Archive

  • EVENTS taking place in East Lancashire on Wednesday, June 27

    Parkinson's Disease Society meet Temple Street Resource Centre, Burnley, 7.30pm. 'Anchor Staying Put' by Alyson Barnes. Pendle District Citizens Advice Bureau drop-in advice session, Health Centre, Arthur Street, Brierfield, 9am-12noon. Spring Vale Ramblers

  • Time to take a deep breath

    AS a still-tense Burnley recovers from the shocking violence of the weekend's race riots, new controversy is provoked by the arrest and injury last night of Commission for Racial Equality member Shahid Malik. Thus far, there is only his account of the

  • Big-name stores were needed first

    IN response to the story (LET, June 14), regarding Councillor Ashley Whalley asking for the big boy companies to move into Blackburn's newly renovated Church Street when completed, I would have thought that a man in Coun Whalley's position -- chairman

  • Don't play politics with the lottery

    RECENTLY, it was noted in the press that £3 billion is being hoarded by the unelected quangos which decide where the lottery money is to be distributed. Do the people who play the lottery realise this? The lottery is fast becoming a politician's lottery

  • Affair scandal vicar hits out at Church

    A FORMER Rossendale curate who moved in with a married parishioner -- while her husband is still living there -- today blamed the church for his unusual living arrangements. Until just over a year ago the Rev Eric Lomax was curate at the joint benefice

  • Eyal be back says agent

    EYAL Berkovic is still on Blackburn Rovers' summer shopping list, according to the player's agent. The Celtic midfielder finished last season on loan at Ewood Park and helped Rovers back into the Premiership. However, manager Graeme Souness opted not

  • Tugay remains top target

    ROVERS' top midfield target remains Rangers' Turkish international Tugay Kerimoglu. The two clubs have agreed a £1.3 million fee but Rovers are yet to gain a work permit for the deal to go through. Their initial application was rejected by the Home Office

  • Mums 'jailed' over bid to beat bullies

    THREE colleagues who are being locked up for nine hours in a police cell tomorrow are delighted to have secured more than £200 sponsorship for their efforts. Burnley's Asda store events co-ordinator Gillian Lingard will be going behind bars along with

  • Task force to probe the root of problems

    A TASK force is to be set up in Burnley to address the underlying issues behind the weekend of racial violence. Council and the police will also meet the borough's MP Peter Pike on Friday and are calling for a cabinet minister to come to the

  • Kids get best start at nursery

    A NURSERY has been lauded by inspectors as a "very good school" where pupils make rapid progress. Bradley Nursery School in Nelson has 141 pupils aged three and four who attend on a part-time basis. A team from Ofsted inspected the school, in Bradley

  • Get your tickets now for popular farce

    TICKETS for an amateur production not on stage until August have already gone on sale because the society is expecting packed houses. When Did You Last See Your Trousers? by John Antrobus and Ray Galton, of Steptoe fame, will be at Pendle Hippodrome in

  • Ultraframe buys US rival for £88m

    CLITHEROE-BASED Ultraframe has bought its American rival in a £88.5 million deal which makes the company the world leader in conservatory systems. In its first major acquisition, the company has taken over the Four Seasons Group, the market leader in

  • Council visit to land condemned

    A COUNCILLOR has condemned fellow members for travelling to the site of a planning application as it was in the heart of a foot and mouth infected area. Coun Harry Backhouse hit out at his colleagues on Ribble Valley's planning and development committee

  • Councils choose new systems

    TWO councils have unveiled plans to reform the way they operate. Both Ribble Valley Borough Council and Hyndburn Council are set to adopt new political structures as they fall in line with new government procedures which ordered councils to shape up for

  • Keeper hold up his hands

    PAUL Crichton today admitted that the outstanding form of Clarets number one Nik Michopoulos had forced his hand in accepting a move to Burnley's First Division rivals Norwich City. Crichton barely put a foot wrong during his two-and-a-half year stay

  • Running pub is piece of cake for chef John

    RUNNING a pub isn't something to make a meal of when you have worked at one as a chef for 18 years. John Paterson, 38, is now combining his kitchen duties with the added responsibility of being landlord of the Moorcock Inn, Blacko. John will be running

  • Elderly residents call for full-time warden

    A GROUP of elderly residents in Chesham Fold are too scared to step outdoors at night because of loutish youths, councillors were told. Now fed-up occupants in Griffin Close are calling for a permanent warden to be re-instated, claiming they did not feel

  • Amy loses "oldest" title

    BURY woman Amy Hulmes has been dethroned as the world's oldest living person. But one consolation for the 113-year-old is that she still holds the distinction of being the oldest person in Europe. As revealed earlier in the Bury Times, the world title

  • Police station open day draws crowds

    A CUDDLY constable literally dropped in to join the fun at Bury's cop shop... Constable Cub, GMP's force mascot, abseiled from the roof of the Irwell Street police headquarters during Sunday's open day. Crowds revelled in the glorious sunshine for the

  • Parents warned "beware"

    POLICE are stepping up patrols following fresh reports of a man stalking young girls. A member of the public came to the rescue of three 11-year-old girls when she spotted them fleeing from a man in Ramsbottom. The incident happened in Ripon Hall Avenue

  • Eyal be back says agent

    EYAL Berkovic is still on Blackburn Rovers' summer shopping list, according to the player's agent. The Celtic midfielder finished last season on loan at Ewood Park and helped Rovers back into the Premiership. However, manager Graeme Souness opted not

  • Keeper hold up his hands

    PAUL Crichton today admitted that the outstanding form of Clarets number one Nik Michopoulos had forced his hand in accepting a move to Burnley's First Division rivals Norwich City. Crichton barely put a foot wrong during his two-and-a-half year stay

  • Lecture topic to address youth problem

    THE inaugural North West Business Lecture will be delivered by Bryan Gray, deputy chairman of Bamber Bridge-based Baxi Group. The event is hosted by the business support agency Nimtech and will take place at Preston North End on July 6 as part of the

  • Shaker's coach faces greatest battle

    BURY Football Club has received hundreds of messages of support for popular first team coach Billy Ayre, after it was revealed that he is suffering from cancer. The Gigg Lane club announced Ayre's illness with "great regret". Ayre is a well-respected

  • Queen Susan set for a gala return

    A WOMAN who was crowned Civic Queen at the first Darwen Gala could return to the town for the 36th event. Susan Wakeman, nee Payne, came forward after organisers of the extravaganza revealed plans to turn back the clock and recreate some of the attractions

  • Nursery celebrates hitting the jackpot

    STAFF at a children's nursery are celebrating after securing a government grant of more than £20,000. Children and teachers at Les Enfants Private Nursery, in Higher Avondale Road, Darwen, have been pledged a total of £21,600 from the New Opportunities

  • Bids are put out for work on river banks

    TENDERS are now being invited to carry out work to improve the area around the River Irwell in Stacksteads. Stacksteads Riverside Park Group has been granted £15,000 to carry out the work which chairman Coun Michael McShea said should begin in July and

  • Mother pining for return of sheepdog puppies

    THE owners of five border collie puppies which were stolen from a farm in Lumb are appealing for their return. Alf and Barbara Kyme moved from Stacksteads to Higher Walls Farm, Walls Clough, last year when Alf retired from his scrapyard business and and

  • Affair scandal vicar hits out at Church

    A FORMER Rossendale curate who moved in with a married parishioner -- while her husband is still living there -- today blamed the church for his unusual living arrangements. Until just over a year ago the Rev Eric Lomax was curate at the joint benefice

  • Football crazy girls on winning streak

    FOOTBALL-mad girls have put their male classmates to shame by winning an all-important, annual football tournament for girls. Year five and six pupils at St Albans RC Primary School, Trinity Street, Blackburn overwhelmed their components by winning seven

  • Man was caught burning sheep

    A MAN sparked a major foot and mouth alert when he was caught setting fire to sheep carcases in a lane on the outskirts of Blackburn. But the town's magistrates were told that the incident had nothing to do with the disease except that Naweed Mohammed

  • Pioneer scheme helps save lives

    AN appeal has been made for people living in rural communities to take part in a pioneering scheme designed to reduce the number of deaths caused by heart attacks. The call was made by Lancashire Ambulance Service as it was revealed a pilot project of

  • Shakers pre-season

    BURY's full list of pre-season fixtures has been revealed. They are: July 18 Radcliffe Borough (a), 19 Farsley Celtic (a), 21 Leigh RMI (a), 24 Accrington Stanley (a), 26 Caernarfon Town (a), 28 Southport (a), 31 Swansea City (a) and Accrington Stanley

  • Memories are hair-raising

    REGARDING your report on schoolboy Danny Howes' Beckham haircut, I wonder if older readers remember when babies had a "cockscomb" hair style? One brushed the hair up from side to side, curled it round one's fingers and lo and behold, it came out like

  • Watching the killing is sick

    ON June 21, the army, Ministry and a fleet of vets came to destroy the livestock at our neighbour's farm. More than 2,000 sheep and a large number of cattle died. The roads were closed to try and make an unpleasant situation less obvious to the local

  • Don't use this as catalyst for violence

    A COMMUNITY leader today reinforced his appeal for calm on the streets of Burnley - as he recovered from an alleged assault by police which left him needing hospital treatment. Shahid Malik, 33, a member of the Commission for Racial Equality

  • Woman hurt in car crash

    A BURY woman escaped with minor injuries after a road accident in which a man had to be freed from the wreckage. Janet Bland, aged 38, of Hornsea Close, Lowercroft, suffered whiplash and cuts to her legs and arms in the collision just before 9.30pm yesterday

  • Suspended head takes sick leave

    THE headteacher of a Ramsbottom primary school suspended amid allegations of exam irregularities has taken four weeks sick leave. Mr Mike Duce of Peel Brow Primary School was asked to leave the school at the end of last month after concerns were raised

  • Police keep uneasy peace

    A BLAZING scrapyard on the stroke of midnight could have been the spark police and community leaders were leading. As the fire ripped through 30 or so cars at Burnley Car Dismantlers in Arch Street, just out of the town centre, riot police

  • Changes to fixtures

    ALTHOUGH details of televised games are still to be announced,the dates of two of Rovers fixtures have already been changed. The away match at Ipswich Town, scheduled for Saturday, September 15, has been put back 24 hours due to Ipswich's Uefa Cup commitments

  • Key move as police battle against burglary

    PEOPLE who leave a key in the inside of doors at home run the risk of being burgled. The warning by police follows a spate of key-turning burglaries in the Pennine Division which includes all of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale areas. Crime prevention officer

  • Crowning glory for Rebecca

    GUIDE Dogs for the Blind were very much in mind as St John's Church, Worsthorne, held its annual walking day. After the walk around the village, a special children's service took place with guest speaker Mrs Joan Pickard, who joined the procession with

  • Dad-of-two's new job joy ends in misery in casualty

    A NIGHT out celebrating a new job ended in the casualty department when a father-of-two got arrested. Burnley magistrates heard claims David Ibbotson's wrist was broken when a police officer hit him with a pair of handcuffs. Ibbotson, of Bright Terrace

  • Ten years ago

    A LIONS club allowed a woman to join what was once an 'exclusive men's den.' Sue Bird, 27, of Queen Street, Whalley was inducted as a member of Whalley Lions -- a move which split the club, after several long-serving members resigned from their positions

  • Five years ago

    A BRAVE teenager made his way home after stunning doctors with an amazing recovery from a double-lung transplant operation. Robert Daly, 15, of Ribblesdale Avenue, Accrington was given the gift of life in a dramatic eight hour operation. Doctors had expected

  • Store's effort for Chris

    ASDA Accrington has kick-started a fundraising pot to send employee Chris Jenkinson to South Africa. He hopes to represent England at ju-jitsu in November. In order to go Chris, 19, needs to raise £3,000 before August so Asda staff gave up their free

  • Trio due in court on attack charge

    A 17-YEAR-OLD youth was due to appear in Hyndburn Magistrates Youth Court todaywith two 16-year-old boys following an attack on a man found unconscious in an alleyway. The Accrington teenagers, who can not be named for legal reasons, have been charged

  • Vicar's call to fight death penalty

    A DATE has been set for the first meeting of an anti-capital punishment group. The Rev Ian Robertson, of St John with St Augustine's Church, Accrington, appealed for people, regardless of religion, race or background, to contact him if they wanted to

  • Council's blitz on public drinking

    DRINKING in public could soon be banned in Hyndburn under plans being drawn up by the council. The local authority plans to make use of new Government legislation which allows them to ban drinking in public by issuing a new by-law. It would be similar

  • Stan working hard

    CLARETS boss Stan Ternent is still working behind the scenes on bringing in new faces and hasn't ruled out a big-money move to bolster his squad. Ternent remains keen to strengthen his midfield department and despite signing Gareth Taylor, the arrival

  • CRICKET: Haynes set for crucial clash

    LANCASHIRE have turned to Jamie Haynes to solve their opening problem in the crucial Cricinfo Championship showdown with Surrey which starts at the Oval on Friday. The Bristol-born, Aussie-raised reserve wicket keeper has won the nod ahead of Ryan Driver

  • Lots going on for orphan charity

    REGULARS at the Three Pigeons pub in Blackburn have been helping to raise money for a Romanian orphanage. Ada Smith, 65, of Stonyhurst Road, Blackburn, took part in a sponsored four mile walk in Blackpool to raise a further £250 to add to money that has

  • Couple uncork a wine lovers' treat

    THE landlord and landlady of a Chorley pub are uncorking a new range of wines to customers with the launch of a new summer wine list. David and Donna Telford, the hosts of the Malthouse Farm, Moss Lane, have developed their new wine list to feature some

  • Sparks fly at Sparrowhawk summer solstice

    SPARKS were flying when landlord Richard Bromwich set about celebrating the summer solstice. Richard, who is well known for encouraging eccentric traditions, lit up a log fire at Ye Old Sparrowhawk Inn, Wheatley Lane Road, Fence, to mark Midsummer's Day

  • Students urged to apply for extra cash

    STUDENTS in the Bury area are being urged to take advantage of extra cash to aid their studies. Applications are now been sought for grants to be paid out of two Trust funds established to support students in school, college or university. The first,

  • Danger stones moved from The Rock

    ORNATE stone structures overlooking The Rock could have come crashing down onto the street if property developer Stephen Kendal had not spotted the danger. The hazard came to light when refurbishment work started on the building at the Derby Chambers.

  • Clean-up plan for contaminated land

    COMPANIES and residents are invited to have their say on plans to clean up contaminated land across the borough. Town hall bosses have published a new draft code called the Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy, and need people's views on it. Councillor

  • Modern man at town hall

    TOWN hall bosses are leading the way in a national training scheme for councillors and officers. Councillor John Byrne, council leader, and Mr Dennis Taylor, chief executive, have been invited to help launch the latest national Modern Members programme

  • Slow sales of Hear'Say's second single

    FIRST day sales of Hear'Say's second single were slow, according to record shops in Bolton. The record, "The Way To Your Love", was snapped up by less than a dozen people -- fuelling speculation that interest in the band is waning. But industry experts

  • Council right to turn down plans

    THE Secretary of State has upheld a decision to reject plans to construct 62 homes on the former Stand Grammar School site in Whitefield. His decision follows a public inquiry held last month after an appeal lodged by house developer Alfred McAlpine Homes

  • Award aces

    THE cream of East Lancashire's next generation of engineers was honoured at an awards ceremony at Mytton Fold Hotel, Billington. Jeff Cowburn, joint chief executive of Training 2000, which organised the event, said engineering apprenticeships were becoming

  • Aerospace order boost from show

    HIGH-FLYING engineering companies have returned in triumph from the Paris International Air Show with orders worth millions of pounds. And according to the Nelson-based North West Aerospace Alliance, that total is sure to increase as companies work on

  • Are we really fit for a long life?

    FEW of us like to think that, one day, our life will come to an end. But it happens to all of us. Yet, if scientists knuckle down, some may have longer than others. Boffins are constantly beavering away in an attempt to discover why some of us live longer

  • Fuel thieves used stolen registration

    THREE teenagers attempted to foil police by stealing a car number plate before carrying out a petrol station drive-off. The registration S751 KCK was taken from a black VW Polo in Belgrave Road, Darwen, and put on to a Vauxhall Astra on the lane up to

  • Hunt for thugs in dog-on-line horror

    AN animal welfare group today condemned the thugs who left a dog tied to a railway line to die under the wheels of a train. They described it as an act of 'appalling wilful cruelty'. The animal was discovered with string round its front and rear legs

  • Knife attacks may be linked

    POLICE have issued descriptions of two men they want to interview about an unprovoked attack on a Bacup man whose cheeks, forehead, chin and thumb were slashed with a knife. Gerard Goodwin, 31, of Rochdale Road, was walking towards his mother's house

  • Student stages Dracula spectacular

    A STAGE-struck student from Rossendale has made his first leap for stardom after winning a place with a top London Drama centre. Talented Tom Newton, 16, of Crawshawbooth, will be treading the boards at the prestigious National Youth Theatre in London

  • The very best of East and West

    AWARD winning artists, twins Amrit and Rabinda Singh, bring their unique interpretations of Indian miniature paintings to the Blackburn Art Gallery and Museum. The paintings, which combine Western and Eastern influences, have created considerable interest

  • Artistic Mary in the final

    A WOMAN who is almost blind has impressed judges with her artistic talents after getting through to the final of a national competition. Mary Bestwick, 65, a resident of Ashbourne's Rowans Car Centre, in Whalley New Road, Blackburn, beat off entrants

  • Weather warnings at store

    A COMPUTER store in Blackburn is taking the unprecedented step of displaying thunderstorm warnings after managers became concerned about the damage caused to sensitive computer equipment by lighting strikes. The storms can cause electrical surges resulting

  • Tide of violence towards hospital workers

    A SCHEME similar to one proposed by health secretary Alan Milburn was put in place by Blackburn health bosses more than a year ago. Health Secretary Alan Milburn said this week he was 'sickened' by the tide of violence NHS staff were suffering. Blackburn

  • Man was caught burning sheep

    A MAN sparked a major foot and mouth alert when he was caught setting fire to sheep carcasses in a lane on the outskirts of Blackburn. But the town's magistrates were told that the incident had nothing to do with the disease except that Naweed Mohammed

  • Memorial to deserters the army shot

    AN MP is calling on the Government to pardon the 306 servicemen shot for desertion during the First World War after a statue was unveiled in their memory. During an emotional ceremony attended by war veterans and others paying their respects, a memorial

  • Long season for Lynx

    IN THEIR penultimate game of the season Chorley Lynx slumped to their 12th consecutive defeat at the hands of play-off hopefuls Dewsbury Rams at Victory Park. As with other games this season, Lynx were their own worst enemies with at least six of the

  • GOLF: Hoping to break duck

    ANDY Samuels is hoping to break his Derek Chadwick Trophy duck this year but reckons: "My chances are slim." The 46-year-old former Harold Ryden champion has never won the Burnley trophy and has been a beaten finalist five times. And he reckons the 'young

  • Terrific Turley on the brink

    Leigh Centurions 38 Featherstone Rovers 17 WITH a perfect sense of timing the Centurions re-discovered their top form and Neil Turley produced a one-man demolition job writes Mike Hulme Great Britain coach David Waite watched appreciatively from the stand

  • Public opinion wins hostel battle

    THE controversial plan for a hostel for the homeless in Bury has been scrapped because of a public outcry. Manchester Methodist Housing has withdrawn its application to develop a plot of land on Baron Street, blaming local hostility. But the association