"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," Charter Theatre, Preston, 2pm and 7.30pm. Blackburn and District Probus Club, St Silas' Church Hall, Preston New Road, Blackburn, 10.30am. Blackburn Rambling Association, Oddfellows Hall (Mind Centre entrance
ON the eve of the vote in the Commons on the government's hunting bill comes a revolting tactic by the master of East Lancashire's only foxhunt, manifestly designed to put pressure on MPs intending to opt for an outright ban. For, says Holcombe Harriers
A FAMILY Christmas musical entitled Follow The Star will be performed at St John's Southworth Theatre Group in Nelson. Musical director Joe Winkley said the group was grateful to the Horses and Ponies Protection Association for allowing them to use a
YOU can hardly walk a step these days without bumping into civil rights demonstrators on a protest. Only the other day, I was in Great Harwood on Alan Ramsbottom Way when I saw a placard saying: 'Free Horse Manure!' D PRATT (Mr), Plantation Street, Accrington
FROM March, the Post Office will change its name to Consignia. This word is a nonsense. It doesn't appear in an English dictionary or a Latin dictionary. It sounds to me like the name for a bejewelled Italian prostitute! I don't suppose it will be long
REGARDING the point made by Graham Aspen (Letters, January 10) in connection with earlier remarks by a Mr A Walmsley about foul language on television nowadays, above the entrance to Broadcasting House is an inscription which, translated, reads: " . .
I HAVE every sympathy for Councillor Charles Mills' daughter's friend who was assaulted and police were unable to respond immediately. However, surely it is wrong of Coun Mills to attack Blackburn with Darwen's overstretched police force, when the only
AS a bailiff working for various local authorities to recover unpaid taxes, I can regrettably, fully understand, that after expensive and exhaustive inquiries have failed, the cheapest option is to write off these debts. In the vast majority of these
LEIGH Centurions look almost certain to reach the Trans-Pennine Cup Final for a second successive year after their stunning 44-18 victory at Oldham on Sunday. Leigh, the only NFP club with a 100 per cent record intact after Keighley were held 22-22 by
I KNOW there are still 18 games to go, give or take the play-offs, but already I'm getting excited. After the run of results we've had, this may surprise no-one -- except that I'm not talking about the forbidden 'P'-word. Like the manager, I'm doing my
A BURNLEY man accused of murder has denied the charge against him. Imtiaz Hussain, 22, of Walpole Street, Burnley, pleaded not guilty to murdering Iain McKay between September 29 and October 2 last year. A teenager also appeared in the dock at Preston
BLACKBURN pilot Mitch Preston was on 'red alert' at an air base in the Saudi desert as the world teetered on the brink of war in the Gulf. The 27-year-old, whose family were living in Wilpshire, was expected to be in the first wave of ground attack aircraft
STAFF at Blackburn College were celebrating after being told they were the best in the country. An inspection by the Further Education Funding Council of everything, from the curriculum to the quality of staff, produced ten grade ones and put the college
THE leader of Hyndburn Council was today accused of trying to score political points over the authority's expenses mix-up. Labour leader Ian Ormerod claimed councillors had first learnt of the Government's decision to sanction accidental overpayments
EAST Lancashire Hospice Appeal will be boosted by £4,500 on Thursday, when proceeds from Clitheroe's bonfire is handed over. The event, organised by the Rotary Club of Ribblesdale on November 4, was attended by more than 4,000 people and went ahead as
MORE than 20 bulk haulage workers are to be made redundant after their Longridge employers decided to switch from road to rail. Transport Development Group (TDG), formerly known as W and J Riding Transport, in Whittingham Road, is making 22 of its 85
CLOSE encounters of the harmonious kind awaited music loving newly weds when they arrived at their reception venue. As bride Margaret Lloyd and bridegroom Bob Sinclair-Tomlinson were ushered into the Calf's Head Hotel, Worston, near Clitheroe, 35 members
AN 11th-hour appeal for help to sort waste paper at a Clitheroe pensioners' club has fallen on deaf ears and cost the charity a third of its income. The Pendle Club, in Lowergate, has been going for the past half century and is a lifeline for around 200
EDUCATION bosses and police are investigating how a boy was dragged up to 300 yards after getting his coat caught in the door of a school bus. David Robinson, seven, suffered multiple injuries after the accident as he returned home from Slaidburn Primary
UPBEAT Scunthorpe United boss Brian Laws believes his side is still capable of pulling off an FA Cup shock. The Third Division side were only a couple of minutes away from knocking Burnley out in the original meeting at Turf Moor ten days. But Laws insists
I HATE going to Gillingham. It takes three days to get there, it's always freezing and we never win. And from a purely selfish point of view, I can't say I'd be devastated were they to be demoted for their alleged financial irregularities. My misgivings
THE immediate rewards aren't as great but if Burnley need any extra inspiration going into tonight's FA Cup replay at Scunthorpe they need only cast their minds back as far as May. The Clarets went to Glanford Park on the final day of last season knowing
NEW owners are due to take over Burnley's Inn On The Wharf pub at the end of the month. The popular canal-side hostelry has been bought by midlands independent brewer Hardys and Hansons. The pub was part of the Yates Group subsidiary, Watling Street Inns
VISITORS to the FJ Nichols pub in Blackburn did a double-take as they ordered their drinks when they realised the bar staff were schoolgirls. All eleven male and female employees at the pub, in Northgate, wore school uniforms throughout the night to raise
FOUR out of five small businesses in the UK will not be ready for the October deadline for stakeholder pensions, according to investment experts Scottish Amicable. Businesses employing more than five people must offer a stakeholder scheme by October 8
BRUSHING up management skills is an ideal way to stay ahead of the rest, according to East Lancashire's first NVQ5 management graduate from the world of hairdressing. Phillip Kenyon, whose Plus Two family-owned group of hair salons is based in Accrington
OCCASIONALLY, someone has a simple idea that solves a huge problem. The landlord of a pub in a Devon town had one such flash of inspiration when pondering a solution to the problem of rowdiness in the surrounding streets after closing time. He gave out
EAST Lancashire aerospace firms could benefit from Britain's plans to take part in a £67billion US project for a futuristic new combat aircraft. Aerospace firm BAE Systems has won concessions over industrial participation in the American programme for
WHY should English finals be played on a Welsh ground? Wales play theirs in Wales, the Scots play theirs in Scotland. Why can't they play ours in England -- Old Trafford holds easily 58,000 and Anfield can also hold a very large number. There are many
VETERAN soldiers will honour an East Lancashire war hero at his funeral service tomorrow. William McClelland, who was decorated with the Distinguished Conduct Medal by King George VI, died in Blackburn Royal Infirmary aged 76. He had been ill for several
I THINK the FA have made the right choice in opting for Cardiff and the Millennium Stadium to stage the FA Cup and other major finals while Wembley is rebuilt. I know it probably won't feel the same to many people because Wembley was "the place" to go
A VICAR today warned parishioners of a leafy village church -- you could lose it within a year. The Rev Mark Cannon (pictured), hopes his shock announcement will encourage the congregation of St James' Church, Brindle, near Blackburn, to dig deeper and
I'll shoot my hounds, says hunt master THE MASTER of an East Lancashire hunt today warned that its hounds will be shot if their blood sport is banned by MPs. Arnold Greenhalgh, head of the Holcombe Harriers, which hunts foxes and hares, spoke out just
IN REPLY to D A Cunliffe (Sports Letters, January 9), I have been a loyal "Blue" for more than 55 years and have stood with my dad on the Longside at Turf Moor in a fully integrated crowd with no aggravation at all. I also worked in Burnley for nearly
A MEAL out with his girlfriend turned into a clamping nightmare for welder William Kilshaw. Blackburn magistrates heard how his car was clamped and £70 demanded by the clampers. But his efforts to remove the restraint with a grinder landed him in police
ATHLETICS:Paralympic silver medallist Mark Brown has turned from runner to race organiser -- but has found he prefers to keep his trainers on! The marathon runner is, with Burnley College, organising a Burnley 10km multi-terrain run which will start from
NORTHERN Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy will be donning Accrington Stanley's colours in their fund-raising game for Bury FC at the Crown Ground tonight. The former Manchester United star -- the last Busby Babe -- played for the Shakers at the end of his
MUSIC lovers were treated to a daytime organ recital by the organist of Lichfield Cathedral. The concert, performed by Andrew Lumsden, was held at Blackburn Cathedral to raise cash for the Millennium Organ Appeal. The organ was installed in Blackburn
CORPORAL Colin Eastham, of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, teamed up with representatives of the other armed forces and model Liz Cass to promote the International Festival of the Sea, which will be held in Portsmouth in August. It will be the largest
THE little mermaid has a near-impossible task set her in St Mary's Pantomime Group's latest show. Kerry White plays Marina, who has to persuade Prince Stefan to marry her in only three days without saying a word, or be turned into sea foam. The pantomime
THE Oswaldtwistle Players are taking a break from rehearsals for "An Ideal Husband" to hold a literary evening on Friday19 jan at James St Club, Oswaldtwistle, at 7.30pm. Everyone's welcome to do a "turn" or reading, or just come along and enjoy the show
I HAVE read that £174 million is being spent to stop children being truants. Surely, it is the parents' job to see that children attend school and not depend on taxpayers' money. When the cane was used for misbehaviour, it made us have a healthy respect
REGARDING your report about the new lease of life for the old Darwen Technical School building (LET, December 26), we, the 'Darwen Against Demolition' group fought a long, hard campaign to protect an important piece of our history. Thankfully, after six
DARWEN Technical School has been an important part of the town's history for more than 100 years. Now after a six and a half year battle, the campaign to save 'The Old Tech' is finally over. The Darwen Against Demolition action group fought long and hard
WORLD class weightlifters will be pushing the limits next month at a British championship event which has been switched to Leigh. And local world beater Mike Pyke, who has helped organise the men's and women's championships being held on Saturday, February
I'll shoot my hounds, says hunt master THE MASTER of an East Lancashire hunt today warned that its hounds will be shot if their blood sport is banned by MPs. Arnold Greenhalgh, head of the Holcombe Harriers, which hunts foxes and hares, spoke out just
CRAIG Hignett today vowed to win over the Ewood boo-boys by proving he's worth a regular place in Graeme Souness's starting line-up. The former Barnsley man was singled out for abuse by some sections of the crowd during Saturday's 2-0 win over Sheffield
A REVIEW of NHS priorities in Burnley is being called for by prospective Tory parliamentary candidate Rob Frost. He said he was demanding an immediate review in the light of a report that Burnley had the ninth worst record in the country for deaths in
SUPERMARKET giants Asda have kicked off their Christmas present amnesty for people whose gifts did not quite hit the mark. Staff at their Colne superstore are appealing for anybody to bring in their unwanted presents so they can donate them to the Pendleside
A COLLECTION of 34 paintings by artist Susan Wilson was unveiled at the Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington, at a weekend preview morning. The selection of self-portraits and paintings of landscapes and everyday objects is part of an exhibition which will
AN application to create an 'art dome' and croquet lawn on land at Brockhall Village, Langho, has been recommended for refusal by Ribble Valley Council planning officers. The lawn site on the northern end of the village complex and to the west of the
STATE-of-the-art technology using of solar energy could soon be introduced into Balderstone if plans to convert a Victorian glasshouse into a home are approved. Ribble Valley Council planning committee will discuss an application from Mrs A Johnston-Smith
SOCCER: Burnley have issued new conditions for the sale of tickets for their game at Crewe on Saturday, February 3. The Clarets have been allocated 1,630 which will be on sale to season-ticket holders with voucher P and three away ticket stubs on January
Scunthorpe v Burnley Glanford Park 7.45pm LAST SIX RESULTS Scunthorpe United Chesterfield (a) lost 1-0 Burnley (a) FA Cup, drew 2-2 Ipoua, Hodges Macclesfield (h) drew 2-2 Ipoua, Stamp Lincoln City (a) drew 1-1 Ipoua Cheltenham (h) drew 1-1 Torpey Barnet
ANDY Payton is pushing for a Clarets recall as Burnley look for the goals to book a fourth-round FA Cup trip to Bolton. The Clarets 12-goal top-scorer was left on the bench for the second game in a row at Gillingham on Saturday. And while boss Stan Ternent
THE Bull and Royal on Derby Road, Longridge, will be the venue for two talented performers next month. On Saturday February 3 vocalist Lynette will entertain the guests. On Saturday February 10 guitarist Paul Ritchie will provide the entertainment. Details
STAFF at a Blackburn Hotel are inviting people to help them celebrate Chinese New Year. To mark the coming of The Year of the Snake, the County Hotel, in Preston New Road, will be giving customers the chance to win a fabulous seven-day holiday for two
OLIVER's bar at Burnley Mechanics has introduced a series of monthly lunchtime music recitals. From Thursday January 25, you can enjoy classical music recitals featuring players from Manchester's renowned Camerata ensemble. The first star performers will
FORMER Blackburn Rovers star Fred Pickering raised a glass to the success of a Blackburn pub at the weekend. The ex-footballer officially opened The Moorings pub, in Bolton Road, which was bought by businessman Gerry Bell, who owns several pubs, including
CRAIG Hignett today vowed to win over the Ewood boo-boys by proving he's worth a regular place in Graeme Souness's starting line-up. The former Barnsley man was singled out for abuse by some sections of the crowd during Saturday's 2-0 win over Sheffield
THE immediate rewards aren't as great but if Burnley need any extra inspiration going into tonight's FA Cup replay at Scunthorpe they need only cast their minds back as far as May. The Clarets went to Glanford Park on the final day of last season knowing
TWO of East Lancashire's best known names in print have started the New Year under one banner. Nayler the Printer Plc, of Accrington, and Sankey Lord Ltd, of Nelson, have spent months in discussion finalising the terms of the merger. Alastair Nayler,
YOUNGSTERS between four and 15, who attend a weekly Arabic school in Darwen, celebrated the start of a new year with a party at Darwen Vale High School (see picture). They played games, took part in a quiz about Arabic culture and ate party food. Moorland
AN investigation is taking place today, tuesday, to find the cause of a fire which gutted a Rossendale mill used as a shoe and clothing warehouse. Fifty firefighters from three county forces were involved in fighting the blaze at Nunnhills Mill, Blackwood
PLANS for a new community sports complex will be discussed this week. Blackburn with Darwen Council wants to set up the facility which will include 10 multi-use, all weather pitches, at Queens Park High School, Blackburn. The project will see all facilities
A NURSE cycled 1,000 miles to raise £1,000 for the East Lancashire Hospice and Christie's Hospital which cared for his mother. Nigel Barnes, 37, decided to raise the cash after his mother died twelve months ago. He got in training for his marathon ride
PLANNING bosses say they plan to take full advantage of government plans for urban and rural areas. The Government's urban White Paper 'Our Towns and Cities: The Future' recommends increased spending on urban transport and housing and was welcomed for
A LARGE majority of Burnley's football townsfolk mysteriously disappeared on Saturday, January 6. Do you think Stephen Cummings should contact agents Mulder and Scully to investigate alien abductions that might be taking place in the famous football town
I ADD to Jim Kenyons's tribute to Neil Hawke (Sports Letters, January 3) and agree with all he said. To lose such great competitors as Neil and Peter Swart so early in life and within such a short space of time saddened me and I am sure, many like me
A BLACKBURN-based food company was today celebrating a leap in profits of more than 50 per cent with the announcement of its interim results. Inter Link Foods, which owns Crossfield Foods and Maid Marian Bakeries in Blackburn, as well as bakeries in Oldham
PARENTS who prevented their children getting the MMR vaccine amid safety fears were today urged to change their minds to prevent a measles epidemic. Dr Roberta Marshall, communicable disease expert for East Lancashire Health Authority, spoke after the
IN response to Sara Worrall (Sports Letters, January 9), could it be that this fan of a great club is somewhat hypnotised by what Stephen Cummings writes? Any Rovers fan, reading between the lines, can distinguish petty jealousy and bitterness from a
STAN Ternent has done a very good job over the last couple of seasons, but what infuriates me is the way he chops and changes the side. How can he prefer Ronnie Jepson instead of John Mullin or Brad Maylett? Nothing personal against Ronnie, but he's just
STAN Ternent seems not to be bothered about making 20 strange tactical decisions because, if only one of them comes off, he can reap the plaudits. He is ready to take the attention away from the poor performances by calling the fans 'morons' for booing
SOCCER: Nelson's Marsden Lancashire FA Trophy tie at home to Conference side Morecambe has been postponed tonight. Instead, the league leaders will travel to Holker Old Boys in the NWCL Second Division. And Great Harwood's Worthington Challenge Trophy
PRESTON'S players will be fighting for their future as boss David Moyes looks to arrest the current slump. The North End chief is determined to get his side back on track after their current run of seven defeats in eight games -- and that could mean heads
BILLINGHAM EAGLES 4 BLACKBURN HAWKS 4 BLACKBURN Hawks shared the points in an eight goal thriller with Billingham Eagles, but it could have been so different. Billingham are regarded as the best team in the English National League, reigning champions,
RAMSBOTTOM hot-shot Russell Brierley is looking for revenge against Clitheroe in the Worthington Challenge Trophy tonight. The Blues have beaten Ramsbottom twice already this season, but on both occassions Ken Bridge's side thought they deserved something
