CHILDREN'S favourites Fireman Sam and Postman Pat called into Wensley Fold School, Blackburn, to officially open a new toy library. The library is stocked with jigsaws, games and toys which pupils can borrow and take home. Staff at the school, in Manor
THE son of former Blackburn snooker world champion Dennis Taylor has been charged with offences relating to the driving charges facing ex Rovers star Gary Croft. Damian Taylor, of Beardwood Meadow, Blackburn, will appear before Ipswich Magistrates on
THE bosses of a high-flying East Lancashire businesswoman accused of performing sex acts with a fellow passenger during a transatlantic flight were today "reviewing" the incident. Sales manager Amanda Holt, 37, of Moorside Crescent, Bacup, and David Machin
ON NOTICING Rovers' result at Swindon, I could not help recalling Phil Lloyd's column "Down by the Riverside," (LET, September 7) when he lambasted the Pools Panel "experts" for having the temerity to suggest Swindon might manage a score draw against
AN East Lancashire movie mogul has clinched his biggest ever deal - and seen his personal fortune soar, it was revealed today. Gary Smith's Winchester Entertainment firm has secured more than £300million to finance a string of Hollywood blockbusters by
THE Ryder Cup was marred by unsporting members of the crowd who heckled and harassed European team members, obviously trying to put them off their game. On top of that, the American golfers, caddies, wives and others joined in celebration when they assumed
PASS rates for students at three East Lancashire colleges are well below the national average, official statistics show. The Further Education Funding Council has published detailed figures on performances of colleges across the country. And the annual
BEATING crime topped the list when local people voted for the issues they want council bosses to tackle. Boosting the local economy and helping Blackburn and Darwen people build better communities were next on the agenda, according to the collated results
A fan's-eye view from Ewood Park, with Phil Lloyd 'HE'S A good little player, but you'll never get a full season out of him. Too injury-prone.' That was the verdict of a friend of mine (and Coventry supporter, but we all have our crosses to bear), when
"Accidental Death of an Anarchist," presented by Oswaldtwistle Players in the Civic Theatre, Oswaldtwistle, 7.30pm. Blackburn with Darwen Childminding Association meet Roman Road Family Centre, Fishmoor Drive, Blackburn, 7.30pm-9pm. All childminders welcome
A PIG farmer and his three young daughters joined hundreds of protesters outside the Tory Party Conference in Blackpool last night. Phillip Edge, 36, of Fairfield Farm, Longsight Road, Clayton-le-Dale, joined farmers from across the country to protest
RESULTS - Premier Division: George & Dragon 13, Michelin Athletic Club 1; Padiham 3, Flying Dutchman 1; Stacksteads SJ 2, Weir FC 5. Division One: Boar's Wanderers FC 3, White Hart 3. Division Two: Whalley Range 1, KSC 4. Converted for the new archive
RESULTS - Premier Division: Eagley 4, Lansil 2; Feniscowles 1, Charnock Richard 0; Freckleton 0, Burnley Utd 1; Kirkham & Wesham 2, Blackrod Town 0; Leyland Motors Ath 1, Vickers SC 3; Norcross & Warbreck 3, Dalton Utd 3; Wyre Villa 0, Springfields
HOSPITAL beds could have become a thing of the past in East Lancashire with patients having to travel out of the area for operations. And local casualty departments might have been scrapped in favour of large regional specialist trauma units many miles
HARWOOD moved into the top six of the First North Western Trains League First Division thanks to a late strike from Graham Lightbown. The Reds were rewarded for a brilliant team display when the ball fell to Lightbown with eight minutes left and he emphatically
THE European Commission demonstrated once more what a toothless tiger it really is. As the French stubbornly refused to reverse their decision to ban sales of British beef in defiance of EU instructions, the word from Brussels was that legal proceedings
RESULTS - Under 10: Foulridge Minors 10, West End 1. Under 11: Brierfield Celtic 2, Readstone Utd 2; Colne Clarets 8, Michelin 0. Under 12: Clitheroe Wolves 2, Junior Clarets 3; Ighten Leigh 13, Barrowford Celtic 2. Under 13 Red: Knuzden Juniors 12, Readstone
BLACKBURN Sunday League's Old Toll Bar began their defence of the Lancashire Sunday Trophy when they faced Blackpool side Christ the King at Pleasington. The holders struggled to find their true form but made progress to the next round with a 2-0 scoreline
I CANNOT accept Gladys Robinson's view that "each and every one of us is to blame for the state of the nation (Letters, September 20). All that the common man or woman can do is vote every five years for a party which promises to come nearest to what
GOALS rained in for Grimshaw Park when they recorded an amazing 27-1 victory over a shellshocked Blackburn Olympic Reserves in the Blackburn and District Football Combination. David Bates and Martin Fish each scored five, and the tally included hat-tricks
A RETIRED sheep farmer facing 21 charges, including permitting animals to suffer, has been granted legal aid to fight the case. Thomas William Kellet, 68, of Milton Street, Padiham, is being prosecuted by Lancashire County Council Trading Standards. His
A WARM welcome awaits Kosovan refugees when they arrive to live in Burnley - with a £450 knees-up planned by well-wishers. That's the amount councillors have granted to a community group to provide a welcoming party for the five families due to move into
COUNCILLORS are being urged to give the go-ahead to Burnley's "king-sized" mosque - despite the failure of attempts to scale it down to Local Plan standards. Objectors said the 110 ft high development would dwarf surrounding homes in Burns Street, Stoneyholme
SHOPKEEPERS have branded "a disgrace" council plans to scrap disabled parking spaces to make way for a taxi rank. A notice, posted on a lamp post on Yorkshire Street, Burnley, says that the council is planning to allow four Hackney Carriages to wait in
A BANNED driver seen riding a motorcycle challenged police to catch him. Burnley magistrates heard how Kevin David Hankey, 21, was pushing the bike as a police officer stood in his front garden. Hankey, of Midland Street, Nelson, was sentenced to 240
DETECTIVES investigating the mystery death of a teenage Nelson girl have ruled out any link with a possible reaction to the contraceptive pill. The news came as Catherine Kent's family revealed the 14-year-old had been taking the Pill since August for
A FORMER butcher who turned to alcohol after his business and marriage collapsed was caught drink-driving twice in a week. Burnley magistrates heard Stephen Bennett, 47, had been stopped after driving without lights. Six days later, he was found to be
WE'RE going conker bonkers! With the leaves starting to turn on horse chestnut trees across East Lancashire, the conker season is now well and truly open. And the scramble through piles of leaves to find the biggest and best to do battle with is under
SERIOUS concern over plans to open a new coal mine on moorland above Burnley and Bacup are expected to be voiced by planning chiefs in Burnley this week . Councillors will hear a chorus of objections when they respond to consultation by Lancashire County
TITANIC bandmaster Wallace Hartley, who famously conducted the band as the great liner sank, has been honoured in a new exhibition about his life in Colne Library. Guests at the exhibition opening included Titanic enthusiast Jean Elizabeth Martin who
A fan's-eye view from Turf Moor, with Steve Cummings SAT, OCT 2 1999 9am: Wake up with a thumping skull and a foul taste in my mouth. This is not because I have been repeatedly banging my head against the wall and smearing my gums with Swarfega, but because
NEIL Bramwell is at least consistent with his support of the Americans' terrible behaviour at Boston. He previously was exhorting us to behave in a similar way ourselves. We are a nation of whiners he says, which is a bit rich coming from a newspaper
STEVE Davis is backing the Clarets to pass their screen test and get their promotion challenge back in top gear in front of the television cameras on Sunday. Having dropped two points from a winning position against Brentford on Saturday, Burnley are
I HAVE received a few letters from Blackburn Rovers - the latest one signed by "Jack" himself - asking why I have not renewed my season ticket. Firstly, value for money. I thought it was a bit unreal to ask us to renew at the same price when the superstars
RESIDENTS are furious after workmen moved in to build sports facilities at a beauty spot and wildlife area near their homes. People in Brinscall are worried that the development next to Lodge Bank, Brinscall, which will include a metal youth shelter,
BLACKBURN Rovers winger Damien Johnson has received his first call-up to the full Northern Ireland squad. The 21-year-old wide man will replace club-mate Keith Gillespie who has pulled out of the squad for Saturday's final Euro 2000 qualifier against
WHEN 94-year-old Blackburn Rovers' fan Edward Flatt recently named the all-time 11 he would pick from the Ewood heroes he had followed for more than 80 years, we asked readers for their best-of-all team sheet. And here are your selections . . . I READ
RAMBLERS are to fight the closure of a scenic Ribble Valley footpath in the High Court. A two-and-a-half-mile stretch of the Ribble Way near Sawley has been the subject of a wrangle between landowners and Lancashire County Council for 13 years. Former
LANCASHIRE are to advertise for a new coach and make a fresh approach to Andy Flintoff's agent Andrew Chandler. That was the outcome of last night's cricket committee meeting at Old Trafford and represents quite a change of tack by the club. Chairman
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Ribchester Hospital lost the first round of their battle when members of the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Authority voted to close the building. After a two hour debate the decision to close the hospital went
TOP-of-the-league Miners were thrashed by Boys Club 7-3 in the first round of the Towneley Cup with Craig Robinson showing his usual flair for the victors with a fine hat-trick. He received good support from Ryan Campione who scored twice, Dean Stowe
IT GIVES me great pleasure this time of the year to watch the new yearlings as they arrived at the yards for their first bit of education which will eventually lead them on to racecourses next season. Kevin Ryan has 10 yearlings at the yard including
IT is hardly surprising that the folk who live in East Lancashire's most scenic valley should support Environment Minister Michael Meacher's proposed ban on wealthy people owning second homes in the countryside. Mr Meacher's views earned him a rebuke
THE weather took its toll this weekend with only 10 games taking place in the Hyndburn and District Boys Football League (sponsored by McDonalds Accrington). One of the games - the LFA Club Cup competition saw Huncoat United Under 14s travel to Heysham
BEFORE making his speech to the Labour Party Conference, the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, instead of walking to the conference hall from his hotel, which would have taken about three minutes, went in his car both there and back. This from the
REGARDING your article 'No go area for buses' (LET, September 24), I think that we are being ruled by our children. It isn't just in the Higher Croft area of Blackburn; it's everywhere regardless of social class. Children who are brought up to have no
ONE of Burnley's oldest residents, Mrs Mary Hebden, celebrated her 106th birthday with a visit from the Mayor and Mayoress, Coun Eddie Fisk and Mrs Pat Chadwick. Mrs Hebden lives with her only son Harold, 76, at Rosemount Avenue, Burnley, where nieces
I WOULD refer Councillor Dave Smith (Letters, September 24) to your article about the proposals of Blackburn with Darwen Council to form a 'cabinet' (LET, September 1). Such intentions can soon become fact and they clearly set out an unacceptable rise
THE Bishop of Blackburn has slammed soap operas for failing to depict lasting, faithful marriages (LET, September 27). In the long-running daily saga of 'errant clergy,' newspaper reports, on the same day as the Rt Rev Alan Chesters condemnation, ran
RESIDENTS who have been boiling water in the wake of problems at a North West Water reservoir were today told it is now safe to use straight from the tap. A spokesman for North West Water said discoloration problems at Ogden Reservoir were still being
BURNLEY ended nearly 40 years of hurt for former player Bobby Seith when they unveiled his championship-winning medal today. Seith never received the medal he was due after playing 27 games to help the Clarets win the First Division title in 1959/60.
BLACKBURN Rovers winger Damien Johnson has received his first call-up to the full Northern Ireland squad. The 21-year-old wide man will replace club-mate Keith Gillespie who has pulled out of the squad for Saturday's final Euro 2000 qualifier against
A TEENAGER was put through a terrifying ordeal by a skinhead knifeman who threatened to chop off his victim's finger. The 17-year-old was mugged at knife-point as he walked to a friend's house in Accrington and was forced to hand over several items of
HUNDREDS of East Lancashire workers are being urged to agree to a new pay package. Remploy, the Government-owned firm which employs thousands of disabled workers including those at sites in Blackburn and Burnley, has negotiated a pay settlement with trade
CELEBRATIONS were in the air as a trio of Darwen dancers picked up a trophy as well as gold medals in a national dance competition. Camilla Sadaghna, 15, her sister Vanessa, 13, and their pal Gemma Marr, 14, won gold medals for their funky jazz routine
THE head of ICI's plants in Darwen has predicted a bright future for the firm following its £505 million takeover. Ineos, headed by Jim Ratcliffe, a well-known entrepreneur in the chemical industry, bought ICI's Acrylics business in a deal backed by a
