleg booze-and-cig club man jailed

    THE boss of a once "dead" club, who brought it back to life selling smuggled drink and cigarettes, has started a six-month jail term. Stephen Youds, 47, then licensee of Haslingden Trades Club, ran an open-all-hours duty-free shop, cheating Customs and

  • New appeal on fatal accident

    Police have renewed their appeal for witnesses of a road accident which led to the death of a 63-year-old pedestrian. Former landscape gardener George William Holdsworth, of Burnley Road, Colne, was "clipped" by a blue Ford Escort, possibly without the

  • Dog shootings: Family anguish as third pet vanishes

    A FAMILY whose two precious dogs were shot by a farmer have launched a desperate search after a third pet went missing. Legal executive Louis Rebello, who lives in a farmhouse home in School Lane, Guide, had three valuable weimaraner dogs. Two of the

  • Police appeal over schoolgirl accident

    POLICE are appealing for a driver to come forward after a schoolgirl was injured in a road accident. The 15-year-old girl was crossing Castle Road, Colne, on Tuesday when she was in collision with a BMW car. She was thrown on to the bonnet and then on

  • Warning to jobseekers over 'easy money' schemes

    TRADING standards bosses today renewed their warning to jobseekers not to take part in dodgy working from home schemes. They also advised newsagents against allowing advertisements for the homeworking vacancies to be placed in their shop windows. Chris

  • NIL-lennium!

    BURY has been dealt a double Millennium whammy by Lottery 'Scrooges'. A huge international street festival which would have been enjoyed by thousands has been kicked into touch by commissioners. It follows a previous snub when they denied funding for

  • All eyes on transfer target Lomas

    STEVE Lomas will no doubt come under special scrutiny at Upton Park tomorrow when he leads West Ham's attempts to plunge Blackburn Rovers deeper into relegation trouble. For Lomas is seen at Ewood as the kind of player who could help them dig their way

  • BAe backs free golf lessons for learners

    EUROPE'S top award winning golfer is backing a campaign to encourage thousands of new golfers to swing into action and take up the game this year in response to free lessons for beginners by PGA professionals from April 10 to 18. Colin Montgomerie has

  • I am happy to stay, says Marcolin

    DARIO Marcolin is hoping to earn a £1 million permanent move to Ewood by helping Blackburn Rovers stay in the Premiership. But, even if Rovers were to take the dreaded drop, the Lazio man insists he would still be happy to stay. Roy Hodgson paid Lazio

  • Speaking for the rest of us?

    I AM amazed that Mike Ford has the nerve to call a previous letter nasty and then all but accuse a councillor of being illiterate. On second thoughts perhaps I am not amazed since clearly he sees the world differently. He sees decline and decay everywhere

  • New chairman looks forward to 'exciting' year

    LABOUR is going from strength to strength and Radcliffe sons are leading the way! That was the verdict of Bury South members at their recent annual meeting. The new constituency chairman is Radcliffe North councillor Tim Chamberlain, who takes over from

  • Crime figures slashed

    CAR theft and burglaries in Ingol and Tanterton have been eliminated after locals took swift action to combat spiralling crime figures. And the way they did it couldn't have been more simple - they chopped down a few shrubs. The Ingol and Tanterton Action

  • Ladies aim to rid staid image

    A WOMEN'S group is shaking off its "twinset and pearls" image in a bid to attract new members. Members of the Ladies' Circle, which is the female equivalent of the Round Table, are fed up with people thinking they are staid and stuffy. They are launching

  • Harry loves a gamble

    Premier League: West Ham United v Blackburn Rovers - Peter White's big match preview HARRY Redknapp has long given the impression of a man who doesn't mind taking a chance or two - witness the procession of cut-price overseas imports who have had brief

  • Brig go top and aim to stay there

    BAMBER Bridge go into this weekend's game against Winsford United sitting on top of the UniBond Premier League - and determined to stay there. Brig went clear at the top after collecting a point during a dramatic match away at Runcorn on Tuesday night

  • Little poser for Ternent

    BURNLEY boss Stan Ternent was today facing a crunch decision over potential match-winner Glen Little. Little returned to action after two games out when he played an hour for the Clarets reserves at Coventry on Tuesday night. But Ternent had to decide

  • Out of the shadows!

    IT was a case of me and my shadow for schoolchildren as they got a taste of working life this week. Year 7 pupils at Bury Grammar School (Girls) spent Monday work-shadowing professionals throughout the borough as part of Bury 2000 - a pioneering education

  • Alan's hometown map plea

    I HAVE lived in Denmark for more than 20 years and have lost contact with the town so much so that I have forgotten so many street names. Do you think any of your readers could be coaxed into e-mailing me a map of St Helens so that I have something to

  • Old pals reunited after 35 years

    THERE's been a nice little development concerning the piece (this page, February 11) about the Clock Face fishmonger who sold his wares from the back of a Rolls Royce. Terence Leech of Whitby Road, Runcorn, who had supplied that fascinating episode from

  • Airey was right to question

    I WAS pleased to see the headline "Airey leads by example" in last week's letters page (Citizen: 18 February). It is a sign that Cllr James Airey, the leader of the Conservative group on the city council is gaining recognition for acting responsibly in

  • Scum who prey on aged

    THERE's been a sad twist in my efforts to find a claimant for a 62-year-old marriage certificate found blowing in the wind on the streets of St Helens. For the certificate, handed into the Star office by a well-meaning reader, had been among property

  • Tracks of joy and misery

    ONE of Edith Carter's earliest recollections is of Red Cross trains thundering through the St Helens Junction station on their way to Lime Street, Liverpool. The bold red crosses painted on the sides of the carriages announced to a hushed outside world

  • Definitely could do better

    Cllr Denwood wants us to look at the achievements of the council particularly in Morecambe, well the new bus station is an excellent facility, its just a pity it was not built on the library car park where more people would have used it. Lets hope they

  • As long as you both shall live!

    A VICAR is praying that the couple at the centre of a "blind date" wedding will surprise the nation and have a long and happy marriage. The Rev Rodney Nicholson, of St Paul's Church, Low Moor, Clitheroe, said in his parish magazine that Carla Germaine

  • Brave Joe's dark, silent world

    RECENT recollections on this page about the blind coal carver who sculpted little portraits of people and pets have prompted fond memories of another, even more remarkable, handicapped personality. Harry Bradbury of Loughrigg Avenue, Clinkham Wood, was

  • Don't be so high-handed

    AFTER many talks with the older residents of Heysham Village it's time comments were made about the high-handed attitude of Heysham Neighbourhood Council. As the council is at pains to point out there is a serious problem in the village from youngsters

  • Top class!

    PRIMARY schools in Bury are once again among England's best according to government figures released on Tuesday. The borough came out ranked ninth out of 150 local education authorities nationwide. The new Department for Education and Employment figures

  • Bootleg profits seized

    A BUSINESSMAN who used his plant hire firm as a cover for a bootleg booze operation has been ordered to hand over £50,000 of his illegal profits. The move follows ground-breaking court action against Ribble Valley company boss Eric Dugdale, brought by

  • Load of rubbish

    IT IS time the environmental health department and the council did something about the people who leave rubbish sacks on the roads week after week. The same people dump their rubbish in New Market Street and other areas of Bare - sometimes just after

  • Don't live in the past

    I REALISE it may upset some dedicated people who spend their time, sometimes justifiably so, lobbying councils and construction firms who wish to pull down derelict buildings in the name of progress and profit but in the case of the Kingsway Baths, the

  • New era for old town hall

    AFTER years of controversy and doubt about its future the old Radcliffe Town Hall finally opened its doors on Monday to a new lease of life. That was when the first five residents moved into the revamped building - all young and vulnerable people in need

  • The facts seem to be these!

    I can't believe that people are blaming the council for the problems facing the Midland Hotel and the facts seem to be these... The hotel is undoubtedly one of Morecambe's finest buildings. Under its last owner the hotel suffered a shocking decline at

  • We are budgeting for the future

    LAST week I presented Labour's budget proposals to the council's finance committee and we are now able to plan over a three year period. During that time we are proposing considerable growth in expenditure on things which will make our district a better

  • Graves fight will be won again

    I HAVE deeds for a grave that my wife's family paid for in August 1991, stating that size of land purchased was 9ft in length, 4ft wide and 9ft deep. I have now received a letter, as have many other people, stating that its size is to be cut back to 1metre

  • LANC-officer

    We need to be reassured I NOTICE the recent fuss over the officer re-shuffle recommendations by the council's "head boy", David Corker. People have every right to expect that promotions at the town hall, even if they are on a temporary basis, should be

  • Raising dough from doughnuts

    LEIGH baker Richard Waterfield wants customers to put on the pounds - to raise pounds for charity. This week, Richard's chain of shops are hoping to sell 14,000 doughnuts in National Doughnut Week. "And for every doughnut we sell, 5p will go to the charity

  • Who are we to believe?

    ON page 39 of the Citizen (February 11), you printed an article saying that Preston Council's financial position was satisfactory, with no significant weaknesses found in the system perceived. The very same week, Preston Council was named and shamed by

  • Why was flats money wasted?

    I READ with disgust the council's bleating about having to put up council tax by about eight per cent. They say the Government left them with a £77,000 shortfall. Would they like to explain then why - as I understand it - they apparently spent thousands

  • Lucy is a star brownie

    COURAGEOUS Brownie Lucy Freeman is the leader of the pack after scooping a prestigious award. Pretty Lucy, 10, who attends Moss Side Primary School, Leyland, won the rare Star of Merit accolade for her amazing achievements in the face of her severe disability

  • Eileen's dedicated service

    A TYLDESLEY woman is to receive special recognition for her long and dedicated service to the St John Ambulance movement. Eileen Wilkinson, of Prescott Avenue, is to be invested in to the Order of St John at a service in the historic Grand Priory Church

  • You must save this show

    PLEASE, please, please press the BBC not to axe One Man And His Dog. I live in the USA and watch the program faithfully on BBC America. As an ex-pat of the UK I always boast to my US friends that one can still find programmes on UK television and radio

  • Get them out chasing arrears

    THE excuses the council come up with to explain the massive rent arrears in Bury never fail to amaze me. Apparently, the latest one is that people are not paying their rent because they are not claiming the benefits they are entitled to. I don't think

  • Don't turn a blind

    eye to crime TELL an estate agent that you have a house in Ramsbottom, Shuttleworth or Stubbins and they will tell you that you are in a very desirable part of Lancashire. But in truth it isn't much better than Moss Side! Just look in the Bury Times at

  • Sheena probes trees for 2000

    WIGAN Council's ecology officer, Sheena Crombie, has won an Earthwatch Millennium Fellowship which will take her to Indonesia next month to witness the problems of deforestation. To win the award Sheena had to explain how working alongside scientists

  • What carers need is more money

    LIKE everyone else, I read the recent headline "MPs back new deal for carers" - respite care, weekend breaks, holidays and regular days off. Great! But as an ex-carer of seven years - my mother having just died - I feel the thing carers need most is money

  • I'm getting a dog...and a poop scoop

    WITH regard to the letter you published concerning my remarks on dog fouling in the Lostock Hall area. Can I just add, in defence of my neighbours, who are responsible dog owners and carry pooper-scoop bags, that I was not referring to the Bridgeway area

  • Royal marine keeps it in the family

    LEYLAND'S Alexander Simm has joined the world's elite as a Royal Marine Commando after being passed out from the Commando Training Centre in Devon. Alexander, 18, was one of just five of the original 30 young men to start the tough course in June last

  • A deaf ear to complaints

    I LIVE in one of twelve small terraced houses at the top end of Irwell Street in Radcliffe. These 12 households recently received letters from the Radcliffe Renewal Scheme offering grants for restoration or renovation work on the properties. The majority

  • Banned from being the boss

    A LEYLAND man has been disqualified from acting as a company director for three years after his Salford-based company was placed into receivership, owing £1.3 million. Clifton Lawrence Thomas Mullaney, formerly of Fiacre Barn, Croston Road, cannot take

  • The 'creeping disease' is the car!

    I WRITE in reply to the correspondent who used the pseudonym "Overweight Car Driver" (Feb 19). I view his comments about cyclists and cycle lanes - "a creeping silent disease" - from another perspective. The local council, while paying lip-service to

  • Fined £420 for selling fake jeans

    A PRESTON man has been fined £420 after pleading guilty to six charges contravening the Trade Mark Act. Mohammed Kazi, of Fletcher Road, Deepdale, appeared before Ormskirk Magistrates last Thursday. Magistrates heard how Kazi was seen at a car boot sale

  • Keegan relative up for top job

    AMATEUR football manager Neil Sim believes he is the man for the England job - and the Football Association might agree with him. For Neil (pictured), who manages an office football team in Preston, jokingly applied for the country's top soccer job after

  • Bus drivers' crash course

    BUS drivers in Preston are being targeted by plain-clothes policemen in a bid to cut the number of accidents. More than 40 people were injured in bus-related incidents last year in Lancashire Constabulary's Central Division - the highest figure for any

  • TEN YEARS AGO: Fans turn out for Bruno

    FRANK Bruno's supporters braved freezing conditions to watch the big fight in the early hours outside a Clitheroe TV shop. More than 70 boxing fans took benches to the Chatburn Road shop to see Bruno fight Tyson but as tensions ran high some started fighting

  • Nipping car theft in the bud

    LANCASHIRE police are attempting to beat car crime - before it even happens. Letters are being sent out to car owners who have left property on display in their parked cars, warning them of the temptation it poses to thieves. And traffic wardens are the

  • FIVE YEARS AGO: Contracts carry on

    THE Government refused to cancel contracts with two foreign firms that bribed civil servant Gordon Foxley to ensure they won ammunition work instead of Royal Ordnance's Blackburn factory. After Foxley's conviction, the Ministry of Defence said it would

  • Heated row over axed firemen hots up

    A war of words has erupted in South Ribble after an independent councillor accused the rulding Labour party of failing to help Leyland's axed firemen. The council's hierarchy reacted angrily to claims by Coun Tom Sharratt they had silenced all opposition

  • On top of the world

    STUDENTS from a Preston college are preparing to fly out to Nepal in the Himalayas to teach scores of Tibetan refugees the art of having fun. The 14 students, who study nursery nursing at Preston College, will start their adventure in the summer armed

  • Tax van cometh no more

    COUNCIL bosses in South Ribble have been forced to axe a mobile tax collection service because insurers are refusing to cover it in new policies, says a charity. But don't tell anyone at the council we told you - they don't want you to know. Hundreds

  • Growing support for Warriors

    WIGAN Warriors Rugby League Club is looking to launch local branches of their supporters club. Any interested Citizen readers who support the Warriors are asked to contact Dave Swanton at the club whose address is Central Park, Wigan WN1 IXF. Telephone

  • The forgotten player

    PRESTON North End veterans have blasted the club for not remembering an ex-footballer dubbed 'one of the most inspirational players ever'. Members of the club's Past Players Association say they are bitterly disappointed that the death of defender Willie

  • SNOOKER: Taylor bows out

    DENNIS Taylor last night bowed out of the Liverpool Victoria Charity Challenge in Derby. Blackburn-based Taylor took the first frame from world number eight Alan McManus but the Scot bounced back to win 5-1 and book a quarter-final clash with Ronnie O'Sullivan

  • ICE HOCKEY: Hawks lose their way as Kings rule

    Milton Keynes Kings 13 Blackburn Hawks 4 HAWKS hopes of lifting the English Premier League suffered a major setback last night against a team everyone is tippping to take the title. A weakened Hawks side, short of key players through injury and unavailability

  • Rally ace Neil loses fierce battle

    BLACKPOOL rally ace Neil Wearden lost a fierce head-to-head battle with British Rally champion Martin Rowe in the semi-final of the TV Masters Challenge at Silverstone on Sunday (Feb 21). Rowe went on to take the title after defeating twice British Rally

  • Latest attacks on Straw are below the belt

    A WEEK in politics is a long time, according to the famous words of Harold Wilson - and doesn't Home Secretary Jack Straw know it today? For Blackburn's MP, the man with the reputation as the Cabinet's Mr Cool - the "safe pair of hands" seen as a potential

  • Wartime memories

    YOUR 'Looking Back' article, "Bomb Terror" (LET, February 15), about wartime air raids reminded me of the night in 1940 when the bombs were dropped near Woodfold Mill, in Darwen. I was on what I think was the last tram of the night from Darwen when we

  • Welcome sign is wonderful

    I HAVE just read on the Internet The Journal article about the new proposed road signs. I think they are a wonderful idea. As a native of Leigh who moved away 12 years ago (but visits often) these signs would be a welcome sight after a long trip north

  • ATHLETICS: Catherine the Great

    CATHERINE Riley has just one ambition for her international debut - to remain the British number one. The Clitheroe Grammar School pupil earned a shock call up for the Great Britain and Ireland under 20s team to face Italy, Germany and France in Paris

  • Come on you Reds!

    THE rumpus over the advertisement by Pearl Assurance, which appears to degrade the status of once-famous Accrington Stanley (LET, February 20) should not dishearten the fans of the club. There is an old saying: "Any publicity is good publicity." Whether

  • Police shoot youth after siege

    AN investigation has been launched after an 18-year-old man was shot twice by armed police officers. The shooting, at about 7.45pm on Friday, February 19, followed a four-hour siege at a flat in Belvedere Road, Newton-le-Willows. Police were called to

  • Carry on Chris

    HOW desperate can the Wigan Labour Party get, asking the Green Party to sack Chris Maile? This just goes to show who Labour do not like serious opposition. I have never been a supporter of Chris Maile's involvement in the Xanadu project or the Green Party

  • NON-LEAGUE SOCCER: New boss wields the axe

    NEW Chorley boss Dalton Steele will wield the axe ahead of Saturday's crunch home game with promotion-chasing Gateshead. The former Winsford chief has already drafted in seven new men from his old club and up to six of them could make their debuts against

  • Lytham girls aim for £500 prize

    THINKING caps will be needed by four youngsters from Queen Mary School in Lytham who are entering a nationwide chemistry competition. Top of the Bench is being held on March 6 at the Science Museum in London. Charlotte Prince, Shelley Beilby, Pamela Hamlyn

  • From court to cabaret

    BURNLEY's former county court could be set for a new lease of life - as a cabaret club. The man behind the idea is Burnley businessman and major Clarets' shareholder John Turkington whose application for a public entertainment music an dancing licence

  • Stole from our son's grave

    WHAT sort of person would steal from a child's grave? We had bought a stone Teddy bear which had been on our son's grave in Bury Cemetery for only one week when it was taken. Our son died on December 20 last year, so you can imagine our devastation on

  • Mechanics shine to clinch floodlit showdown

    MECHANICS' unbeaten youth soccer team withstood a welter of intimidation and provocation against Accrington to emerge 2-1 victors in an incredibly hard-fought U18 Lancashire Cup semi-final at the Crown Ground on Tuesday night (Feb 23). After losing the

  • Fitting tribute for a brave dad

    MY father passed away in November after a long illness. He was an ex-POW of the Japanese for four years, and one of his tasks was to bury his fellow prisoners when they died. A bugler would play The Last Post in the camp. I thought it would be fitting

  • It's a tie!

    LOWER sixth form students from King Edward VII School in Lytham are cashing in on the school's 90th anniversary by selling specially designed ties The students set up the company Enigma last October, under the Young Enterprise scheme. Managing director

  • Poor performance

    BLACKPOOL FC's managing director Gill Bridge continues to bring fans up to date with what's happening at Bloomfield Road. This week she gives her opinion on Saturday's (Feb 20) lapse in form which saw the Seasiders go down 0-1 to Lincoln City at home

  • Words have been twisted

    COUNCILLOR Tony Humphreys (Letters, February 19) accuses me of saying that Blackburn Council has not done anything for Shadsworth and states that I have let the area's estate management board down. Once again, my words have been twisted. What I said was

  • Sound of silence

    BARN owls like these may be encouraged to keep nesting between Accrington and Burnley after a move by highways chiefs to cut noise on the M65. Works to lay a new, quieter surface on the M65 between the Huncoat and Burnley junctions began this week. As

  • How we acquitted Hitler

    DOMINIC Casserley from Year 11 of St Mary's RC High school, Blackpool, writes: THIRTY one Year 11 history students from St Mary's High School recently attended a GCSE revision conference at the Dance House Theatre in the heart of Manchester. St Mary's

  • Hockey round-up

    LYTHAM St Annes Hockey Club 1st XI came away from Disley losing 5-4 in a closely contested and entertaining match. Within the first 20 minutes LSA were 4-0 up, with goals from Dave Robbins and Rob Jackson from short corners, while Chris Kay and Ollie

  • Councillor cleared of indecent assault charge

    BURNLEY county councillor Howard Eccles has been cleared of an indecent assault charge after crown court prosecutors dropped the case against him. Coun Eccles, 60, had denied the alleged offence against another man, said to have taken place near his home

  • Why's Tuesday the worst?

    I WAS late for work on Tuesday after driving around the streets for at least 20 minutes looking for an infuriatingly elusive parking spot. Can anyone tell me why Tuesday is always the worst day of the week on the roads? I've noticed that for years. While

  • Bob arrows into national role

    ONE of the founder members of St Helens Archers, Bob Parkinson, has been appointed by the sport's governing body as a national coach. Bob, from Rainford, will be responsible for restructuring the national scheme to train and examine club and county coaches