Archive

  • EVENTS in East Lancashire on Friday, December 31

    BURNLEY Luncheon Club, Queen Street Mill, Briercliffe, 12.30pm. Youth Club (eight-13 year-olds), Youth Centre, Burnley Road, Padiham, 6.30pm-8pm. Tae Kwon Do, Padiham Leisure Centre, 5.30pm-7pm. Jamie Harvey and Big Daddy Cat, The Terrace, Hammerton Street

  • Community work is no soft option

    THOSE involved with treating offenders are constantly looking for ways of trying to deter them from committing further crimes. Society demands that people who attack, rob and steal from those around them are punished but also wants them to realise the

  • Keep on fighting for Lancashire

    I SERVED in the Queen's Lancashire Regiment for six years and one of my sons also served six years. I very much disagree with the re-organisation proposal. I am glad the Lancashire Evening Telegraph complained about the possible re-organisation of the

  • Playing the benefits system

    I SAW a TV programme recently which exposed a social security cheat who was playing golf and trundling his golf clubs around after claiming he could not walk without crutches and it made me think. This week I saw a man in Peel Street, Accrington, debating

  • April start for Sports Village

    CONSTRUCTION of Leigh's flagship Sports Village will start in April with all the work scheduled to be completed by the end of 2007. A replacement Sixth Form College will be the first part of the multi-million pound scheme to get underway with the sports

  • Kilby has the club in his blood

    The MARTIN DOBSON column BARRY Kilby and I go back a long way. Probably further than either of us would care to remember. In the dim and distant past, at Clitheroe Grammar School, we would regularly meet up with the rest of the first team squad to discuss

  • Lingering behind linguistically

    NORTH West MEP Chris Davies is urging the people of Bury to expand their linguistic skills and learn another language. The Liberal Democrat said he was concerned that many schools are no longer pushing students to take a foreign language post 14-years-old

  • YMCA closure 'a scandal'

    BLACKBURN YMCA has been forced to sell its Clarence Street site to a major housing developer who plans to turn it into flats. Ian Sadler, chief executive of Blackburn YMCA Ltd, today confirmed the sale had been agreed through property agents Trevor Dawson

  • Anger as wheelie bin collections halted

    THE MAYOR of Burnley has demanded an investigation because her bin has not been emptied for three weeks. Councillor Margaret Lishman is among thousands of residents who have been left with wheelie bins overflowing with the remains of Christmas dinner

  • Safe moves on roads

    SAFETY measures are to be introduced on a busy network of roads in Radcliffe. A final plan has been drawn up by Bury Council's highways department after consultations with residents living near to the School Street area of the town. Road closures, speed

  • Scared we would learn the EU truth

    WE can all be quite certain that the EU is an economic disaster. We do not need to sift through the heaps of evidence which prove it. Why? Because of the Government's refusal to carry out a totally independent cost-benefit analysis of the whole EU shambles

  • Co-op gave good 'divi' to the town

    Bygone Burnley, with MOLLY HAINES DID you shop at the Co-op? Many older people will remember the days when you could buy almost anything there, from groceries to furniture, clogs to jewellery, and get 'divi' as well! By 1900 the Co-operative Central Stores

  • Carers who need care themselves

    WE recently marked National Carers Rights Day with more than 400 events taking place throughout the country. Our aim was to raise awareness of the benefits and support available to those who provide unpaid care. What readers may not know is the worrying

  • Typical 'journey experience'

    I HAD a good laugh when I read a recent article headlined "Buses to be equipped with space-age technology". Russell Gard, First's commercial director for Manchester, talks about an "in-depth picture of the journey experience" - a term which is a joke

  • No, the economy is not successful

    THE "Economy" is a word used to describe "the thrifty and efficient use of available resources" by the Government of the day. A successful Economy is claimed to be this administration's biggest achievement but this is not backed up by the facts. Much

  • Huge thank-you from Santa

    On behalf of the members of the Rotary Club of Radcliffe, may I say a big thank you to all the people of Radcliffe for the most generous response to our Christmas Sleigh appeal this year. Our hope each year is that our efforts will bring a taste of seasonal

  • Choose to fight for baby unit

    FAIRFIELD Baby Lifeline Society (FBLS) wishes the people of Radcliffe a Happy New Year. The society is extremely grateful for the overwhelming public support during the campaign against the proposed closure of the children's ward, special care baby unit

  • Wood in honour of babies is set to grow

    A TREE planting session is to be held at a woodland created to commemorate the birth of millennium babies in Hyndburn. Volunteers will be out at the Millennium Baby Woodland, off Burnley Road, Altham, on Saturday, January 29, to add to the growing area

  • Shed some light on my lamp

    AN amateur antiques collector has asked the Haworth Art Gallery to look at a lamp he believes to be an early example of a Tiffany table lamp. Anthony Goode, has been trying to delve into the history of the object, which he bought in Italy for £1,500,

  • Trader coshed in armed shop raid

    AN Accrington shopkeeper was coshed with what police believe was a handgun in an armed robbery. Iftikhar Ashraf, 20, was attacked around 7pm last night in his family's shop Thoroughgoods, Manchester Road. A white man wearing a black balaclava threatened

  • Parents want precious tapes of Melanie back

    A MUM has appealed to burglars who broke into her home to return priceless video tapes capturing the first ten months of her baby daughter's life. Marie Tatlock, 37, urged the thieves to "have a heart" and hand in the three tapes which include footage

  • Park and cried: New mum gives birth in car

    A PROUD new dad today said he would never look at the passenger seat of his car in the same way after his fiancee gave birth to their first child there. Andrew Ormerod, 28, had managed to drive his partner Louise Reeves, 21, as far as the car park at

  • Photos in the spotlight

    ANYONE interested in photography or seeking advice on the subject is invited to Atherton and District Amateur Photographic Society. On Thursday, January 6 there's a practical session teaching the basics of how to develop your own photographs and set up

  • Back our busway plea to Minister

    LEIGH MP Andy Burnham has called on the Transport MInister Alastair Darling to back Leigh's guided busway. Speaking in the Commons he urged the Secretary of State to bear in mind the needs for the whole of Greater Manchester in the light of north west

  • Clarets camp remains upbeat

    STAND-IN skipper Graham Branch believes Burnley have proved they can cope with the loss of Robbie Blake. The Clarets ended the year on a high earlier this week after Paul Jewell's pre-match comments inspired the side to beat high-flying Wigan without

  • Player search

    GOLBORNE Cricket Club are looking for a player/coach for the coming season. Anyone interested should contact either Denis Ormshaw on 07970 678 562 or Dale Tyrer on 0773 222 9381. Additionally, the club are also looking for new players. Winter net sessions

  • East's best show yet

    THREE tries in the first 10 minutes saw Leigh East U13s build the platform for their best win of the season so far. Leigh's forwards ripped the Burtonwood defence apart and when the East had to defend they were dominant right across the park. A slight

  • Squash leaders toppled

    LANCASTRIAN First squash team pulled off a deserved 3-2 victory against the previously unbeaten table toppers, David Lloyd Bolton. After a shaky start, where Mike Carter found himself up against a very hard hitting, pacey shot-maker, the match began to

  • Leigh at the double

    LEIGH RU took early control of their game against Sandbach to collect their first double of the season with a 36-3 win. They opened the scoring when Wilcock was allowed too much room in midfield where his pace easily took him through the visitors defence

  • Caribbean Christmas

    HURRICANE Ivan did not stop plans for a special Christmas on the island of Grenada. Radcliffe fundraiser David Roberts is still making collections to help people on the devastated spot in the Caribbean. Since September, David has worked hard to collect

  • Rovers ready for second Savage bid

    BLACKBURN Rovers are set to make a second bid for Robbie Savage after the Birmingham midfielder last night admitted he's desperate to return to the North West. Savage has opened his heart and spoken for the first time about the 'personal problems' that

  • Clarets camp remains upbeat

    STAND-IN skipper Graham Branch believes Burnley have proved they can cope with the loss of Robbie Blake. The Clarets ended the year on a high earlier this week after Paul Jewell's pre-match comments inspired the side to beat high-flying Wigan without

  • 478 drivers fined for phone talk

    MOTORISTS have discovered there is no such thing as free speech. In one week at the beginning of the month, a total of 478 drivers across Greater Manchester were issued with £30 fixed penalty notices after being caught using their mobile phones while

  • New hope in fight to extend Metrolink

    VITAL funding for the upgrading of the Bury-Manchester Metrolink line could have been won back. Greater Manchester transport bosses are poised to quiz Government ministers over the improvement work, which was effectively suspended when the Government

  • Music society date

    LEIGH Music Society present pianist Stewart Death and euphonium player Paul Walton on Sunday January 9 at 2.15pm in the Derby Room at Leigh Turnpike Centre. Admission at the door is £6 adults, £2 students and children.

  • Traders pitch in to help tsunami victims

    MARKET traders in Darwen have launched a cash appeal for victims of the tsunami in Asia. Stallholders in the market hall decided they wanted to play a part in the rebuilding of the various countries devastated by the tidal wave, including Sri Lanka, Thailand

  • £23,500 windfall for park pergola

    A COMMUNITY project to replace the Hindle Aviary in Bold Venture Park with a modern pergola has received thousands of pounds of government cash. And the new feature, which is expected to be a focal point in the park, is due to be officially launched in

  • Fudge's return is the best present

    A FAMILY left heartbroken when their puppy disappeared are looking forward to a happy New Year after they were reunited with their tiny pet pooch. Nicky Cook-Martin, 31, who has three young children, David, 12, Emma, seven, and Blake, six, had been preparing

  • Son's flight of mercy

    THE pilot son of a Helmshore woman is helping spearhead the evacuation of the tidal wave-ravaged Maldives. MyTravel airman Martin Wiggan is helping rescue passengers from the islands to Bahrain. It is part of a huge operation by East Lancashire-based

  • Air cadets honoured

    AIR cadets were rewarding for their outstanding fund-raising efforts by Leigh Branch of the RAF Association, Mr Arthur Rothwell, when he visited Leigh Air Training Corps. The Royal Air Force Association charity was established to help former members of

  • Baby death tragedy

    A THREE-MONTH-OLD baby girl has died after being admitted to hospital. Police were called to Wigan Royal Albert and Edward Infirmary at 7am on Wednesday after reports from hospital staff that the girl, from Hindley, had died. There are not believed to

  • Recycle your old Christmas tree here

    RECYCLING facilities for old Christmas trees are available until January 9 at: Clare Farms, Nel Pan Lane, Leigh; Bickershaw Hall Nurseries, Bickershaw Lane; Alder Lane Nurseries, Hindley; Laurel Nurseries, Atherton Road, Hindley; Pennington Flash Country

  • Charity bonanza

    CHARITIES will benefit from more than £6,500 collected by Radcliffe's Rotary Club. The people of Radcliffe donated the money as the Christmas sleigh took to the streets. Mike Edwards, the president of Radcliffe Rotary, said the response from the public

  • Seeing double at Christmas

    CHILDREN watched open-mouthed as Santa made a double visit to Gorsefield Primary School in Radcliffe. The Rotary Club of Radcliffe organised his visit by sleigh to their Christmas fair, and he returned a few days later to have his picture taken with more

  • Concert brings in notes

    SINGING the praises of Bury Lions! That is Bury Hospice which has taken delivery of a £750 cheque from the club. The Lions sponsored the hospice's recent week-long series of Festival of Voices concerts which climaxed with a successful Songs from the Shows

  • Big cash boost for hospice

    STAFF at Bury Hospice are looking forward to a happy new year after receiving a donation from a Manchester-based national healthcare provider. Healthsure, which covers half a million people across the UK, donated £3,000 to the hospice in Dumers Lane,

  • Burns man goes home

    A MAN who was allegedly set on fire as he slept in a bus shelter was released from hospital to spend Christmas at home. Matthew Kitchen (41) suffered burns to his face and chest in the incident on Bury Road, Radcliffe, on October 3. Doctors at Wythenshawe

  • Enjoy the festivities in safety

    GREATER Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has issued guidelines to ensure householders enjoy a safe holiday over the festive period. County Fire Officer Barry Dixon said: "There is far more potential for a fire during this period due to candles being

  • Health chief's plea to smokers

    HEALTH officials are urging parents to make it their New Year's resolution to stop smoking for the sake of their children's health. Bury Primary Care Trust (PCT) wants to reduce the number of youngsters admitted to hospital with a chest infection who

  • Saying thank-you for a wonderful life

    BRAVE Radcliffe youngster Beth Morris caught up with her old friend swimmer Adrian Turner to thank people for giving blood. Beth (8), of Hollow Meadow, Ringley, first met the Commonwealth medallist after she battled against leukaemia and needed blood

  • Obscure little shop is a global success

    A TINY Christian bookshop in Blackburn is proving an international success - by supplying dog collars and communion wafers as far afield as the Isle of Skye and Spain! The volunteers who staff the bookshop at St Barnabas Church, Johnston Street, every

  • YMCA closure 'a scandal'

    BLACKBURN YMCA has been forced to sell its Clarence Street site to a major housing developer who plans to turn it into flats. Ian Sadler, chief executive of Blackburn YMCA Ltd, today confirmed the sale had been agreed through property agents Trevor Dawson

  • Festive crime figures will make an interesting read

    IT was good to read that Bury police were going to "get tough on louts" this Christmas. But why just at Christmas? Why not all year round? It was not that long ago that Tony Blair was blaming the increase in crime on the liberal 1960s. He now says that

  • Don't be so miserable in charity shop

    SOME customers have started treating charity shops like boot sales. The number trying to haggle down the prices has increased so much that Leigh's hospice shop has been forced to put up a sign stating "We are not a car boot sale. We do not barter". I

  • It makes me sick

    I WELCOME the £80 on the spot fines for drunks vomiting in the street. It is something that has haunted me all my life and turns my stomach over. As a child I lived virtually next door to St Paul's Labour Club in Westleigh and I remember my poor grandma

  • RMI frozen out

    LEIGH RMI were left kicking their heels on Boxing Day as the home leg of their festive double-header with Northwich became a victim of the weather on Boxing Day. The white Christmas left Leigh fans feeling the blues but as fans assisted the groundstaff

  • RMI second best as United romp it

    EDGAR Street has been the kindest of all Conference grounds to Leigh RMI in recent years but the luck ran out on holiday Tuesday as Hereford eased to a comfortable victory. RMI had won on three of their last five visits to the Welsh border town but, now

  • Record day for Ribble line-up

    THE road-racing year ended with a bang at Clitheroe, as the Ribble Valley 10K attracted the strongest field seen in East Lancashire during 2004. There was also phenomenal support from the rank and file club athletes with Blackburn Harriers selling well

  • Article brought back memories

    A FRIEND of mine has enclosed in her Christmas card to me the article in your paper namely "Looking Back," on November 25, 2004. This was of great interest to me as my father is PC W Grogan, and he was indeed the Champion Plunge policeman. He could plunge

  • Body found in garden

    THE body of a 19-year-old man has been found in the garden of a house in Hindley. Police were called to an address on Ashfield Avenue after reports from a member of the public that a body had been discovered. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

  • Tories aim to cut police resources

    I CAN'T believe the barefaced cheek of the Darwen Tory general election candidate in his letter (LET, December 16) titled 'Tories would be tough on burglars'. The Tories, if elected, have already committed to cutting £1.6billion from the Home Office budget

  • Concentrate on nursing staff - not buildings

    ON (November 26) you published a photograph of the various changes taking place in Burnley General Hospital. The buildings being referred to as 'state of the art.' I wondered why it is found necessary to have a retail outlet as part of a hospital campus

  • Anger as wheelie bin collections halted

    THE MAYOR of Burnley has demanded an investigation because her bin has not been emptied for three weeks. Councillor Margaret Lishman is among thousands of residents who have been left with wheelie bins overflowing with the remains of Christmas dinner

  • Town bids to attract film crews

    BURY is hoping to attract more film crews which will bring investment as well as putting the town on the TV map. Figures from the Manchester Film Office show that Bury lies in sixth place in the Greater Manchester league for choice locations. Crews spent

  • Centurions scare Saints before Moore clinches it

    ST HELENS 17, LEIGH CENTURIONS 16 by Mike Hulme: Pre-season trial games are notorious for creating false impressions but if the Centurions can keep this sort of performance going when the real stuff starts in February, they might not be the Super League

  • Rovers ready for second Savage bid

    BLACKBURN Rovers are set to make a second bid for Robbie Savage after the Birmingham midfielder last night admitted he's desperate to return to the North West. Savage has opened his heart and spoken for the first time about the 'personal problems' that

  • Keep the villains out

    RESIDENTS in East Lancashire are being urged to add improving home security to their list of New Year's resolutions. Crime-busting police in the Pennine Division want to prevent the distress that occurs when post-Christmas burglaries are committed. Officers

  • Student works with world's decision makers

    A BURNLEY student has been rubbing shoulders with the leader of the United Nations, Secretary General Kofi Annan. Former Towneley High School pupil Sulman Hassan is working as a legal intern at the UN headquarters in New York and has seen Mr Annan, who

  • Pal's dash to find Thai ex-wife

    AN East Lancashire couple face an anxious wait after their friend flew back to Thailand in a bid to find his ex-wife. Kevin Haworth and his Thai wife Penkae, say their friend Jason, who lives in Phuket but had been visiting their Padiham home over Christmas

  • Insight into history from 19th-century village 'sage'

    TALES of witchcraft, the Rowley Boggart and the stocks were all recorded by Worsthorne's 'Owd Tat' - Tattersall Wilkinson. Now his memories of Worsthorne have been put together in a new book by local historian Ramon Collinge. Wilkinson, known as 'the

  • Neville back to help Shakers

    SHAKERS' board have called upon the club's former commercial director Neville Neville to rectify the crippling cashflow problems at Gigg Lane. Neville, father of Manchester United and England stars Phil and Gary, will oversee all aspects of the club in

  • Let's have your unwanted gifts

    PENDLESIDE Hospice is asking for the presents no-one wants. Those socks that granny bought, that tie from your sister-in-law, all those toiletries that you will never use in a month of Sundays and the chocolates you promised not to eat as part of your

  • Seperate pubs is a silly idea

    IN response to the comments of Mr Burke and Mr Wright (Letters, Dec 16) on smoking, it looks as though I have started a heated debate. I wrote a few weeks ago about not banning smoking in public completely, but having separate areas for smokers. How silly

  • Winter's tales frozen in time

    Looking Back, with GILL J0HNSON EAST Lancashire has just experienced its first cold, white Christmas for some years, but I wonder which winter readers reckon was the worst of all? Depending on your age and memory, there are three major contenders -- there

  • Green waste scheme to go ahead

    A NEW recycling scheme in Pendle is set to be phased in during the New Year. Every house in the borough is to have a green box for glass and cans, which will be collected fortnightly. The new system will save people the trouble of taking recyclable materials

  • It's beer bash time again!

    ATHERTON and Tyldesley Round Table's 16th Bent and Bongs Beer Bash is being held at the end of January at the Formby Hall in Atherton. The 15 events so far have raised over £200,000 for local charities. Last year Francis House Children's Hospice and Atherton

  • Last chance to vote for deserving local sports

    BURY Metro Sports Forum have started their search for the borough's sportspeople of the year, and the public are invited to nominate their choices for the various categories. There will be awards for the sportsman and sportswoman of the year, disabled

  • Garden Centre supports brave Kirsty's appeal

    KIRSTY Howard, the charity fund-raiser with a £5 miliion target to help her friends at Francis House Children's Hospice, collected 50 Bents' Bears from the Glazebury garden centre. Bents has donated bears to different causes including Pendlebury Children's

  • Golden day for fund-raising champ

    HARD-working charity fund-raising organiser Eva Howard and husband Frank have celebrated 50 golden years together. Eva was the chairman of the Culcheth group of the Pat Seed Cancer Fund which raised £1million for a CAT scanner for the Christie Hospital

  • Plans in the pipeline

    TYLDESLEY Subscription Club members could get a new clubhouse if planners agree to a request to demolish the existing building and replace it with another. And at Golborne permission is being sought to turn the police station in High Street into a veterinary

  • The GLENN KEELEY column

    MARK Hughes has passed his first big test as a Premiership manager after transforming the fortunes of Blackburn Rovers over the last three months. Now the former Wales boss must prove his worth in the transfer market when the window opens in three days

  • Runners happy with first season

    ASTLEY & Tyldesley Road Runners completed their first cross country season with a injury hit team. Tony Battersby finished an impressive 11th overall in the four race series, Nick White 22nd, Gary Stevens 26th and Craig Bradbury 31st. The majority

  • Council aims for £1.7 million of savings

    BURY Council is looking at making £1.7 million of savings and possibly increasing next year's council tax by 6.7 per cent. Bosses are wrestling to bring the budget into line while faced with a double whammy of a poor financial settlement and Government

  • Bury and District Snooker League individual knockout draws

    A SECTION FIRST ROUND D McHugh (20) 797 8080 v R Joyce/P Hamer; R Howarth (15) 797 2059 v L Cockcroft, Elton Fold; J Dearden (SCR) 07931 707019 v G Newall(40) 798 6781; M Burns (25) 01706 364853 v D Keane, Salisbury; P Brearley (20) 763 7278 v P Heaton

  • Police statistics make arresting reading

    GREATER Manchester Police (GMP) is leading the way nationally with the largest increase of arrests than any other force across the country. New figures show that GMP has achieved a 17 per cent increase in arrests for 2003/4, 12,172 more compared to the

  • It's a really rubbish time in December

    CHRISTMAS revellers throughout the borough are being urged to stop for a moment and think about the environment. Around three million tonnes of rubbish was generated last year across the UK during the week from Christmas Day to the New Year, with 83 sq

  • Town is 15th in low pay league

    BURY has been ranked 15th in a north west low pay league, with workers earning nearly £80 per week below the national average. A study by the GMB union into the average gross weekly earnings for full-time workers showed employees in the borough earn a

  • Recipe for success was served-up at business forum

    KEY ingredients involved in strategic planning for business owners came sharply under the microscope during a special event held in Bury. The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and NatWest commercial banking teams from Bury and Bolton jointly hosted a strategic

  • Antiques meeting

    LEIGH Antiques and Collectibles Society meets in the Derby Room, Leigh Library, on January 27, at 7.30pm when the speaker is M Gilberton on the Hultons of Hulton. Admission for non-members is £2.50.

  • Candidate's bid to reduce stamp duty

    NIGEL ADAMS, Rossendale's Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate, has added his backing to reduce the burden of stamp duty on first time buyers and families. Research has revealed that, since 1997, the average first time buyer in Lancashire

  • Denied charge

    A TRIAL is to be fixed by Bury magistrates in the case of a Radcliffe man accused of driving with more than twice the legal level of alcohol in his system. Michael Bradley (24), of Bolton Road, Radcliffe, denied the charge of drink- driving in Sefton

  • On the oche for hospice

    PRESENTATIONS were made to darts players Marie McKinney and David Swindells at Radcliffe's Shirt Club , in recognition of Marie's 20 years and David's 15 years of charitable services to the St Ann's Hospice in Little Hulton. And David Lennard the son

  • Woman burned after television fire

    A WOMAN was treated for burns to her feet and smoke inhalation after a kitchen fire. Firefighters were called to King Street in Radcliffe at 2am on Boxing Day after a television set had been left on top of a switched-on cooker, and began to melt. The

  • A fond farewell for Vera

    BURY social services staff have said a fond farewell to senior home carer Vera Nelson. The 62-year-old, who had overseen a 15-strong team, has retired after working for the local authority for the past 28 years. Mrs Nelson, who lives in Radcliffe, had

  • Antiques meeting

    LEIGH Antiques and Collectibles Society meets in the Derby Room, Leigh Library, on January 27, at 7.30pm when the speaker is M Gilberton on the Hultons of Hulton. Admission for non-members is £2.50.

  • Music society date

    LEIGH Music Society present pianist Stewart Death and euphonium player Paul Walton on Sunday January 9 at 2.15pm in the Derby Room at Leigh Turnpike Centre. Admission at the door is £6 adults, £2 students and children.

  • 'Rethink Army deal plan'

    THE Government has been told to rethink plans to take the manufacturing of camouflage uniforms from a Blackburn factory and give it to the Chinese. Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle has told ministers at the House of Commons that the decision to take the contract

  • Crooks cheat justice

    ONLY seven out of 10 crooks are complying with community punishment orders handed down by the courts, new figures out today reveal. But the report shows Lancashire Probation Service is coming down hard on criminals who don't carry out their orders. Across

  • We must try to start the New Year on a high -

    The PAUL MULLIN column WE couldn't have asked for a better start at Gravesend and Northfleet on Tuesday. But the lion's share of the decisions went against us and I think that's what cost us in the end. From a personal point of view, I was delighted with

  • Tsunami relief effort needs help

    UNICEF is rushing relief to the countries hardest hit by massive ocean flooding following Sunday's earthquake which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. Hundreds of thousands of people fought to survive the tsunamis. Now we need to help

  • The worst year of my life

    CHEERS to the end of 2004 and the worst year of my life so far! It's been a year of torment, worry and relief with all three of the nearest and dearest to me being treated for life-threatening illnesses. I've had to deal with a very serious cancer, a

  • Driving is such a chore

    TO mark the 70th anniversary of the driving test in 2005 motorists who sat tests, as either a learner or instructor, in the 1930s, 40s or 50s, are invited to share their memories. The DfT and Driving Standards Agency which administers British driving

  • What's the difference? They all kill people

    A CHILD is stabbed to death in Britain every two weeks. Bereaved families are calling for a minimum prison sentence of five years for carrying a knife - not killing with one, just carrying one - the same sentence as for carrying a gun. Doubtless millions

  • TV insight into drug den estate

    THE inside story about hardcore drugs on a Bury housing estate is to be told in a hard-hitting television documentary. BBC programme Drugland: Manchester will visit the "Dicky Bird" estate where drug dealer Rupert Satchell was shot dead two years ago.