Archive

  • Stage whispers

    ALL the news from the amateur theatre scene. THE Clitheroe Parish Church Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society is staging the comedy It Could Be Any One Of Us by Alan Ayckbourn from tonight until Saturday in Clitheroe Parish Church Hall at 7.30pm. Tickets

  • Out of touch

    IAM trying to trace a local junior school teacher who I knew some 30 years ago and was a penfriend with, but lost contact with after we both moved. Her name was Miss Enid Etherington of 120 Brougham Street, Burnley. Her school was "a few minutes walk

  • Badger baiting: it's down to us

    IAGREE with Mrs A Edwards' remarks on 'Badger Crime' (Letters, October 9). They are lovely animals, but it is up to us to protect them from badger-baiting. Write to your MPs to complain. They do take notice of public opinion. Children can also write to

  • Suspect packages hit postal services

    POSTAL deliveries in the county were brought to a halt when two suspicious packages were found at Royal Mail sorting offices in the area. Staff were locked inside the Christian Road office, in Preston, from 9.15am for around an hour while emergency fire

  • Reebok to stage RL Test after all

    WANDERERS' Reebok Stadium is to stage a RL Test against Australia next month after all. ARL chiefs said their Ashes tour of the UK will now go ahead. The ARL had called off the trip to Britain amid safety fears as the UK backs the war against the Taliban

  • EWOOD EYE: Rovers find killer touch

    MAGNIFICENT! That's the only word you can use to describe Rovers' 7-1 mauling of a woeful West Ham on Sunday. Graeme Souness's braves had threatened to give someone a good hiding for a while and sadly for the hapless Hammers it turned out to be them.

  • Council man hanged himself

    A COUNCIL worker hanged himself after his partner's death sank him into depression, an inquest heard. Stephen Whittaker, 52, was found by a police officer slumped over a three-rung stepladder in the bedroom of his home in Laburnum Close, Burnley, on May

  • Shocked silence falls on factory

    A STUNNED silence fell on Michelin when 500 workers were told the factory was to close. Many staff said that the closure was on the cards and were not surprised by the announcement after years of cutbacks, pay freezes and reductions in working hours.

  • Bravery award for blaze rescue hero

    A COLNE man who rescued an eight-year-old boy from a burning house has been rewarded for his bravery with a special commendation certificate from the fire service. Mark Atkinson, 35, was presented with his award by Peter Holland, the Chief Fire Officer

  • Taking care of family business

    HAROLD Pinter's 'The Caretaker' is effortlessly funny and disturbingly sinister - and the English Touring Theatre's production at The Lowry achieves both elements to great effect. The action centres around the tramp Davies (Malcolm Storry) and his relationship

  • Tom to make his point

    THOMAS Sobotzik will finally pull on a Burnley shirt for the reserves at Barnsley tonight and show he has the talent to be a success in the English game. That is the opinion of former Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and England striker Tony Woodcock who is

  • TURF TALK: One of the hardest jobs?

    WHO on earth would want to be a football manager - loads of people it would appear. On Saturday Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier had emergency heart surgery. On Monday Birmingham's Trevor Francis and Leyton Orient's Tommy Taylor became the 13th and 14th

  • Kilby confident despite loss

    BURNLEY FC made a loss of £2.1million in the last financial year but chairman Barry Kilby claimed it was "another year of progress towards our aim of restoring the fortunes of this great club". The losses reflected the increased costs involved following

  • Kilby confident despite loss

    BURNLEY FC made a loss of £2.1million in the last financial year but chairman Barry Kilby claimed it was "another year of progress towards our aim of restoring the fortunes of this great club". The losses reflected the increased costs involved following

  • Macken gives Preston a boost

    JON Macken scored a vital fifth goal of the campaign to secure Preston three points at struggling Sheffield Wednesday. The transfer-listed frontman grabbed the winner 12 minutes from time - and made it four goals in four matches - as North End made it

  • Anthrax fears hit postal services

    THE county's postal service was getting back to normal after two Royal Mail sorting offices in the area received suspicous packages, feared to be anthrax. Staff at the Preston delivery office, on Christian Road, went back to work at around 12.30pm, after

  • Stand keep on rolling

    THE Stand bandwagon keeps on rolling and the side stay top of the North West Counties League Second Division after a 3-0 win away at Cheadle. Stuart Telfer opened the scoring on 20 minutes and Micky Bartholomew doubled the lead 10 minutes later. Top scorer

  • Surgery for Games medal prospect

    GYMNAST Craig Heap will undergo the fifth operation on his left elbow today as he bids to be fit for next year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Heap, Britain's only gymnast at the Olympic Games in Sydney last year, was set to be operated on at Rugby

  • Widow's anguish as killers get life

    THE widow of murdered taxi driver Tariq Javed today said she could never forgive the killers. Naheed Javed said: "My husband suffered a violent and brutal death and I will never be able to forgive those responsible. "We were a very happy and close family

  • Boro riding high after 5-goal romp

    Radcliffe Boro 5 Stocksbridge 0 BORO go into this Saturday's top of the Unibond Division One table clash at Harrogate Town riding high after a superb showing against Stocksbridge. Jody Banim got the first on 17 minutes, a close range effort after David

  • Final curtain at club's 'home'

    BLACKBURN Drama Club will open its new season -- with a final curtain. The Herbal Bed, by Peter Whelan, will be the club's last performance at its traditional home, Blackburn College. Blackburn Drama Club was formed in 1944, and for 37 years it has staged

  • Use 'the force' to control police

    REGARDING his concern over the potential abuse of the new religious discrimination laws, does L Lawes (Letters, October 8) not realise that, following the results of the 2001 census, there is now a specific entry in the census database to include 'Jedi

  • Answer long overdue

    I SEE that Councillor David Smith (Letters, October 5) penned a reply to a street lighting query within the week. Pity the same could not be said for Councillor Ashley Whalley, or whoever is responsible for enforcing by-laws. I had a letter published

  • Delving into family history

    CAN readers help? I am the last of an old Blackburn family, and am trying to reconstruct the family history for my own descendants. My great-grandfather, Alfred Joseph Coleman, was born in Nottingham in 1882 but subsequently moved to Blackburn, where

  • Clamp down on diesel spillers

    I READ with irony your article 'Double accident after fuel spill on road' (LET, October 9). As an advanced motorcyclist, I and fellow riders have to negotiate far too regularly diesel spills from commercial vehicles. The irony is that this particular

  • Homes grants would save council cash

    REGARDING your report "Hit landlords harder plea" (LET, October 8), the pomposity of Councillor Dave Smith, who called for full or even double council tax to be charged on empty homes, is typical of Blackburn with Darwen Council's attitude to housing.

  • Schools light up the town

    FIVE schools lit up Atherton with their Eurosing 2001 spectacular. Pupils from Hesketh Fletcher High School in Atherton, Tyldesley's Fred Longworth High, Garrett Hall Primary School in Tyldesley and Hindsford St Anne's and Westleigh Methodist primary

  • Closure blow: 450 jobs to go

    DEVASTATED workers were today coming to terms with a 450 jobs blow at one of East Lancashire's major employers. Michelin have announced that their Bancroft Road factory in Burnley will close in March next year and all 452 workers are to be made redundant

  • Massey brace beats 10-man Town

    Atherton LR 2 Congleton Town 0 CONGLETON had a player sent off after 15 minutes for elbowing Tony Smith but it was the second half before LR began to take advantage of the extra man. On 52 minutes Luke Hardman sent a through ball for Barry Massey to chase

  • Rousing fightback sees Leigh snatch cup glor

    Leigh RMI 2 Scarborough 1 (on golden goal) LEIGH RMI ensured a second round tie against Football League opposition with a dramatic comeback to oust Conference colleagues Scarborough at Hilton Park, writes Martyn Hindley. Leigh had gone close on a number

  • Just say Sven

    EWOOD enforcer Garry Flitcroft today begged Sven Goran Eriksson to give him an England chance as he clutched on to his dream of playing in next summer's World Cup finals. Flitcroft is desperate to pull on the famous three lions in Japan after representing

  • Distraught family in gas death plea

    THE inquest into the death of a 14-year-old schoolboy was due to be opened today. James Mather, of Melbourne Street, Oswaldtwistle, died on Thursday last week after he was found by a friend, collapsed in a suspected gas sniffing den. The hearing in Blackburn

  • School extension coming to fruition

    BUILDING work on a £1.2million extension to a high school in Oswaldtwistle was due to begin today with county council chiefs laying the first stone. The scheme is the product of 18 months of careful planning which will unify Rhyddings High School, Haworth

  • Nik is top of the stops

    CLARETS keeper Nik Michopoulos picked up the award for Nationwide Save of the Month for September at Turf Moor yesterday. His goalkeeping coach Alex Stepney said: "He really deserves it. The save from Mark Robins' header was outstanding, really special

  • Tim's historic appeal

    ATHERTON LR programme editor Tim Lees is writing a recent history of the club. In order to complete his records he is trying to find a 1994/95 final table of the North West Alliance League which would be in the 1995/96 Bolton Combination handbook. If

  • Mum's joy as daughter turns up safe

    THE mother of a 14-year-old girl who vanished after a family row spoke today of her relief at finding her daughter. Gail Fotherby had an emotional reunion with Nicola at 12.30pm yesterday -- more than 20 hours after her disappearance was logged with police

  • Just say Sven

    EWOOD enforcer Garry Flitcroft today begged Sven Goran Eriksson to give him an England chance as he clutched on to his dream of playing in next summer's World Cup finals. Flitcroft is desperate to pull on the famous three lions in Japan after representing

  • Shakers ace is Latics target

    BURY'S Chris Armstrong is at the centre of a transfer battle today after Oldham Athletic made a cash bid for the defender. Bury want the 19-year-old to stay but may be forced to sell because of the dire financial position at the club. The Shakers are

  • Train shame of JP who was 'too drunk'

    A MAGISTRATE who stopped a train by pulling the emergency cord after she was "too drunk" to get off at a station is facing disciplinary action by court bosses. But college lecturer Sandra Taylor, 54, today vowed to fight her conviction for being drunk

  • Memorial ground not for sale

    A ROUND of applause greeted a decision not to sell off part of a memorial ground to a tenant of the land who wanted to build a conservatory. The proposed sale of part of Trickett's Memorial Ground, Burnley Road East, Waterfoot, to a resident of Thistlemount

  • Anthrax fears hit postal services

    THE county's postal service was getting back to normal after two Royal Mail sorting offices in the area received suspicous packages, feared to be anthrax. Staff at the Preston delivery office, on Christian Road, went back to work at around 12.30pm, after

  • Youth custody for drugs supplier

    A 20-YEAR-OLD man who supplied drugs to undercover police officers has been sentenced to three years youth custody. Preston Crown court was told during April and May this year Operation Hurricane was set up to target street-level dealers in the Blackburn

  • Giant hospital for town

    BLACKBURN'S new super hospital will be almost three times the size of its predecessor -- and packed full of the most up-to-date medical facilities, health chiefs have revealed. The £86million privately funded hospital, which will bring all the services

  • Russell the five goal hero

    RAMSBOTTOM hot shot Russell Brierley scored five goals to take his tally to 16 for the season as United got a much-needed confidence boost when they hit Winsford for six in the NWCL Division One. Brierley started his rout after just three minutes following

  • Dark Lane drama tops the Square!

    THERE was more drama at Dark Lane than a week of Eastenders as Rossendale bowed out of the FA Cup on penalties. There were scrambled, injury-time and stunning goals with injuries, a broken leg, extra-time and penalties and 1,043 fans, mostly from the

  • Macken gives Preston a boost

    JON Macken scored a vital fifth goal of the campaign to secure Preston three points at struggling Sheffield Wednesday. The transfer-listed frontman grabbed the winner 12 minutes from time - and made it four goals in four matches - as North End made it

  • Moyes furious at last ditch defeat

    CREWE'S last minute goal angered Preston boss David Moyes as North End slipped to their first defeat in four matches. Moyes was furious when Dario Gradi's side were awarded a free kick in the 90th minute and Kenny Lunt sent in a cross which Steven Foster