Archive

  • Extra cameras

    will save lives BPR AS 48 new speed cameras are set to be switched on, bringing the total across the county to 117 -- with 18 of the new ones installed on roads in East Lancashire -- inevitable grouses arise from many motorists . Typically, these are

  • Campbell 'has become a liability'

    A CAMPAIGN has started at Westminster to force Burnley's most famous political football fan Alaistair Campbell to quit 10 Downing Street's press office. Former Labour deputy leader Roy Hattersley this week said: "The time has come for Campbell to go.

  • Paul's happy being a Pratt!

    SO how does a grown man play a young child on the stage? For Oswaldtwistle actor Paul Simpson, there was really only one answer -- go back to school. Paul, who tonight opens in Second From Last In The Sack Race at Bolton's Octagon Theatre, spent a week

  • Radcliffe put to the Test

    TEST stars Paul Adams and Peter Sleep will be on show at the Racecourse on Sunday as Radcliffe Cricket Club take on Rishton in the Inter League Knockout Trophy. South African Adams is the Lancashire League side's professional this season and he will be

  • Swinton boss calls 'clear the air' meeting

    SWINTON coach Phil Veivers has read the riot act to his lazy Lions to prevent a repeat of last week's humiliating defeat at Barrow. The Border Raiders, also struggling near the foot of the Northern Ford Premiership table, ran out 48-4 winners in a shamefully

  • Prestwich fall short but wonderkid bags six

    PRESTWICH'S championship credentials were firmly put to the test on Saturday as they lost out by 25 runs in a gritty game against Denton West. Seventeen-year-old Andy Taylor turned in a five-star performance, taking 6 for 44 and then hitting an unbeaten

  • Today's the day

    1645: The Royalists were beaten by the Parliamentarians at Naseby, in the decisive battle of the English Civil War. 1847: Robert Bunsen invented the burner that bears his name. 1894: Thomas Edison filmed a boxing match between Mike Leonard and Jack Cushing

  • People want culture mix

    IN your article about the newly-elected BNP councillors in Burnley (LET, June 5) one of them, Terry Grogan, refers to multi-culturalism as something that people don't want. While this may be true of Burnley (although I doubt if that is the majority opinion

  • Thanks to our brave cops

    APPLAUSE, congratulations and whispers of commendations and bravery awards for our ever vigilant boys in blue after their recent apprehension of that vilest of criminals, the feared patriot Billy Kelly who painted the Cross of St George on the road outside

  • Stand and fight for old folk's homes

    IT is so important that everyone who is against Lancashire County Council's proposed closures of the 35 care homes does something about it and fights for our old folk, as they did for us. The Hyndburn Action Group has organised meetings with the relevant

  • Laughing all the way to the Grand

    MARITAL mayhem may not sound like the stuff of comedy, but if the cast of When We Are Married is to be believed there are a lot of laughs to be had. J B Priestley's classic comedy concerns three upstanding couples whose silver wedding plans go awry when

  • Cannon and Ball fired up for summer

    PIGGIN 'ELL! Have you seen the line up for Comedy Bonanza 2002 at Blackpool Grand Theatre? Daft duo Cannon and Ball (pictured) will top the bill from July right through until October joined by Blackpool favourites The Barron Knights and local "girl group

  • Elusive peacock

    A PHANTOM peacock which has for weeks roamed free and without capture through the streets of Ramsbottom has been spotted again in the Brandlesholme area. The colourful bird was seen in the rear garden of a house in Brandlesholme Road, Brandlesholme, and

  • Pedestrian held at gunpoint

    POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an armed robbery in Prestwich in the early hours of Friday (June 7). Shortly after midnight, a 23-year-old Prestwich man was walking along Bury Old Road when a large white car with a number of Asian men inside pulled

  • Waiting lists latest

    THE health trust covering Bury reported a slight fall in hospital waiting lists in April, bucking the national trend. Although the total number of people waiting for treatment across the country increased in April compared to March, waiting lists for

  • Police step up war on soccer thugs

    POLICE will be out in force again in Burnley when England take on Denmark in their first knockout World Cup match on Saturday. Officers will carry out extra, high-visibility patrols throughout the town in a bid to deter disorder and provide added reassurance

  • Chiildren blamed for house blaze

    CHILDREN are being blamed for starting a fire which destroyed the roof of a house under renovation in Radcliffe. Fire fighters from Bury and Whitefield raced to 32 Cross Lane at 6.20pm on Sunday (June 9) after neighbours raised the alarm. The Housing

  • Soul night gets an airing on Radio Two

    A LEGENDARY soul night at The Longfield Suite in Prestwich is to be transmitted to thousands of people. For the first time the next monthly gathering of "Northern Soul" at the venue is to be broadcast live on air on BBC Radio Two. Presenters Mark Lamar

  • More foreign nurses to provide staffing solution

    MORE nurses will be recruited from abroad to help solve the staffing crisis in the local health service. The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust which covers Bury, agreed this week to bring in 100 nurses from the Phillopines and India to cover the vacancies

  • Largest truancy check borough has seen

    A TOTAL of 456 schoolchildren were stopped and questioned during an eight-day crackdown on truancy in the borough. Bury's education welfare officers accompanied by police officers carried out the largest check the borough has ever seen in the first two

  • Somehow the USA sneek through

    IN five minutes, it seemed as if the USA's hopes for advancing to the second round of the World Cup were crushed. Poland, already eliminated from the tournament, with nothing to play for except their own self-esteem, took the lead in the third minute

  • Danes to be aware of

    DENMARK'S progression through the World Cup group stages owes much to Jon Dahl Tomasson and Thomas Sorensen, two players who have enjoyed differing experiences of England's north east. Former Newcastle striker Tomasson, now of AC Milan after four fruitful

  • No one will live in them

    FLATS on a notorious Preston council estate, where people have refused to live, are likely to be ripped down. According to a report, the 16 flats in Ingleton Road, Brookfield, pictured below, have been difficult to let and a source of concern to nearby

  • Fans can foil shirt thieves

    THE OWNER of the PNE shop in Preston, targeted by thieves twice in just over a week, has appealed for "true fans" to resist the temptation to buy stolen shirts. Thieves smashed their way into the OnSide shop on Deepdale Road for the second time on Monday

  • Making a safer city

    WHILE most of Preston was sleeping, a convoy of police vehicles pulled up outside two nondescript addresses in Oxford Street, in the shadow of the Avenham multi-storey car park. Even before the cars had halted, heavily equipped members of Preston's drugs

  • A gift from Lancashire

    AS part of the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations Her Majesty will be visiting Preston on August 5 and The Citizen is inviting the people of Lancashire to present her with a gift. The special gift should represent the county and does not need to be worth

  • Daring Dot's flight of fancy

    A PLUCKY Penwortham woman, who had her leg amputated after a horrific road accident more than 40 years ago, has raised pots of cash for charity after abseiling down Manchester Town Hall. Now Dot Oliver, 57, of Evesham Avenue, wants to fly high and walk

  • Speed cameras blitz

    MOTORISTS who refuse to cut their speed were today warned they would be caught out as 48 new speed cameras began to go on-line across the county. Eighteen of the cameras will be turned on within the next two weeks on roads in Blackburn, Burnley, Clitheroe

  • Sniffing lighter fuel killed boy

    A 14 year-old boy died almost instantly after sniffing lighter fuel, an inquest has heard. Former altar boy Lee Anthony Maguire, died at his grandparents house in Carnforth on Easter Monday, just 10 days after his mother, Michelle Raby, had been sent

  • Hospital helps after crash

    THE Royal Lancaster Infirmary was at the centre of a major incident at the weekend after a coach carrying members of a women's institute left the road and crashed down an embankment The local hospital saw 26 casualties brought into accident and emergency

  • Missing teenager found safe and well

    A PREGNANT teenager who disappeared from her home in Nelson more than a week ago has been found safe and well. The mother of 17-year-old Louise Anne Livesey made an emotional appeal in Tuesday's Lancashire Evening Telegraph for their daughter to come

  • Playing it for laughs

    BIG name comedy is heading to Blackburn in the autumn with a series of stand-up shows at King George's Hall. Al Murray will be bringing his comic creation The Pub Landlord (above) to the Windsor Suite on Friday, October 4. Tickets are now on sale priced

  • Captivated by Kate's charisma

    ALTHOUGH billed as a solo tour, Kate Rusby was joined by husband John McCusker (ex Battlefield Band) and Andy Cutting in this latest 'Folk Mix' offering at Accrington Town Hall. The band blended with Kate's hauntingly clear vocals to give a delightful

  • What's on in and around Preston

    THE Friends of Harris Museum are holding a a summer concert featuring local choir Jubilate. The choir will be performing solo and choral works by Vivaldi, Verdi, Puccini, from 7pm on Tuesday, June 18. For details, ring 862435. STUDENTS from the University

  • Suicide victim 'was a friend'

    A FAMILY accused of harassing a man who went on to stab himself to death today said they looked on him as a friend. A hearing in Blackburn was told that Mark Smale, whose body was found in a pool of blood at his Richmond House home in Accrington, had

  • Uphill struggle for St Annes

    STRUGGLING St Annes, with only one win to their name this season, took to the hills for their game at Darwen at the weekend -- and found they had a mountain to climb. The rain had put paid to some of the Northern Premier League fixtures -- including Blackpool's

  • Skateboard plans proposed

    A CONTROVERSIAL but bold initiative to turn the municipal gardens outside Morecambe Town Hall into a skate park has been proposed in a surprise announcement by councillors. Local skateboarders, who called for a skate park at a demonstration in Dalton

  • Richard is chasing award

    A FORMER Whitefield man is among 21 of the North West's top entrepreneurs chasing a major business award. Richard O'Sullivan is going forward to the north regional finals of this year's Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. The businessman

  • Fine specimen!

    A BURY engineering company has certainly emerged as a fine specimen when it comes to aiding preservation of body parts. Elantic Engineering has won two contracts worth a total of £42,000 for the manufacture of plastination chambers. The equipment, harnessed

  • A chance to visit Turf Moor

    BURNLEY Football Club will be staging another of their Open Days at Turf Moor on Saturday July 20, the day before they play in the Isle of Man Football Festival. Stan Ternent, his coaching staff and players will take part in a coaching session on the

  • Captains winning the toss are set to bat first!

    THE rest of the country may come to a halt tomorrow afternoon as England take on Denmark but it is very much business as usual for the Transco Lancashire League. A number of teams did speculate as to whether the start might be delayed an hour to allow

  • Missing man found safe in London

    A BLACKPOOL man who went missing on June 4 has been found safe and well in London. William John Cooper, 44, who is mentally handicapped and suffers from diabetes, was found in the capital on Thursday after concerns that he had got on a train to London

  • Gunman robs bookies

    A GUN-TOTING robber walked away with a cash haul in a plastic bag after holding up a Blackpool bookies. The man, thought to be in his 30s, robbed William Hill bookmakers on Monday (June 10) on Central Drive shortly after 7pm. A spokesman for Blackpool

  • School gets star for its improvement

    CHESHAM Primary School has been rated as a "very effective school" by Ofsted inspectors. The team spent two days at the Talbot Grove school in March this year and found the school to be "very effective" Headteacher Mr Peter Hudson was found to provide

  • Armed raiders threatened to cut off hands

    A BUSINESSMAN and his teenage daughter were attacked by three robbers who stormed into his shop armed with a sword and threatened to cut their hands off. The masked robbers barged into Comteq Communications in Bury New Road, Whitefield, last Friday morning

  • £14,000 for Santa who fell off his sleigh

    RADCLIFFE Rotary Club has presented Father Christmas with almost £14,000 in compensation after he fell off his sleigh. Santa, who was played by Thomas Killoran, has fought a three-year battle against the club since he was injured in the December 1998

  • New legal standards for double glazing

    HOUSEHOLDERS in Bury have been warned of the need to meet strict new legal requirements when it comes to replacement glazing in their homes. From April 2002, anyone who installs replacement windows or doors will have to comply with strict thermal performance

  • Tribute to brave Sophie

    AN invitation to meet the Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, marked the end of a traumatic five weeks for plucky youngster Sophie Goodman. Six-year-old Sophie, a pupil at King David Infant School, fell seriously ill at the beginning of May and

  • Portugal crash out

    THE highly-fancied Portugese are heading home after falling to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of South Korea. Park Ji Sung scored with 20 minutes left as South Korea edged past Portugal who were reduced to nine men to win Group D. The South Koreans also helped

  • Hospital is cleared by coroner

    A MAN who died the day after being released from hospital underwent 27 checks before being discharged, an inquest was told. The inquiry at Burnley Magistrates Court heard how epileptic Anthony Jenkins, 56, of Crawshaw Hall Nursing Home, Burnley Road,

  • Fly the flag

    THOUSANDS of people were proud to wave the Union flag on its very special day, but not in Leyland. South Ribble Borough Council did nothing to help residents celebrate. Why? Perhaps some councillors' allegiances lie elsewhere, when one councillor was

  • Robert Service - the full story

    REGARDING the letter from Peter Walmsley in The Citizen, Thursday, May 23. It was not so much the life story of Robert Service, as praising Preston for becoming a city. According to his autobiography, he was born in Winckley Square opposite a park, and

  • Cadets on camp

    THIS July the boys and girls of the Bent Lane based Leyland Army Cadet Detachment will join more than 600 other army cadets from all over Lancashire to take part in their annual camp held this year at Strensall, North Yorkshire. The commanding officer

  • Spuds made simple

    POTATOES are a staple part of our diet and, even though new potatoes are delicious, they still need scraping and cooking. To save time, potato specialist Rita Ahern has produced a selection of authentic Irish potato products to the UK -- frozen and oven

  • Guide for diners

    A HOST of East Lancashire restaurants are to reach an even wider audience now with the arrival of a best-selling diners' guide on the shelves of Waterstone's bookstores across the North West. The Hi-Life Directory, which helps diners in East Lancashire

  • A taste of summer

    THE soft fruit season will soon be in full swing -- in fact, it's British Strawberry Day today -- and Nigel Smith, executive chef at the Feilden's Arms, Mellor Brook, has prepared a dish to delight the palate, Summer Berry Cheesecake Crumble. Ingredients

  • Playing it for laughs

    BIG name comedy is heading to Blackburn in the autumn with a series of stand-up shows at King George's Hall. Al Murray will be bringing his comic creation The Pub Landlord (above) to the Windsor Suite on Friday, October 4. Tickets are now on sale priced

  • Captivated by Kate's charisma

    ALTHOUGH billed as a solo tour, Kate Rusby was joined by husband John McCusker (ex Battlefield Band) and Andy Cutting in this latest 'Folk Mix' offering at Accrington Town Hall. The band blended with Kate's hauntingly clear vocals to give a delightful

  • Stars set to Feel the Noise

    IT promises to be Blackburn's biggest musical party of the year and the stars can't wait to get involved. Feel the Noise will rock Blackburn Rovers Ewood Park ground next Sunday when up to 29,000 pop fans will pack in to enjoy a five-hour spectacular.

  • Chumba make a stand

    BURNLEY'S Chumbawamba are so determined to be in their hometown, for the Anti Nazi League gig later this month, that two members will appear on stage just hours after jetting in from the States. Singers Alice Nutter and Dunstan Bruce, will have to shake

  • Foul at home!

    LANCASHIRE Constabulary is planning to blow the whistle on domestic violence in the home this month. National football tournaments such as the World Cup increase violent incidents say officers and so they have picked June to be Domestic Violence Awareness

  • Old Englandersb egg on heroes at breakfast

    WHAT better place for World Cup fans to cheer on their favourites than The Old England? And punters raised pints to toast the World Cup as they cheered on England at the Bispham village pub early yesterday (June 12). Landlady Janet Rydings, who got up

  • Grandad takes a leap for charity

    DON'T look down! And, judging by the picture, that was the last thing great grandad Terence Stuttard intended to do. With eyes tight shut, the 80-year-old from St Annes known as Terry bravely abseiled 100ft down the side of Manchester Town Hall, despite

  • A blow below the belt

    BEING TOLD you have cancer is devastating but, as Blackpool man Ted Peacock will tell you, it's not cancer but ignorance that can be the biggest danger. Ex-Army man Ted, 65, talked to The Citizen about his own battle with prostate cancer to mark the national

  • Casino case put to Westminster

    BLACKPOOL is gambling on exclusive pilot status as the first resort casino in England -- enabling it to act as a pioneering blueprint for further developing resort casinos across the country. Blackpool Challenge Partnership and council chiefs presented

  • Why won't men dance with sexy girls?

    A GROUP of sexy girl dancers have accused East Lancashire men of being too shy to strut their stuff after failing to find any male volunteers. The Wild Angels dance in costumes at functions organised by Blackburn-based UK Entertainments but can't find

  • Jobs hope in research plan

    EAST Lancashire is set to become the home of Britain's leading energy efficiency research centre, attracting academics and new jobs to area. Sites in Blackburn and Burnley are being considered for the Centre for Environmental, Research and Technology,

  • Last ditch plea over care homes

    PROTESTERS marked the end of the public consultation over care home closures by urging county councillors to make an 11th-hour U-turn. MPs, councillors and union bosses who have branded proposals to close 35 homes for the elderly a grave mistake today

  • Looking for postcards...

    I HAVE been collecting picture postcards for the past couple of years, particularly those depicting maps, lighthouses and bridges and also general views. I am still looking to add some from your area and I am hoping that some kind reader will send me

  • The place that was!

    I WAS born in the St Annes War Memorial Hospital -- Gone. Saw shows in the Ashton Gardens Theatre -- Gone. Played on the sandhills -- Gone. Sailed on the boating pond -- Gone. Went to the Palace Cinema -- Gone. Swam in the open-air baths -- Gone. Watched

  • Thanks for helping hedgehogs

    CAN I please thank everybody who supported my stall during Hedgehog Awareness Week. The kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness never ceases to amaze me and, as a volunteer, the money raised is enough to look after the gardener's friend, the hedgehog,

  • Police esteem eroded by campaign

    THE proponents of speed cameras and their supporters, such as W R Potter of the Lancashire Cyclists Action Group (Letter, June 6), fly in the face of the facts. "Speeding" -- that is driving at a speed inappropriate for the prevailing conditions -- and

  • Foul odour coming from Town Hall

    THERE is a distinctly foul odour in Blackpool. It emanates from the Town Hall and is not likely to get any better. The SRB6 funding was granted to Blackpool based on a bid put in by Blackpool Challenge Partnership which included a convention centre. It

  • Testing start for new season

    CRAIG Brown's first real test will be against Crystal Palace at Deepdale, it was revealed. The new fixture lists were published this week, and for once, the Christmas bank holiday games won't involve too much travelling. Home to Rotherham on Boxing Day

  • PNE linked to reggae boy

    NORTH End are being linked with a big-money move for Jamaican striker Ricardo Fuller. But the £800,000 price-tag being slapped on the forward could prove a stumbling block unless Preston's new boss Craig Brown trims his squad. And that could give credance

  • New 'life' for cinema

    AN ENTERPRISING Blackpool family is planning to turn the former ABC cinema on Church Street into an exciting new nightclub venue for the resort's clubbers. The development control committee visited the site of the ABC building this week to see exactly

  • Were you at Bet's wedding?

    WERE you one of the thousands who went to see the wedding of Julie Goodyear, Coronation Street's Bet Lynch, to Tony Rudman at Bury Register Office on February 19, 1973? Do you still have any photographs or home movies tucked away somewhere? If so a TV

  • Information on folk cures

    I AM doing some research on folk medicine and wondered if readers have any old remedies or know of remedies used by grandparents. The more unusual, the better. I would also be pleased to hear from anyone who has access to historical documents relating

  • Crack down on fog lights

    SO, the police are considering prosecuting innocent, absent-minded motorists who leave their keys in an unattended car, which is then stolen and used to commit crimes (Bury Times, May 17). What a pity that they don't pursue with the same zeal those motorists

  • Folded for a week's wage!

    ONLY spectators or fans of teams who have lost their Football League status can fully understand the loss suffered by the town in such circumstances. Some 40 years ago Accrington Stanley folded, owing what now seems to be a laughable amount of money to

  • Tell them they get nothing

    I AGREE with what "Concerned Mature Citizen" said (Your Letters, May 31). Asylum-seekers are well looked after, but not just in Bury. It is our pensioners in Britain who are just being thrown to one side, especially those who live in homes for the elderly

  • Closures: what's the agenda?

    I HAVE sat through three council meetings concerning the proposed closure of Affetside School and now feel compelled to put pen to paper. The parents, but, above all the children, of Affetside have been given a very rough deal; the justifications against

  • When do we get a say?

    WHEN Bury Football Club went into administration, myself and hundreds of Bury supporters and fans from other clubs around the country, donated money in order to help save the club. We were led to believe that this money was to be used to save Bury FC

  • Local entertainment

    WHAT'S on in the pubs and clubs around town. THE ROYAL OAK, Lytham Road, South Shore, Blackpool. Live music: Fri -- Starfish. Sat -- Dr Rox. THE ROYAL HOTEL, North Promenade, Cleveleys. Live music: Thurs -- Dalima. Fri -- Wyte Lyze. Sat -- Party Animal

  • Hospital death apology demand

    A FAMILY has demanded an apology from Bury's health bosses after surgeons failed to spot 16 broken ribs on their injured son who died a few hours later. Nicholas Hitchen, of Whittingham Drive, Ramsbottom, died one year ago today (Fri June 14) after his

  • EVENTS taking place in East Lancashire on Friday, June14

    A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Lucky Sods by John Godber presented by Darwen Library Players at Darwen Library Theatre, 7.30pm. The Pendle Jazzmen, Whitchaff Inn, Rawtenstall, 9pm. Rossendale Music

  • EVENTS taking place in East Lancashire on Saturday, June15:

    A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Over-18s Barn Dance with Ceilidh Band and Barbecue, Val's Barn, Belthorn Road, Belthorn, 7.30pm. Summer Fair and Rose Queen Crowning, St Cuthbert's Primary School, St

  • Walshaw go top in style

    WALSHAW dished out a 129-run thrashing to leapfrog Golborne and move to the top of the table. Professional Jon Fielding played one of his best Walshaw innings by scoring a wonderful 92 on a difficult wicket. He was ably backed up by several other batsmen

  • Plant uproots British record

    SUPER-FIT Dave Clamp admitted he was unlucky not to take the European Double Ultra Triathlon title after clocking the sixth fastest time ever and smashing the British record by some 35 minutes! The Tottington High School teacher swam 4.8miles - the equivalent

  • Shame the Sharks aren't biting yet!

    BRIAN KENNEDY has put his plans to move to Gigg Lane on hold -- and by doing so may have condemned Bury FC to, at best, non-league football and, at the worst, extinction. The Shakers Supporters Trust have done a marvellous job in raising the necessary

  • Radcliffe run chase falls short of victory

    RADCLIFFE were skittled out, 10 short of the target in their Central Lancashire League home game against Littleborough last Saturday. Littleborough's Aussie professional, Carseldine, did the damge with the bat, hitting a more than useful 80 out of the

  • This week in 1977 25 years ago

    INTO THE BLUE: The director of Public Prosecutions launched an investigation into missing "blue" films and magazines which were exhibits in a pornography trial involving a Bury man. Police said that out of a total of 420 sample exhibits seized, 17 magazines

  • Two who need a home

    TWO very special dogs now at Aspen Valley Kennels in West End, Oswaldtwistle, are in urgent need of new homes. Tess is a six-year-old tan and white mongrel whose owner had to part with her because of illness. She is described as "very gentle" but a bit

  • Thanks to

    volunteers AS this is Volunteers' Week, I could like to thank all the local volunteers who give their time and attention to helping people affected by stroke. Those affected rely heavily on the support of their families, carers and volunteers. Our volunteers

  • Found: a rare Bouvier Des Flandres

    MANCHESTER Dogs' Home has made a special appeal for a dog named "Boo" recently found wandering the streets. He is a male Bouvier Des Flandres and you don't see many of them around as the Bouvier is quite a rare breed of dog commanding a high price tag

  • Some Cool for the Grand

    STAND-UP is still Cool says Blackpool Grand Theatre as contorting comic Phil Cool announces three shows in the Studio this summer. Back in Blackpool after a three year break, Phil will bring his unique brand of comedy and facial contortions to the Studio

  • On road to Fame

    HIGH kicks and big egos may be all in a day's work at Fame's New York school of performing arts, but two local cast members are much more down to earth. Julie Atherton, who plays budding actress Serena Katz, grew up in Fulwood, Preston, and is looking

  • Robber steals teenager's mobile

    A ROBBER searched a young teenager's pockets as he lay dazed on the floor. The 13-year-old victim was pushed from behind by the thief and fell forward as he walked along Ringley Road in Whitefield at 4.10pm on Tuesday (June 11). The young boy was searched

  • Memorial fund raises £12,250

    FRIENDS made sure that a memorial effort to celebrate the life of late Bury Hospice chairman Colin Caffrey stayed true to his aims. A fund in memory of Mr Caffrey, set up by his friends and colleagues from the hospice, raised £12,250. This was in addition

  • Help at hand

    WEEKLY advice surgeries are being held at the Asian Development Association of Bury (ADAB) to extend its help to residents of East Bury. ADAB moved into its new centre at 65 Ingham Street six months ago, to develop and implement initiatives which will

  • Boy (13) hit on head in England game fracas

    CELEBRATIONS after England's historic win over Argentina on Friday (June 7) passed off relatively peacefully in Bury. Only a handful of fights between revellers were reported during the afternoon and early evening. A 13-year-old boy suffered a minor injury

  • Speed cameras blitz

    MOTORISTS who refuse to cut their speed were today warned they would be caught out as 48 new speed cameras began to go on-line across the county. Eighteen of the cameras will be turned on within the next two weeks on roads in Blackburn, Burnley, Clitheroe

  • Controlled explosion on package

    ROADS were closed off by police for three hours after a suspicious package was discovered near a local synagogue. The alarm was raised by a resident at 1.30pm on Monday (June 10) after they spotted an abandoned package next to the Central and North Manchester

  • Pilot's head to head with Mrs Robinson!

    BRITISH Airways pilot Michael Ramsbottom is used to being under pressure. But flying long haul was nothing compared to facing Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link. Michael (28), whose parents live in New Road, Radcliffe, appeared on the nerve-wracking BBC

  • Building society staff aid support centre

    A SUPPORT centre which caters for a number of Bury families has received a £1,000 boost from the town's Yorkshire Building Society branch. The cash to Talbot House Support Centre has come courtesy of the Society's Charitable Foundation. Talbot House was

  • Residents go back to the future

    RESIDENTS in Hollins are searching for a link with the past to help build a better future for their village. Members of the Hollins Village Community Association are seeking old photographs, documents, and facts about their neighbourhood. They hope to

  • Fighting funds for GMP

    BURY is to receive a share of a multi-million pound fighting fund to make communities in the North West safer. A total of £2,390,000 in extra Government funding has been given to Greater Manchester Police. The money will be shared out among the eleven

  • Belgian smash-and-grab gets them through

    WESLEY Sonck and Marc Wilmots scored within four-minutes of each other as Belgium advanced to the second round of the World Cup with a 3-2 triumph over Russia in Group H. Johan Walem also scored as Belgium set up a second round clash with Brazil. The

  • Japan finish on top

    HIROAKI Morishima and Hidetoshi Nakata scored as Japan beat Tunisia, 2-0, and finished on top of Group H. Japan will take on Turkey in the last 16 on June 18 at Miyagi. Group H foe Belgium finished second with a 3-2 win over Russia and play Brazil in

  • Portugal crash out

    THE highly-fancied Portugese are heading home after falling to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of South Korea. Park Ji Sung scored with 20 minutes left as South Korea edged past Portugal who were reduced to nine men to win Group D. The South Koreans also helped

  • Getting it all wrong was just Brazilliant!

    YESTERDAY I made the worst prediction since Alan Hansen said: "You win nothing with kids." As Brazil kicked off against Costa Rica I confidently announced to anyone who could be bothered to listen that the game would be a stroll in the park with the two

  • In the mix at The Hub

    YOUNGSTERS in Avenham are keeping off the streets thanks to a specially designed youth centre. The Hub, Albyn Bank Road, is a trendy state-of-the-art hang-out, with curved metal walls, a fish tank on a pedestal, pool tables and a lounge area with a television

  • Now we wait for decision

    CAMPAIGNERS made a last ditch attempt to save the county's threatened care homes on Wednesday when they hand-delivered a petition to Downing Street. Other residents still fighting for their homes are to meet with health ministers this week. The moves

  • Woman dies in Todmorden car crash

    A PENSIONER was killed and a mum and baby injured when an all-terrain vehicle mounted a pavement and smashed into a shop in Todmorden. Firefighters called to the scene in Burnley Road told how the child was flung from a pram and trapped under the Toyota

  • Police step up war on soccer thugs

    POLICE will be out in force again in Burnley when England take on Denmark in their first knockout World Cup match on Saturday. Officers will carry out extra, high-visibility patrols throughout the town in a bid to deter disorder and provide added reassurance

  • Surgeon 'may have made x-ray blunder', court told

    A SURGEON from Burnley accused of killing a patient after taking out the wrong kidney in a bungled operation may have looked at X-rays back to front, a court heard. Mahesh Chard Goel, 40, of Burnley General Hospital Bungalows, Burnley, faces a charge

  • Wrangle over college war protest

    A ROW has broken out between students and management at Burnley College over plans to launch a 'Stop the War' coalition. The wrangle broke out after college bosses said students would not be allowed to meet in a room at the college. The meeting was scheduled

  • The Grosvenor could be saved

    A LANDMARK Morecambe hotel destined for demolition could be saved at the 11th hour. The owners of the Grosvenor Hotel on Sandylands Prom say the only viable option for the 103 year old building is to demolish it and replace it with housing. But one local

  • Pet's death sparks protest

    THE death of her much-loved moggie 'Smudge' was the last straw for 10 year-old Jessica House. The Glasson Dock youngster decided something needed to be done to make the roads safer and she took her protest direct to the politicians. Putting pen to paper

  • Jubilee day for stage school

    PUPILS at a Lancaster stage school are still catching their breaths after taking a central role in the Queen's golden jubilee celebrations in London. The 33 local children and teenagers of the Stagecoach Theatre School were astonished to come face-to-face

  • Six-a-side teams football wanted

    LEYLAND 6-a-side League is looking for new teams for the new season starting in July. All games are played on Monday evenings and all games are played on an artificial pitch. The leagues are professionally organised with FA qualified referees, on-site

  • Baseball - double win for Mariners

    ALTHOUGH Preston Broncos went into the lead at Manchester it was a tight game. Good pitching from both sides kept the score down until the last innings when Preston scored six runs. Final score: Manchester Saints 4, Preston 10. Preston Ponys took the

  • Degree on course

    MYERSCOUGH College is to start a new two-year foundation degree in Sportsturf Science and Golf Course Management in September. Building on the success of its well-established Higher National Diploma, the sportsturf department at Myerscough will offer

  • Cricket- Fish and Simm sink Preston

    IT was a miserable weekend for the three local teams in the Bay Northern Premier League. Preston and Leyland Motors were both soundly defeated while Leyland and Farington did not even face a ball at Blackpool as the match was abandoned due to a waterlogged

  • Arms: stop this "dirty dealing"

    THIS Government has joined America and Europe in condemning terrorism and vowing to wage war on terrorists. Yet people in the Third World are dying on their thousands daily because of arms made in Britain and sold abroad. Such hypocrisy beggars belief

  • June 14: Another win, we're on the ball

    And the excitement continues ... another win, we're on the ball! Talking of "We're on The Ball", The Ant and Dec song (CD) AND the video (DVD) are now at No 4 in the charts. Who said they wouldn't make it and drag me along with them? Top of The Pops,

  • He's a World Cup winner

    WHATEVER the final fate of the England soccer team, one man is already a World Cup winner. Colin Lyne is a dead ringer for England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson -- and he has seen his life transformed since the Swede took over the national side. In January

  • Park granted cash for revamp

    SALTERFORTH Park could be redeveloped within the year after £4,500 of funding was allocated to it by Pendle Council. The bid for assistance was made by Salterforth Parish Council as the park had not been refurbished for around 13 years. Much of the equipment

  • Meeting of music minds

    A LEGENDARY musician who performed with Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton is making a one-off appearance at Worden Arts Centre in Worden Park, Leyland. Piano player and songwriter Tony O'Malley will be joined on stage by Preston-born singer Ken

  • Urgent talks over council tax collection

    URGENT meetings are to be held between senior officers and councillors after an authority was revealed as one of the worst council tax collectors in the country. Hyndburn Council collected just 92.8 per cent of the council tax due during the last financial

  • All set for Lytham Club Day

    PREPARATIONS for Lytham's famous club day are well under way with children and adults alike busy adding the finishing touches to their floats and fancy dresses. The procession will take place on June 22 and is set to depart from Station Road at 10.15am

  • Using your mobile

    IT will be acronyms a-gogo later this month at the latest meeting of the BURYBUSINESS.NETwork. For delegates will be briefed about how they can turn their mobile phone connection into an affordable customer relations and sales tool. The information will

  • Struck gold

    ELTON Garage's service department has struck gold! For the popular Bury dealership has taken a place on Peugeot's podium of excellence to scoop the gold award in a national assessment scheme. The Service Customer Satisfaction Award scheme aims to recognise

  • Won national sales award

    A PRESTWICH woman who works for a pharmaceutical company has won a national sales award. Claire Eddington (29), has been named Aspiring Regional Business Manager of the Year in a competition for pharmaceutical sales managers across the UK. The successful

  • June 10: What an exciting week!

    What an exciting week with the win over Argentina! It's been a busy week for me as Sven, starting off with a video recording of me being interviewed "live by satellite link" for a business World Cuplunch at the JJB Stadium in Wigan. I was interviewed

  • Honour for young star Barker

    ENFIELD'S young star Keith Barker has been honoured as he has been selected as one of the baton carriers in the Jubilee relay being staged across the country as part of the build up to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester next month, writes PETE BARROW

  • Runs piling up for Butcher

    MARK Butcher is turning into a run machine England can rely on to help them post the big Test match totals they need, according to Marcus Trescothick. That conclusion came from close quarters as Butcher's second-wicket partner Trescothick reflected on

  • Clitheroe setting sights on Earby

    CLITHEROE captain Neil Bolton knows there is only one thing to do if he wins the toss in the game against Earby tomorrow - go in to bat, writes NINA HAIGH. Not only have the Jennings Ribblesdale League side got a better record this season when they have

  • Missing student may be in Blackpool

    A MISSING Telford student may have headed to Blackpool, police believe. Ruth Connoly, 38, of Haybridge Road, Hadley, was last seen at Telford College of Arts and Technology at about 1.15pm on Monday, June 10. A Lancashire Police spokesman said: "Ruth

  • Fell to death from ladder

    A BUILDER who toppled to his death off a ladder while working on a house in Prestwich had twice been checked out for chest pains. But North Manchester Hospital found nothing wrong with 51-year-old Gerald McGoldrick, his estranged wife told an inquest

  • Pensioners' fury

    ANGRY pensioners staged a protest outside Bury Town Hall this week over radical plans which could see four of the borough's old folks' homes close. Demonstrators, many aged in their 70s and 80s and some in wheelchairs, waved placards underlining their

  • Firms welcome Euro cash

    A EURO MP will today (Fri June 14) find out how vital European funding is being invested for the benefit of Bury. Mr Gary Titley will be taking a look at the work of the Bury Business Environment Association, which is currently receiving a total of nearly

  • "Father" collapsed under own weight

    THE vicar of Ainsworth, Father Alan Thomas Flaherty, who fell and banged his head in his bathroom, died from natural causes. The verdict was recorded by Bury District Coroner Mr Barrie Williams after hearing how the 56-year-old father-of-two was found

  • Somehow the USA sneek through

    IN five minutes, it seemed as if the USA's hopes for advancing to the second round of the World Cup were crushed. Poland, already eliminated from the tournament, with nothing to play for except their own self-esteem, took the lead in the third minute

  • PNE linked to reggae boy

    REGGAE boy Ricardo Fuller has become Preston's first summer signing. The £800,000 striker has signed on the dotted line and will swap Jamaican side Tivoli Gardens for the First Division highflyers in time for the start of the new season. The transfer

  • Stars set to Feel the Noise

    IT promises to be Blackburn's biggest musical party of the year and the stars can't wait to get involved. Feel the Noise will rock Blackburn Rovers Ewood Park ground next Sunday when up to 29,000 pop fans will pack in to enjoy a five-hour spectacular.

  • Chumba make a stand

    BURNLEY'S Chumbawamba are so determined to be in their hometown, for the Anti Nazi League gig later this month, that two members will appear on stage just hours after jetting in from the States. Singers Alice Nutter and Dunstan Bruce, will have to shake

  • Shakers chairman predicts nightmare season

    CHAIRMAN John Smith has predicted a nightmare season ahead for Shakers after being handed a gloomy fixture list for next season writes Chris Hall Just three years after taking on the likes of Bolton, Ipswich and Sunderland in Division One, Bury FC today

  • 'Worst' council climbs tax collections ladder

    ROSSENDALE Council has been named among the most improved in the country for collecting council tax. The news comes just a week after the authority was placed 237th from 237 following an audit report. The council, named as one of the worst authorities

  • Low fat? Use your loaf

    CAN it be possible that a traditional favourite can be tasty, low in fat, filling and suitable for vegetarians, vegans and home freezing? Enter the Lincolnshire Plum Fruit Loaf, which now contains 20 per cent extra cherries and joins Banana Fruit Loaf

  • Paul's happy being a Pratt!

    SO how does a grown man play a young child on the stage? For Oswaldtwistle actor Paul Simpson, there was really only one answer -- go back to school. Paul, who tonight opens in Second From Last In The Sack Race at Bolton's Octagon Theatre, spent a week

  • Parties in Asda scrap

    DOUBTS have been cast over the future of Asda in Fleetwood by a Labour councillor following a political scrap over the development. Coun Keith Riley, leader of the opposition Labour group, hit back this week at comments made by the Conservative council

  • Three children die in Blackpool blaze

    THREE children died in a blazing Blackpool home early on Thursday morning. The boys aged 3, 5 and 7 from a family of nine were pulled from the blaze at Boothroyden in North Shore by firefighters at just after 4.30am, but were dead on arrival at Blackpool

  • Father's plea to missing teenager

    THE FATHER of a missing Oxford teenager who could have headed to Blackpool has made a public plea for her to come home. Mark Andrews said he was "very worried" about his 13-year-old daughter Louise Marie Andrews, who may have met up with a man she met

  • New organ will be played by the sea

    HEAR the sound of the sea on Blackpool Promenade this September with the arrival of the High Tide Organ. The latest seaside sculpture to join the controversial Desire and other works on the front comes from a company called Art Department in Manchester

  • Jail for white witch

    A SELF-confessed white witch has been jailed for two years for giving drugs to a teenage girl which led to her death. Sally Corkhill, 41, and her lover Lee Harrison, 31, originally from South Shore, Blackpool, appeared at Preston Crown Court following

  • City centre big screen not ruled out

    AFTER England's nail-biting performance on Wednesday, when they triumphantly made it through to the second round of the World Cup, Preston City Council's chief has paved the way for a big screen to be installed in the city centre if Sven's boys continue

  • Speed cameras blitz

    MOTORISTS who refuse to cut their speed were today warned they would be caught out as 48 new speed cameras began to go on-line across the county. Eighteen of the cameras will be turned on within the next two weeks on roads in Blackburn, Burnley, Clitheroe

  • Keep them out altogether

    DAVID Blunkett is to set up centres where the children of asylum seekers are to be educated. According to an opinion poll conducted lately by the ultra respectable and meticulously accurate Reader's Digest, 88% of the British people think that Britain

  • Trees do so much for us

    IT is a year since I wrote to the council about the dead trees on the grass verges in Tennyson Avenue, Bury. They wrote back to say the trees are not dangerous. In their own words trees "play an important role by cleaning the air, creating wildlife habitats

  • Free ad for McDonald's

    I WAS more than a little surprised to read a recent article about a local school using impressionable young children in order to give what was virtually a free advertisement for McDonald's. I am sure the company were only too pleased to set up a "mini

  • Councillor's "spiteful" tone surprised me

    I FOUND the letter (May 28) from Councillor Connie Fitzgerald very nasty, even malicious, and was surprised to see that she was indeed the author, such was the spiteful tone. She says it was "nice" of me to be the agent for an Asian candidate, which could

  • I hate these hangers-on

    JUST JAMIE IT'S my week off and, according to the book of unwritten rules, I really should be making the most of it. Late nights should precede very late mornings, if not early afternoons, while the rest of the day should be reserved for absolutely nothing

  • Blackpool round-up

    A ROUND-UP of what is on around town at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool Tower, Grand Theatre and Grand Theatre Studio. Winter Gardens (01253 292029) The Good Olde Days -- traditional entertainment with Duggie Clark, Mike Terry and Tony Del Ray. Venue: Pavilion

  • Uphill struggle for St Annes

    STRUGGLING St Annes, with only one win to their name this season, took to the hills for their game at Darwen at the weekend -- and found they had a mountain to climb. The rain had put paid to some of the Northern Premier League fixtures -- including Blackpool's