MUSICAL youngsters in Blackburn and Darwen will benefit from a £310,000 Government grant to improve music lessons and set up a group of centres of excellence. The grant is one of the biggest anywhere in the country. Coun Bill Taylor, chairman of the education
LOCAL companies are being invited to take part in a sports day to raise money to buy electric wheelchairs for James and Daniel McKindy who suffer from muscular dystrophy. The event is being organised by Rawtenstall company Rossendale Combining and teams
Blackburn bookmaker Tom Thelwell has died of pneumonia at the age of 88. Mr Thelwell, of Pleckgate Road, Blackburn, was well known and liked in the Grimshaw Park area. His son, Dennis, said: "He was the last of the old-fashioned bookmakers. "He was a
BRIAN Kidd saw his team earn a well-deserved point at Highfield Road then paid tribute to two players whom Kevin Keegan might yet have on his mind when he selects his first England squad this week. Chris Sutton returned to the front line, when some thought
LIVID landlords have reluctantly agreed to have controversial "spy" machines fitted in their pubs to monitor the sale of beer. The move by Thwaites came after the Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations sought legal advice to fight the move,
TOM COWAN has arrived at Turf Moor on a double mission - to keep Burnley up and find a new club. And the Clarets should get first bite at the cherry if they want to keep Cowan on a permanent basis. The former Sheffield United left-back, who made an impressive
BURNLEY'S tormentor in chief Kurt Nogan must have left the current crop of Clarets feeling like Lennox Lewis when they woke up today to the confirmation that they are in the relegation places for the first time this season. Just as Lewis was on the rough
AN ASSISTANT building society manageress helped herself to cash from the automatic dispensing machine over a two-and-a-half year period. Blackburn magistrates heard that Janet Tucker, 40, stole nearly £1,000 and the offences had been committed shortly
Blackburn Fellowship for the Hard of Hearing meet Ardley Centre, Bent Street, Blackburn, 7.30pm. Lipreading and Clear Speech. Hyndburn Music and Organ Club meet Sydney Street Club, Accrington, 8pm. Royal British Legion Welfare Committee meet St John's
STARS of stage and screen could descend on the Ribble Valley for a charity night hosted by TV's Dot Cotton. Eastenders star June Brown will host a Mad Hatter's Ball in aid of the Michael Elliott Trust at the Stirk House Hotel, Gisburn, on April 3. June
A DOG fight organiser was jailed for three years after police found a scarred pit bull terrier chained up in his garden and a letter saying it had fought for more than an hour and a half. The Chorley man with a nationwide reputation in dog-fighting circles
WORK began on a multi-million pound scheme to transform the semi-derelict auction mart site in Clitheroe into a major tourist attraction. The market was to be remodelled into a landscaped area to be used for travelling shows, markets and other attractions
PRIZED pooches took to the catwalk to make a star appearance to cheer on the crowds at the Clarets home derby with Preston. They were wearing outfits made by Pendle designer Jil Atkinson, who runs her own business called Canine Swanky Pants, making dog
YOUR front page (LET, March 8) had an article about possible changes or financial cuts to special needs schools in the Blackburn area. We also hear about cuts in other schools and colleges up and down the country. A few weeks ago, the newspapers, TV and
MOTHERING Sunday was extra special for Paula Neville because she was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers from her daughter Lauren at Burnley's Turf Moor. Burnley Football Club's Community Programme ran a competition with local primary schools
A MECHANIC became a heroin addicted burglar after the breakdown of his marriage, a court was told. Anthony Bruce, 25, lost all motivation after his father's friend introduced him to drugs as a way of coping with his problems. Bruce was asleep in the house
A NEAR £12 million plan to extend Burnley town centre and create more than 170 new jobs was unveiled by town hall bosses today. The Lodge Square Action plan will open up a "hidden" area of the centre bounded by Lower St James Street and Hammerton Street
MILLENNIUM revellers will be given all the equipment they need to make the special occasion go with a bang. Hyndburn Council has produced a Millennium 'tool kit' to give residents a head start on how to throw the best parties in East Lancashire. The pack
A DOCTOR from Oswaldtwistle was blasted by a coroner over her behaviour during investigations into the death of one of her patients. Coroner Andre Rebello warned Dr Rekha R Ojha that in future he would not hesitate to use the full force of the law against
DETECTIVES involved in the murder inquiry into the death of a 21-year-old Brierfield man say they are pursuing a number of new leads following a public meeting in the town. More than 50 people met at the community centre on Saturday as part of the investigation
MORE than 1,000 people have signed up in just three days for the chance to shape the future of their borough. Organisers of the new Citizens' Panels being set up in Pendle have been overwhelmed by the response to their invitations. They asked 10,000 residents
COOK: An excellent introduction for the on-loan schemer whose control of the midfield gave Burnley the upper hand...8 PAYTON: Looking more like his old self, the striker was hungry and hard-working, although out of luck when he hit the post...7 BRANCH
LITTLE Samuel Knowles can play in safety thanks to Rossendale carpet underlay manufacturers Duralay. Samuel, aged three-and-a-half years, suffers from cerebral palsy and needed special soft matting in the back yard of his home at Grange Crescent, Rawtenstall
A HEALTH trust's bid of almost £100,000 to set up a Down's Syndrome screening service for all pregnant women in its area is still in the balance. Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust's initiative would mean all expectant mothers in East Lancashire
NEW loan signing Paul Cook believes Burnley can take inspiration from rivals in distress Macclesfield to plot their escape route from the Second Division relegation zone. A 1-0 derby defeat by Preston yesterday left the Clarets in the bottom four. But
FILAN: Not too much to do but handled, punched and kicked well and had no chance with the goal...7 McATEER: An inspiration to his team-mates, forever looking to get forward and tough in the tackle too...8 HENCHOZWILCOX: The goal clinched a man-of-the-match
A FAMILY of three escaped from their blazing home after a suspected arson attack in the early hours of today. Firefighters called to the house at Dickinson Close, Blackburn, at 4.15am found John and Ada Holt and their handicapped daughter Lynn, 22, inside
CHRIS Sutton is just one more booking away from an appearance in front of the Football Association - and a certain ban which would be another damaging blow to Blackburn Rovers' hopes of avoiding relegation. The Ewood skipper, tipped in some quarters for
IT was symbolic of the superb team spirit which has flourished in the Blackburn Rovers squad since Brian Kidd's arrival that the senior players couldn't wait to single out 19-year-old debutant Martin Taylor for special praise. Plunged into his first Premiership
TORY MP Nigel Evans is revved up over government plans to allow the European Union's twelve-star symbol to appear on British car number plates. The Government is to allow the use of the symbol on number plates, but not the flag of St George or the Union
IN line with its election pledge to make lottery funding more relevant to the public, the government today announced plans to inject £100 million of lottery money into cancer care. It will go to charitable groups involved in local schemes such as scanner
WITH the sugar-coating now fast coming off Gordon Brown's widely-hailed Budget, the protest at the bitter pill it turned out to be for motorists and the truckers claiming its extra taxes will cost 50,000 jobs should signal at least two things to the government
A BRAVE last quarter fight-back by Stanley was thwarted by man of the match Andy Shaw's early second half goal to leave the Crown Ground side in an even more precarious position anchored at the foot of the UniBond Premier League. Stanley had Paul Heavey
YOUR article, "I'm no cheat" (LET, March 6) stated I had raised £2,025 at the Griffin pub and £1,500 at the Beehive pub in Blackburn for the charity, Unique. I would like everyone to know I had no part in raising the money at the Beehive. This was raised
KEN Bridge's men rocked second-placed Kidsgrove by taking an early lead, but the reigning champions fought back superbly to record a deserved victory which keeps their title hopes firmly on track. Kidsgrove had made a strong start and Rams keeper Paul
ICE HOCKEY: Hawks season came to a sad end when they caught a Chill at Swindon on Saturday night. Bobby Haig's men were blown away, a weakened side proving a pushover for the home outfit who could even have had more goals to show such was their superiority
THE recent outbreak of the 'Banana War' between America and Europe is a clear example of why Britain needs to be part of the European Union, for all its faults. This 'Banana War' has broken out because America is not getting its own way. It could easily
REGARDING Blackburn with Darwen Council's review of special schools, Councillor Bill Taylor (Letters, March 1) says that the parents and teachers were consulted about the situation before it went to the education and training committee on January 12.
POLICE seized drugs with a street value of almost £30,000 when they searched the home of a charity shop raider. Addict John Richardson, 30, said he was 'baby-sitting' the haul - which included the class 'A' drug ecstasy to the tune of around £12,000 -
A LEARNER who took on the identity of a driver whose licence he found 14 years ago has escaped a prison term. Joiner John Hirst, 49, an ex-convict now living a "respectable family life," had only recently passed his test. Burnley Crown Court heard how
THE second stage of Burnley Festival brought singers, choristers and keyboard players to the town to show off their talents. St Peter's School and Church provided the venues for the classes and adjudicators from Manchester and Edinburgh were brought in
LECTURERS in interior design George Grunshaw and Glenn Studholme made such an impact on a recent trip to Germany that they have been asked to make it an annual visit. The two Accrington and Rossendale College tutors travelled to a college in Rossendale's
HYNDBURN MP Greg Pope has been the victim of inter-city pickpockets who stole his wallet and House of Commons pass on a train journey to London. And the thieves had already spent £300 on his plastic cards in a supermarket near Euston station before he
BUSINESS failures in the region rose last month according to figures issued today. Accountants Deloitte & Touche recorded 28 company collapses, up from 18 in January. "There is little doubt that these figures will renew speculation that the UK and
PUB chain JD Wetherspoon, which owns the Postal Order in Blackburn, has attacked the duty on a pint despite the Chancellor's freeze on alcohol tax in the budget. Chairman Tim Martin said the Government did the right thing by not increasing beer prices
YOUNG dancers tiptoed their way to stardom as Nelson Ballet Festival attracted more than 800 entries. More than 100 dancers took part in the event at Pendle Hippodrome, Colne, each completing at least seven solo performances and duets. The organisers
IRATE residents are joining forces to force selfish motorists to change their parking habits. A public meeting has been organised to debate possible solutions to the problems in the Sandringham Road area of Darwen. The move follows complaints by householders
