A SPECIAL foodbank has been set up in Hyndburn during the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan. Netherton councillor, Noordad Aziz, set up the East Lancs Ramadhan Foodbank so that fasting Muslims can donate the food they would normally eat. The project
THE dad of tragic toddler Levi Bleasdale, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Burnley eight years ago, has been spared jail after admitting burglary. Lee Bleasdale, 30, had broken into an unoccupied house, which was in 'pristine condition
A STUDENT who repeatedly had sex with a Pendle schoolgirl under a canal bridge has been jailed for two years and four months. Burnley Crown Court heard how Hamiza Ali, now 19, had approached the girl, then 12, on Facebook in May 2011. Police
FUNDRAISERS were left ‘heartbroken’ after a charity website was put at the centre of an investigation into £250,000 of allegedly missing donations. The Charity Commission froze the activities of Charity Giving, an online donation portal owned by
PROTESTERS met outside a town hall to show their ‘disgust’ towards a proposed housing development. Around 200 demonstrators carrying placards stood outside Clitheroe town hall before last night’s Ribble Valley full council meeting in a bid to urge
ADDITIONAL office accommodation and new community rooms could be created at Whitegate Children’s Centre, in Victoria Road, Padiham. A planning application to build ground and first floor extensions have been submitted to Burnley Council.
AN Introduction to computers course will be held at Barnoldswick Library. The second of six sessions, run by Age UK, will be on Monday from 10am until 11.30am. It will cover using word, e-mail writing and online shopping. The course costs £12
A GROUP of tree-planting volunteers are appealing for more people to help them. The Trees for Burnley group work with the Forest of Burnley project and carry out tree planting, woodland management and rhododendron clearing in Towneley and other
DARK Horse will be riding into town for a gig at the Green Street working men’s club in Barnoldswick this Saturday. Local favourites Smart Casuals will round off the July weekend programme seven days later.
TOWNELEY Hall will be closed today. The planned closure was scheduled as United Utilities will be undertaking maintenance that involves the power being off for the day. The Stables café will be open as normal, as will the Offshoots project.
AQUA Tai Chi classes will be held at Pendle Leisure Centre in Colne on Wednesdays from 9.15 to 10am from July 24. Call 01282 661248.
A DANCE fitness and relaxation session for adults takes place every Thursday at Healey Wood Access Point, in Burnley. The sessions run from 7pm to 8pm with entry costing £2 on the door.
THE 50SOMETHING Theatre Company hold rehearsals every Thursday at Burnley Youth Theatre, in Queens Park, Road, from 1.15pm to 4pm. For more information call 01282 776332 or 01282 776655.
A MEN’S group in Worsthorne meets on the second Tuesday of every month to arrange games nights, quizzes and speaker meetings at 8pm in the upstairs room in the village church.
THE Fantastic Friday’s group meets at Haggate Baptist Chapel, in Burnley Road, from 6.30pm every Friday. It features a number of fun activities for primary schoolchildren.
THE Lighthouse Tai Chi group are running a weekly session at the Briercliffe Community Centre from 2pm every Thursday. The sessions are designed for people of all ages and levels of fitness and cost £4.
STAFF carried out their own detective work after a sophisticated raid on their business – and caught two suspects with a hidden camera. Four men smashed their way into electricals company WH Good, on Carrs Industrial Estate, in Haslingden, at around
IF you were a style savvy woman in the 1950s or the 1960s, it’s pretty certain that you will have owned an item of Bakelite. Whether a cute handbag or piece of statement jewellery, this was a huge fashion trend of the time. But even if you
OUR story about the police on point duty at the top of Church Street, outside Lloyds Bank in Blackburn, brought back memories and a smile with it, for Eric Nolan. The stalwart of Blackburn Drama Club recalled working at Nevilles, near Darwen Street
ON the eve of its centenary, Walsden Parish Church, Todmorden, was gutted in a fierce fire, watched by hundreds of parishioners. The next morning, with the spire the only substantial part of the building left standing, they began showering notes
Wakes Week holidays became a tradition in northern towns following the Industrial Revolution, so the cotton mills and manufacturing factories could be closed for maintenance. From June to September a different town was on holiday each week — though
A SMALL watercolour which he painted as a boy and now hangs on his living room wall is a daily reminder to Anthony Duckworth of the time he spent as a child with his grandparents in Blackburn. “I copied one of the paintings in my grandparents’
ANYONE taking a cursory glance through historical records and film of the suffragettes in full cry 100 years ago might be forgiven for thinking all the action centred around London – and nearby Epsom where Emily Davison threw herself in the path of
MORE than 1,000 workers at Accrington’s largest engineering factory – Platt International – walked out on strike on this day. The men, including skilled and semi skilled engineers, were protesting over the company’s refusal to pay them a cost of
AS age creeps up, you do find yourself trying hard not to keep referring back and claiming that things were better in the past – because in general they weren’t. When it comes to bringing up youngsters, it is particularly important that someone
EVERYONE in East Lancashire has an interest in how our hospitals are performing. We rely on Royal Blackburn and Burnley General for our health and ultimately for our lives. That’s why shockwaves reverberated around the area when the government
MY reaction to your front-page story about vandals leaving four Blackburn playgrounds closed for good (LT, July 15) is: same old, same old... The scum have to understand that there will be consequences for their actions, and that is up to the justice
IF you don’t have your own transport (‘U-turn over plans to cut Worsthorne bus service’, LT, July 13), why live in a village in the first place then moan when they threaten to axe the buses because they are loss making? willie eckerslike (via website
IN answer to the letter wondering if rail fares are being rigged to keep down official passenger numbers (LT Opinion, July 10) – it sounds like Dr Beeching shenanigans again! vicn1956 (via website).
I have grown up in Blackburn, lived there for 21 years minus a year I spent in Leeds. My father always reminds me of how nightlife came from across Lancashire. Coaches would come from Burnley, Bolton, Preston and Manchester for a night out in Blackburn
Despite all the promises, it is highly unlikely that there will ever be a referendum on our EU membership, but our political masters are taking no chances. Recently there was the direst of warnings that leaving the EU would fracture trade relations
I travelled from Blackburn to Clitheroe on one of Transdev’s new buses. Information displayed down the length of the interior informed me that the vehicle’s engine was “state of the art”, producing virtually no serious or detrimental emissions.
SO, it has been decided not to allow the old Ridgewood School building in Stoneyholme, Burnley, to be used by community groups (LT, July 15). Lancashire County council are a law to themselves and feel they do not have to respond to letters or give
INTERESTING that presenting Big Brother has made AJ Odudu a household name but her broad Blackburn accent has come in for criticism (LT, Weekend, July 13). Just ignore this stuff, AJ. It is the last resort of lazy southerners who can’t find anything
AS a single mother with twins, Ann Gerard was finding it hard to keep up with her children and 'exhausted' was the word she used to describe herself. Weighing nearly 16 stone, her blood pressure was dangerously high and her GP said she was ‘a dead
UNITED Utilities officers investigating unpaid bills at a property in Whitworth discovered a cannabis farm. The officers gained a warrant to access the terrace house, in Mill Fold, after a ‘large’ energy bill was left outstanding at the property
THE family of 88-year-old Catherine Hindle, of Cross Barn Grove, Darwen, said they did not feel their complaint had been dealt with properly by the hospital trust. Mrs Hindle died at Royal Blackburn Hospital in January last year but sons Ian and
A SCOUT group has raised fears over plans to build 20 new homes on playing fields near their headquarters. Leaders at the 2nd Rossendale Scout Group are worried that if plans are given the go-ahead by the council tonight, more than 160 children
A HOLIDAY park in Billington has raised £1,600 for Help for Heroes with a Party in the Park. Hackings Holiday Caravan Park holds the event every year and co-owner Linden Hacking said: “In recent years, this park has won numerous awards for environmental
A TRADITIONAL seaside holiday family fun day is to be held on Tuesday, September 10 in Nelson. To celebrate its first anniversary, Nelson Manor Care Centre has organised the event at 2pm. It will include sand modelling competitions, hook-a-duck
PENDLE Council leader Joe Cooney will go online to answer questions from residents tomorrow. The ‘Tweet the Leader’ event will run on Twitter and Facebook between 6 and 7pm. Coun Cooney said: “I’ve found that using social media is a really
NEIGHBOURS of a new 82-bed care home in Colne just yards from a high school fear they will be swamped by extra traffic. Residents on Gibfield Road, near Fisher More School, already have to put up with some parents parking in their own drives to
LANCASHIRE Care NHS Foundation Trust is looking for ‘passionate’ new committee members to volunteer their time and represent the public. The new members will have experience of mental health or community services themselves, or be a carer or family
CHRISTIAN leaders from a variety of denominations in Blackburn will join together for the first of a series of breakfast prayer meetings today. It will take place is the Salvation Army Citadel on the junction of Salford and Vicar Street at 8am.
COUNCIL bosses have launched another drive to get more children vaccinated against measles during the school holidays. Figures released by Public Health England showed there were three new cases during May, bringing the total number of confirmed
A DEAF woman who helps other hearing-impaired people to gain sign language qualifications said Big Lottery cash had been vital for her organisation. Jackie Bielby, who runs Yours In British Sign Language, a community interest company in Blackburn
PUBLIC meetings have been set up as part of the next phase of Cuadrilla’s exploration of Lancashire’s shale gas supplies. The company is currently drawing up planning applications for sites where it intends to drill, hydraulically fracture and
ARCHERY experts are on target to go from strength to strength after setting up a new club – and now hope to attract the next generation of archers. Archers from throughout Lancashire used to meet in Darwen at the Blackburn Rovers Sports Arena but
BUSINESSES planning for the future can get help at a special seminar today. The workshop is aimed both at people planning to start up an enterprise and those hoping to grow a firm. The seminar is between 9.30am and 4pm at Blackburn Enterprise
RAILWAYMEN who worked at any of the final steam motive power depots in Lancashire during the last days of British Railways’ steam in 1968 have been invited to a commemorative event. The weekend-long event will take place at the East Lancashire
BURNLEY residents are being encouraged to help set up their own neighbourhood watch schemes. PCSO Dave Johnson, who has helped set up schemes with the help of local volunteers, said: “Neighbourhood watch schemes are a vital tool to help the police
BURNLEY residents have reported finding dead bees in their gardens recently, but wildlife experts have said that people should not be overly concerned. Local beekeeper Tony Martin said: “It’s natural for this happen. “Bees only live for about
PENDLE MP Andrew Stephenson attended Cancer Research UK’s parliamentary reception to give his backing to the charity’s latest fundraising and awareness campaign. He said: “I’m delighted to support Cancer Research UK. While more of us will be diagnosed
THREE British Olympic champions are set to join Sir Bradley Wiggins for his ride through the Ribble Valley and Pendle next month. The Ride With Brad event is returning to East Lancashire for the second year in a row on Sunday August 11. Established
A STUDENT has been rubbing shoulders with the stars during a work placement programme with a TV company. Chloe Berry, 19, spent a week doing work experience as a runner with Timeline TV at their base in MediaCityUK, Salford. Chloe, from Burnley
BURNLEY Council is looking to take ownership of another 48 empty homes through compulsory purchase orders. Councillors on the executive committee which meets on Tuesday will be asked to approve the order. The Empty Homes Clusters programme
A CHALLENGE which encourages children to develop their love of books over the summer is being supported by an MP. Hyndburn and Haslingden MP Graham Jones said he was supporting this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. Last year, 780,000 children
A CHARITY shop has thanked supporters after a successful event to fight loneliness. Age UK staff in Accrington held a special ‘feel good day’ to raise awareness of social isolation. Crowds gathered at the Whalley Road store, where there was
A VINTAGE-THEMED spectacular is taking place at Oswaldtwistle Mills this weekend. The mill grounds will come alive with jugglers, magicians, and vintage singers, for a special Crafty Vintage Fair. A ‘village green’ will be set up for the event
PLANS to install a 5kw small wind turbine on an 18-metre high tower at Clough Head Farm in Broadhead Road, Edgworth, have been withdrawn by applicant Ray Houghton.
EAST Lancashire Hospice has volunteer vacancies for people to work in its shop in Bridge Street, Darwen. Anyone with spare time during the week can call Dawn on 01254 733410.
A STRAWBERRY cream tea will be held on Sunday, 2-4pm at the Carus Centre in Queen Street, Hoddlesden, in aid of St Paul’s Church in the village.
A PLAN to turn the former Whitehall Cafe at 19a Cemetery Road into a residential property have been refused. Planners said: “The proposed yard area, by virtue of its small size and lack of direct access from the residential dwelling, fails to meet
AGE UK stage an information event today at Darwen Health Centre for the over- 50s, from 8.30am to 1pm It will provide help about Age UK’s services in the town and outline entitlements and services people might be missing. Chief officer Pauline Walsh
POLICE arrested a 29-year-old for possessing drugs during a patrol of Darwen town centre. Officers of the town centre neighbourhood policing team patrolled the area on Friday night in a bid to tackle recreational drug use. Community beat manager
BOXES of unsold ‘I Love Darwen’ memorabilia have been put into storage because the town hall has no way of selling it. Gifts including T-shirts, tea towels and other small souvenirs were removed by Blackburn with Darwen Council from the Croft Street
ONE of the issues identified in the Keogh report refers to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust’s handling of accident and emergency cases, particularly patients who are re-admitted. It identified difficulties in ‘managing high patient levels, particularly
SPECIALIST health checks are being offered to Muslim communities during Ramadhan across East Lancashire. The Co-operative Pharmacy is providing help and advice on how to take prescribed medicines during the holy month of Ramadhan and also incorporating
AUTHOR and sports writer Dan Freedman visited students at a Darwen school to talk about his experiences. The author of the Jamie Johnson series of books visited Darwen Aldridge Community Academy. He explained how he hated reading as a child
A 23-YEAR-OLD man rampaged round a block of flats in Clitheroe banging on windows and shouting at occupants to let him in. Blackburn magistrates heard Leon Slymon claimed he came from Manchester and would get ‘some boys’ down to stab someone Slymon
DRIVERS are reminded to avoid Railway Road and Market Street in Darwen on Sunday as they will be closed for the pedal car grand prix. The fourth annual event, which sees teams race around a town centre circuit, has been split into separate categories
CHORLEY Moor Fun Day will take place at Buttermere Green, on Friday, August 2, from noon to 4pm. Free attractions at the event, funded by Chorley Community Housing, include bouncy castles, an inflatable slide, face-painting, crafts, live music, and
VOLUNTEERS are needed to help remove plant pests from two nature reserves. Lancashire Wildlife Trust and the Prospects Foundation will be tackling Himalayan balsam, in Woodnook Vale and Arden Hall, on Mondays throughout the summer, starting at 10.30am
DEFIBRILLATORS have been installed at two locations in Chorley town centre – at Chorley Town Hall, and the council’s Union Street offices. A third will shortly be installed at the covered market.
TRAVELLERS were moved on from a cricket club after a stand-off at an illegal encampment. Three caravans and a motorhome arrived at Hoghton Cricket Club on Monday afternoon. Staking out the site overnight, club volunteers and members of the
THE work of Lancashire’s independent patients’ champion was launched at the University of Central Lancashire. Delegates, who included 10 mayors and leaders of many groups working in health and social care, watched a short film which set out its
SIMONSTONE resident Canon Mike Chew has been elected as one of The Diocese of Blackburn representatives on the Church of England’s ruling body. He will join the House of Laity of the General Synod. Mike, 65, who was born and raised in Blackburn
A 25-YEAR-OLD man assaulted a Clitheroe landlady after she had ejected him for her pub. Blackburn magistrates heard trouble flared in the Buck Inn between Jordan Robinson and a group of his friends and locals. The disagreement became physical
HEALTH chief Dominic Harrison said he was ‘shocked and disappointed’ by news that the government had postponed the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he wanted to see how a similar system recently
PARK users have called for more action after a plant which can cause blindess and blistering was found in a Blackburn park. Warning signs have gone up in Witton Park after a dog walker found a large clump of Giant Hogweed close to the all-weather
BLACKPOOL Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which treats some patients from East Lancashire, was one of the 14 hospitals included in the Keogh Review. The trust was found to have been proactive in seeking external reviews to find solutions
THE son of Betty Chadwick, who died after a ‘routine’ knee replacement at Burnley General Hospital in October, said he wished the Keogh report had been published before her death. An inquest in April found key information about the Haslingden resident
Officials were forced to step in to stop patients from being harmed at hospital trusts investigated over high mortality rates, it has emerged. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said 11 of the trusts investigated by Sir Bruce Keogh, including East Lancashire
The review identified a number of concerns at the trust particularly related to the quality governance assurance systems. The review panel also identified a number of areas of good practice and dedicated staff, but there was more for the trust
EAST Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust was formed in 2003, as the result of a cost saving merger of Blackburn Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust and Burnley Health Care NHS Trust. The former Blackburn Royal Infirmary was decommissioned in the summer
YESTERDAY two prominent hospital leaders announced that they were stepping down. Chairman Hazel Harding CBE and chief nurse and deputy CEO Lynn Wissett both cited ‘personal reasons’ as an explanation for leaving their posts. A trained journalist
A RESIDENT wants more time to complete a building project at Cravens Cottage in Cravens Avenue, Blackburn. Dr Shirley Pressler has asked the council to renew the planning permission she received to extend the home.
A COUNCIL-run workshop will offer Blackburn with Darwen residents the chance to make positive changes to their life on Wednesday, July 31. The one-off session at the Your Support Your Choice centre in Town Hall Street, Blackburn will help identify
ANOTHER finding of the report identifies that at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, ‘certain clinical concerns raised by staff have not been addressed, including known high mortality at the weekends’. Last month it was reported recently published
THE trust which runs East Lancashire’s hospitals has admitted it has ‘a number of areas’ it must address after being placed into ‘special measures’ following a damning report. An investigation led by NHS medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh
BLACKBURN residents are invited to meet Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, as well as local police and fire service officers, at a roadshow outside the town hall on Tuesday from 2pm to 4pm. Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive
FIREFIGHTERS tackled a car blaze in Darwen. Crews were called to Richmond Terrace at 7pm on Monday. The vehicle, which was on the street, suffered severe damage to the engine compartment and smoke damage to the passenger side.
KING George’s Hall is hosting a chance for young people to meet prospective employers tomorrow. Hive Network’s ‘Young People and Employer Engagement Event’ will see 16 to 24-year-olds who are looking for work meet local employers with a view to
LANCASHIRE residents have been thanked by British Heart Foundation shops after helping turn their unwanted bags, boots and beds into lifesaving equipment, including 300 defibrillators for the county. Volunteering hours, donations and purchases
A CHARITY and a social housing group have teamed up to provide new work opportunities in East Lancashire. Groundwork Pennine Lancashire has become a member of the Together Housing Group, which includes Twin Valley Homes and Housing Pendle.
DOGS attacked seven postmen and women while they were on their rounds in East Lancashire in one year, new figures reveal. The Royal Mail released the numbers for the area including Accrington, Barnoldswick, Blackburn, Burnley, Clitheroe, Colne,
TRANSPORT Police are hunting a man who was abusive and homophobic towards a train conductor between Chorley and Buckshaw Parkway at around 1pm on June 12.
FREE swimming is being offered to young people aged under 16 at All Seasons Leisure Centre, Chorley and Brinscall Pool from next Monday until September. Children who live in the borough can swim for free for 45 minutes at All Seasons from 2.30
THE long-awaited Keogh Report has highlighted severe failings at East Lancashire’s hospitals. The hospitals trust was one of 11 in the UK put into ‘special measures’ because of high mortality rates. Russ McLean, chairman of the patient support
WHEELTON Rural branch of the Royal British Legion have thanked firms and the community for record donations to last year’s Poppy appeal. They presented a certificate to management at Botany Bay shopping village who raised over £2,000.
A SALON owner has reached the finals of the hair industry’s awards. Will Foran, who co-owns Foran and Blake hair salon in Market Walk, Chorley, is vying for the Most Wanted Awards.
EMERGENCY services were called to cut people free after a two-car collision. The incident on Brown Street, Accrington, involved a grey Astra and a red Rover. Paramedics treated several people and a 28-year-old woman was taken to Royal Blackburn
THE North West is missing out on investment in favour of the south, according to an MP. Hyndburn and Haslingden MP Graham Jones has voiced “worrying” concerns that an opportunity to spend more on the region’s infrastructure is being missed.
GARY Bowyer said last night that he was unaware of reported interest from Italian side Livorno in Gael Givet – with the Frenchman’s future still unresolved. Givet was left behind when Rovers recently travelled to Portugal for a pre-season training camp
BURNLEY boss Sean Dyche will continue to run the rule over trialist Scott Arfield with the Clarets chief admitting he is pleased with what he has seen from the former Huddersfield man so far. Arfield played and scored for Burnley in their 3-0 win at
THE brother of a 28-year-old man who died after collapsing in the street is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for charity. Richard Lord, 33, wants to raise £5,500 for Epilepsy Action after his younger brother Andrew, who had heart problems
JUNIOR journalists penned their own newspaper to celebrate a year of activity at Fearns Community Sports College, in Stacksteads. Eleven Year 9 pupils wrote stories, took photographs, and designed ‘Fearns Chat’. The 16-page A4 newsletter featured
A NURSE is set to face a health watchdog over allegations that she mismanaged a diabetic attack at a care home in Accrington. Michelle Brennan, who formerly worked at Addison Court, is facing a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing after an incident
BARNOLDSWICK can look forward to a quarter-final showdown in the LCB Lancashire Cup – and when they face off with Heywood Biwater on August 11 they will be in the presence of greatness. Luke Hodgson’s depleted Victory Park outfit turned in an outstanding
BUOYANT Barrowford climbed away from trouble in the Mewies Solicitors Craven and District Cricket League Division One as they relished a day in the sunshine at Bull Holme. The locals, who have been having a tough time of things this term, had been
SKIPPER Ian Simpson was the hero of the hour as he made a fine 42 not out to earn Longridge a win over Great Eccleston that keeps them in touch with the Moore and Smalley Premier Division title race. After Dan Wilkinson’s 47 got their chase of
THE good people of Hoghton Cricket Club can feel rightly proud of themselves this morning – and everyone else in the cricket family should raise a glass to them after they fought back and defended their ground against an unusual threat. Officials
LANCASHIRE Women are on course for a return to the top flight of the County Championship – and are just two play-off matches away from achieving their goal after completing the perfect Division Two campaign. The Red Rose girls, including Read’s
FORMER Rawtenstall batsman Andrew Clough turned in an excellent all-round display as he tries to lead his new club Oxford to promotion from the Home Counties Premier League Division Two. Clough, who was a star performer for Rawtenstall until he
ROSSENDALE Valley veteran stars Keith Roscoe and Mike Ingham will go gunning for Roses pride today when they line up for Lancashire Over 50s against Yorkshire at Rawtenstall’s Worswick Memorial Ground. Roscoe, who has recently broken through the
THE Foster’s Lancashire League Moorhouse’s Twenty20 season may have come to an end with Lowerhouse claiming the 2013 crown – but there is an special game on Friday that will feature the champions professional Francois Haasbroek. The South African
DAVID Ormerod says he feels an enormous sense of pride after he reached the rare milestone of 1,300 Lancashire League wickets at the weekend – but the 44-year-old wishes his father could have been there to see the magical moment. Accrington’s ex-Bacup
CHORLEY suffered a heartbreaking five run defeat in Shropshire as they bowed out of the ECB National Knockout competition at the quarter-final stage. Andy Holdsworth’s men, seemed certain to upset the odds and stun the favourites and continue their
THE Houldsworth Solicitors Ribblesdale League were knocked out of the Reader’s Inter-League Trophy at the semi-final stage the Bolton League after they lost to them in last year's final. And after they batted first on a glorious day at Salesbury
BEN Heap admitted it was a great feeling as he blasted Lowerhouse to the Moorhouse’s Lancashire League Twenty20 title – and said he was pleased to fire shot at his critics. The opening batsman admits he has not been at his very best this term but
A FORMAL bid to save the Hare and Hounds, in Lammack, as a pub by designating it as an ‘asset of community value’ is being backed by Tory group leader Mike Lee. The move, under new government legislation, would give campaigners six months to raise
