SIMON Entwistle is staging another of his popular ghost walks around Blackburn town centre haunts in the New Year. The event takes place on January 13 from 7.30pm. Tickets cost £3 for adults or £1 for a child. Simon has been running the 75 minutes walks
SADLY, it would appear that the Bush-Blair axis has not taken heed of the usual 'Peace and good will to all' message. They seem determined to carry out the attacks on Iraq, first suggested by the Israeli Government and taken up by Bush and his team well
THE European Union has just published its report into the Government's handling of the foot and mouth crisis during 2001. It's a damning report, which appears to condemn almost every move made by the Government. It vindicates the view of thousands of
WHO is this Bishop of Blackburn who does not know what is going on in his church? He states (LET, December 26) that the Pavilions buildings in Church Street, Blackburn, are not suitable for a high-class restaurant. His church bought them for a large sum
REGARDING your article (LET, December 17) about health trust chiefs confirming the site for Darwen's new health centre, this site is not suitable for people with mobility problems. They said that most people were happy with the current health centre,
I'M hoping the phrase 'there's a first time for everything' on Saturday. It's no secret that Grimsby isn't the best place to go for us, but after we finally beat Wolves last week, who we had a bad history with in terms of results, anything could happen
TWENTY seven people were arrested for public order offences in Burnley over New Year celebrations after more than 200 '999' calls. Between 9pm on New Year's Eve and 7am on New Year's Day, police received more calls than they usually get in the space of
POLICE are joining in the season of goodwill by passing on friendly advice to motorway drivers rather than fining them. In a pilot scheme beginning this week and lasting for six months, officers on patrol will pull over motorists to simply explain what
Halifax Town 1-0 Leigh RMI by Martyn Hindley: DOWN to the bare bones, a threadbare Leigh RMI side fell to a second slender defeat in four days across the Pennines. Mark Patterson was even forced to name himself among the substitutes as Halifax Town finished
EWOOD chief Graeme Souness believes Academy youngster Jay McEveley could be a future star in the making after the 17-year-old shone in yesterday's 1-0 win over Middlesbrough. Souness spoke in glowing terms about the young defender after he took the opportunity
THE key stats and moments from the game against Boro. ROVERS: BRAD FRIEDEL: A virtual bystander all afternoon. Had to make a couple of smart saves but everything he does inspires confidence...7 LUCAS NEILL: Looked fresh after missing the West Ham game
Will Morecambe and Lancaster benefit from being in the Football League? Morecambe Football Club is currently in fifth position in the Nationwide Conference and also in the third round of the FA Cup. This season has seen the introduction of play-off place
I read with interest the letter from Cllr Emily Heath regarding the new car park on County College field at Lancaster University. I wish to reply to a few of the points raised. First, as one of the motorists who travels through Scotforth on my way to
TWENTY seven people were arrested for public order offences in Burnley over New Year celebrations after more than 200 '999' calls. Between 9pm on New Year's Eve and 7am on New Year's Day, police received more calls than they usually get in the space of
A POP group are looking to launch themselves into 2003 by recording their own album -- thanks to some original Latvian music! The group, Personality, consists of 12-year-old Latvian born Magda Ozolina, fellow Gawthorpe High School pupils Kelly Robinson
THE grandmother of a Royal Navy sailor who was seriously injured in a helicopter accident has spoken of her New Year joy at his recovery. Stuart Cormack, who was brought up in Coal Clough Lane, Burnley, was left fighting for his life after being hit by
THE borough of Pendle has won an environmental award in a contest to find Britain's 'greenest' councils. The Green Apple awards are organised by the independent, non-political Green Organisation. The award was handed to the council after judges from the
GEORGIA McLean brought in 1998 when the New Year was just 32 minutes old. She was born at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn, after mum Jeanette, 26, of Abbot Clough Avenue, Knuzden, suddenly went into labour.
RIBBLE Valley council chief Ossie Hopkins flew back from the USA with two patrolmen's caps and presented them to Chief Superintendent Alan Williams. Mr Hopkins visited California on the second leg of an exchange trip between Los Altos and Ribble Valley
IT was third time unlucky for Angela Wallace who was arrested trying to use a stolen debit card in Woolworths in Accrington for the third time in four days. Blackburn magistrates heard that Wallace had walked out with property worth £43 and £93 on consecutive
AN East Lancashire MP today insisted new speed camera figures fuelled fears that the eyes at the side of the road were more about finance than safety. Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety is building up to a total 230 cameras round the county which
PEOPLE living near a chemical plant today spoke of how they refused to let New Year celebrations go by the wayside after a fire forced them to stay indoors. Emergency contingency plans were activated when the blaze in a sulphur pit at William Blythe Chemicals
A BRITISH Legion branch which championed the memory of the Accrington Pals is set to close because there is nobody to run it. Today, Hyndburn MP Greg Pope led calls for people to rally around the town's Royal British Legion before it was too late. It
FIREFIGHTERS had to cut the roof off a car to rescue a woman trapped inside. Two cars were in a collision at the corner of Hardman Road and Bury Old Road in Prestwich at around 6.20pm yesterday. Whitefield firefighters used cutting gear so they could
PLANS to extend a historic cottage in the centre of a picturesque Ribble Valley village have met with a storm of protest. Ribble Valley Council's planning committee will decide next Thursday whether a scheme to erect a kitchen at a former weaver's cottage
WAS 2002 a good year for the internet? It hardly lived up to the heady days of the dotcom boom, but there were some interesting new developments. January began with the launch, amid much hype, of the government's "Let's all Get Online" campaign (www.letsallgeton.gov.uk
WHILE Morecambe's clash at Ipswich may be hogging the headlines, Lancaster City also have two important games in the coming week. Saturday sees the Dolly Blues make the journey to Altrincham, where the two famous old sides have had some memorable clashes
LANCASTER City Council is supporting Morecambe Football Club's FA cup trip to Ipswich on Saturday with a special banner. In a bid to take full advantage of the high profile tie at Portman Road, the banner will feature the Eric More-cambe statue, which
BURNLEY Football Club's plans to develop Turf Moor and Gawthorpe are on hold following the collapse of ITV Digitial. "We have wanted to develop the training ground at Gawthorpe, the Jimmy McIlroy void, refurbish the Bob Lord Stand and also redevelop the
NIK Michopoulos is determined to get back in the Burnley side after returning from a loan spell with Crystal Palace. The goalkeeper acted as cover for the injured pair of Matt Clarke and Alex Kolinko at Selhurst Park. But his three months ended after
CLARETS boss Stan Ternent was in philosophical mood after his side were forced to miss out on the traditional New Year's Day fixture for the second year running. The heavy rain that left the Bramall Lane pitch water-logged yesterday morning followed the
POLICE have re-newed an appeal for help to trace two young Romanian women who disappeared during a choir visit to Lancaster. The cousins, aged 22 and 23, have not been seen since they parted company from their 40-strong Romanian choir following a series
LANCASTER City's season of inconsistency continues, with a spirited come-from-behind derby draw with Barrow followed by a familiar disappointing home loss. Saturday's game was particularly galling for Tony Hesketh's side, who squandered a penalty as they
JUBILANT Blackburn boss Graeme Souness hailed his Rovers players after they celebrated the New Year in style with a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough. Dwight Yorke was the hero after grabbing the second half winner which took Rovers' festive points haul to eight
EAST Lancashire businesses are being urged to get up to speed on the internet or risk being left behind by their rivals. James Rigg, sales director at Burnley-based IT suppliers Lanway, warned: "The region is lagging behind other parts of the country
THE mystery over who has been paving the way for parishioners to get safely to a Darwen church has been solved. Jim Mullaney, 67, of Limes Avenue, retired two years ago but now he sweeps the leaves off Limes Avenue, making it safer for people who walk
HEALTH bosses are reassuring Darwen residents that there will be public transport to take elderly and disabled people to the proposed new health centre. Alexander Gordon, 53, of Brighton Terrace called for plans to be scrapped because access is not good
Dozens of local people have been made redundant following the closure of another big firm. More than 100 workers - many from Lancaster and Morecambe - are facing a New Year without jobs following the closure of WRM Logistics Paperlink in Milnthorpe. The
HUNDREDS of animal lovers travelled to one of East Lancashire's oldest events, the 160th Holcombe Old English Gamecock Show. The fowl extravaganza at the Old Dun Horse Hotel, in Bolton Street, Ramsbottom, is the oldest known game show in the country and
A LEIGH manufacturing firm has got a grant of £45,000. North West Manufacturing Technologies Ltd, based at Leigh Business Park, has received a £45,000 Smart grant to help develop a bright idea into a reality. The money is for a feasibility study into
A COMPUTER course designed for older people run by Age Concern is due to start in mid-January. The charity will provide free tuition and offer a basic introduction to topics such as e-mail and the internet. The sessions are being held on Monday mornings
EAST Lancashire's rail network was returning to normal today after crippling Christmas and New Year strikes by the area's two rail companies. First North Western (FNW) drivers and Arriva Trains Northern (ATN) conductors are both in dispute with their
POLICE are joining in the season of goodwill by passing on friendly advice to motorway drivers rather than fining them. In a pilot scheme beginning this week and lasting for six months, officers on patrol will pull over motorists to simply explain what
A 21-YEAR-OLD woman with Down's Syndrome got the best birthday present of her life when she met her Blackburn Rovers heroes. Katie Mullen, whose birthday was on New Year's Day, was introduced to the stars at their training ground in the Ribble Valley.
STOKE secured a second consecutive win as their 2-1 home win dragged Preston into the relegation fight as Craig Brown's team suffered two worrying injuries at the Britannia Stadium. Brynjar Gunnarsson and Peter Hoekstra struck twice in a two-minute period
RADCLIFFE Market traders have reported a pessimistic outlook for the New Year after failing to get caught up in the festive spending frenzy. Despite Bury Council's efforts to inject new life into the market, some long-standing stallholders fear for its
DRIVING on our motorways during the festive break will have made many people aware of the failings of their fellow motorists. The slightest drop of rain prompts rear fog lights to be switched on - and left on to dazzle following drivers when visibility
FIREFIGHTERS have appealed to residents in Revidge, Blackburn, to help them stop a gang of youths they believe have started several fires. Officers say the same group of youngsters could be responsible for two garage fires, a trailer fire and a rubbish
TEENAGERS have been reminded that help is at hand if they feel like running away from home over the festive season. Blackburn Connexions offers advice lines for young people who feel like they may be reaching crisis point. According to a report by the
REGARDING the controversy over the location for the new health centre in Darwen and the comment by the Primary Care Trust's director of corporate development, Mr David Brunskill that "The public in Darwen is behind us" (LET, December 17), he must have
I AM staggered by some of the crazy decisions taken by the people who administer justice in this country. Lord Chief Justice Woolf has now said that thieves and robbers must no longer go to jail. What sort of confidence does this instil in every law-abiding
A MOTHER and her 13-year-old daughter were rescued by the emergency services after getting stuck in mud up to their knees while out walking in a park. Kathryn Harrison, aged 32, and her teenage daughter Kiera, were walking their dogs in Pennington Flash
THIS time last year Dwight Yorke could have been heading for Middlesbrough after Manchester United accepted a £6 million bid for the Trinidad and Tobago star. Boro boss Steve McClaren was desperate for a goal-poacher and he saw the 31-year-old as the
CATCH the minute-by-minute match action from Ewood Park as a Dwight Yorke goal secures a valuable victory over Middlesborough. A good start to the New Year for Rovers - lets hope they continue to improve. Full time Rovers 1 Boro 0 16:50: Three minutes
BURNLEY-born actor Sir Ian McKellen faces stiff competition if he is to win the role of Albus Dumbledore in the next Harry Potter film, it has been reported. Sir Ian, who plays Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings, was said to be taking over the wizard headteacher
BURNLEY'S sports facilities could receive a massive cash boost if plans to turn the town into a Sports Action Zone get the green light. Burnley Council chiefs have put together a bid for the borough to be awarded Sports Action Zone status by the Government's
FRUSTRATED manager Andy Preece will tell Bury FC directors they must speculate to accumulate at a board meeting on Friday writes Chris Hall The Shakers supremo is sick of constant battles with the club's purse holders over which players he can keep in
Bury 1Hull City 0 by Chris Hall: THEIR Christmas report card may read "could do better" but Bury have finally established themselves as genuine contenders for automatic promotion. A slender one-goal winning margin against the painfully negative and toothless
PENDLE Leisure Trust's half-a-million pound investment in its gym is complete and has exceeded all expectations. During the past 16 weeks, work has been non-stop on the site at the back of the existing sports hall in Nelson. The new building covers around
UP to 11 per cent of employers in the North-west are planning to take on more staff in the next quarter, despite the uncertain economic outlook, according to a leading recruitment firm. Manpower says that this is the strongest employment outlook for the
COUNCILLORS will be asked to reject plans outlining a proposed new dairy unit for 60 cows at a Sabden farm. Plans to build the unit and slurry store at Cockshotts Farm, Heyhouses, come up before the Ribble Valley planning committee next Thursday. Residents
A TOURING police station is to hit the road to help protect farmers and vulnerable countryside residents who feel abandoned by the law. Lancashire Constabulary has been given £30,000 by the government to buy a mobile policing unit for the Ribble Valley
MORECAMBE hope to pull off one of the most remarkable giant killing feat in their FA Cup history on Saturday at first division giants Ipswich Town. More than 1,000 supporters are expected to make the five-hour journey to East Anglia to see the Shrimps
Football can put Morecambe back on the map. TWO years ago the average person in the street would probably have scratched their head in bewilderment if asked to link Morecambe with football. A few might have associated a comedian of that name with a directorship
LANCASTER'S Alan 'The Ice Man' Warriner made a promising start to the PDC World Darts Championship with a 4-2 first round victory over Rod Harrington. Warriner, the fourth seed, now takes on fellow Lancastrian Les Fitton in the second round of the televised
MORECAMBE enjoyed mixed fortunes in the league over Christmas - but still go into their run of cup ties in fifth place in the Conference. Saturday saw the Shrimps lose to a last minute goal against promotion rivals Halifax in a controversy-filled match
APART from the injuries that have been picked up over the hectic Christmas period, we've got to be satisfied with the way things have gone. Obviously it was disappointing to concede a late goal against West Ham and subsequently draw. But eight points
MARSH residents are celebrating after receiving an extra Christmas present - a £35,000 grant for their new community centre. Work has started on the estate's new community centre on Willow Lane, but the Trust behind the project called for extra cash to
WITH Gandalf and Harry Potter casting their spell at cinemas, Lancashire's very own witches are appearing on the small screen. 'On The Trail of the Pendle Witches' has just gone on release on video, telling the sad story of the peasants who were hounded
CLARETS boss Stan Ternent was in philosophical mood after his side were forced to miss out on the traditional New Year's Day fixture for the second year running. The heavy rain that left the Bramall Lane pitch water-logged yesterday morning followed the
THE Mayor of Rossendale Coun Jimmy Eaton yesterday said an emotional farewell to Rawtenstall's Astoria Ballroom when it finally closed its doors to the public. The New Year is usually a time to look to the future but the closing of the Astoria marked
MEMBERS of Wilpshire Methodist Church have been paying their respects to a distinguished member of their congregation who died on Christmas Eve, aged 93. Ethel Oldcorn, an accomplished musician who passed all of the Royal Academy of Music's piano exams
FAMILY and friends are rallying around a heartbroken mother-of-six whose children were snatched away to Pakistan by her husband 11 days ago. Razia Mushtaq, 36, in Whitendale Crescent, Lower Audley, Blackburn, is clinging onto the hope that the police
POLICE today said most New Year revellers behaved themselves and kept out of trouble. Blackburn police made 31 arrests between midnight and 6am yesterday, mainly for public order offences, double the number made the previous New Year's eve. But Insp Andrea
NINETEEN-year-old Lisa Hunt, of Young Street, Blackburn, was the first mother to give birth in 2003 in East Lancashire. Baby Ellie Logan was born just 18 minutes into the year. And Lisa was back at her Mill Hill home relaxing with doting dad Andy Logan
A CHARITY which combats drugs and homelessness is to be expanded worldwide to help addicts and destitute children. Cocaine addicts and street children in Brazil will receive help from the charity for Those on the Margins of Society -- THOMAS -- in the
LEUKAEMIA fighter Mick Baines will have to wait at least a year to meet the American donor who saved his life. Mick, of Abbey Village, near Blackburn, underwent a bone marrow transplant at the Christie Hospital in Manchester two years ago. A 27-year-old
BLACKBURN HARRIERS' young guns Ben Fish, Michael Hammer and Scott Monk swept to team victory in Sunday's Ribble Valley 10K Road Race to give the host club a double boost after the Harriers had attracted a record field of over 500 to the Edisford Bridge
