BRANDLESHOLME Warriors football club is holding Under 7s trials for next season for boys or girls under seven years on September 1 at Woodhey High School, Ramsbottom at 6.30pm on Thursdays, May 15, 22 and 29. The club is also recruiting for its other
ACCRINGTON ace Colin Morton has added yet another snooker title to his impressive tally. The 42-year-old England Amateur captain swept aside John Welsh of Liverpool to take the North West Individual crown -- his fourth success in five years! In a scrappy
WHAT a way to win a cup final! There was barely a minute left of extra time in this extraordinary cup final when Oaklea's Tony Brereton unleashed a thunderbolt that flew in to the top corner. It was the final twist in many turns on a memorable night at
WHEN it comes to sport, Brian Bennett is an all-rounder -- that is, sport occupies him all year round! Well until recently. For football occupied his winter months while his first love of cricket took up his long hot summers -- or more likely his rain-affected
IN RESPONSE to Tom Sargent's remarks (Letters, April 29) about the age-old question of which came first -- the chicken or the egg. I think it the answer is the chicken. The reason is that in the Bible, in Genesis, we are told that God made all creatures
I WAS very interested to read your editorial and article (LET, April 30) concerning the medieval windows which may be removed from Holme in Cliviger. I fully agree with your comments that the windows are an important part of Blackburn's heritage and should
HENNING Berg's Blackburn career is over following a heart-to-heart with Rovers boss Graeme Souness. Berg met Souness yesterday to discuss the possibility of him postponing his retirement plans for another 12 months. However, the popular Norwegian was
CONTRARY to the national picture, the Conservatives failed to make any gains in Preston City Council's elections. The political landscape remains largely unchanged in the traditional Labour hotspot, where a third of the council's seats were up for grabs
A 21-YEAR-OLD man has made a second appearance at Burnley Magistrates Court, after a pensioner was allegedly hit by a flying ashtray, thrown from the beer garden of a town centre pub. Anthony Clark, of Brunshaw Road, Burnley, charged with wounding with
A DRUNKEN schoolgirl slapped an officer's face after police were called to a disturbance in Padiham, a court was told. Burnley Magistrates heard how the 15 year old from Padiham was abusive and swore and ended up being forced to the ground as she struggled
POLICE are urging more people to come forward with information after receiving around only 400 to 500 calls from the public during their search into the disappearance of former Burnley boy Daniel Entwistle. Officers leading the investigation are becoming
A CHURCH today said it would welcome back a man who was jailed for downloading child porn and insisted: "Let he without sin cast the first stone." But elders at Brierfield Baptist Church today moved to allay fellow worshippers' concern by insisting Richard
CALLING all budding Dorothys... the Warblers are looking for talented actors and singers to step forward for an up-coming production of 'The Wizard of Oz'. The amateur dramatic group's latest production will be staged at Lancaster's Grand Theatre in November
A DRIVE to help Heysham residents surf the net with speed is heating up. A local campaign to bring ADSL Broadband Internet to communities in Heysham, Middleton and Overton needs 95 more people to come forward to secure the super-swift service. Bryan Hobson
ACCESS to high speed internet in Lancaster district is patchy to say the least, says Lancaster's Chamber of Commerce. And that means city busi-nesses are being blocked from taking advantage of benefits enjoyed by many of their competitors. So the chamber
LOCAL people are to get a continued say on the future shape of Morecambe. That's the promise of Lancaster City Council after early plans to revamp the resort attracted widespread interest. The council has now voted to adopt the draft Morecambe Action
BUDDING Tarantinos could see their work showcased on the silver screen as film festival organisers seek out new talent in the area. Lancaster's first Film and New Media Festival will feature a diverse line-up of work by local filmmakers, whether experienced
A MULTI-million pound venture to transform community and sports facilities is to be unveiled so local people can have their say. The revamp focuses on and around Douglas Park in Heysham, with the Youth and Community Centre at the heart of the proposed
A CHURCH today said it would welcome back a man who was jailed for downloading child porn and insisted: "Let he without sin cast the first stone." But elders at Brierfield Baptist Church today moved to allay fellow worshippers' concern by insisting Richard
AS work progresses on the revamp of the old Pavilions buildings in town-centre Church Street in Blackburn, no doubt memories will be cast back to how the thoroughfare looked before its £4million transformation began. But none will recall when this old
A MIDDLE-AGED man abused his former partner and smashed in her bedroom door, Burnley Magistrates heard. The court was told how jobless Edward McGarrell, 51, called his on-off girlfriend of eight years a slapper. When he was interviewed by police, the
DRIVERS using a busy stretch of road in Colne could see the speed limit slashed after calls from residents and school governors to make changes to the potentially dangerous spot. Campaigners have urged Lancashire County Council to reduce the speed limit
SUPERLATIVE displays of skating are set against stunning effects of lasers, waterfalls and fire in the most gorgeously dressed show that is Hot Ice. No wonder that the first night's artistic and creative performance was greeted with a standing ovation
THE musical Wildfire is being staged at the Formby Hall by Churches Together In Atherton, on May 15 and 16. The story of Saint Stephen, by Roger Jones and Alison Fuggle, follows the birth of the early church as is recorded in The Acts of the Apostles.
VISITORS to Leigh's Turnpike Gallery are asked to take in mementoes, photographs and their memories for a drawing workshop during May. The Gallery at the Civic Square is celebrating "Cultures then and Now" as part of national Museums and Galleries month
NEWLY weds Pam Clearly and Robert Miller were 'held to ransom' after tying the knot at St Stephen's Church, Tockholes. They took part in a tradition that says anyone who gets married at the church has to make a charitable donation before leaving the village
THE family of a well-respected ex-funeral director have paid tribute to his life. Edward Birtwistle, 74, from Great Harwood, died last Saturday after a short illness. Mr Birtwistle was the fifth generation of his family to work in the funeral business
A ROW erupted today after Hyndburn Council's new Conservative regime announced it was keeping both mayoral posts for itself. The ruling Tories have nominated Great Har- wood councillor Wyn Frankland for mayor to replace Labour's Wendy Dwyer, who lost
I WRITE in response to the article on Page 2 of the Citizen last week alleging that police are harassing taxi drivers. That's rubbish! They should stop moaning and use the roads properly and with respect, just as other motorists have to do. It seems to
A CANADIAN businessman working in East Lancashire blamed a combination of jet lag and too much lager when he was arrested after threatening a Ribble Valley hotel owner with a screwdriver. Blackburn magistrates heard that Eugene Gebka, 53, was staying
I AGREE in part with the letter headlined 'Morecambe really has had its day' (Citizen, May 1). However, it was tactless, did not consider the resort's circumstances and certainly did not suggest how to improve matters. Morecambe is in a predicament commonplace
TONY Hesketh has resigned as manager of Lancaster City FC. Club chairman Ron Moore announced the shock news on Wednesday following a meeting with the long-serving boss. He says Hesketh has been offered a position with another club and felt it was time
MORE than 5,000 fans turned out to cheer Morecambe towards the Holy Grail of Football League status at Christie Park - but went home ultimately disappointed. It wasn't that they were short-changed by their heroes in red and white, far from it, in fact
ONE of Britain's oldest motoring institutions, the Westmorland Motor Club, is the organising body for this Saturday's Barbon Sprint Hill Climb for cars. Founded in 1910, the WMC has a proud history of motor sport in the county catering for two, three
LEIGH EAZ's Arts & Writing venture appears destined for a long and prosperous future. Ten schools are engaged in the 2003 celebration -- Walk Awhile in My Shoes -- which will be the centrepiece of the June annual Festival of Learning. That event marks
HENNING Berg's Blackburn career is over following a heart-to-heart with Rovers boss Graeme Souness. Berg met Souness yesterday to discuss the possibility of him postponing his retirement plans for another 12 months. However, the popular Norwegian was
A PLANT sale on Saturday will raise money for Cancer Research UK's Darwen branch. The sale, of mainly herbaceous perennials, is at Derwent Hall, George Street, from 11am to 1pm. Fundraisers recently made £434 at a charity night at Manjgiamo's Pizzeria
POLICE are warning Darwen residents to keep their garages secure after two burglaries. Raiders targeted an unlocked garage in Hartington Road between Sunday morning and Monday night and made off with £700 worth of gardening equipment, including drills
A MAN aged 22 appeared before magistrates in Rawtenstall, charged with criminal damage at the home of Manchester United and England defender Phil Neville. Jonathan Greenwood, of Standen Road, Southfields, London, is alleged to have caused £50-worth of
LOCAL produce and crafts will be among the attractions when Ramsbottom turns itself over to the countryside for the first in a series of Farmer's Markets this weekend. The Market Place will become the focal point for the activities between 11am and 4pm
A ROSSENDALE councillor and former education boss is being treated in hospital after he collapsed at a meeting. Roger Clarke was attending the meeting between members of the Labour party at Rawtenstall Town Hall on Tuesday when he suffered a suspected
A VERDICT of accidental death has been recorded after a pensioner died less than three weeks after falling in her own home. Monica Horrocks, 81, of Bowland House, Larkhill, Blackburn, suffered deep vein thrombosis after fracturing her hip when she fell
VANDALS have caused more than £400 of damage to a caf in Blackburn town centre by smashing six windows over a ten-day period. Staff at the Piano Caf, in Northgate, arrived for work today to find the street strewn with bottles from three overturned bins
A LANCASHIRE police officer is considering legal action against his bosses after claiming the force's controversial radio system damaged his hearing. The man, whose identity has not been revealed, believes feedback from Airwave has caused the problem
A 10-YEAR-OLD boy is celebrating today after a successful five-month battle to bring high speed internet access to his village. Backed by his father, Joshua Fisher has conducted a leafleting campaign, targeted local businesses and appealed to local MPs
A £10MILLION cinema complex plan has been unveiled for Blackburn on a site earmarked for a new shopping development. Restaurants and bars would also be included in the six-screen cinema complex, which would be built on land between Penny Street and Salford
IAIN Sutcliffe maintained his love of Exmouth and the Devon bowlers to steer Lancashire into the fourth round of the C&G Trophy yesterday. Now the tall left-hander faces a showdown with his former Leicestershire captain Vince Wells when Lancashire
THERE was joy for Blackburn Harriers on the first day of the Northern Women's League as the team finished second in their Division Four match in Macclesfield. In an eight team division only the host club managed to beat them despite the Harriers fielding
GED Furey is on course for an unfamiliar feeling this weekend. Not only is he in the strange position of having to qualify for the prestigious PGA Glenmuir Club Professional Championship - he's not even confident of reaching it. It's a surprising prediction
A MEMORIAL company boss says she is furious at the way the council has handled a safety inspection at Radcliffe cemetery. And relatives flocking to the cemetery after reading about the work have been distressed to see headstones laid flat on the council's
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Blackburn Drama Club present "Nude With Violin," Thwaites Theatre, Bolton Road, Ewood, Blackburn, 7.30pm. "Five Penny Piece," Accrington Town Hall, 7.30pm. Colne Dramatic
MARK Sutcliffe showed shot-shy White Hart that goals win matches as his second half hat-trick guided Corporation to the 'double'. White Hart had plenty of possession but their refusal to go for goal ultimately cost them any chance of cup glory. Corporation
CONGRATULATIONS to Peter Britcliffe and his hard working Conservative colleagues on regaining control of Hyndburn Council. Perhaps now they may get some of the praise due for starting and bringing about the regeneration of the town centre of Accrington
I AM appalled at the disgraceful and arrogant way voters in Corporation Park are being treated by councillors Pound and Williams and the rest of the Conservative group. Do we mean so little to the Conservative party that they are prepared to carry on
PETER Hunt, director of direct services for Blackburn with Darwen, uses one of the oldest tricks in the book in suggesting that it is not the actual dumping of rubbish that is on the increase, but that people are reporting or complaining more than in
THE sport of croquet was lost forever to the residents of Barrowford at the council meeting at Nelson Town Hall on April 24. A petition by residents objected to the proposed use of the old recreation field off Pasture Lane by the Croquet In Pendle Club
A 999 OPERATOR has told how she received a call from a two-year-old boy whose mum had suffered an epileptic fit. Julie Heaton, aged 44, works at the Greater Manchester Police's Leigh area operations room and took the call on Sunday evening. But the only
TALK about bad timing. Of all the times I could have been ill this season, my body decides to pick up a bug just a week before the play-offs. I've been confined to my bed for the last few days, coughing, taking Nurofen, Paracetamol and cough medicine
A CHURCH today said it would welcome back a man who was jailed for downloading child porn and insisted: "Let he without sin cast the first stone." But elders at Brierfield Baptist Church today moved to allay fellow worshippers' concern by insisting Richard
A 10-YEAR-OLD boy is celebrating today after a successful five-month battle to bring high speed internet access to his village. Backed by his father, Joshua Fisher has conducted a leafleting campaign, targeted local businesses and appealed to local MPs
JOHN Pendlebury, Leigh Centurions' coach without a team, has left Hilton Park. A frustrated Pendlebury handed in his notice after chewing over the situation for several weeks. His position at the Centurions needed to be re-defined after the RFL refused
BLACKBURN Rovers' all-conquering Under 19 Academy side face the biggest match of their lives at Ewood Park tonight. Rob Kelly's squad entertain southern play-off winners Aston Villa in the first leg of the FA Premier Academy League Play-Off Final. Rovers
BLACKBURN Rovers have gone from Match of the Day to catch of the day after some fishy going-ons at Ewood Park. An aquarium, hosting Herring Berg, Lucas Eel, Andy Sole and the Great Dwight Yorke, has been set up in the Jack Walker stand. It is designed
LANCASTER actors will present a rehear-sed reading from The Gulf Between Us by Trevor Griffiths in the Dukes Studio next Thursday, May 15, at 7.30pm. First produced in 1992, it is billed as a damning indictment of the invasion and counter invasion of
A YOUNG community worker has beat off competition from hundreds of people to be short-listed among 12 achievers for a national award. Afrasiab Anwar, 23, from Burnley, has been selected for an award under the Whitbread Young Achievers (WYA) scheme. The
A MAN is due to appear at Crown Court on Friday charged with the manslaughter of a Morecambe pensioner. As reported by the Citizen, Stanley Road resident Jemima Matthewson, aged 75, died last week after a stone was thrown through her living room window
A FURIOUS householder today made a last ditch plea for help as she feared for the future of her home and neighbours after the pavement outside collapsed. Margaret Whittaker, of Coal Clough Lane, Burnley, said a huge hole outside her home developed after
A BUNCH of the hottest contemporary fiddle players from the various regions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland will be performing at the Platform in Morecambe next Saturday, May 17. In an age when music becomes more and more homogenised through
A GROWING theatre company is developing its circuit of rural venues by bringing a piece of contemporary dynamite to local stages. Lancaster-based Freerange Theatre Company, in its second year of touring, is performing a world-premier tour of a Hollywood
Because the Labour backbencher was treated by St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster last year, he would get a vote on key issues about its activities if it became a Foundation Hospital. But he would have no input into such decisions at the Christie, in
A BRAINBOX 12-year-old won through to the finals of a county mathematics competition. Jennifer Laycock, of St Augustine's School, Billington, beat 17 other young mathematicians from across Lancashire.
AN EAST Lancashire college has submitted a multi-million pound bid for funds to transform its facilities. The governing body of Accrington and Rossendale College today announced plans to reshape the college to meet the needs of current and future students
THE leader of Hyndburn's defeated Labour Party has stood down less than a week after losing control of the council. Councillor Ian Ormerod, who suffered a stroke in December, said he was leaving mainly for health reasons. He will retain his Milnshaw seat
A FORMER Labour councillor has spoken of the worst week of his life during which he lost his business, his home and his council seat. Two weeks ago John Burke had a pub he was planning to buy and a council seat to defend at the elections. But it all turned
A TANZANIAN tribesman is trying to raise awareness of the work done by an East Lancashire charity in the world's third poorest country. Daniel Bujiku is visiting schools and churches in the area to spread the word about an orphanage run by Oswaldtwistle-based
IT'S good to hear police are at last stopping taxi drivers having special privileges and allowing them to break the law by driving down Spring Garden Street (Citizen, last week). They have got away with it for too long. I presume taxi drivers have compulsory
AS OF May 1, farmers in this region can no longer bury animals that die on their farms, instead being required to get them taken away for incineration or rendering. The Government department responsible for implementing this change - DEFRA - has proposed
MORE than 200 astronomy enthusiasts gathered at a Ribble Valley observatory for a rare sighting of the planet Mercury transiting the sun. Star gazers turned up at Stonyhurst College, Hurst Green, at daybreak yesterday to watch the planetary phenomenon
IT SEEMS to me that comments like those made by your correspondents Noel F Cass and N Bliss, in their support for protests against the war in Iraq, are flawed. It cannot be denied that both the USA and UK supported Saddam Hussein's regime when it suited
CRICKET players and fans were sent home for an early tea when umpires failed to show at a leading league match. Northern Premier League teams Darwen and Lancaster were stumped on Saturday when match officials went on strike amid complaints about previous
MARLON Beresford has not completely ruled out a return to Turf Moor. The former Burnley stopper says it is unlikely he will have a third spell with the Clarets, after he was released by the club along with fellow goalkeeper Nik Michopoulos last week.
I'VE got a strange feeling of deja vu going into the final weekend of the season! The last time we qualified for Europe we had to beat to Spurs in order to do it. And who stands in our way again now as we go in search of the win we need to grab sixth
MARLON Beresford has not completely ruled out a return to Turf Moor. The former Burnley stopper says it is unlikely he will have a third spell with the Clarets, after he was released by the club along with fellow goalkeeper Nik Michopoulos last week.
A FLAGSHIP call centre in Darwen has employed more than 70 people to blitz TV licence dodgers. The new office, located on the third floor of India Mill, is part of the centralisation of Capita and the new office will co-ordinate the company's field services
A MAN accused of murdering his mother's ex-lover told police he had been climbing on the moors where James Bowman's body was found, but had seen nothing. Daniel Delker, 23, of Kirkham, Preston, denied any involvement in the brutal killing. But a jury
A MILE-long stretch of road was sealed off after reports of a chemical leak at a water treatment works. Fire crews from Blackburn and Accrington and specialist chemical team from Preston, were sent to the Fishmoor water treatment works, off Roman Road
BLACKBURN Rovers have gone from Match of the Day to catch of the day after some fishy going-ons at Ewood Park. An aquarium, hosting Herring Berg, Lucas Eel, Andy Sole and the Great Dwight Yorke, has been set up in the Jack Walker stand. It is designed
ABOUT 100 new jobs are being created by Lancashire County Council in a bid to make a trip to the tip a more pleasurable experience for residents. The new jobs will be spread across Lancashire's 23 Household Waste Recycling Centres, of which 12 are in
THE man who will take control of the day-to-day workings of a 10-year project to transform East Lancashire's housing was named today. Max Steinberg, currently the northern director of Investment and Regeneration at the government agency The Housing Corporation
REBECCA White has won two titles at the British Universities Championships at Bedford. In the triple jump the former Blackburn Harrier made 12.57m which was far too good for the opposition. Having to contend with a blustery wind and a large field of 20
THERE is news this week of a couple of races for your diary - neither has received much publicity elsewhere. Organiser John McIntosh contacted me about the Irwell Sculpture Trail Race on Saturday June 7. It is 5Km long, starts at 2.30pm and is part of
CLITHEROE'S hopes of ending the season with some silverware were dashed as they lost their third game to Mossley. The Blues were out of luck in their Worthington Challenge Trophy Final showdown with the Manchester side at Bury's Gigg Lane. A wicked deflection
IAN Stott, the leader of the winning Blackburn and District CTC team in last year's National Hill Climb Championship in the mountainous Peak District, proved that he can pedal a bike just as well on flat roads with two fine performances in the Fylde at
HYNDBURN Athletic Club drew first blood as the opening round matches in the re-vamped Young Athletes League were held on Sunday. Three local clubs - Burnley, Hyndburn and Chorley AC - are pitched together in Division 2NW and the first fixture was hosted
An anti-racism march attracted thousands from around the region bringing Manchester City Centre to a standstill. It was estimated over 2,000 people attended the march through the city centre which was organised by the TUC and Unison. People of all ages
ANTI-RACISM campaigners and politicians said it was "sad" and "shameful'' after the far-right increased its tally of council seats in the County. In Burnley, the extremist group won five extra seats to take its total to eight and become the second biggest
