Archive

  • Girls' Grammar reunion

    BURY Grammar School (Girls) are having a 20-year reunion. Were you 11 in 1971, leaving school in 1976/78? Contact Clare Saunders, Orchard Health Centre, Banbury, Oxon. Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have

  • Chemists on duty

    Thursday, July 2 Click here to see a complete list of chemists on duty in the East Lancashire area. Blackburn: To 9pm: Peels, 4 Railway Road. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road; To 6.30pm: E

  • Today in history: July 3

    1423: King Louis XI of France was born. He once commanded a pigs' choir to be formed. So a courtier rigged up a keyboard connected to a row of spikes. When you pressed a key, a spiked pig would squeal. In the 1938 movie "If I Were King" Louis was played

  • Children at risk on 'rat run'

    A WORRIED mum says children's lives are at risk because speeding drivers are swerving round unfinished traffic calming systems. Boy racers use the speedbumps as chicanes and drive round them at speed through parking bays, said Julie Donnelly of Lawrence

  • Atherton on the rack

    A SENSATIONAL batting collapse underlined the reasons behind Atherton's free-fall down the Vimto Bolton Association. With matches drowning under the summer rain, they faced championship hopefuls Adlington - one of the few games to go ahead. And Adlington

  • Footwear boss dies at work

    A FATHER of four and local businessman has died suddenly aged 41. John Hargreaves collapsed and died at the family firm of L J and R Footwear, Waterfoot, where he was a director. "Everyone is absolutely gutted," said his tearful brother Richard today.

  • Chemists on duty

    Wednesday, July 1 Click here to see a complete list of chemists on duty in the East Lancashire area. Blackburn: To 9pm: Peels, 4 & 6 Railway Road; The Surgery (Chiropody), 132 Lammack Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52

  • Alzheimer's sufferer died, aged 42

    A FAMILY has been advised to seek counselling after the death of three relations from illnesses related to Alzheimer's disease. Julie Turner, a 42-year-old mother, died of broncho-pneumonia brought on by Alzheimer's Disease, an inquest heard. Tests ruled

  • Hospital plans top the agenda

    THE future of Bury's hospitals will top the agenda at a Bury and Rochdale Health Authority meeting on Wednesday (July 8). The results of a public consultation are to be given detailed consideration. Plans are in hand to close Bury General Hospital on

  • Look out for Ace of Base

    LOTS going on this week in the news especially to do with football. Away from the World Cup, Jamie Redknapp and Louise tied the knot on Monday night in Bermuda . On the radio if you want to win some cash then make sure you're listening to Radio City 96.7

  • Emma's varied life

    Obituary A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER who enjoyed riding motorcycles in her younger days has died aged 95. Mrs Emma Duckworth, of Livesey, Blackburn, also drove an on-call ambulance during the Second World War. Married to the late Frank Duckworth, who died in

  • Ripley in new Saints talks

    STUART Ripley looks as though he could be on his way to Southampton after having discussions with Blackburn Rovers' Premiership rivals yesterday. Although the deal has yet to be finalised. The two clubs have already agreed on a £1.5 million fee for the

  • Borough's get fit challenge

    BURY Council has laid down a Commit to Get Fit challenge to local people, promoting the annual event as possibly the best move they could ever make. Council-run Images Gym centres at Castle Leisure Centre and Radcliffe Pool have joined forces to boost

  • Leyland man wins World Cup final tickets

    BEING a fan of Manchester City means you don't often have something to boast about... But Leyland man Simon Taylor is the exception to the rule. For the long-suffering City fan is preparing to shoot off to France for the biggest match this year - the

  • Hostage Paul's final photos go on show

    THE final photographs taken by missing Kashmir hostage Paul Wells are to go on display in his home town. The exhibition of Paul's pictures at Blackburn Cathedral has been organised to mark the third anniversary of his disappearance. A total of 18 photographs

  • Clark not in the frame

    SUNDERLAND midfielder Lee Clark is not likely to become Blackburn Rovers' latest transfer target, despite reports to the contrary, writes PETER WHITE. And the Ewood club today rubbished a speculative national newspaper story that Colin Hendry was about

  • Unappy ret-urn?

    TRADERS are planning a surprise reception when Ramsbottom's controverial Grecian urn finally arrives on Sunday. It will be the second time the bronze urn, officially known as the Tilted Vase, has arrived in the town centre. When it arrived to be installed

  • French hopes for Perez

    NEW Ewood star Sebastien Perez will be thinking of what might have been as he watches France's World Cup quarter-final tie against Italy tomorrow, writes PETER WHITE. For the £3 million man from Bastia figured for a time in French boss Aime Jacquet's

  • Debate on threatened centres continues

    BURY'S threatened Arts and Crafts and Mosses Centres have been told - you'll get no special treatment. Tory group leader, Councillor David Higgin, said these two centres were so important to the town that they should have first call on available cash.

  • Can I see the list please?

    AT THE beginning of this year the present government publicly announced that local authorities had a duty to maintain a register of officers and councillors who were members of secret societies (naming the society they were affiliated to). These records

  • We have to act in a just and sensible manner

    AELFRIC asks whether I agree that with the chief executive that his report should "draw a line" under the Blobby affair. Two weeks ago he attributed this quotation to the leader of the council and I answered it then. Perhaps, Aelfric should decide what

  • Mystery hero of dam revealed

    ALAN WHALLEY'S WORLD FOR more than 30 years Alan Winstanley agonised over the identity of a modest hero who had rescued him from drowning during his teens. Then, to his astonishment, he discovered that the man who had plucked him from Carr Mill Dam was

  • Exhibition shows dark side of NHS

    THE darker history of psychiatric care falls under the spotlight at a special exhibition to mark the 50th anniversary of the NHS. Visitors can take a peek into local history when Calderstones Hospital throws open its doors at the exhibition on Sunday.

  • Police should do more

    I AM writing in response to your article in last week's Citizen (25/6/98) about neighbours from hell in the West End of Morecambe, 'Police War On Bad Neighbours.' Far from residents in the area not doing enough to help the police, as Sgt John Fawcett

  • Anchors a-weigh!

    WELCOME to Woodbury! That's the firm greeting extended by New Jersey city fathers to Bury's Millennium man. And Melvin Magnall, who is spearheading a £900,000 project to sail to America to retrace the voyage of a Tottington Quaker, has been assured up

  • Big doubt on BSE statistics

    I WAS astonished to read last week's letter from Lancaster MP Hilton Dawson claiming that "no BSE infectivity" enters Nightingale Hall Farm. The farm renders down cattle culled because they are older than 30 months and therefore considered a potential

  • Making the most of a tight budget

    COULD I reply to a letter from Audrey Jones (Citizen: June,19) as I must take issue on a couple of points. Rather than not understanding the economics of either the private sector or public sector, unfortunately I know only too well the financial constraints

  • Choir on song for Schulze

    A SPECTACULAR summer concert takes place at St Peter's Church, Hindley, next Friday, July 10, at 7.30pm to raise funds for the restoration of the famous Schulze organ. The choir of Broughton Parish Church, Preston, which is made up of 40 boy choristers

  • Fire boss hails candle crusade

    FIRE chiefs have snuffed out a third of candle related blazes thanks to a recent crusade. Following a sharp increase in this type of inferno, Greater Manchester Fire Service introduced an awareness campaign to tackle the problem. County fire officer,

  • Fewer people, not fewer fields

    EVERY newspaper carries pages and pages of properties for sale and sometimes houses remain on the market for two years or more. Builders of new estates have the gall to advertise them as being in "a rural location" when, in fact, that is exactly what

  • Vicar appointed Rural Dean of Preston

    THE Rev Jim Rushton, who is currently vicar of All Saints, Preston, has been appointed Rural Dean of Preston. He has worked for 30 years within the Blackburn diocese. "I wasn't expecting this but hopefully I will be able to be a good friends to all the

  • What's up ducky!

    WILBUR the duck knew what he was doing when he waddled out of Firs Park lake. At just a few days old the fluffy Muscovy drake couldn't have headed in a better direction - bang on target for lake saviour Rose Jervis's Lakeside home in Leigh. Roses's son

  • Good use for a 'green' field

    I SUPPOSE we all feel guilty when we move to form new estates and spoil the privacy and freedom enjoyed by the existing and neighbouring inhabitants. I did when I moved into my home 40 years ago and I venture to suggest that some recent occupants of the

  • Death road is an accident blackspot

    I WAS so sorry to read of the girl who died in a head-on collision in Yorkshire last week, (Citizen page 1, June 18). It's a tragedy and my heart goes out to her family, they must be devastated. But sadly, I wasn't at all surprised. That road, the Skipton

  • New fingerprint scheme arrives in Preston

    A NEW fingerprint scheme will help Preston police identify offenders in just an hour. Livescan is an automatic finger print machine which after scanning prints can tell officers within an hour who the person is. After successfully being pioneered in Blackpool

  • Skate ramps thrown away with rubbish

    THE parents of skating-mad youngsters have criticised council workers for taking a miniature ramp from a Leyland back street. South Ribble Borough Council cleared an alley behind Stanley Street and took the custom-made miniature ramps with them, despite

  • Car boot boost!

    I FEEL I must respond to the article (Bury Times, June 26) about Ramsbottom traders wanting to get rid of the Sunday car boot sales. I can say quite categorically that not all traders, or the public for that matter, share the views of Mr Arnott. How can

  • Chance thieves hit town centre offices

    OFFICES in Preston town centre have become the target for opportunist thieves taking advantage of the summer weather, police have revealed. Cunning criminals have been walking into premises on the off-chance they can snatch valuable belongings when no-one

  • Visitors flock to Barracks open day

    VISITORS from all over the North West flocked to Fulwood Barracks on Saturday for the Pageants and Parades open day. The event, which marked the 150th anniversary of the site, was a great chance to learn about the military, past and present. The Sealed

  • Montserrat victims want to return home

    A FAMILY of refugees who fled from the volcanic island of Montserrat to Preston have spoken of their desire to return home, a year after abandoning their homes after a massive eruption. Diana West and her family have spent the past year settling into

  • Getting the hump...

    A GOOD idea in theory but traffic calming seems to give nearly everyone the hump. Chicanes, sleeping policemen and one-way traffic complete with garish fluorescent signs telling us the obvious (here is a speed hump) are taking over our streets and driving

  • FIVE YEARS AGO: River runs red

    THE River Darwen ran red after an accident where dye was spilled into the water. The accident happened at Sandersons Mill, Lower Darwen, where a 100kg container of dye was spilled into a drain leading into the river. The incident was being investigated

  • Kristian Jack spins his way around the World Wide Web

    THE words Wimbledon and wet are all to often used in sentences about the best tennis tournament in the world. This year's tournament, although slightly overshadowed by the World Cup, has been exciting with the 1998 sporting underdog disease roaming around

  • Leyland poilce hands out a strong warning to villains

    LEYLAND'S underworld Mr Bigs have been given a stark warning: We know who you are. So says Superintendent Stuart Kirby, who has just taken the helm at the new Southern Division police force, which covers South Ribble. Mr Kirby pledged to tackle the major

  • Red Rose 999 DJ's Charles and Carter write for the Citizen

    RECENT poll reveals that us Brits have voted the Claudia Schiffer car ad our least favourite on TV. This is despite the fact that the supermodel performs an on-screen striptease. Mine and Carter's theory is that we don't like it because she shuts the

  • Jury out on private rail

    THE privatised train companies received almost one million complaints last year. Rail privatisation has hardly been the success story predicted by the previous Tory administration. Virgin West Coast emerged as the most criticised company in the rail regulator's

  • It's no time for economic complacency

    BAD news on the economy forced Tony Blair on to the defensive in the House of Commons. Manufacturing jobs are being hit by the strong pound and high interest rates, and economists are coming up with some fairly grim forecasts for the end of the year.

  • No proof that fluoride helps children's teeth

    MR G SMITH asserts that fluoride would be beneficial to children's teeth. Can he produce irrefutable proof of this? Recent studies of the incidence of tooth decay in children show little or no difference between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities

  • SOCCER: Stanley make a stand

    ACCRINGTON Stanley fans will get their first glimpse of the club's impressive new cantiliver stand roof when they take on Morecambe in a friendly at the Crown. The £50,000 construction has now benn completed and will be known as the Thwaites Smooth Stand

  • Searching for family

    I HOPE readers may be able to help me trace my family tree. My great grandparents on my father's side were John and Catherine (nee Power) Cosgrove, who lived in Blackburn at a number of addresses - 50 Smithies Street, 16 Dugdale Street and William Henry

  • Knife attack police get bravery awards

    POLICE officers who disarmed a man who tried to stab them with a 10-inch kitchen knife have been commended by the Chief Constable of Lancashire. Acting Sergeant Anwar Mahmood and PC Daniel Wild went to a house in Burnley after reports that a man was trying

  • Man tries to abduct girl, 5

    POLICE are hunting a man who tried to abduct a five-year-old girl as she played alone on open land in Burnley. Other youngsters playing nearby intervened as the man tried to lead the child from the site sheltered by bushes, behind the Black Bull public

  • Result Is Poor

    WITH just eight runs required for victory, Chorley batsman Richard Grayson crashed Paul Danson for six deep into the adjacent graveyard and it was very much a case of RIP Blackpool, certainly as far as the Abbot Ale Cup was concerned, at Chorley on Sunday

  • Soccer: New boys clinch trophy

    THE newly-formed Blackbrook Juniors FC have won their first piece of silverware after being formed for just one week. The new club's under 10's won a prestigious international five-a-side tournament at Wrexham in North Wales. The victory was even more

  • Jobs go - but staff raise a smile

    A CHARITY fund-raiser was tinged with sadness because the employees of What Everyone Wants in Burnley had already been told they were set to lose their jobs. The stunt for Radio Lollipop had been planned for several weeks, but last week manager Colette

  • Q . . . as in Soozy Q and Quality

    THE sky's the limit for Blackpool girl Suzy Peters who has followed in her parents' footsteps and taken the London music industry by storm. Under her stage name of Soozy Q, the 23-year-old is making a big noise in the music scene with a string of successes

  • Busway 'worst option'

    I WRITE regarding The Journal story headlined 'Busway isn't second best'. No it isn't, it's the worst option I can imagine. I attended the Leigh public meeting - a 'consultation'. The Derby Room was packed, standing room only. The public gave a unanimous

  • It makes me mad - what about YOU

    NO doubt I'm not the only one who is absolutely sick to the teeth of football on TV - and the lack of decent competition on the other channels. I've even resorted to watching Ceefax "It makes me mad - or life's little irritations" sent in by viewers -

  • Three cheers for Mark

    MANCHESTER United-mad Michael Gillespie, aged nine, is in London's Great Ormond Street Hospital this week being assessed for a heart and lung transplant. His little life has been dogged by illness since he was born with his heart back to front. He has

  • Historic day at St Catherine's hospice

    AFTER months of preparation and hard work, St Catherine's Hospice in Lostock Hall opened its new day care centre which will cater for up to 20 patients a day. Councillors, MPs, representatives from local shops and new volunteers were all given tours around

  • Rounders: Sisters aim to strike

    TEENAGE rounders stars Susan and Laura Fletcher will be aiming to deliver a 'double whammy' when they line up for the England team against Wales at Rhyl this weekend. The 18-year-old twins from Park Street, Haydock, are members of the St Helens Grasshoppers

  • It won't bug us!

    AS the Millennium Bug threatens to cause chaos in computers, Fylde Community Health Trust has revealed they have the problem well and truly in hand. The Year 2000 bug affects all computer software that records the date in two rather than four digits,

  • Rugby boss on missing list

    HOW can Leigh RL chairman Mick Higgins go away for two weeks, missing three games, and still expect the fans keep on supporting the club? He keeps on saying he is dedicated to the club and he only does it for the Leigh club. But the fans are beginning

  • Athletics: Duo's gruelling feat

    ST HELENS Striders Brian Middleton and Bob Jost made the journey down to Stoke-on-Trent to compete in the gruelling Potteries marathon, and both ran creditably. Run over the full distance of 26 miles 385 yards on a very testing course in humid conditions

  • Violent crime victims on the increase

    THE number of victims of burglaries helped by an East Lancashire victim support group fell by ten per cent over the past 12 months but figures for violent crimes were up. The changes were reported to members of Burnley, Clitheroe and Pendle Victims Support

  • Maine men for the Axe

    THE Dolly Blues will meet the Sky Blues on Wednesday, July 29 . Lancaster City will play Manchester City as part of their pre-season friendly fixture (7.30pm kick off). They will also play Burnley on August 6. City's season kicks off on Saturday, August

  • Rounders: Success for Spartans

    SPARTANS have finally won a league game in the St Helens Rounders League, beating Rainhill 7-4 at Ruskin Drive. Rainhill batted first and scored only one rounder, through Carroll Whittaker, from 44 good balls. Spartans hit seven from 28 good balls through

  • Almighty scrap in game of follow my leader

    AFTER an unfortunate set of circumstances with the original site it was decided to run Morecambe Car Clubs Event, the Hi-de-hi Stages Rally at the disused airfield site at Haverigg. Running at car number one Lyndon Barton wowed the crowds with a newly

  • Make a new start

    THE UK drugs tsar, Keith Hellawell, visited Blackpool on Monday (June 29) to attend the high profile official opening of the New Start Project in Blackpool. New Start, on Talbot Road, Blackpool, is one of only a handful of such specialist centres in the

  • Schools Sport: It's mini magic

    SOME 500 primary school children took part in the Littlewoods Merseyside Mini Games held at Kirkby Sports Centre with each of the five competing boroughs gaining a first place in at least one of the six tournaments contested. The St Helens team continued

  • Mixed fortunes for Alliance side

    THERE were mixed fortunes for Saints' high-flying Alliance side last week. First they won 40-22 when visiting Huddersfield Giants, with their tries coming from Hall (3), Camman, Stewart, Stankevitch, Newall and Johnson, while Capewell (3) and S. Barrow

  • Barking mad!

    SEALION Hugo is barking mad - and the din is disturbing the peace for the other 400 animals at Blackpool Zoo. The problem came to a head this weekend when thousands of dogs descended on the resort for the annual championships. Hugo had some tough competition

  • Reds routed in Saints slaughter

    Saints 48 Salford Reds 12 Report by DENIS WHITTLE THE old chestnut that life is never dull for a Saints supporter certainly rang true after yet another Jekyll and Hyde performance enabled the Knowsley Road side to notch their first double of the campaign

  • Bowls: Search for our Master

    THE search to find the Star Masters Champion for 1998 begins in earnest at the weekend when this year's competition gets underway on Saturday, July 4. Staged at the Gerard Arms green, the Star Masters is now firmly established as one of the highlights

  • Trade boom welcomed

    TRADERS in St Annes have welcomed the shopping centre's mini-renaissance and once more called for the introduction of parking in the heart of the town. In the past few months, new businesses have appeared in the town's square including a cafe and off-licence

  • Cricket: Rain dampens Recs' hopes

    RAIN was the biggest enemy for St Helens Recs at the weekend. The First XI played hosts to Wallasey but due to the heavy rain play could only start at 4pm. Wallasey won the toss and elected to bat. The batsmen played their shots but also conceded wickets

  • Battle of Waterloo

    SCHOOLS, parking problems and DSS hostels are among the prime issues before voters in an upcoming South Shore by-election. The Waterloo ward by-election to Blackpool Council, on July 23, was caused by the death of Conservative leader John Woolley last

  • Cunliffe backs deaf-blind fight

    LEIGH MP Lawrence Cunliffe is backing deafblind campaigners in their fight for recognition. He has signed an Early Day Motion championing Sense and Deafblind UK - "Red and white: no sound, no sight" launched this week which aims to gain recognition for

  • Cycle Speedway: Juniors come into their own at home

    IT was a busy weekend for some members of Bury Jack-Hamer Builders Cycle Speedway. A long trip to east London to race at the Hawbush track did not deter Paul Dyson and Neil Howarth who coasted through the qualifying round to earn their places in the last

  • Motor racing: Andy in command

    ST HELENS Nissan dealer Andy Middlehurst finished second in the seventh round of the 1998 Dunlop National Saloon Cup at Brands Hatch on Saturday behind Ian Griswold. That result leaves Middlehurst still in pole position overall with 115 points, ahead

  • Supermall could hit our shops

    A GIGANTIC new Manchester shopping mall could cut Blackpool trade by nine per cent in its first year, according to new research. The Trafford Centre, at Dumplington off the M60, is due to open in September, offering a multitude of high-class stores and

  • Citizen praised for Lynx coverage

    IN last week's Lynx match programme a comment was made about the local media coverage given towards Lancashire Lynx. In the article 'View from the Far Side' it said that most of the fans feel that their favourite Rugby League team doesn't get the coverage

  • Bury FC: Butler wanted by Sunderland

    SHAKERS defensive kingpin Paul Butler could be kicking off next season in a Sunderland shirt. Chairman Terry Robinson has confirmed that the Wearsiders are interested in taking the former Rochdale man to the Stadium of Light and it's possible a deal could

  • Pupils pray for friend hit by car

    BISPHAM pupils said prayers yesterday for their friend fighting for his life in a Manchester hospital. Matthew Wood, aged ten, of Bangor Avenue, suffered serious head injuries when he was in struck by a Ford Escort in Bristol Avenue at tea-time on Tuesday

  • Safety Officer Barry Dilworth is in Kris's Corner

    COMPLAINTS, problems, crowd illnesses are all taken in the stride of Deputy Ground Safety Officer Barry Dilworth. Barry loves his job almost as much as he loves Preston North End - and although he is supposed to only work 20 hours a week he finds himself

  • 50 cars wrecked in arson attack

    A TOTAL of £30,000 worth of damage was caused as 50 cars went up in flames at an Oswaldtwistle scrapyard last night . Police are treating the blaze at Barnes scrapyard as arson and the owner is offering a £1,000 reward for information leading to the conviction

  • Bookie Pat bets it's all cut and dried

    BOOKIES reckon its odds-on Leigh Busway will go through. "But it's one bet I'd like to lose", says turf tipster Pat Lummis. The man who runs bookmakers' shops in Tyldesley and Atherton feels the bridleway bus route from Leigh through Tyldesley will be

  • Just one big street party

    MEDIEVAL knights, classic cars, a huge birthday cake, firemen and rose queens descended on Lytham for the annual Club Day parade. And after torrential rain, the heavens decided to close just five minutes before the procession was due to start, ensuring

  • Eat away stress! Changing your diet can help your mind

    Food News, with Christine Rutter IF YOU'RE stressed out - eat! According to a professor at the British College of Naturopathy and Osteopathy in London, what you eat can affect your ability to cope with or the extent to which you suffer from stress. Almost

  • Saver system fuels sales

    A COST-CONSCIOUS council has 'fuelled' sales at a high-tech firm. Blackburn-based MPS Triscan has installed Multifax fuel monitoring systems at Scottish Borders Council's 13 sites where employees fill up council vehicles. The electronic systems monitor

  • MP takes to bed for charity

    BURY South MP Ivan Lewis will be taking to bed with Euro MP Gary Titley and the leader of Bury Council, Derek Boden tomorrow. But there is nothing scandalous or even lazy about their actions - the three politicians will be very much on the move. The bed

  • One-stop help for homeless

    HOMELESS and vulnerable youngsters will soon have a shoulder to cry on (write BRIAN GOMM). The Leigh and Wigan Young People's Homelessness Project is setting-up shop in Leigh. Manned by expert advisers it aims to arrest a disturbing increase in the number

  • Arts start barn offer

    A BARN once used to stable shire horses has been converted into a community arts and crafts centre at Hope Carr Nature Reserve, Leigh. North West Water, who own the site, is to offer six newly-qualified artists the free use of studios in return for their

  • Barbara's plea to respect family's memory

    A FAMILY historian says she is "deeply saddened" after builders dug up a consecrated cemetery where her ancestors had a family plot. Barbara Whiteside has four members of her family buried at a cemetery in the grounds of the old Moor Hospital, which is

  • Leyland hammered by Fleetwood on a sodden pitch

    LEYLAND were easily beaten at Fox Lane on a rain sodden pitch by seven wickets by Fleetwood. Batting first, which their captain Mark Pallett decided to do, they lost their first wicket at 18 when Lee Heyes was bowled by Gregson for eight. Craig Gardiner

  • United sign-up for Michael

    LEIGH'S little braveheart, Michael Gillespie, is this week undergoing vital tests at London's Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. And if he is assessed as suitable, the little fighter who has already battled through a trio of big ops, will go on

  • Get a real kick out of World Cup 98

    EA Sports have played a blinder. With the timing of legendary George Best at his peak, the leading sports games developers have just released World Cup 98 for the PlayStation. And its perfect timing is more than equalled by a classy game that should should

  • Touching tribute to dead teacher

    AN emotional tribute CD has been recorded by pupils at a Whitefield school in honour of a teacher who suffered a fatal heart attack. Mr Steve Moore (46), died on April 24 after a suspected heart attack at the wheel of his car. He was head of science at

  • Watchdog hits at GP who dropped patients

    HEALTH bosses have been criticised for failing to pursue a complaint against a GP who struck an entire family off his list after one member challenged his advice. The case is highlighted in the annual report of the Health Service Ombudsman. The Wigan

  • Vandals wreak havoc at yard

    VANDALS broke into an industrial unit in Westside, Jackson Street, after 6pm on Wednesday, June 24, and smashed 15 windows causing £1,000 worth of damage; damaged a number of vehicles in the compound causing £1,500 damage; and stole a number of radio

  • Adam in Canadian club

    CADET Adam Elliott has answered a call to arms, flying out this week to Canada for a trip of a lifetime. Bury Grammar School pupil Adam, 15, is one of only 12 teenagers nationwide to be chosen by the army for the five-week military training exercise.

  • John's testing times are over

    AFTER 11 years and some 50,000 learner drivers, John Lyons, the senior driving examiner at the St Helens Test Centre has finally decided to call it a day. John, 56, who lives in Golborne, first joined the Atherton Street centre in 1987 from the Warrington

  • Kings of the road!

    FOR 21 memorable years Roy Tyack was the carnival organiser here in Leigh. The last one was staged back in 1985. But here Roy, of Platt Fold Street, Leigh, recalls the 1977 carnival - one at which the buses took centre stage. Our picture shows a Commer

  • Sounds simply delightful to watch

    'NATURE'S Delights' is the theme of a demonstration of flower arranging to be given by Lesley Smith at the St Helens Floral Art Society's meeting on Tuesday, July 8 at 7.30pm. This is at the Centre for the Deaf, Dentons Green Lane and is open to anyone

  • Students left fuming after being awarded bogus honour

    CATERING students at a top college were left fuming after being duped into believing they had won a place in a prestigious review guide. The would-be chefs and teachers at Runshaw College, Langdale Road, Leyland were delighted when they received a letter

  • Village help to rebuild Olga's life

    WHEN Olga Buckacheva was two-year-old her world literally blew apart as the giant nuclear reactor at Chernobyl exploded in April 1986. But the villagers of Edenfield are helping to rebuild her life. The explosion sent a deadly cloud of seven tonnes of

  • Academy on the march

    LEIGH Academy is into the army game, forging links with the 1st Parachute Regiment at Aldershot. Already the team has been down to play a match, which Leigh won, and the army squad is due at Hilton Park on the weekend of July 25/26. Meanwhile, the Academy

  • Special bus rolling into town

    THE Action for Blind People's Mobile Information and Advice Service bus which visits all parts of the UK offering guidance and advice to the visually impaired, will be calling at St Helens for three days this month. The bus, fully equipped with wheelchair

  • Mistakes cost lacklustre Leigh dear

    CONFIDENCE shot to pieces, Leigh fell away badly to be rolled over for an eighth successive game. So fragile is Leigh's self-belief these days that not even an encouraging first 40 minutes could lift their spirits. They were only six points adrift at

  • New laws may cost Bury jobs

    LOCAL jobs and services could be hit unless Bury can persuade the Government to act on the international stage. Town hall bosses worry that foreign competitors will "steal" vital contracts if new laws come in. Bury is supporting a resolution to this month's

  • Conman steals old lady's cash

    AN elderly woman who was conned into leaving her house unattended later discovered that £30 in cash was missing from her purse. It happened when the 80-year-old victim heard a knock at the back door of her home in Edge Street, Thatto Heath. A man in his

  • Pupils help paint it green

    PICTURED: JONATHAN Lamkin, Merseytravel's Community Links officer, is pictured with pupils at Rainford CE County Primary School expressing their views in paint on a healthier environment. CHILDREN from Rainford C of E School took part in an environment

  • Curtain falls on carnival

    THE plug has been pulled on the 11th Unsworth and Hillock Carnival a week before it was due to take place. Organiser Mrs Sheila Priestly decided to cancel after it became apparent last year's venue, Elms Bank Playing Fields, would not be available for

  • Football: Ex-Shakers boss returns for cup clash

    FORMER Shakers boss Stan Ternent and his assistant Sam Ellis are set for a dramatic early return to Gigg Lane - with their new club Burnley! Amazingly, football's fickle finger of fate has brought the two clubs together in the first round of the newly-named

  • Centre forward scores for St Helens

    ENVIRONMENTAL works in St Helens town centre improving Ormskirk Street, Bridge Street, Brook Street and Milk Street are nearing completion. Its the first stage of a massive council project which, thanks to Government Capital Challenge Funding, means a

  • That's what friends are for

    PICTURED:: Michelle Lewis presents the £13,357.50 cheque to Roy Morris, chairman of the Liverpool Macmillan Nurse Appeal (left) as Mr Michael Ryder, headteacher at Cowley High School, proudly looks on. (Ref: 151). CHARITY champ Michelle Lewis has been

  • Ofsted report: Elton CP School

    A BURY school is looking forward to the challenge of building for the future after receiving high praise from Ofsted inspectors. Elton County Primary School is the latest from the Bury area to be commended by the Government team. The school was found

  • Report slams leadership at Prestwich school

    GOVERNMENT inspectors have highlighted "serious weaknesses" in the running of a Prestwich school. Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, has criticised Butterstile CP School's lack of strong leadership and long-term planning. Disturbingly, it

  • Two twinkletoes set to glitter

    TWO young dancers from St Helens are set to share the stage with popular showstopper Wayne Sleep for a command performance in London to mark his 50th birthday. Nine-year-olds Danielle Woodward from Ruskin Drive and her best friend Jennifer Lonsdale, from

  • Police probe arson attack

    POLICE are investigating an arson attack on a house in Darwen's Birch Hall estate. And detectives have sent out an appeal for information following the attack on the privately owned home in Anchor Avenue. The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon between

  • Duo swing into the big time

    LEIGH Golf Club's Andrew Baguley and John Wallis are on course for a trip of a lifetime. Pro Andrew and 13-handicapper John are through to the regional finals of Europe's biggest pro-am competition, the Lombard Trophy. And, if they win a better-ball medal

  • We find a way to beat the ban on A-boards

    THE Lancashire Evening Telegraph has come up with an innovative way to keep readers up-to-date with the news. Blackburn with Darwen Council recently tightened up the rules on shop displays - affecting newsagents who use A-boards outside their shops to

  • Burnley World Cup fans jailed

    TWO Burnley soccer fans Mark Holden, 29, and Philip Smith, 21, were today beginning a two-month sentence in a French jail after being convicted of attacking French supporters and stealing tickets for England's World Cup game against Argentina. They appeared

  • More cash for school repairs

    COUNCILLORS have approved a £976,000 cash injection for school repairs in Blackburn and Darwen. The money represents the council's first schools maintenance budget since it was awarded unitary status in April. And the cash will be added to £810,000 which

  • Rail union's warning on station

    MERSEYTRAVEL have denied claims by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) that users of Earlestown railway station will not be getting an adequate service due to a decrease in staffing levels by North Western Trains... but Merseytravel

  • Grief for mum who died in baby bath

    THE grieving partner of a woman who died in a tragic accident told today how he planned to bring up their new-born daughter himself. Sheila Spence, is believed to have drowned after suffering an epileptic seizure and falling face down into a baby bath

  • Wizard of Oz in hot form

    AUSSIE Kane Kersnovske showed his mettle with bat and ball on Saturday. But it wasn't enough to earn Leigh victory against Northern. Both openers Kersnovske and Steve Davey hit half-centuries with good back-up from Andy Mullaney to post a challenging

  • Secret agent kids for cig shop sting

    CHILDREN could become undercover agents and buy cigarettes to test if shopkeepers are breaking the law. Blackburn with Darwen Council has adopted the same procedures used by Lancashire County Council to crack down on the sale of tobacco to under 16s.

  • Twin strike force boost Golborne

    GOLBORNE beat Tonge in the Thwaites Lancashire Knockout - mainly thanks to the twin strike force of Andy Batterley and Ewan McCray. They put on 114 for the first wicket, McCray falling for 44 and Batterley on 77, as the team totalled 186-8. None of the

  • Council tax cut plea for the less well-off

    COUNCILLORS from Blackburn and Darwen are calling on the Government to lower the amount less well-off people have to pay in council tax. The appeal is in response Government consultations on a recently published blueprint setting out proposals for the

  • Gold Trafford for Glazebury

    GLAZEBURY U11s enjoyed their moment in the big time. The highly-rated side were at Old Trafford, giving a display of fielding and cricket skills before a packed crowd for the Lancashire-Surrey floodlit match. They also joined others from schools and cricket

  • 50 years ago: from the Bury Times July 2, 1948

    LOST: An all-night search by police for six-year-old George Parsons ended when the boy was found curled up fast asleep in the foundations of a new house being built only 230 yards from his Holme Avenue home in Brandlesholme, Bury. COST: Bury Education

  • Hack hits top gear on England debut

    TOP rider Damien Hack rode brilliantly on his England debut. One of Astley & Tyldesley Cycle Speedway's hottest young riders, he was the youngest in the team and he dropped just two points in five races as England raced to victory over Scotland and

  • Soccer ground for sale at £350,000

    HASLINGDEN FC's former home, Ewood Bridge, has been put up for sale with a price tag of £350,000. The football club folded at the end of last season and the 4.4 acre stadium has been put on the market by owner Frank Spencer. The North West Counties first

  • Chemists on duty

    Friday, July 3 Click here to see a complete list of chemists on duty in the East Lancashire area. Blackburn: To 9pm: Peels, 4 & 6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: T G Pendlebury, 3

  • 'Handsathon' tribute to little Ben

    PUPILS from Westholme School, Blackburn held hands in a touching tribute to a baby who died of a rare genetic condition. Ben Chambers, the grandson of school secretary Judith Lord, died in April shortly after being diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy

  • Drug death witnesses fail to show

    A DRUG death inquest was adjourned when two young women witnesses failed to attend. Andrew Robinson, 21, was found dead in bed at his flat in Avon House, Marsden Square, Haslingden, on Thursday, June 18. He died from a combination of Methadone, a heroin

  • Cycling trip ended in tragedy

    A COUPLE involved in a cycling tragedy should have been starting their holidays today, an inquest was told. Keen cyclists Alan and Dorothy Brown, of Taylor Street, Barnoldswick, were riding along the A59 between Gisburn and Skipton at Bracewell when they

  • Council overcomes national failure

    COUNCIL boffins stepped into the breach when a national body failed to meet an exam deadline. Primary schools across the borough carried out Key Stage 2 SAT (standard attainment task) tests for all 11-year-olds earlier in the school year. But the Qualifications

  • Director attacks Kohler claims

    CLARETS director Bernard Rothwell has blasted claims that Luton chairman David Kohler was the inspiration behind the infamous £1m 'up front' Peter Shackleton loan, writes NEIL BRAMWELL. The Lancashire Evening Telegraph revealed Kohler's claims that he

  • Kidnappers still have 'em foxed!

    THE hunt for a pub fox at the centre of a kidnap drama has turned into the "biggest chase since Bonnie and Clyde". Mr Fox, as he is known to locals at the Nab's Head Hotel in Samlesbury, usually adorns a wall of the pub. But he went missing during a blackout

  • Ternent set to face his old club

    STAN Ternent faces a date with his previous club Bury in the first round of the Football League Cup - renamed the Worthington Cup after brewers Bass agreed a record-breaking five-year sponsorship deal worth £23 million. The brewers, who also sponsor the

  • Legal threat to Clarets board

    A GROUP of Burnley supporters are considering legal action threatening the position of the board of directors, writes PETER WHITE. The sensational move stems an attempt to force the proposed takeover saga which, the fans group claim, "has bordered on

  • Parents and governors back school head in swearing row

    THE ROW surrounding a headteacher who demonstrated the effect of swearing to children at a Blackburn junior school took a new twist today when parents and governors stepped forward to support her actions. Mary Abrams, who took over at the helm at Shadsworth

  • Public inconvenience

    I WOULD like to add my voice to the growing call to ban alcohol in public places. Blackpool and Kendal have seen fit to impose the ban and surely now is the time for Lancaster city council to do the same. Visitors and locals alike do not want to see groups

  • Fighting for trade

    THE borough's town centres could be turned into specialist retail areas in a bid to keep shoppers local. Local authority and business leaders want to stop the flood of people going to out-of-town shopping centres. They are thinking of marketing local

  • Your county needs you!

    BLACKPOOL expects every man, woman and child to do his duty and make the resort's very own D-Day a resounding success. Donation Day on July 27 will mark the grand finale of a week-long fundraising bid to bring a massive boost to the £2 million MRI scanner

  • Preston lose to Chorley by nine wickets

    CHORLEY 76-1 PRESTON 73 PRESTON suffered a nine wickets defeat at Windsor Park against Chorley who have moved up to fourth in the league, only 3 points behind league leaders Leyland Daf. Daf's match at Kendal was abandoned without a ball being bowled

  • In a right royal pickle

    ALAN WHALLEY'S WORLD GALA organisers have found themselves in a royal pickle. For although they've elected a queen, they haven't a suitable crown for her forthcoming coronation. So now, Joan Pennington, a driving force behind the revived Moss Bank Queen

  • Keep your support on the right track

    FOLLOWING a meeting on Thursday, June 25 a local support group was set up to aid the railworkers in their dispute. The railworkers are seeking: decent pay and conditions an increase for all grades dignity and respect at work a fair deal from re-structuring

  • Friday's local events in East Lancs

    Flower Festival, St Andrew's Church, Swiss Street, Accrington, 10am-8pm. Coffee Evening with Bring and Buy Stall, Blackburn Ragged School, Bent Street, 7.30pm. An American Independence Ho Down, The Gibbon Bridge Hotel, Chipping, Forest of Bowland, 6.30pm

  • Puzzled by house of mystery

    ALAN WHALLEY'S WORLD THE imposing family house located near Taylor Park is simply known as 'Woodside' - its title for the past century. But the folk who now live there believe that a wealth of widely varied history has been wrapped around it during succeeding

  • Radcliffe: major world arts centre

    RADCLIFFE could soon be the sculpture capital of the North West. And local people will have a major input if the ambitious plans are realised. Council arts officers want to set up a sculpture factory in the town, where important works of art can be created

  • Deaf theatre signing in

    BRITAIN'S first touring deaf theatre is to take to the stage in a one-off performance at the Centenaries Theatre, Stonyhurst. The Common Ground Sign Dance Theatre Company will perform Pink Promenade, a Vaudeville-style comedy set in the 1920s, on Sunday

  • Rainford's black sheep comes clean

    ALAN WHALLEY'S WORLD THE black sheep reputation of Robert Sephton, a member of one of Rainford's most celebrated clay-pipe making families, is finally being washed away - after a lapse of well over a century. And, thanks to this reckless Victorian, the

  • Adding insult to injury!

    A BURY man has blasted police and a Stubbins garage after being forced to pay £274 in recovery charges for two stolen motor bikes. Mr Mark Fielding said the level of the fees charged are "scandalous" and has questioned why the stolen bikes, recovered

  • Freemasons sponsor 'deserving' twosome

    FREEMASONS awarded cash to two youngsters so that they could take part in the trip of a lifetime. Whalley's two masonic groups, the Abbey and the Cloisters Lodges, will sponsor Lindsay Aspden and Samuel Holden, both 15, on a week-long tallboat sailing

  • It all depends where you are!

    I WAS surprised when you recently referred to Steiner education as experimental when comparing it to the UK National Curriculum. If Steiner education really is experimental, then according to my dictionary it must be new and untested. I also noted that

  • 'Czar' praises local anti-drugs partners

    THE Government's Drugs "Czar" has praised a positive local partnership which is helping drug users and society as a whole. And in a visit arranged by Bury and Rochdale Health Authority on Monday, Mr Keith Hellawell viewed a mobile drugs information unit

  • Sticky mystery

    THE search is on to solve the mystery of Bongs Toffee. Ex-pats now living in the Isle of Man want to know what happened to the once popular "home-made" sweets. Writing on their behalf, Mrs M Parkinson, asks if anyone can help with the history of the toffee

  • Disabled have their say

    PARENTS of local disabled children now have a chance to have their say on services. The North West Training and Development Team is seeking applications from handicapped people, and parents of the disabled, to attend a Partners in Policymaking course

  • Praise for mixed age classes

    GOVERNMENT inspectors have praised the lively and inquiring minds of pupils and outstanding teaching at Sabden County Primary School. Headteacher Sandra Dundon said she was delighted with the report which paid tribute to relationships between children

  • Summer sunshine at Wigan Pier

    SUN, sea, sand and sets comes to Wigan Pier next week to celebrate the once popular wakes week. There will be a man-made sea shore and picture post card views at the week long festival of music, dance and entertainment. The weekend of Saturday and Sunday

  • Protest walkers on busway

    HORSERIDERS and walkers are putting themselves on the line. They'll take part in Saturday's protest walk along the proposed Leigh Busway route from Leigh through Tyldesley towards Ellenbrook. The Green Party organised demo assembles at noon at Leigh Library

  • Time for the fox to chase the hunters

    I WOULD like to give my opinion on fox hunting. I think adults are setting a bad example to children. I also think that the people who hunt are silly in saying that they will lose their jobs if fox hunting gets banned, because there is always drag hunting

  • What a load of rubbish!

    ENVIRONMENT week at Tyldesley Highfield Special School was a load of junk! Pupils were given talks and took part in competitions to help them learn how to care for their surroundings. They had visits from Leigh rangers and the environment officer and

  • Shocked by MP's 'gay sex' vote

    NEVER in my wildest dreams did I expect respectable and caring family men like our Prime Minister and our local MP Mr Lewis to support and vote for 16-year-old boys to participate in what - at best - can only be described as an unnatural sex act. It would

  • The music charts have never been worse!

    I COULDN'T agree more with the letter from T Milner (Citizen, June 18) regarding B*Witched and today's pop scene. The pop charts today are the worst ever, surely they can't get any lower? As long as the hyped brainless idiots out there keep on buying

  • Students get in the driving seat as instructors visit school

    PENWORTHAM Priory High School has placed its pupils firmly in the driving seat with an exra-curricular activity guaranteed to please. Geography teacher Colin Edgerley and BSM have joined forces to organise off-road driving sessions for Year 11 students

  • Andrea on hunt for tales of unexpected

    LOCAL ghostbusters are appealing for cases they can sink their teeth into. The Lancashire Association of Paranormal Research and Investigation want anyone who has had experience of ghosts, hauntings, poltergeists or UFOs to contact their investigators

  • Do we want sport in Bury?

    SO now we have our deputy mayor, Coun Walker, adding his voice in support of the outraged residents opposed to the relocation of Bolton Road Sports Club. I should think so too. Who do they think they are at this sports club? Before we know it we will

  • Paul's a super-hero

    FORMER Leigh Rugby League star Paul Rowley has been hailed a hero after saving a teenager's life. The 23-year-old England international made the "save of the day" in plucking the terrified girl to safety from a fast flowing river. The Super League hooker

  • Killjoys would kill off train attraction

    I AM writing in response to an article published last week about a family who intended to sue Leyland Society of Model Engineers at Worden Park (Train Accident Victim to Sue, Citizen June 25 1998). What a cheek! Those enthusiasts do it out of the goodness

  • Pupils build model for a better Brookfield

    A SWIMMING pool, a beach, a large shopping complex or a 100 thousand all seater sports stadium maybe? We all have a dream of what we'd like to have in our town but for the school children of Brookfield County Primary it's more than that. Over the past

  • Councillors caved in

    AT the Bury Council planning sub-committee meeting, held on June 11 to hear the proposal to relocate Bolton Road Sports Club to land at Dow Lane, I witnessed one of the biggest cop-outs in the history of politics. It was obvious that as soon as Councillor

  • Rosemarie's garage is an Aladdin's cave

    BANANAMAN, Dick Turpin, Mickey Mouse - they've all walked through Rosemarie Nordberg's front door. For Rosemarie, who lives in Hazelwood Close, Leyland, has put her lifetime's hobby to good use, converting her garage into a fancy dress shop! Her garage

  • Councillor's successful plea to allotment holders

    A COUNCILLOR is celebrating after his battle to push local gardeners' gripes to the top of the political agenda proved victorious. Moor Park councillor Mick Moulding is preparing to become the allotment holders' champion after he managed to get the controversial

  • Team effort helped visually impaired

    IT IS nearly twelve months since I wrote to the Bury Times regarding the mobility and independence needs of the young visually impaired (VI) people in the borough. I attempted to put the case for employing a full-time, qualified mobility and rehabilitation

  • Skating site to be renovated into play area

    THE site of a former skateboard ramp could soon be renovated into a children's play area if plans suggested by council bosses get the go ahead. Scores of Hutton youngsters were left disappointed after workers for South Ribble Borough Council moved a skateboard

  • Cat escapes before going to the vet

    LESTER the cat was having none of it. He recognised the scenery after having been bundled into his cat carrier and into the car. He knew what lay ahead. And he was determined not to go through with it. So he did a bunk. Just as he was being carried into

  • Cygnets eaten by terrapins at brickcroft

    LONGTON Brickcroft's terrible terrapins have attacked and eaten several baby cygnets. Staff at the nature reserve, off Liverpool Road, were devastated after the terrapins started to attack the cygnets, which have attracted public attention since their

  • TEN YEARS AGO: Warning to women

    A POLICE chief issued a holiday warning to women drivers fearful of becoming stranded on Lancashire motorways: Stay with your car and don't accept lifts. The warning came in the wake of the killing of pregnant Marie Wilks, whose body was found beside

  • Headteachers send desperate plea for funds in Braille

    HEADTEACHERS in Leyland are hoping they will be top of the class after sending a desperate plea for funds to blind education secretary David Blunkett - written in Braille. The angry primary school teachers were left fuming after being given minuscule

  • Can you solve any of this week's crimes in Preston?

    AN 84-year-old woman was left upset after being deceived by a man pretending to examine her walls at 3pm on Thursday, June 16. After being let into her house in Harweood Road, Preston, he stole cash from a purse before running off. He was described as

  • Enter your glorious garden in our competition

    GET your gardening gloves at the ready as our fabulous Barton Grange Glorious Gardens competition hots up. Entries are flooding in, in our quest to find the Capability Brown of the county. Barton Grange Garden Centre - one of the most extensive in the

  • Soaked at station

    WITHIN 200 yards of your office is a fully fledged waterfall. It descends on any passengers leaving or arriving at Blackburn Railway station. Every day it rains, water from a leaking roof falls on the ramp to the platform. The repair is the responsibility

  • It's sunshine news for Jade

    BACK from the holiday of a lifetime, little Jade Case had no idea of the fantastic news awaiting her. For when the five-year-old schoolgirl returned to Alder Hey Childrens Hospital after a two-week sunshine break - made possible by donations from caring

  • CRICKET: Lights out on Lancs

    LANCASHIRE crashed to their first ever floodlit defeat despite a battling innings from Mark Harvey at Edgbaston last night. The Burnley youngster, called up for his third AXA League game in place of the injured Neil Fairbrother, top scored with 39, a

  • Poor record on transport

    IT is cold comfort for the North West's travelling public that two of Britain's multi-millionaires are getting together to run our rail links with Scotland and southern England. The record of Virgin Express has been disastrous, and the operations of Stagecoach

  • Flautist Clare tops among young musicians of quality

    THE annual junior music competition at St Hilda's RC High School, Burnley, was one of the best ever with a large number of entries and high standard of performance. The event was split into six sections with pupils in years 7 and 8 performing on a wide

  • The facts on fire service

    INOTE from your Opinion comments on June 19, about the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, that you have not been following the meeting and reports of the County Council's Fire Service and Public Protection Committee over the past few years. If you had

  • Castle lack logic

    NO-ONE wishes to see 100 people put out of work, but it is strange indeed that, among all the breast-beating by councillors and our MP, none has seen fit to explain exactly why it is that Castle is having to shut down kilns five and six. Quite simply,

  • Traffic chaos after wagon overturns

    TRAFFIC was thrown into chaos after a lorry turned over, sending tons of scrap metal down a motorway embankment at Burnley. The large lumps of metal came to rest just feet from the Blackburn-bound carriageway of the M65 at Gannow. The driver of the 40ft-long

  • Action zone worry

    I HAVE read that some of our local schools will become part of an 'education action zone' being set up by the Education Authority. My son attends one of these schools, Bedford High, which we have been told is very successful in getting good GCSE grades

  • Allen stands up to the challenge

    COMMISERATIONS to quiz whiz Allen Quaill, of Leigh, who had the guts to appear on Channel 4's popular 15 to 1. He was unfortunate to be positioned next to the last two series' double victor laudorum, airline pilot Nick Terry, who went on to win the heat

  • Cycling: Edmund wins another jersey

    YOUNG St Helens racing cyclist Edmund Leary added another winner's jersey to his collection for this season when he triumphed in the youth event at Port Sunlight Wheelers 50th anniversary race day on Sunday. Riding in Birkenhead Park, Edmund renewed his

  • Campaign spurs minister to probe threat to 70 jobs

    A GOVERNMENT minister has called on civil servants to search out a way of saving 70 under-threat jobs at a Burnley factory. John Battle, Minister for Science, Energy and Industry, has also welcomed the efforts of Burnley Labour Party campaigner Carole

  • It's party time all year long . . .

    ALL of Blackpool is being urged to get behind plans to make the Millennium a party to remember. Civic leaders are hoping the town will play host to a giant community celebration, starting when the clock strikes midnight to herald the year 2000 and carrying

  • Busway: 'The decision has already been made'

    THE so-called Leigh busway consultation is just that - not an exercise in offering the people of the area an actual choice between a much needed rail link which they want, or the busway, which they don't. GMPTE have already decided that the busway will

  • Jobless ex-manager gassed himself with car fumes

    LIFE without work proved too much for Peter Hodson, an inquest heard. Mr Hodson, 51, of Laurel Street, Bacup, gassed himself with exhaust fumes in his car. The hearing was told he was a depot manager for a frozen food firm until being made redundant three

  • Cure for labour pains

    BLACKPOOL Council and businesses will be flying the flag to make the Labour Party especially welcome this autumn. For the Labour-led council is determined the party will want to bring back its annual conference in the new millennium. Labour pulled its

  • Cricket: So easy for Rainford

    DALTON were the visitors to Rainford CC on Saturday and like many teams before them they found the Jubilee Recreation Ground no place to rekindle former glories. Long-gone are the days when Dawber, Hornby and Jolley used to strike fear into the opposition

  • All aboard the shopper special

    A FREE road train linking Fleetwood's Freeport village and the town itself has been launched from the shopping village with VIP passengers. It is the first venture of its kind in the UK, consisting of a tractor-style engine and two carriages. Up to 100

  • Cricket: Caught on the hop

    ST HELENS CC crashed out of the Echo Cup against Wallasey when every batsman was caught out chasing their opponents' total of 97. Wallsey took first knock and Strang top-scored with 33. Subu Banerjee bowled his usual good spell for nine runs and Jordan

  • Lynx march to top after crushing Workington

    Lancs Lynx 48 Workington Town 12 PUTTING aside a quiet first ten minutes, Lancashire Lynx produced a perfect display to destroy Workington and march to the top of the league. Playing in front of the new and magnificent Bill Shankly Kop, the Lynx, spurred

  • Ganging up on stadium plans

    BLACKPOOL Football Club's goal of a £100m multi-event stadium could be upset by some hard tackles from opponents. More than 40 influential organisations and individuals have objected to the whole principle of a sports stadium and supporting retail stores

  • Rugby League: Young Lions go from strength to strength

    BURY boy Andrew Jon Deakin made a try scoring debut in his first game for Swinton Lions Academy Under-19s youth side, with a very impressive 58-14 away victory over Workington Town Academy. The Young Lions - who are the youngest side ever fielded by Swinton

  • Golf: Men's title goes West

    ANDREW Westwell is the new Bury and District Golf Association men's champion. He clinched a dramatic matchplay victory over fellow Rossendale member and club captain Andrew Nicholls on Wednesday night, finally winning on the 20th hole. The final was staged

  • Rugby League: It's going to be a whopper! - Barrow

    SWINTON Lions chief Tony Barrow has appealed to the people of Bury to back his team on the eve of one of their biggest games of the season. The high-flying Lions meet table-topping Wakefield Trinity on Sunday (July 5) in a crunch Division One fixture

  • Try a little tenderness

    LANCASTER bouncer, rugby player, judo expert and first class beer drinker Charles Hill reckons 'being a bit handy' will serve him well in his future career... as a vicar! Charles wants to work as a priest on a tough estate, in a prison or as an army chaplain

  • PNE season tickets sales hit a record high(PIC:PRESTLOGO)

    PRESTON North End chief executive Peter Church has exclusively told the Citizen that despite recent criticism in another newspaper, season tickets are already at a record high. Over 4,000 season tickets, a five per cent rise, were sold before Tuesday's

  • Top shops in line for top awards

    BUSINESS which go out of their way to help customers are in line for recognition. Borough trading standards chiefs have backed the government's "Consumers First" scheme aimed to highlight businesses who provide outstanding service. Locals can nominate

  • Legal threat to Clarets board

    A GROUP of Burnley supporters are considering legal action threatening the position of the board of directors, writes PETER WHITE. The sensational move stems an attempt to force the proposed takeover saga which, the fans group claim, "has bordered on

  • Creaking floors here to stay!

    RESIDENTS in Oswaldtwistle flats will have to put up with their creaking floorboards and banging doors because the council has no cash for sound proofing. Eleven households in Thwaites Road petitioned Hyndburn Council for insulation to reduce noise between

  • Costing off track claim campaigner

    BUSWAY costings are way off track, claims Leigh's most prominent railway campaigner. Rail enthusiast and author Dennis Sweeney has criticised busway plans for the old Leigh-Tyldesley-Ellenbrook rail route as "half-cocked". He says:"The £20m they keep

  • Rugby League: Rams routed as Lions pile on the pressure

    Swinton Lions 31, Dewsbury Rams 16 THE Lions maintained pressure on the First Division's top three with a comprehensive Gigg Lane victory against the third-placed Rams. The first half saw the game see-saw from end to end but after the break the Lions

  • Tom Parker looks back at the 1962 World Cup in Chile

    IT IS often said, that out of disaster some good always comes. In 1962, a shattering earthquake shook Chile to its very foundations, the country was a mess, a shambles, and unthinkable to anyone that this land could host the World Cup Finals. Well, not

  • Latest planning applications

    LATEST local planning applications submitted to Wigan Council include: Atherton Hall, Old Hall Mill Lane, Atherton - change the use of existing coaching house to a detached house (green belt); Service station, Leigh Road, Leigh - increase overall height

  • Lottery hubbie's lucky strike

    A BLACKPOOL man won more than £50,000 on the National Lottery - and his wife didn't even know he played. Peter Harrison, from South Shore, scooped £50,251 after matching five numbers and the bonus ball by placing the family's regular Saturday numbers

  • Holly returns with Street cred

    A LYTHAM rover is returning to Britain's most famous TV pub. Actress Holly Newman (pictured), who first had a bit-part in ITV's Coronation Street last November, is back to stay in Weatherfield from next Monday (July 6). Holly, 23, of Clifton Drive South

  • Bed sales soar to boost results

    BED and furniture giant Silentnight has reported a buoyant start to the new financial year. At the Barnoldswick based firm's annual general meeting, chairman Keith Ackroyd said results from the first four months were ahead of target and of last year's

  • Council loses bin appeal

    BURY has lost its last-ditch appeal over a multi-million pound bins contract. The council has been refused leave to take its battle to the House of Lords. But town hall bosses say they will carry on the fight to keep the lucrative refuse collection contract

  • Sport for all!

    BETTER sporting facilities for the borough have come one step nearer. Town hall bosses are appointing specialist consultants to help draw up a new sports and recreation strategy. The resulting five-year action plan aims to create and tailor sports to

  • Tory office faces closure

    BURY'S Conservative Party North Western Regional Office is set to close as part of a massive money-saving shake-up at national level. The offices, in Eric Taylor House in St Mary's Place, are threatened under a major review of party spending by the Tory's

  • Remember to say thanks for your memory

    LEIGH area people are being asked to say thanks for the memory next week and remember 4,500 local Alzheimer victims and their long-suffering carer heroes. Staff at Heathside, Plank Lane, Leigh, Wigan Council's home for older people living with dementia

  • Talented trio feted by MPs

    THE talents of three Nelson and Colne College students were applauded in the Commons after they picked up a national title. Pendle MP Gordon Prentice tabled an Early Day Motion congratulating the college team for winning the prestigious Schools' Analyst

  • Nine sights in blueprint to towns' prosperity

    A PLANNING 'blueprint' has been drawn up, earmarking nine key sites across Pendle for future developments that could create more than 1,000 new jobs. An independent study commissioned by Pendle Council has highlighted parcels of spare land which could

  • No through road!

    A FURIOUS businessman blocked off a road during the morning rush-hour after travellers set up camp on his land. Wellington Road in Bury came to a standstill yesterday (July 2) when Athol Paints, frustrated at the lack of police action against the travellers

  • Jason goes on rent

    LOAN star Jason Donohue has joined the growing colony of Leigh-based players at Keighley. The scrum-half will play on rent for the Yorkshire side from Hull until the end of the season. He had just completed a three-month loan deal with Leigh and had agreed

  • Saints seeking revenge against Warriors

    By DENIS WHITTLE - FOURTH-placed Saints will be seeking to avoid a sixth successive defeat against leaders Wigan Warriors when they visit Central Park in a round 13 Super League clash on Sunday (July 5), kick-off 6.35pm. The nap-hand of reverses came

  • Charity a winner after England's World Cup exit

    WHILE millions across the country witnessed England's World Cup heartache on Tuesday, more than 100 dedicated followers of fashion were doing their bit for those less fortunate. A special charity fashion show was being held at Bury Parish Church Hall

  • Sounds like a knockout event

    COMMUNITY youth teams from Billinge, Garswood, Fingerpost, Newton and Eccleston will be battling it out on Saturday, July 11, in an 'It's A Knockout' competition. The event is jointly organised by St Helens Council's Youth Services Department, the police

  • Sylvia spearheads poverty fight

    BURY is to play a major role in the on-going fight to improve the lives of the country's poor. Local councillor Sylvia Mason, who has led the anti-poverty campaign in the borough, has now been thrust onto the national scene. She will be able to use her

  • Tragic baby's fight for life

    BABY Carl Chalice is fighting for life in an intensive care unit this morning after being born three months premature - only hours after the death of his father. Karl Chalice snr died after a motorcycle accident on Monday afternoon. Only hours later his

  • Town hall bid to bridge generation gap

    YOUNG people must be brought to work for the council to avoid a serious skills shortage in future years. Town hall bosses are worried that lack of cash is leading to a dearth of upcoming talent. They have agreed to set up a youth employment scheme, similar

  • Sell-off plan for centre and school

    BURY'S Geoffrey Kershaw Centre and part of East Ward County Primary School are to be sold off to house builders. The cash is needed to help pay for the new East Ward regeneration project, set up last month with local people playing a major role. Town

  • Here's something to smile about

    DENTISTS are hoping to see a lot more bright smiles in St Helens as children are being given the chance to win a unique prize. St Helens and Knowsley Health have launched a competition to encourage children to register with a dentist. The competition

  • £100,000 rugby club share-out

    MORE than £100,000 will be shared among creditors owed money by previous administrators of Leigh Rugby League club. Liquidator Richard Traynor, responsible for winding-up the affairs of Leigh Rugby Club Ltd in receivership since 1994, has informed creditors

  • Grass growing under fewer feet?

    A DRAMATIC slump in Bury's population could protect the borough's green fields from developers. New predictions show that the number of local residents will remain the same over the next 20 years when earlier estimates had forecast a large increase. Town

  • Knuckleduster attack on youth

    A TEENAGER was the victim of an apparently unprovoked attack as he walked home along Longton Lane, Rainhill, late on Friday, June 19. The 17-year-old boy had been visiting a friend and was passing Longton Lane Primary School at about 11.30pm when he became

  • Back to school for self-defence

    YOUNGSTERS can go back to art school in July - and learn the martial arts. Ju-jitsu expert Alan Francis plans to run his classes at the Leigh Self Defence Studio. The training sessions, beginning on July 6 and lasting some three weeks (Mondays, Wednesdays

  • Young dancers seek cash boost

    PICTURED: PRINCESS Anne chats to Sinead (left) and Kristin (second left) after the Royal Charity Performance of the National Youth Ballet's 'Cinderella'. RAINFORD High School pupils Sinead Boughey and Kristen McNally have been awarded coveted places and

  • Blackpool fall to sleep!

    BLACKPOOL lost their fourth Vaux Northern League Division One game at Stanley Park on Saturday (June 27) to fourth-bottom of the league side Darwen whose professional Peter Sleep ensured a comfortable victory with a superbly timed batting effort. Chasing

  • School is valued by community

    FOLLOWING an inspection by OFSTED, Billinge St Aidan's Community Church of England Primary School was found to be highly valued by the community of which it is an important part. Inspectors said it a school with clear educational direction developed through

  • World mission for Olympic duo

    LOCAL lads are this week wrestling the world. Leigh Olympic Wrestling Club's dynamic duo Paul Raines and Mark Orrell are in the Great Britain squad for the 13th World Cadet Championships. Attracting more than 300 competitors from 45 countries, they are