IT is a pity that the dilapidated Pavilion Buildings in your picture (LET, May 7) of the recently-pedestrianised Church Street in Blackburn make the area look like a war zone. It is also not surprising that the estimated cost of converting the Pavilions
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REGARDING your Comment (LET, May 3), I would expect such barbs from the Socialist Worker, Daily Express, Morning Star or the Daily Mirror, but not from a quality publication like the Lancashire Evening Telegraph. The British National Party (I'm not a
FATHER-of-the-bride David Mudd walked his daughter down the aisle -- just 10 days after undergoing a double transplant operation. It was a race against time for the proud dad who feared he would miss his eldest daughter's wedding because of the life-saving
GRANDMOTHER Olive Keeley is boy band Westlife's biggest fan..at the age of 82! And her dream came true when she finally saw her idols in the flesh. Olive, of Elm Avenue, Radcliffe, not only had VIP seats at the Irish group's MEN arena concert, but also
RESIDENTS whose "palatial" homes are marooned in a semi-derelict street today spoke of the battle against housing decay after their plight was raised in Parliament. Burnley MP Peter Pike raised the case of Burnley Wood as he welcomed the government's
LEIGH RMI's talented striker Michael Twiss has joined Chester City who beat off the challenge of York, Doncaster and Morecambe to the 25-year-old who scored 15 goals in 34 games last season. He signed for the Railwaymen last September after being released
A BRIDGE is to be closed to vehicles and pedestrians because severe damage has been discovered. The decision was made at a meeting of Todmorden Council's development committee, who agreed that the closure should be ordered as quickly as possible to prevent
POLICE in Burnley today appealed for information following a spate of paving stone thefts in the area. More than a dozen incidents have occurred in the area over the last month, including the theft of paving stones from the war memorial in Towneley Park
A THOUGHT-PROVOKING drama aimed at teenagers takes to the stage at The Met in Bury on Wednesday, June 12. "After You" is a Red Ladder Theatre Company production, written by playwright Brendan Murray. It tells the story of a boy who searches for the truth
PUNTERS at the Station Hotel, Nelson, are going to be spoilt for choice with a selection of 30 real ales on offer to celebrate the Queens Jubilee. Publican John Clayton has lined up the unbeatable choice at his renowned Wetherspoon, Hibson Road pub with
AN action day to raise money for Christian Aid was held in the grounds of West Craven High Technology College, Barnoldswick, on Saturday. The fun day included a sponsored lap event in which people either ran, walked, jogged or pushed themselves round
A STROLL along the River Ribble proved a good idea for Peggy Whalley from Blackburn when she found a 1,800-year-old Roman coin near Ribchester. The coin was confirmed as an original but was worth little.
PERSEVERANCE paid off for pals Betty Mckinnon and Ruth Laweson who won £54,000 at Blackburn's Mecca Social Club. The friends clickety-clicked in a national game of 700 clubs and vowed to share their winnings.
A YOUNG stroke victim from Accrington is to travel to Germany for intensive rehabilitation sessions at a specialist clinic, thanks to funds raised by friends and supporters. Twenty-two-year-old Jenny Broome lost most of her movement when she suffered
A TEACHER will step back 170 million years after being given the chance to go "dinosaur digging" in Scarborough. Suzanne McGroarty, 28, of Trinity Towers, Accrington Road, Burnley, will be part of a 30-strong team of winners from across the country, who
THE widow of a worker who died of an asbestos-related disease today welcomed a court ruling which paves the way for dozens of local victims to receive compensation. But she said she and fellow claimants have been left angry and frustrated by the legal
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POLICE are appealing for information after more than 60 DVDs were stoleb from a video shop in Prestwich yesterday. Shortly after 2.30pm, a man walked into Movie Zone on Bury Old Road and began browsing through videos. He then approached the female shop
MEMBERS of the Whalley Pickwick Committee will be handing over funds to pay for a new defibrillator to the Whalley First Responders group on Saturday . Chairman Henry Shepherd, along with staff from sponsors First North Western Railways, will be give
THE search for the best brew in the country will be heading to East Lancashire this month, when judges from a national contest visit the Toby Jug Tea Shop in Clitheroe. The shop has been selected from more than 130 tea shops to go to the final round of
EMERGENCY services staged a major operation to see how rescuers would cope with a flooding disaster in the Ribble Valley. Organisers said the exercise had gone well, showing fire, ambulance, police and county council staff could deal with most eventualities
CLARETS striker Dimitri Papadopoulos was left on the bench for the Greek Under-21s against France yesterday afternoon as they lost 3-1 to France. Now he will be hoping to be back in the starting line-up for the final group game against the Czech Republic
ENGLAND skipper David Dunn goes into tonight's Under-21 clash with Italy knowing another captain's performance could catapult him into Sven Goran Eriksson's World Cup plans. The inspirational Blackburn midfielder was one of four members of the Under 21s
TEENAGER Lewis Kelly will be riding on the crest of a wave once he finishes his GCSEs. But it's got nothing to do with the 16-year-old's exams -- Lewis has won free speedboat lessons! Lewis, of Melville Avenue, Darwen, got the six lessons after winning
A 72-YEAR-OLD man fell down stairs and broke his neck the day his family had moved him and his wife into a new home. An inquest heard that Kau Tsang's children had bought the house in Darwen so that they could look after him and his wife better. But Mr
POLICE have launched a crackdown on under-age drinking on two Darwen housing estates in a bid to improve the quality of life for residents. Within an hour of the start of the 10 high-visibility foot patrols on the St James's and Ellenshaw estates, youngsters
YOUNGSTERS looking for summer holiday fun and to use some energy are invited to attend an active club. A holiday active club, designed for children aged between four and 11, will be held at the Stephanie Bridge School of Dancing at the Conservative Club
A MEETING has been called for by Rossendale Council's new leader Coun Graham Pearson in a bid to force a re-think on the decision to leave the borough out of a renewal cash windfall for East Lancashire. Last year housing minister Lord Falconer visited
SHOPKEEPERS are being warned to watch out for a gang after a spate of thefts. A number of shopkeepers, all of whom have been Asian, have been targeted by a gang of conmen and women recently at stores in Chorley, Blackburn and Preston. Police said five
A LEADING North West expert has backed the Government's newly-published strategy which aims to boost the UK's manufacturing sector. Bryan Gray, chairman of the North West Development Agency (NWDA), welcomed the report. It highlighted seven ways in which
NINETEEN East Lancashire football hooligans have been banned from the World Cup next month as part of a nationwide drive to stop English troublemakers travelling to Japan and Korea. Fourteen are Burnley FC fans and five support Blackburn Rovers, police
MOTORING-MAD Alvin Hull left salesmen standing when he drove off alone to test drive their vehicles. Hull, 32, of Railway Terrace, Blackburn, admitted theft of a £10,000 Rover and an £8,000 Citroen at Blackpool Magistrates Court. He also admitted taking
THE Office of Fair Trading has written to the JJB Sports chain owned by former Blackburn Rovers star Dave Whelan as part of a probe into alleged price-fixing of replica kits. The Wigan based firm, Britain's largest sports retailer, is among 11 companies
PEOPLE in the Blackburn area, adopted as children, have set up what they believe is the first group of its kind in the country, aimed at getting former adopted children together to share their experiences. The Blackburn and District Adoptees Support group
HEADTEACHERS across East Lancashire now have the chance to have their school officially designated a healthy one. They are being asked to sign up to a programme which involves external assessment and, potentially, accreditation to the new National Healthy
SCHOOL REPORT: Gawthorpe High School is an 11-16 comprehensive school in Padiham, situated on a large attractive green-field site which was originally bequeathed by the Shuttleworth Estate. The school boasts: Five fully networked computer suites. A brand
YOUNG David is an epileptic and was so ill last week he shouldn't have been at school. But he had National Curriculum tests to sit. His headteacher said the 11-year-old -- who is a pupil at a Blackburn primary -- insisted he had to get to his class and
THE bald statistics of East Lancashire's housing crisis are shocking enough in themselves -- one in five homes unfit to live in and 3,500 abandoned in Burnley alone. But a graphic snapshot of what this situation can mean in human terms was given to the
A BLACKBURN man has been convicted of stealing over £26,000 from the post office where he worked. Riyaz Patel claimed that he took the rap in order to save the family-run business and told the jury he made an admission to the crime only because it was
MANAGEMENT at the Rowans care centre in Blackburn sowed the seeds of change when they went for a name alteration to become Acorn House. Former Blackburn Mayor Coun John Williams and Mayoress Sheila Williams helped plant a special oak tree to mark the
IWAS appalled by Hyndburn Conservative group leader Peter Britcliffe's comment (LET, May 8) that Mrs Sandra Hayes will bring style and quality to the mayoralty. Is he insinuating that the current mayor and mayoress don't? Or that Mr and Mrs Derek Scholes
REGARDING the recovery of Lewis Yates, of Helmshore, following his accident, your editorial asked if prayer pulled him through. There is no doubt at all that it did. As a Christian for almost 40 years, I have strongly believed in the power of prayer and
IN response to Adrian Shurmer's remarks in 'Speeding prosecutions are hypocrisy' (Letters, April 29), I say: 'Bravo!' Only last week I wrote in like terms to the fixed penalty office, the Chief Constable and the MPs for Chorley and Wigan. One point not
WRESTLING fans around the world have been shocked by the sudden death of Leigh-born hero Davey Boy Smith. The 20-stone star, who thrilled millions of World Wrestling Federation fans, is believed to have suffered a heart attack or choked to death while
WORK is to begin on improving Blackburn's rundown Lord Square -- but council bosses and traders today insisted it was still not enough. Owners Standard Life have moved after months of criticism over the site, which links the shopping centre to the newly
ENGLAND skipper David Dunn goes into tonight's Under-21 clash with Italy knowing another captain's performance could catapult him into Sven Goran Eriksson's World Cup plans. The inspirational Blackburn midfielder was one of four members of the Under 21s
THE trustees and residents of the Colonel Slater Alms Houses in Briercliffe Road, Burnley, are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the opening of the homes this week. The homes were built in 1927 under the terms of the will of Colonel Hubert Slater who
BURNLEY Borough Council is reminding residents to pay their council tax on time after bills were delivered to homes in the borough. The first instalment was due on April 16 and the council says all council tax payers who have not paid on time will be
TODMORDEN MP Chris McCafferty is to be called in by the town council, who have raised the alarm about allegations that asbestos has never been properly removed from the grounds of a former hospital now used for housing development. The matter was first
A SENIOR planning officer has backed Todmorden development committee, who called for people responsible for flyposting on empty property to be prosecuted. The councillors have called for action after illegal advertisements were stuck up in empty shops
A BURNLEY cobbler who wanted to hand over his operation to someone who needed a new lease of life today revealed nobody had come forward. Ken Redman, 64, appealed in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph when he and wife Rosemary decided to retire from their
HUNDREDS of people gathered at Nelson's Unity Hall to honour Mohammed's Birthday in connection with the Islamic celebration Eid. Organiser Safdar Ahmed said that more than 200 people turned up on Sunday afternoon to unite and rejoice. He said: "We were
ORGANISERS of the Nelson Mela in Victoria Park are hoping for another successful turn out after more 3,000 people attended last year. The multi-cultural event will be on Saturday, July 28, between noon and 7pm, and is being organised by the Nelson Mela
A NEW steering group born out of the ashes of the former Pendle and District Sports Council, today issued a rallying cry to fitness fanatics. The group is urging all Pendle sports people to join them in a united voice to represent sport in the area. A
STAFF at special needs nursery today hit out at 'mindless thieves' following a spate of vandalism and theft and said: "I wish they would just leave us alone." Nursery nurse Carol Wilson, of Rainsbows Nursery Development Therapy Centre, in Gisburn Road
FROM an East Lancashire exile, retired licensee Harry Mussenden, comes this picture (above) from around 1944 of the fit young fellows who joined him in keeping themselves in peak condition at the gymnasium at the old YMCA recreation centre in Blackburn
Ladbrokes Horwich has been kind enough to offer me a free charity bet. They give me say, £50 to place a bet. This could be on the match against Sweden on the 2nd June and if I win, the cash goes to my chosen charity or charities. If I lose, the original
PLANS to build 10 two-bedroomed apartments, refused by councillors on Pendle's West Craven committee, will be discussed again tonight. Members of Pendle Council's development control committee will make a final decision on an application to build the
A CLEAR message was sent out to Lancashire County Council on Saturday afternoon when hundreds of balloons were released with messages relating to proposed home closures. West Craven residents gathered to compile a list of reasons why Cravenside residential
HYNDBURN residents are being asked to get involved in a police crackdown on street crime by volunteering for a victim counselling service. Victim Support Lancashire's Hyndburn and Rossendale branch is appealing for volunteers to help them in their role
A FORMER African terrorist who turned to Christianity after being sent to bomb a gospel meeting in Malawi will give a talk to a Clitheroe church congregation next week. Stephen Lungu, who was a child of the streets after being abandoned by his parents
PROTESTERS spent Saturday in front of two local Esso garages in a bid to pursuade drivers to boycott the firm. Members of Greenpeace claim that the oil giant is sacrificing the environment and efforts to halt global warming in their pursuit of higher
CLARETS striker Dimitri Papadopoulos was left on the bench for the Greek Under-21s against France yesterday afternoon as they lost 3-1 to France. Now he will be hoping to be back in the starting line-up for the final group game against the Czech Republic
A THEATRE which has recently made a push to bring in big-name acts is giving the stage back to local performers next week. Next Wednesday, for three nights, the Blackburn Drama Club takes over Darwen Library Theatre for a production of 'The Memory of
A HODDLESDEN man has successfully completed 30 weeks of the hardest initial training in the world to become a Royal Marine Commando. Adam Botterill, 20, now wears the 'Green Beret', the hallmark of commando troops, which signifies the passing of a gruelling
A MAN may be scarred for life after being glassed in the face during a disturbance near a bar. The 23-year-old man was attacked on the green at Wellington Fold, Darwen, after a group of men were ejected from nearby Bar Java for fighting on Thursday night
TWO East Lancashire men have appeared before magistrates in Loughborough charged with armed robbery. Their arrests followed an incident involving armed officers on the outskirts of Sedbergh in south Cumbria on Wednesday when a lorry was found on fire
PATIENTS at Rossendale Hospital had something to get up and dance about as the hospital's radio station held an open weekend. The event was aimed at promoting the station in the hospital, to let people know that the radio station is available and to get
VOLUNTEERS at Help the Aged in Rawtenstall are preparing to celebrate a decade of providing a treasured charity service for the town. The Bank Street shop's manager Debbie Clayton will officially start the 10th birthday party celebrations on Tuesday by
UPSTAIRS rooms in a busy community centre have been sealed off after a dispute with the new owner of the land. The fire escape from the A, B and D Centre in Burnley Road, Bacup, leads on to the land at the rear. Rossendale Council agreed to sell the land
WAITS for outpatient appointments dropped to less than 26 weeks across East Lancashire during March, according to figures released by the NHS Executive North West. The figures also show a drop in waiting lists across the area, although those waiting 12
THERE will be no need to sing the blues at Blackburn Rovers during the World Cup after magistrates granted a blanket "bacon and beer" licence. The Blues Caf bar, based in the Blackburn End of the Ewood Park complex in Bolton Road, Blackburn, will be able
JUST as the final chapter closes on the workplace that was once Blackburn's biggest employer, mementos of the one-giant Royal Ordnance Factory at Lower Darwen were donated to the town's museum -- as testaments of its contribution over more than 60 years
LIBERTY X star Kevin Simm today celebrated being top of the pops -- a year after his chances of fame were written off! More than a year after being named as the losing five in the Popstars programme, Liberty X went to number one, prompting a big party
IT takes something special to upstage snooker's number one Ronnie O'Sullivan. But that's just what Burnley ace John O'Reilly did last night as he humbled last year's World and UK champion with a magnificent break of 102. Earlier in the day, O'Reilly set
MP DAVID Crausby is calling for tracking devices to be fitted in vehicles after his son was car-jacked last week. He believes that being able to pinpoint the location of a stolen car would discourage thieves stealing car keys. The Bolton North East MP
THE special measures status applied to St Paul's CE Primary School in Ramsbottom last February has been lifted. Government inspectors from Ofsted, the education watchdog body, who visited a year later, reported: "The school no longer requires special
