A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Livesey Community Base, Brookway, Blackburn: Breakfast Club 10am-noon; Craft Group 1-3pm; Girls Group 7-9pm; Tea Time Club 4.30-6.30pm. Men's Institute, United Methodist
TALENTED young actors with Lancashire accents are being sought by a London film company. Constantine Sherlock Productions will be holding auditions for its six minute film Bucket o' Water at Blackburn's Capita Performing Arts Centre today from 3pm to
I AGREE with every word of 'Bullying victims should speak out' (Letters, June 27). What happens to the nurses who are constructively dismissed through bullying? Do they get any moral support from those who should have been caring for their well-being
WHILE I agree with all that J Culshaw (Letters, June 28) says regarding the state of the rear entries after the bin men have been, on this occasion I must defend Blackburn with Darwen's cleansing department. On May 30 I wrote to Peter Hunt, Director of
A 45-year-old Rochdale man accused of causing the death of a Tyldesley motorcyclist appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday. Kevin Moran, of Sandy Lane, pleaded not guilty to causing the death of Gary Smith by driving a Vauxhall Astra dangerously
ENGLAND running ace Lee Hurst raced to Bury to hand out medals at the borough's annual schools athletics championships. Lee is a track, road and cross-country middle-distance runner with medals for England at a variety of events. He came to Bury as part
THOUSANDS of master discs which may have been used to pirate music, films and games have been seized in Bury. Three computer operated duplication systems, including a seven-bay high speed CD duplicator, often used for illegal copying, were also taken
ROVERS have told Vratislav Gresko 'sign in the next 24 hours or we'll look elsewhere.' Souness wants to add the Slovakian international to his squad after he impressed during a loan spell last season. But the Rovers boss is start to lose patience and
BLACKBURN defender Lucas Neill gave Graeme Souness a pre-season boost by putting pen to paper on a brand new four year contract last night. On the day Rovers opened talks with Aussie international Brett Emerton, Neill signed a deal which will keep him
BLACKBURN Rovers star David Dunn maybe leaving for Birmingham City, for a fee of £5.5million, but he will never be far from the hearts of people in East Lancashire. Despite criticism from manager Graeme Souness earlier this year after newspaper reports
AEROSPACE giant BAE Systems today axed 132 jobs at its high tech plant at Samlesbury. The company said it had begun talks with the trade unions over the redundancies at its Air Systems and Aerostructures business units. BAE Systems, which employs around
THE legal team for Andrew Greenwood, convicted this week of killing law student Janet Muratroyd seven years ago, are considering an appeal against his conviction. Solicitor Peter Roberts, of O'Donnell's Solicitors, Glover's Court, Preston, said: "We are
NEW Bury striker Joe O'Neill has been tipped to succeed where Jon Newby failed next season. Shakers' star front man will certainly be missed for his pace and creativity after joining Huddersfield last week but, with only 22 goals from his last two seasons
AN eye-catching marketing campaign to help spice-up the image of engineering is being launched in Pendle. Girls are being targeted in the latest bid to attract them into the new career path. An all-girl pop group, who are featured on campaign literature
A SHOPLIFTER, at the time addicted to drugs, went out and helped himself to two pairs of jeans, a court was told. Burnley Magistrates heard how Andrew Roger Leonard was now going through withdrawal from heroin, but did not want to use the drug's substitute
AN AERIAL fitter has lost his driving licence for a second time after a landlord paid him for a job in beer. Burnley Magistrates heard how James Beech, 32, was given two free pints, but had already had two earlier in the day. He was more than twice the
AS PART of our Pride of East Lancashire Campaign we are searching to find the area's Outstanding Volunteer. In Blackburn and Darwen there are around 300 organisations which welcome volunteers and several could not survive without them. Denise Gordon is
A SCRAP metal dealer allegedly attacked a father and knocked his teeth out, after he went to the aid of a schoolboy he was chasing and threatening to kill, a jury heard. Burnley Crown Court was told how Thomas Smith, 26, punched Philip Cocker, knocking
A LIFELONG Accrington Stanley fan has backed the club's quest for glory with a major sponsorship deal involving the renaming of the Crown Ground. And Stanley chairman Eric Whalley today defended the decision to adopt The Interlink Express Stadium name
BURNLEY keeper Marlon Beresford has joined Third Division York and will link up with another ex-Claret, City player-boss Chris Brass, once he completes a medical later this week. Brass beat off a late bid from Blackpool for the 33-year-old stopper, who
ASIAN midfielder Amjad Iqbal has linked up with Burnley for a pre-season trial. The Farsley Celtic midfielder was another new face on show as the Clarets hit the training ground yesterday. Iqbal is aiming to step up from the Unibond Premier League ranks
BURNLEY players returned to training yesterday, sporting the new squad numbers handed down by manager Stan Ternent. And ths shirts tantalisingly offer up a few clues to the Clarets' anticipated line-up for the forthcoming season. New signing Lee Roche
A FAMILIAR face taken over the tenancy of the Bridge Inn pub in Henry Street, Church. Andrea Charnely and partner Gareth took over the Pubmaster pub three weeks ago. Andrea is originally from Church but has spent the last 15 years away managing her mum's
BIG-HEARTED regulars at the Black Bull pub in Old Langho climbed three of the UK's highest mountains in under 24 hours to raise money for a special needs school. Bar manager Tony Murdoch and father and son team Ray and Ryan Price climbed Ben Nevis, Scarfell
ASIAN midfielder Amjad Iqbal has linked up with Burnley for a pre-season trial. The Farsley Celtic midfielder was another new face on show as the Clarets hit the training ground yesterday. Iqbal is aiming to step up from the Unibond Premier League ranks
BLACKBURN-based Inter Link Foods today announced record profits of £3.7million on a turnover that broke through the £50million barrier for the first time. The company, which provides cakes and pastry products to all of Britain's supermarket groups, achieved
A TERRITORIAL Army soldier returned from Iraq to a surprise party. Graham Black, 23, of Jubilee Street, Darwen, joined the TA to supplement his fees through university five years ago and says he never expected to be called to war. The detachment commander
THE family of a 16-year-old Darwen soldier killed in the Second World War have finally managed to thank the man who buried him. Jack Banks, formerly of Radford Street, was educated at Holy Trinity Primary and Spring Bank Secondary schools before joining
SELF-MADE multi-millionaire Trevor Hemmings has emerged as a potential buyer for Darwen's crisis-hit Crown Wallcoverings. And today union bosses and Darwen's MP said they would welcome the Chorley-born entrepreneur, even though he was in charge of Coloroll
AN ARMED robber pushed two terrified 16-year-old girls away from a building society counter before brandishing a gun at a terrified cashier. But the gunman escaped empty-handed from the Halifax Building Society, Borough Road, Darwen, when the female cashier
A WOMAN today revealed her anguish at being caught up in a smear test health scare just months after undergoing a lifesaving cancer operation. Jean Bell, 58, of Lorrel Avenue, Darwen, is among 450 female patients offered tests for sexually transmitted
A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy today spoke of the horrific moment when his leg was impaled on a four-foot long railing as he played football. Abu-Bakr Mahmood relived the accident as it was revealed Lancashire County Council had launched an inquiry into the incident
A CAMPAIGNING mum-of-four has left the house on her own for the first time in two years after being given a customised wheelchair. Iolanda Birmingham, 48, from Blackburn, has suffered from the debilitating neurological disorder dystonia, which affects
I THINK it is a great bit of business by Souey, selling a player who will not be in the first 11 in our team next year anyway. Who would he replace? Duff, Tugay, Flitcroft and Thommo would accomodate those positions so getting about £6 million is great
A MOTHER has appealed for people to help catch the thugs who beat up her 15-year-old son with a cricket bat. Her son, who wanted to remain anonymous, had attended a fair at Corporation Park with friends on Friday night and was standing in West Park Road
HAVING read the page of letters on David Dunn's move to Birmingham (LET, July 4) I'm surprised that people can be so naive as to think it's anything to do with his relationship with Graeme Souness. This transfer is all about money and nothing else. Dunny
IT is two years since the death of tragic Jake McGeough -- but it will be three more months before his parents find out how and why he died. Their little "angel"died at 18 months at Alder Hey Children's Hospital Jake's mother Keira spoke to Clare Cook
BLACKBURN Rovers star David Dunn maybe leaving for Birmingham City, for a fee of £5.5million, but he will never be far from the hearts of people in East Lancashire. Despite criticism from manager Graeme Souness earlier this year after newspaper reports
I THINK that David Dunn's actions have only gone to prove that Graeme Souness was right all along Souey is the manager and if he feels, rightly or wrongly, that a player is not pulling his weight he has every right to say so. Dunn's reaction was childish
BURY could swallow up two-thirds of Rossendale in a massive boundary shake-up following the election of a regional assembly. The valley's borough council looks set to disappear if North West residents vote next year for an elected assembly. This would
THE Darwen Library Players will perform The Odd Couple by Neil Simon on Friday September 5 and Saturday 6 at the Library Theatre at 7.30pm. This award-winning comedy is the female version of the famous film with the same name starring Jack Lemmon and
REGARDING your report (LET, June 30) on the road accidents in Abbey Village, the Comment section in that issue asked why no speed camera had been installed at this so-called accident blackspot. The answer is simple -- not enough motorists use this road
FOSTER carers have been officially rewarded and thanked for their years of dedicated service to youngsters. Social services staff hosted a reception on Monday of last week (June 30) at Ramsbottom Civic Hall to show their appreciation of foster and Home
A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy today spoke of the horrific moment when his leg was impaled on a four-foot long railing as he played football. Abu-Bakr Mahmood relived the accident as it was revealed Lancashire County Council had launched an inquiry into the incident
A WOMAN today revealed her anguish at being caught up in a smear test health scare just months after undergoing a lifesaving cancer operation. Jean Bell, 58, of Lorrel Avenue, Darwen, is among 450 female patients offered tests for sexually transmitted
AEROSPACE giant BAE Systems today announced 132 job losses at its high tech plant at Samlesbury. The company said it had already begun talks with the trade unions over the redundancies at its Air Systems and Aerostructures business units. BAE Systems,
A DRUG addict who beat up his then former partner in her own home, is behind bars for 18 months. Martin Gray, 29, punched "defenceless," victim Tracy Evans in the face, dragged her across the floor causing carpet burns and abused her in the 20-minute
THE leader of the British National Party in Burnley today told how would-be arsonists attempted to set his business premises on fire. The incident happened late Friday or early Saturday at his A1 Accountancy Services premises, St James' Street, Burnley
ARTHRITIS and the services given to sufferers should be a national priority, according to Pendle MP Gordon Prentice. Mr Prentice said: "One in five people live with arthritis and it affects people of all ages. We often think of it as affecting the elderly
A COLNE shopkeeper has been ordered to hand over his £15,000 alcohol stock, after he was caught selling lager without a licence. Mukhter Ahmed, 35, had money problems and now intended to go and live in Pakistan and leave his sister to make a go of running
STAFF and pupils at a Blackburn school celebrated its 75th anniversary. The children at Westholme Middle School, in Preston New Road, were given commemorative mugs to mark the occasion.
DUST down that Elvis suit and re-style those Beatles wigs - the stage is set for a star-studded spectacular. The search is on for East Lancashire's finest singing sensation with the return of 'Stars in Your Pubs'. The competition, run by Blackburn brewers
BLACKBURN defender Lucas Neill gave Graeme Souness a pre-season boost by putting pen to paper on a brand new four year contract last night. On the day Rovers opened talks with Aussie international Brett Emerton, Neill signed a deal which will keep him
NO doubt bewilderment and anger today accompanies the disclosure that 450 East Lancashire women were put at risk of catching hepatitis or sexually-transmitted diseases because instruments used in smear tests they had at a GP surgery were not properly
THE popular tale of a red headed moppet and her dog Sandy will be staged by St Wilfrid's School, Blackburn, in their first major musical production. Much of the cast of Annie will be made up of St Wilfrid's pupils. The production will raise funds for
MY husband has worked at Crown Wallcoverings for 12 years -- he was made redundant on July 1. How do you tell your kids that they can't go on holiday and you don't know where the money's going to come from now? The company did not even give him a letter
IT is peculiar that funding for Darwen's parks, usually the responsibility of the council, is to now be hidden among the guise of grants given via the 'friends groups.' The sum of £2,500 will buy a lot of bulbs and is no doubt a welcome boost to Bold
THE Preston branch of a homeless organisation could be forced to move out of the city if it can't find a site to build on. The local arm of Emmaus, which hopes to give 25 homeless people somewhere to live and work as well as an allowance, has been trying
A BURNLEY pub has dedicated a second room to a former Clarets favourite. The Foresters Arms, Todmorden Road, Burnley, has already devoted a room to Billy Ingham and is now paying homage to Colin Waldron, a member of Burnley's Second Division championship
BURNLEY people can now check the performance of the council after it published its performance plan for 2003. The Best Value Performance Plan sets out what the council is hoping to achieve over the next three years to make the borough a better place for
POLICE and fire chiefs were today examining CCTV footage in a bid to trace suspected arsonists. The investigation was launched into the attack after a blaze ripped through a row of shops in Nelson town centre. Scotland Road and part of Market Street were
A DECISION to close four Post Offices in Colne has shocked and angered councillors and the town's MP. As part of a restructuring programme designed to safeguard the future of the Post Office network, four in Colne are set to shut in autumn. The closures
AN equine artist was galloping to success in her profession and race horse owner Sheik Mohammed agreed. Joanne Taylor, 23, of Whalley, sold three of her pieces to the famous Sheikh.
A CARGO of cocaine and heroin was discovered hidden in a luxury MyTravel cruise ship, it has emerged. The discovery was made when MV Sundream arrived at Southampton from Gibraltar following its last Mediterranean cruise of the season. Customs officers
A SCHOOL will get an extra half-a-million pounds as a result of winning specialist science college status. Mount Carmel RC High School, in Wordsworth Road, Accrington, will get the money over four years as part of the award from the government's Department
CLARETS defender Arthur Gnohere handed the Clarets an injury scare in training yesterday. The French defender limped out of the first training session of pre-season with a worrying thigh strain. Ghohere, 24, has been ruled out of action for the rest of
THE Mayor of Bury proved a very worthwhile ambassador when he represented the borough at an international gathering in France. Councillor Wilf Davison attended a meeting of the 30 towns twinned with communities in the Limousin region of France. Visiting
PLANS for a £400,000 development at the former Lea Bank School have moved a step closer after talks between opposing groups. A meeting between Rossendale Civic Trust and the Lea Bank Group took place on Friday. They have agreed to leave the decision in
WORK on East Lancashire's new £100million superhospital is expected to start next week. Health chiefs hope to complete the deal which will allow work to start, at a meeting tomorrow, and it is due to take three years to complete. A financial wrangle with
I CANNOT say that I am at all surprised. A power struggle with Souness is only ever going to result in one winner and that was never going to be David Dunn. I suspect Mr Dunn can kiss any prospect of being a top player goodbye. Why Birmingham City? For
A TEENAGE woman accused of murdering her lover has told a jury: She didn't deserve to die. Louise Berry, 19, giving evidence at Preston Crown Court, also told how she didn't mean the threats to kill Mandy Burton she made in a 999 call just days before
I CONGRATULATE Graeme Souness on demanding that players do things in a manner he wishes, so, sadly, David Dunn had to go. All players must respect and fulfil the manager's method, otherwise there is no unity and harmony in the team. The present manager
NORTH End have confirmed that talks have started with the mystery international players Craig Brown is desperate to get his hands on. But the canny Scot is refusing to give any details away about who the potential signing is, for fear of alerting other
SOUTH African international George Koumantarakis has put pen to paper on a one year deal at Preston North End. The striker - who has played Champions League football for Swiss side FC Basle - first came to Deepdale on a short-term deal midway through
A LIFELONG Accrington Stanley fan has backed the club's quest for glory with a major sponsorship deal involving the renaming of the Crown Ground. And Stanley chairman Eric Whalley today defended the decision to adopt The Interlink Express Stadium name
THE telephone rings for the third time in five minutes. Nonchalantly, Eric Whalley leans across, puts on his best telephone voice and patiently takes yet another long-distance call requesting an Accrington Stanley shirt. Stalwart Eric has already worn
