Archive

  • EVENTS taking place in East Lancashire on Saturday, December 8

    A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Charity 'bag pack' at Sainsbury's supermarket, Darwen, noon-4pm. Proceeds for the Bible Society. Grand Victorian Spectacular, Blackburn town centre and markets, 11am-

  • Chance for schoolkids to be arty

    CREATIVE kids in Blackpool will soon be enjoying a new out-of-school arts project. Dubbed ArtXtra, the new £400,000 project was launched last week at Blackpool's Grundy Art Gallery, Queen Street. A Blackpool borough council spokesman said the three-year

  • MP offers to keep the peace

    EAST Lancashire MP Nigel Evans wants to invite Tony Blair and Gordon Brown into his constituency surgery to sort out their neighbour dispute. The Tory frontbencher is growing increasingly concerned about the rows over the garden fence between the Prime

  • Swinton all set to kick off

    SWINTON LIONS go into their first competitive game of the season at home to Hull Kingston Rovers at Gigg Lane on Sunday (kick-off 3pm) minus hooker Rob Barrowclough, but full of optimism. Barrowclough had a cartilage operation six weeks ago and is still

  • Treco in for Park

    HOOKER Leon Treco will be out to grab his big chance when Sedgley Park travel to Fylde tomorrow looking to get back to winning ways. Hooker Paul Keyes hurt his ribs in the home defeat by leaders Plymouth Albion at Park Lane last Saturday. Treco came on

  • Classy Plymouth put Sedgley to the sword

    Sedgley Park 13pts Plymouth Albion 32: PLYMOUTH will win the league title, of that there is no doubt. Sedgley Park and Orrell seem most likely contestants for the other promotion place, and it is vital that Park return to winning ways at Fylde this weekend

  • Bury on the up

    BURY visited the Didsbury home of Old Bedians on a fine, sunny day, but the underfoot conditions were soft with sticky, cloying mud and the key to the game would be those who could handle, and keep, their feet writes MIKE JONES. Bury scored immediately

  • Today's the day

    1783: William Pitt the Younger became Prime Minister of England, at the age of 24. 1787: Delaware became the first state of America. 1907: At London's National Sporting Club, Eugene Corri became the first referee to officiate inside a boxing ring. 1941

  • Further remand for pair

    TWO men were further remanded in custody by Blackburn magistrates charged with being concerned in the supply of drugs. John Clayton, 32, of Bank Cottages, Billington, is charged with being concerned in the supply of amphetamine and cannabis after 6kg

  • Walk on the Wilde side

    MEMBERS of Burnley Youth Theatre are planning a giant treat for audiences later this month. The Selfish Giant and Other Stories will be staged at Burnley Mechanics on Sunday, December 16 (2pm and 7.30pm) and Monday, December 17, at 7.30pm. The tales were

  • Nothing on offer from Labour

    AS a spectator to the manoeuvres of Hyndburn Council, I note that the local Labour Party is bereft of any ideas for the future of the borough: in fact, I cannot recall them putting any new ideas forward for a number of years. The Conservatives on the

  • Let down by the system

    THERE is a lot of talk about care in the community and how it can help you. Well please can you tell me where? I would love to know. This government and my own town of Burnley have given me nothing but heartache. Through hospital care, school, policing

  • Do councillors ever listen?

    IAM inclined to agree with Roy Davies of Darwen (Letters, November 30). Do we need councillors? When making a complaint to a councillor I, too, expect him or her to be in a position to be able to do something about it. But this doesn't seem to be the

  • Halloween mask robbers hunted

    ARMED robbers wearing Halloween-style masks threatened staff at a Leigh takeaway with knives and a stun gun. The robbery is one of three believed to have been staged by the same gang over the last two weeks. All the robberies have been carried out at

  • The £70,000 blunder

    A COAL merchant who was forced to demolish his dream home has been awarded over £70,000 in compensation. Salford City Council have been ordered to pay £67,327.98 and Wigan Council to pay £3,359 to Astley Green fuel dealer Paul Rogers after a string of

  • Cars damaged

    A CAR dealer was left counting the cost after thieves forced their way into three cars. The break-ins happened around 10pm on Friday (Nov 30) at the BCC Suzuki showroom in Tottington Road, Bury. The Suzuki Vitara cars suffered £1,100 worth of damage and

  • Grabbed by neck and robbed

    A 32-year-old woman was grabbed by the neck and robbed on Friday (Nov 30). The victim was in Cambeck Close, Whitefield, at 5.30pm when a man approached her from behind and held her by the throat. The thief grabbed her purse containing an unknown amount

  • Dance to raise funds

    FUND-RAISERS will take to the dance floor tonight (Fri Dec 7) to collect cash for an ambitious project. An under 18s club night is being held at the Fusion nightclub in Warthfield Road, Radcliffe, in conjunction with the Groundwork Prince's Trust. The

  • Women learn skills to their ad-Vantage

    DEMONSTRATIONS to help women avoid the hazards of the road were wheeled out at Bury car showroom Vantage. More than 50 lady motorists attended an evening advice session on vehicle maintenance, and were given some helpful hints on security by Bury Traffic

  • £10,000 armed raid at petrol station

    POLICE are still hunting an armed robber who got away with around £10,000 after holding a knife to the throat of a terrified petrol station attendant during a raid on Monday morning (Dec 3). The 49-year-old woman had just accepted an early-morning delivery

  • Czech this out!

    BURY is paving the way for its new "Czech mates" to enter the European Union. The council is one of only 20 in Britain to lend its municipal expertise to help smooth the entry of the Czech Republic into the EU. Two Czech local government officials have

  • Phone thieves had a knife

    FOUR men threatened another man with a knife during a robbery on Saturday (Dec 1). The 21-year-old victim was on his own in Blackburn Street, Radcliffe, at 1.30pm when he was surrounded by the gang. One of the offenders pulled out a knife and forced him

  • Housing 'rebel' sacked

    A TENANT director claims he has been thrown off the management board of Burnley and Padiham Community Housing for being verbally abusive and threatening to a company officer. Tony Brankin, who represents the Padiham and Hapton area tenants, said he has

  • Havoc after gas leak

    DOZENS of houses were evacuated and roads sealed off as emergency services battled to contain a major gas leak which caused traffic chaos for 12 hours. Police, fire, council and Transco staff worked to contain the leak and clear the area around Blackburn

  • Making a difference

    BURY South MP Ivan Lewis helped a Radcliffe company celebrate a double occasion this week. He joined 80 employees and guests at Remploy's manufacturing unit in Eton Hill Road during the International Day of Disabled People on Monday (Dec 3). And Mr Lewis

  • Centurions hit by triple blow

    LEIGH Centurions have been struck by a triple injury blow just a week into the new season. Newcomers Gareth Price, Rob Ball and Chris Irwin were all casualties from Leigh's opening day victory over Barrow and have been KO'd for Sunday's testing trip to

  • Health on-line

    INDIVIDUALS can now obtain personal health advice and information directly on-line. The new-look NHS Direct Online website, including for the first time an interactive enquiry service, was launched this week. Plans have also been announced for a pilot

  • Jobs go but staff stay

    UNION officials at BAE Systems' Samlesbury site have revealed the 140 workers, whose jobs were under threat, are expected to continue working at the firm but in other departments. Bosses announced last week that 140 jobs were to be axed in their commercial

  • TB hits Asians harder

    MORE people contracted tuberculosis in Preston last year than anywhere else in North West Lancashire according to a new report on the region's health. Preston accounted for two thirds - 41 - of the 63 cases reported throughout the area, which includes

  • Police chief and MP in fund clash

    LANCASHIRE'S Chief Constable and Preston's MP have clashed over the force's funding for next year. Labour MP Mark Hendrick said the police had received an inflation-busting increase, but Chief Constable Pauline Clare described the settlement as 'disappointing

  • Cash boost for renewal areas

    PRESTON is to get a share of a £21.6million Government package to regenerate deprived areas of the town. The cash is part of the Neighbourhood Renewal Scheme, a national strategy launched earlier this year which aims to turn around 88 designated areas

  • No ban for trader facing ruin

    A SECOND hand furniture dealer who faced "financial ruin" if he lost his driving licence can stay on the road. Burnley magistrates told former fireman and father-of-three Thomas Cunningham they accepted he would suffer exceptional hardship if he was banned

  • School on a high needs more room

    IVY Bank High School, Burnley, is paying a price for its success and reputation by having 100 more children than its physical capacity permits. The problem of pupil congestion at the school which currently has about 960 students was highlighted by head

  • Freed dad's Christmas wish granted

    A NEW dad will be able to spend Christmas with his six-week-old baby after magistrates granted his freedom. Joseph Farrelly Phillips, 31, who had been caught with tools ready to steal, wanted to be a proper father to the child and was anxious to be re-united

  • M & S rely on the 'Ethel test'

    MARKS & Spencer sells more than four million pairs of slippers each year -- but they have to pass the 'Burnley test' before reaching the shelves of stores throughout the country . A panel of 12 women, aged from 27 to 96, examine the new styles and

  • Minister tours area of 'no hope'

    HOUSING Minister Lord Falconer heard of the erosion of people's confidence due to the degeneration of the area when he visited the parts of Burnley at the centre of the summer disturbances. Among the people who showed him around the Duke Bar area was

  • Loud music led to trouble in street

    THREE youths involved in a violent street confrontation after complaints over loud music all kept their freedom after a judge said it had not been all one-sided. Christopher Kormoss, 22, Leyton Kormoss, 17, and Paul Pradey, 25, had all armed themselves

  • Super swim sees Barracudas come third

    LEYLAND Barracudas put on a superb performance in the Speedo Micro League Inter League national finals in Liverpool. Before the event coach Mark Gale stated he would be happy if the team came away with seventh or eighth place -- but in the end they far

  • Award for Adam

    HUTTON Grammar School pupil Adam Taylor is among seven young people from the region who will receive an award today (Thursday) at a special Sports Personality of the Year event to be held at County Hall. Adam, aged 15, represented the North West in May

  • Hockey -- Fletcher snatches last gasp equaliser

    PRESTON maintained their unbeaten record but not without a fight against a skilful and well-organised Bowdon team. And Preston can thank Mark Fletcher, who travelled over 100 miles to play in Saturday's fixture, after he notched the equaliser in a highly

  • Refs ready to get tough on thugs

    REFEREES and officials from local amateur football leagues have teamed up give the red card to violence on the pitch. While factions in professional football have been squabbling about sharing the booty from television, the people who actually pay to

  • Simon Garner signs

    DENIS Underwood has signed striker Simon Garner to boost Great Harwood's bid to move up the NWCL Division One table. It is not THE Simon Garner but a 20-year-old front man who has played for Accrington Stanley's youth side. He could get his chance at

  • Storks hope to topple Dominoes

    PADIHAM meet Stone Dominoes away in NWCL Division Two and boss Graham Howarth hopes for the usual entertaining game of football between the two sides. Both teams, who spent their first year in the North West Counties League last season, like to play good

  • MS centre launch by MP

    MP Gordon Prentice will perform the opening ceremony of the resource and Information Centre for the Pendle branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society tomorrow . The MP is president of the local branch and will be joined by MS members, branch officers from

  • The Jungle Book

    BALOO the bear's rendition of The Bear Necessities serves for many of us as an all-time classic and fond childhood memory. So, if you were to go and see The Jungle Book at the theatre, would you feel it came up short if it didn't include the infamous

  • A must for curious Elvis fans

    ELVIS Aaron Presley is alive and well, thrusting the hips, shaking the legs and curling the lip as he sings the King's old favourites. Elvis Junior that is. The one who was awarded the name legally by the Federal US Court after documents proved him to

  • Man accused of kidnap bid

    A 43-YEAR-OLD man has been ordered to stand trial at Preston Crown Court on a charge of attempting to kidnap a 12-year-old girl on her way home from school. Keith Gerard Worswick, of Snowden Avenue, Accrington, was remanded in custody until January 3

  • Bus ride is a gift for Santa

    SANTA Claus has ditched his traditional sleigh in Accrington this year and is using public transport to deliver presents instead. Every year, M&M buses decorate their coaches to liven up passengers' journeys, but this year M&M bus manager Bob

  • Mobile police station for crime clampdown

    POLICE in Accrington are tackling festive crooks by manning a mobile station in the town centre. The special mobile police station will be taking pride of place over the next few weeks, to help cut back the seasonal rise in pick-pocketing and theft. Sergeant

  • Festive tree has got its own CCTV

    A CHRISTMAS tree has been given its own CCTV 'minder' throughout December, in a bid to thwart vandals. Councillors asked operators of Hyndburn's CCTV cameras to train the camera, overlooking the Oswaldtwistle Community Garden, at the tree after residents

  • Video nasty threat in crime fight

    PARENTS are to be shown video nasties of their children misbehaving in a bid to crackdown on juvenile nuisance. Youngsters are already being taken to the police station to be collected by their parents if they are caught misbehaving on the streets of

  • Ex-miners 'dying before they get payout'

    MINERS' leaders claim that former coal face workers are dying before receiving compensation they deserve because of government failure. Following a court case three years ago, the Government agreed to pay out cash to former miners suffering from respiratory

  • MP urges stadium support

    SPORTS supporters are being urged to unite behind super stadium plans to safeguard the future. A new sports complex at Pennington will secure the long-term future of local clubs, says Leigh's sporting MP Andy Burnham. Urging enthusiasts from all codes

  • Local schools are top of the form

    THE borough's primary schools have excelled in this year's national league tables. The results of this summer's Key Stage 2 National Curriculum assessments, published yesterday, showed that high educational standards achieved by 11-year-olds have been

  • Under age drinkers warning

    POLICE are warning of a crackdown on under age drinking in town centre nightspots after 10 per cent of clubbers were found to be under 18 during a raid in Leigh. Officers and a sniffer-dog raided Toffs in West Bridgewater Street premises. All under age

  • Don't miss chance to view

    FYLDE folk have a unique opportunity to see some of the Borough's art treasures from the town hall. Selected works of art from the collection will be on display at Lytham Heritage Centre until January 6 next year. The 16 paintings, mainly watercolours

  • Need a chemist?

    CHEMISTS on duty on Sunday, December 9, are: Moss Side Pharmacy, Dunkirk Lane, Leyland, 10am-2pm; Boots, Fishergate, Preston, 10.30am-4.30pm; Moss Chemists, Asda, Fulwood, 10.30am-4.30pm; Moss Chemists, Sainsburys, Deepdale, 10.30am-4.30pm; Scholes Chemist

  • Knife charge allegations denied

    A 25-year-old man was alleged to have produced a knife and threatened a man he had just punched about the face and head. But Blackburn magistrates heard that David George Greaves denied having a knife and the allegation would have to be proved by evidence

  • Last link in the chain

    I read last week with interest that WMBC councillors have elected to give themselves an increase in their allowances. This week I hear that the District Offices in Tyldesley will be CLOSED in March 2002. May I draw your attention to the fact that before

  • Win puts St Annes second

    ST ANNES Ex-Servicemens club saw another victory by the town's darts team in the Lancashire GMC Superleague Third Division. After this win over bottom-of-the-table Milnrow, and with Littleborough's game at Lancaster being cancelled due to a double-booked

  • Singles with a difference

    Three friends and myself (aged 45-55) are looking to form a group for single people with a difference, where we can meet people who want to have conversations and enjoy each others company. The aims of the group are to find like-minded people both females

  • Byers' strategic visit

    On September 11, Stephen Byers' adviser, Jo Moore, sent her infamous email suggesting unwelcome announcements could be 'buried' among the dreadful news coming from the USA. She quoted specifically the disclosure of increases in councillors' allowances

  • Missed bin collections at Christmas

    DO you remember last Christmas? Most, if not all of the streets in Leigh at Christmastime last year were in danger of being swamped with rubbish from our overflowing bins. Our rubbish bins were emptied on Tuesday, 19th December, 2000 and then not emptied

  • Le Tiss hopes Brett will settle in quick

    STRIKER Brett Ormerod could make his debut for Southampton at home to Leicester City tomorrow after his £1.75million move from Blackpool in midweek. Former England international Matt Le Tissier is hoping the arrival of Ormerod, the former Blackburn Rovers

  • Payton's off to the seaside

    ANDY PAYTON has left Turf Moor to go on a month's loan to second division Blackpool. Stan Ternent decided to let the Clarets legend make the switch the day after he was banned from driving for three years and sentenced to community service following a

  • Rugby Rob passes on teamwork tips

    ENGLAND'S most capped rugby fly-half Rob Edwards sported a different "hat" when he fronted a major business event in Bury. But despite the fact he no longer plays the game, Rob was still able to pass on vital tips on teamwork and how businesses should

  • Dunn's not batty about Batty

    SUNDAY'S game against Leeds is sure to provide another test of our Premiership credentials. And, I for one, can't wait for the game to start if only to renew acquaintances with Ewood old-boy David Batty! I wasn't with the first team during his time at

  • Tea-time burglaries warning

    A SERIES of teatime burglaries on bungalows in St Annes this week has prompted police to remind householders to take extra security measures as the dark nights draw in. "Now the dark evenings have arrived and it's dark by 4.15pm, it's easy for a burglar

  • Teenager accused of murder

    A ST ANNES teenager is to appear before Preston Crown Court in connection with the death of a Blackpool man. Lee Joseph Paul Parkinson, 19, of Richmond Road, St Annes appeared before Blackpool Magistrates Court on Friday charged with the murder of 28-

  • Police plea for victim

    A YOUNG female thief grappled with a pensioner and tried to wrestle her bag from her in Blackpool town centre this week -- and police have appealed for the VICTIM to come forward. The thief -- a woman in her early 20s -- attempted to rob the pensioner's

  • The low-down on a new bus fleet...

    THE FLOORS on the bus go low, low, low! And nine award-winning Optare Solo low-floor buses have driven into service on The Fylde Coast for bus company Stagecoach. Nigel Barrett, managing director of Stagecoach North West said: "The Solo was named because

  • Pet Rescue Visits Fylde

    PENNY Farm, the Fylde's home for neglected and abandoned horses, is to feature in Channel Four's Pet Rescue programme. The International League For The Protection of Horses (ILPH) centre at Peel played host to presenter Wendy Turner and the crew as they

  • Second clean sweep

    Tyldesley RU: FOR the second successive week all the teams at Tyldesley RU enjoyed the sweet taste of victory. Infact the First XV had the points in the bag before kick off when opponents Cockermouth arrived with only 12 men and therefore where unable

  • Exam row head is back in school

    PEEL Brow school head teacher Mr Mike Duce is expected to return to the classroom today (Fri Dec 7). But MP David Chaytor has demanded that the report into his suspension and reinstatement be made public. He told Parliament it was crucial for the reputation

  • Shakers turn down Newby bid

    BURY have dismissed a £200,000 bid for striker Jon Newby from Second Division rivals Blackpool. The Seasiders, who have money to burn following the £1.75m sale of Brett Ormerod to Southampton, are the second club to try and sign the former Liverpool reserve

  • Vintage derby tie in prospect

    HIGH flying Burnley land in Preston on Sunday, ready to provide the opposition in what is bound to be the spiciest Lancashire hotpot derby of recent times. With the Clarets currently in pole position, the match not only provides them with the chance to

  • Newby is as good as £1.75m Ormerod, insists Preece

    BURY have described why they fended off an audacious attempt by Blackpool to sign star striker Jon Newby. Steve McMahon's side saw Newby as the perfect replacement for Brett Ormerod, the prolific forward who left the Seasiders to join Premier League Southampton

  • Reunion for former pub regulars

    A REUNION for former customers of the now demolished Horse Shoe Inn, Blackburn Road is to be held on December 22. Former licensee Jim Shorrock who ran the Darwen pub said he had been approached by many old customers asking for a 'get together.' The Horse

  • Boy, 13, robbed by youths

    POLICE are looking for two youths who punched a 13-year-old and stole cash from him. The boy was on Falcon Avenue, Darwen, on Wednesday at 5.40pm when the two youths approached him and asked if they could borrow 10p. They then held him down, punched him

  • Link-up to beat town centre violence

    LICENSEES in Darwen are joining forces with shopkeepers in a bid to combat town centre violence and disorder. Seven licensed premises in the town, including three nightclubs, are getting together with the established Blackburn with Darwen Security Link

  • Two on assault charges escape detention

    A JUDGE who told two youths involved in a late-night mele they had far too much cash to spend on drink, spared them custody, but hit them in the pocket. Leon Felton, 18, out on the town celebrating his coming of age, and Adam Hartley, 19, had both taken

  • Ann hopes Russia trip will lead to student exchanges

    A HISTORY teacher from Rossendale's language college is hoping her trip to a Russian school will lead to educational exchanges. Although Ann O'Reilly is a history teacher at All Saints RC High School in Rawtenstall, she also speaks fluent Russian. On

  • Veteran raps vote to sell off memorial garden

    COUNCILLORS controversially voted to sell off part of a memorial ground to a private householder to use as a garden, prompting a war veteran to speak out. Six Conservative Councillors voted for the sale of part of Trickett's Memorial Ground in Waterfoot

  • Keep bus station, improve transport

    THE bus station should stay. It's central for everybody. Apart from workers, there are lots of elderly people who use public transport. As for 2,000 new car park spaces, if the public transport could be relied upon, perhaps car owners wouldn't need to

  • Don't ignore older kids

    WHILE MP Lindsay Hoyle might welcome the news that the Government are going to provide more free nursery places in Lancashire, I wish he and others would look at the lack of childcare places once your child goes to school (Citizen November 29). As a single

  • Thanks for helping Shelter

    I WOULD like to say thank you to the people of the Preston area who have so generously supported the work of the Fox Street Night Shelter during the past year. Over the year 7,000 bednights have been provided for those in need, together with access to

  • Famous painting failed to sell

    AN oil painting by Leigh's greatest artist, Joseph Farington, which came under the hammer at Christie's, London, on Friday failed to sell. The work entitled "The Gatehouse On The Bridge Over the River Severn at Bridgnorth" by the Royal Academian was expected

  • The Jungle Book

    BALOO the bear's rendition of The Bear Necessities serves for many of us as an all-time classic and fond childhood memory. So, if you were to go and see The Jungle Book at the theatre, would you feel it came up short if it didn't include the infamous

  • A million thanks

    MACMILLAN Windmill Appeal said a big "thank you!" to its Blackpool supporters with a special theatre extravaganza. Backers of the Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde appeal -- including representatives from The Citizen -- were invited to Blackpool's Grand Theatre

  • Forget Harry, Gary Potter's the sensation

    THE guitar is probably the instrument most fledgling musicians still feel drawn to, one of the more obvious and enduring side effects of the pop explosion of the 1950s and 60s. The threat posed by synthesised and computer produced 'music' may have contributed

  • Help sick children smile this Christmas

    GIVE an extra gift this Christmas and bring a smile to the face of a sick child who is stuck in hospital. Joe Curran, the campaign organiser for the Care For Kids appeal, which now has the backing of both The Citizen and The Wave, came up with this fantastic

  • Blackpool homeless figures 'Off the mark'

    GOVERNMENT figures released this week suggested there are only four people sleeping rough in Blackpool. But the number of people still visiting Blackpool's Salvation Army centre on Raikes Parade, Blackpool, paints a very different picture. According to

  • Lighting up Time(Author:Claire Fearn)(Pic:lights7)

    YOUNG and old alike flooded the streets of Poulton and Fleetwood this weekend to witness the spectacular annual Christmas lights switch-on. Friday saw Poulton square bursting with cheery on-lookers, who were determined to keep their Christmas spirits

  • 'Affront to democracy'

    THE sale of St Annes Ashton Gardens Institute was rubber-stamped this week, leaving a brave crowd of some 50 protestors out in the cold -- literally. The supporters of Ashton Gardens turned up at Fylde Council's full meeting on Monday night to show the

  • Well done

    BLACKPOOL'S primary schools are the most improved in the country -- and that's official! Following yesterday's (Wednesday) publication of primary school league tables, Blackpool's results showed a "significant improvement" according to the borough's education

  • MP's plea for dog hunt ban

    SOUTH Ribble MP David Borrow has made it his New Year resolution to get hunting with dogs banned. His push for tough legislation has already been approved by Campaigning to Protect Hunted Animal (CPHA), which is made up of the RSPCA, the League Against

  • Police in witness call after driver's ordeal

    POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an incident where a bus driver was threatened with a knife and robbed of his takings. The two Asian youths robbed the driver of around £70 in the attack a week ago today in Blackburn. The attack happened at 7.20pm

  • Sentence after man arrested twice on same day

    A BLACKBURN man has been fined and handed a community order after a eventful day in which he was arrested twice after stealing a bottle of cider and damaging his mother's home. Blackburn magistrates heard that on December 3 Andrew Frederick Rawes appeared

  • Fears spread over TB staff shortage

    A STAFFING crisis among those working with tuberculosis is so widespread it has even spread to the pioneering East Lancashire service, according to staff. A leading expert on the disease warned this week that the shortage of specialist staff was going

  • Rossendale add Hayder but Smith goes

    IT'S one in and one out at Rossendale as they look to get back among the early pacesetters in the UniBond First Division. Dale boss Jim McCluskie has snapped up striker Troy Hayder, a former Leigh RMI striker who has been playing at Droylsden, and who

  • Watching Payne is a pleasure

    FANS flocking to the Crown Ground tomorrow should keep their eyes on entertainer Russell Payne. With both Burnley and Blackburn playing on Sunday, a bigger crowd is expected at Stanley especially with their current run of form which has seen them charge

  • Breach of trust

    WHEN he opened the gardens in 1916 Councillor Leigh said "Lord Ashton has done a service to St Annes which will be cherished in increasing measure by the inhabitants as the years roll by". He did not say they would be cherished until 2001. If the Council

  • Please explain

    I DO not understand the logic in wanting to retain the dilapidated Ashton Institute which has been derelict and an eyesore for many years and would cost a fortune to renovate. One would think that the developers were wanting to purchase half of Ashton

  • A dreary musical

    AS regular theatre goers and Friends of the Grand Theatre, we cannot believe the review of Rent by Sarah Sharp. We attended the performance on Friday Nov 23 and felt impelled to walk out after 45 minutes of dreary tuneless songs and drab sets. The cast

  • POULTON "a great place to live"

    Re: reply from Councillor Pat Catlow WE are sorry that Councillor Catlow took the article in The Citizen about Poulton (Nov 22) so personally as she is a representative for the people of Poulton and is a part of The Wyre Community Safety Partnership,

  • Blinkered over Poulton problems

    WITH regard to the letter published in last week's Citizen (Nov 30) from Coun P Catlow, I have one thing to say, "Good luck in the next election!" As a previous resident of Poulton (I now live in the south of England because of better job opportunities

  • Yes... We need to think what Christmas is about

    THERE is too much pressure on people to spend for Christmas, many believe, at a time when they should be thinking about the meaning of giving, rather than struggling to spend over the odds to keep up with pressure from the media, advertising and children

  • Inspirational Mary dies, 89

    LANCASHIRE'S Chief Constable Pauline Clare has paid tribute to her former headteacher who died last week. Mary Reddy, who made Chief Constable Clare head girl at St Mary's RC School, now St Mary's RC Technical College, died aged 89 on Friday. Miss Reddy

  • Rail-less service

    MAY I ask if anyone worked for or recalls the Ramsbottom "rail-less" service years ago? Any information about the vehicles, fares, timetables or the route would be most welcome. I can be contacted at: 36 Shelford, Burritt Road, Kingston, Surrey KT1 3HR

  • New breed of stains

    NO wonder dry cleaners are being forced to revolutionise their industry, because of a new breed of stubborn stains. Grass, blood and beetroot used to be the big enemy, now it's foreign foods like turmeric, sundried tomatoes and olive oil. Johnsons say

  • Colin's blunder wall fears

    A TRAGIC death or a collapsed house. That is what Colin Adams (38) expects any day. Since moving into his end terrace on Higher Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe, last year, turning lorries have smashed into his wall FIVE times! The HGVs hit his garden wall as

  • Exam row head is back in school

    PEEL Brow school head teacher Mr Mike Duce was expected to return to the classroom today (Fri Dec 7). But MP David Chaytor has demanded that the report into his suspension and reinstatement be made public. He told Parliament it was crucial for the reputation

  • Top two fight out a draw

    THE Division Two top of the table clash between Courts and Howe Bridge Mills was a pulsating affair from start to finish with the eventual 1-1 scoreline unarguably the right result. Courts had the better of the first half with centre back Dave Dooley

  • Job crisis needs real action now

    THE past fortnight has seen a wave of job losses announced across East Lancashire that rings the loudest of alarm bells. When workers are shed in large numbers by big name, high skill, manufacturing companies like Philips, BAE Systems, and Rolls-Royce

  • It's super art

    A SUPERMARKET has put Blackpool schoolchildren in the picture over art. The Sainsbury's Pictures for Schools scheme presented students at Beacon Hill High School with four framed reproductions of art masterpieces recently. Along with Montgomery High and

  • Sculpture vultures' owl is a winner.

    The "RU A Sculpture Vulture" competition, judged on November 24, produced artwork of elephants, pandas, tigers, crocodiles and a host of other animals. Pupils from junior and senior schools across the borough entered the competition, along with 39th Blackpool

  • Getting in the picture

    STUDENTS of a Bispham school are getting into focus with the very latest in state-of-the-art photographic technology -- thanks to The Citizen. Beacon Hill High School, Warbreck Hill Road, has received a Nikon Coolpix 775 digital camera worth £400 having

  • Seven heaven!

    A BLACKPOOL team of computer whizzkids were pipped to the post at a national awards ceremony. A group of seven pupils from Palatine High School attended the Tesco Our School Awards 2001 at the London Aquarium after being selected as national finalists

  • Just Jamie: Life-long friends! Who needs 'em?

    BE CAREFUL what you wish for, as my dear old mother used to say. No sooner had I finished writing about the lack of bodies in the friends department last week, a chain of events unfolded which made me realise that perhaps it was not a bad thing after

  • Water lot top man Nick's got!

    STAND ATHLETIC manager Nick Davis has been named North West Counties Manager of the Month for the second time this season following his side's runaway success at the top of Division Two. Davis may be an excellent soccer boss, but he's no King Canute and

  • Shakers given a fitness tonic

    FIVE Bury players began their comebacks from injury in a friendly at Oldham Athletic yesterday - including player of the year Chris Billy who scored after coming off the bench. The midfielder suffered no reaction to the leg injury which has sidelined

  • Boro seek a peek me up

    RADCLIFFE BOROUGH will be going all out for a victory tonic at Matlock on Saturday with many people's thoughts still with their recuperating manager, Kevin Glendon. Glendon was struck down by an angina attack as he travelled home from last Saturday's

  • This week in 1976 25 years ago

    WINTER WALKERS: In a bid to aid the Help The Aged charity, 1,500 youngsters took part in a sponsored walk around Bury's Manchester Road park. All the entrants walked a maximum of 30 laps and had the chance to meet Manchester City footballers, Peter Barnes

  • Disturbance leads to fine

    SHAHID Hussain, 28, of Francis Avenue, Cheadle, was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £55 costs by Blackburn magistrates after pleading guilty to being drunk and disorderly in Bennington Street. The court heard that police

  • Classic given new life

    BLACKBURN College Youth Theatre presents George Orwell's 1984 from Tuesday to Thursday in the College Theatre at 8pm. The production has been adapted for the stage by Nick Maynard. Tickets are available on the door at £2.50 or £1.50 concessions.

  • Plans for post Christmas farce

    BURNLEY Garrick Club is looking beyond Christmas and the pantomime season for its production of Kindly Leave The Stage by John Chapman. It's a play within a play and actors will be playing it for laughs in a fast-paced play of theatrical disasters. The

  • Foreign cobbles layers an insult

    THE Telegraph certainly gets down to the nitty gritty of things -- well whatever will the Lancashire people think? Cobblestones to be laid by men from Portugal (LET, December 3). I think it is a snub to our people. I feel furious to think that our roads

  • £58m windfall for tenants

    A WHOPPING £58 million has been earmarked for upgrading council housing. And tenants will be given a chance to have their say on how the money is spent to transform Wigan's 26,000 council homes. Leigh MP Andy Burnham welcomed the news saying: "This is

  • Nationalist vote merely a protest

    THE claim by Burnley MP Pewter Pike that a victory in the local elections for the BNP would have been a 'disaster' is typical of the level of politics in this town. Such a victory would have been a shock, but it would have highlighted the failure of social

  • Woman (81) is robbed

    AN 81-year-old woman was robbed of £100 in a lunchtime bag snatch. The thief ran up to the woman from behind in Nelson Street, Bury, on Thursday (Nov 29) at 12.45pm. He ripped her shopping bag, containing her purse, from her grasp and jumped into a waiting

  • Tiny tots big effort

    TINY tots at Bury's Sunshine Day Nursery are helping to put a smile on the faces of children less fortunate than themselves. Staff at the Bolton Road nursery dreamed up the idea of a sponsored pyjama party for youngsters, to raise money for Children in

  • New Bobby on the beat

    ROBBIE the Bobby was back entertaining the Gigg Lane crowds at Saturday's (Dec 1) match with Brighton. But he is a shadow of his former self, much to the relief of Shakers' chiefs. Last week the Bury Times revealed how the man behind Robbie's mask, local

  • "I'll be Des" campaign for a town centre pub

    A BURY pub is supporting the national anti-drink driving campaign. During the Christmas period, The Chicago Rock Cafe in Haymarket Street will be operating the "I'll Be Des" scheme by offering DESignated drivers who visit the entertainment hot spot complimentary

  • Famous pupil puts her school in the picture

    YOUNGSTERS at an Affetside school were certainly put in the picture when a former pupil visited. Children's TV presenter Lizzie Botham took a break from filming to go back to Affetside primary school in Watling Street where she used to attend. The roving

  • Tips to beat the festive conmen

    BOGUS workers are roaming the borough seeking Christmas tips for services they did not provide. Now police in Bury have themselves offered a few tips to residents to prevent money falling into the wrong hands this Christmas. Offenders have been posing

  • Race crime down

    THE number of race-related crimes in the borough has decreased, but only slightly. Between April last year and March, 2001, a total of 142 racial incidents involving 158 victims were reported to Bury police, down just two on the previous year. Action

  • Minibus for the disabled stolen

    THIEVES have stolen a disabled children's minibus from Radcliffe. The 14-seat white Ford Transit, which had been adapted for wheelchair use, was taken from Mickey Spillane Travel around 7am on Friday (Nov 30). Owner Mrs Teresa Lambert said: "It is used

  • Sporty people needed to carry the torch

    SPORTY volunteers are invited to help carry the Commonwealth Games "torch" through the borough. The Queen's Jubilee Baton Relay passes through the town on July 23 next year on its way to the opening ceremony two days later. Nominations must be in by January

  • Train-Potters

    THE wonder of Harry Potter could be about to cast its magic spell on Bury's East Lancashire Railway. The steam train attraction is to be included in a major new campaign to promote Britain overseas. The Harry Potter worldwide phenomena has prompted the

  • Neighbourhood wardens on streets

    BURY'S first neighbourhood wardens are now on patrol on the streets of East Bury. The new wardens will operate in a similar way to the borough's community safety wardens, but with responsibility for improving the environment and crime prevention. The

  • Hard lines for drivers!

    DRIVERS who park illegally are about to hand Bury Council a small fortune. Town hall bosses have decided to take over parking enforcement from traffic wardens, and forecast profits of at least £105,000 a year. Bury will employ an outside team of enforcers

  • Gran (83) dies in bus crash

    A DOTING grandmother died when she was struck by a double-decker bus in Manchester city centre. Now, the family of Mrs Peggy Harrow are seeking answers as to how the tragedy occurred in Piccadilly Gardens last Thursday morning (Nov 29). Her son-in-law

  • Robinson clangers cost Rovers

    YOUNG keeper Ryan Robinson had a night to forget after two second half mistakes proved costly at Christie Park last night. Robinson was outstanding last season during Rovers' march to the final of the FA Youth Cup. But he gifted United the points here

  • Caring help for others

    FORMER carers in the Chorley and South Ribble areas are setting up a group to ease the pain of losing the people they have tirelessly given up their time to care for. The ex-carers social group, formed with the help of Chorley and South Ribble Council

  • Safety stars' award reward

    A NUMBER of Runshaw College students are to be the guests of the Metropolitan Police after excelling in a project to improve road safety. The teenagers are studying the BTEC National Certificate in Early Years at the Leyland-based college. Amy Walton,

  • 'We're watching' warning in post

    SUSPECTED burglars are set to get a surprise Christmas card -- from the police. But rather than wishing 'a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year', detectives are warning: "We're watching you". More than 600 cards have been printed and will hit the letterboxes

  • Schools keep getting better

    LANCASHIRE Primary schools have exceeded the national average in every category in this year's performance table. But, echoing the caution after the publication of the secondary school league tables last week, education chiefs are warning parents to judge

  • Drink driving blitz launched

    POLICE in Lancashire are encouraging people to blow the whistle on drink drivers as part of their annual festive blitz. A special confidential CrimeStoppers Drink Link hotline has been set up as part of the Christmas crackdown and was launched on Tuesday

  • Fourth festive fun day success

    HUNDREDS of people enjoyed a traditional Christmas fair at the weekend in its usual spot on the Flag Market. The annual event -- now in its fourth year -- attracted crowds from far and near on Saturday, December 1, and offered Christmas shoppers festive

  • Woman, 81, bag snatch victim

    POLICE have launched a hunt after an 81-year-old woman had her bag snatched in Cliviger. The incident took place yesterday at around 1.20pm in Mount Lane. The victim had just got off a bus and was walking towards the centre of Cliviger. A car, believed

  • Heroin seized in second home raid

    PROPERTY and a quantity of what is believed to be heroin were seized by police on a raid on a house in the Duke Bar area of Burnley. It was the second raid on the same address as part of the Burnley Residents Against Drugs campaign. Officers entered the

  • Bumper bungee cheque drops in

    STAFF at a Pendle hospice are jumping for joy after being given over £3,000. The money came as a single surprise donation from Barden Mill Stores, who held a charity bungee jump in September. Over 50 brave souls launched themselves into the air from the

  • Police plea for news of missing girl

    POLICE in Nelson are concerned for the safety of a missing 15-year-old girl. Emma Jane Knight of Reedyford Road, Nelson, has not been seen since she left home on Thursday, November 29, at 4.45pm to meet a friend. She never arrived. It is believed Emma

  • Firms urged to help child

    PENDLE-based businessman Lee Collins, managing director of the Prestons group motor dealerships, is urging people to help a young cancer sufferer. Mr Collins is appealing to local businesses to follow in the footsteps of the UK's BMW and Land Rover dealership

  • Refuge for asylum seekers

    A DROP-in support and advice centre for Pendle's asylum seekers and refugees is to be demolished and replaced with new and better facilities open to all socially excluded sections of the community. The new drop-in centre will be in a former furniture

  • Asylum seekers to gather

    MANY of Pendle's 350 asylum seekers and refugees will be marking World Human Rights Day at a special event in Nelson on Monday. The event is designed to raise understanding about the plight of asylum seekers and their troubled countries and to recruit

  • Hoppers pay price for penalties

    HOPPERS went down to a heavy defeat on a sodden pitch although the opening minutes gave no indication of what was to follow as Hoppers took the initiative. When Esher mounted their first attack, the referee awarded a penalty which Gregory kicked with

  • Let's reward long service

    THANK-YOU for printing the photograph (Nov 9) of the employees at North Manchester General receiving their 25-year service awards. But what about people in the NHS in Bury who have worked longer than that and don't get it formally recognised? NHS WORKER

  • Putting brakes on drink drivers

    PAST and present action to prevent death and injury caused by drink driving formed the theme of police's annual Christmas campaign. Drink drive campaigns were first launched 26 years ago and is is thought more than 20,000 lives have been saved on the

  • Mushroom book by fun guy Joe

    A MAN who turned down a gig with The Beatles in the Sixties has seen his ambitions mushroom after publishing a book about the fungi food with his wife. Joe Lenart, 57, of Park Close, Penwortham Park, Preston, was a member of a band called The Atoms when

  • Five years ago

    A RIBBLE Valley pub was voted the best in the country in the Egon Ronay awards. The Inn at Whitewell was named pub of the year for the second time after coming out top in the late 1980s.

  • Ten years ago

    LIFE-long Clarets fan Harry Keating amazed his mates by betting on Rovers to win the Second Division Championship. The 55-year-old had been watching Burnley since he was 10 but made no apology for backing Blackburn claiming it was 'only like backing a

  • Speech exam success

    IN the LAMDA examinations held on November 24 and 25, the pupils of Jean Willis of Great Harwood achieved the following results. Speaking of Verse and Prose Honours: Tanith Hope, Meera Kumar, Matthew Nolan, Shereen Perera, Sepideh Zekavat. Distinctions

  • Anthrax scare at Atherton

    POSTAL deliveries in the Atherton area were delayed slightly after an anthrax scare at the town's sorting office. A suspicious package was discovered at 6.30am on Saturday at the Crab Tree Lane premises where it was isolated until police arrived to investigate

  • 'Womble' Barry's tidy effort

    A TOWN'S very own 'Womble' today pledged to install new litter bins at a park after council chiefs told him they could not help until next year. Pensioner Barry Bolton spends every weekday morning trawling across White Ash playing fields, off Harvey Street

  • MP joins fight for new loos

    COMPLAINTS about Leigh town centre toilets -- or rather the lack of them -- are being taken seriously, MP Andy Burnham said this week. Mr Burnham told The Journal that he was backing a campaign being led by Cllr Brian Jarvis as chairman of the Town Centre

  • Late bus boost for towns

    A LATE night bus service linking Leigh, Tyldesley, Atherton and Manchester has been given a massive boost. Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority's weekend bus experiment, originally provided for just two late night number 39 journeys from Manchester

  • Crackdown on teenie drinkers

    POLICE are warning of a crackdown on under-age drinking in town centre nightspots after 10 per cent of clubbers were found to be below 18 during a weekend raid. Favourite Leigh haunt, Toffs, has been under police investigation, with undercover officers

  • County reveals the cost of farm disease

    FOOT and mouth disease has resulted in backlogs of work and hundreds of thousands of pounds in extra costs, council officers have revealed. Lancashire County Council's public protection and rural affairs committee met yesterday to discuss the implications

  • Rescue team in cash drive

    RIBBLE Valley-based rescue service which provides vital support throughout Lancashire is launching a new campaign to raise £150,000 to improve facilities. The Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team, situated at Dunsop Bridge in the Trough of Bowland, is

  • Council adopts 'leaner' system

    A COUNCIL will streamline its committee system from next year in order to improve its service to local residents. Following an extensive public consultation in which every household in the area had a chance to express their views, Ribble Valley Borough

  • Scorpions beat injury jinx

    ILLNESS, injury and holidays meant Scorpions had nine players missing from the team which played Leigh East the previous week. It is a credit to their strength in depth that they were still able to field a side. Not only had they to contend with the disruption

  • Pool leave it late in replay

    AFTER an hour of football, last Wednesday, the Seasiders were a goal down to Newport County in an FA Cup replay which had the ingredients for a Blackpool disaster. The conditions were abysmal, the opponents non-league and those dreaded TV cameras were

  • Welcome for tribunal rethink

    BOLTON and Bury Chamber is applauding Government moves to tackle the rise in employment tribunal applications. These involve measures to ensure that employees follow internal grievance procedures before taking an employer to tribunal. The reforms, published

  • Company profits from firm measures

    INCREASED efficiency and the application of core skills has enabled United Utilities to post increased interim pre-tax profits and turnover for the six months ending September 30. Profits before tax rose by eight per cent to £163.9 million while turnover

  • Disabled champion launches consultancy

    A MOTHER-of-three who is virtually wheelchair-bound after sustaining a spinal injury has launched a consultancy to help other disabled people like herself. Although initially finding it difficult to come to terms with her physical setback, Mrs Gill Buckland's

  • Payton's off to the seaside

    ANDY PAYTON has left Turf Moor to go on a month's loan to second division Blackpool. Stan Ternent decided to let the Clarets legend make the switch the day after he was banned from driving for three years and sentenced to community service following a

  • Money is music to their ears

    A COMMUNITY group can keep making music thanks to the generosity of a Leyland company. The Broadfield 2000 Community Association has spent £1,500 of Alcoa-Lingotes' money on a drum kit, two electric guitars and a keyboard. The firm, based at the Farrington

  • Our new branch!:

    Civic Trust's attempt to replace 40 trees in Stanley Park has met with great response from the public. And last week the final tree, donated by The Citizen, was planted. A number of other trees were given by members of the public who read of the Civic

  • Beware bogus officials

    ELDERLY Fylde residents should be on their guard against thieves posing as officials who call at their homes, police have warned. Several incidents have occurred across the Fylde over the past month where bogus officials have targeted elderly residents

  • Knife horror

    AN off licence assistant was subjected to a horrifying ordeal when a robber grabbed her by the hair, held a large kitchen knife to her throat and demanded money. The woman was working at the Airey's Off Licence in Devonshire Road, Blackpool, near the

  • Tyldesley's sweet taste of victory

    FOR the second successive week all Tyldesley RU teams enjoyed the sweet taste of victory with the first and second teams really calling the shots. Tyldesley firsts had the points in the bag before kick-off when opponents Cockermouth arrived with only

  • New scheme to target tearaways

    BURY'S persistent young offenders are to be targeted in a new initiative to curb their criminal activities. And the stark warning to them is to stop offending or face the consequences. The Youth Justice Board's Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme

  • Off-duty guard in raid drama

    AN off-duty security guard who called in to his former employers to wish his replacement "good luck" ended up helping to foil an armed robbery. Lawrence Huller, who lives in Prestwich, was outside the Poundstretcher store in Cheetham Hill at 9am last

  • Met bar to close for three months

    THE cafe/bar at Bury's Met arts centre is to close for three months and be relaunched by an outside catering contractor at a cost of £100,000. Met bosses said the bar badly needed investment, and they did not have the money. But Delux, who run the catering

  • Top class!

    THE borough's primary schools are the best in Greater Manchester and in the top 20 nationally. The primary school league tables, revealed on Wednesday (Dec 5), are based on how well 11-year-old pupils performed in the summer Standard Attainment Task (

  • Top billiards ace dies

    ONE of the best amateur billiards players Bury has ever produced, Jackie Birch, died last Sunday. The 72-year-old was born and bred in Tottington and although he gave the game up competitively a number of years ago always kept a keen interest in the local

  • Kneesy does it, Kex

    MIKE LANGHORN and Dave Roach are the only doubts for Ramsbottom United manager Mike Kelly as he ponders his selection for tomorrow's game at Glossop, writes STEVE BOTT. Both have knee problems and Kelly said: "Mike can run on it, but as soon as he turns

  • Decision time for trialist

    BURY boss Andy Preece will this weekend make a decision on whether to offer striker Abdou Tangara a contract, writes PHIL THORP. Tangara, Mali born but a French citizen, has been on trial at Gigg Lane for three weeks and has been put through his paces

  • Show your mettle: Souness

    BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness today urged his side to go out and show their Premiership mettle as they face a hat-trick of tough fixtures over the next 10 days. Rovers kick off a testing triple header against Leeds United at Ewood on Sunday. Then they

  • Ternent wraps up to key signings

    CLARETS boss Stan Ternent made two key signings yesterday - Glen Little and Arthur Gnohere. The two players, who have been central figures in the club's success this season, have put pen to paper on contract extensions that will keep them at the club

  • Tight contest

    AN early goal by the Blackpool and Wyre team certainly seemed to wake up the Lytham Ladies hockey side. They won two penalty corners and Ann Preston started a superb individual performance by converting the second with a well controlled strike. After

  • Glendon laid low

    Radcliffe Borough 3, Leek Town 1: ANOTHER fine win for Radcliffe against Leek on Saturday was overshadowed by the news that manager Kevin Glendon had been taken to hospital hours after the game, writes STEVE BOTT. Glendon felt unwell as he journeyed to

  • Shakers see off seasiders bid

    BURY have fended off an audacious attempt by Blackpool to sign star striker Jon Newby. Steve McMahon's side saw Newby as the perfect replacement for Brett Ormerod, the prolific forward who left the Seasiders to join Premier League Southampton in a £1.75m

  • Catch the post that raises funds

    A SPECIAL Christmas post service to help raise cash for Darwen's youth groups is once again up and running in the Darwen, Hoddlesden and Lower Darwen area. Last year, the St Joseph's Scout group and the Cellar Dwellars Venture Scout and Ranger Guides

  • Nadia can't go back to school just yet

    A 10-YEAR-OLD girl who was struck in the face with a brick has been ordered to stay off school because her retina has been found to be torn in two places. Nadia Butler was hoping to return to St Mary's RC School, Bacup, to rejoin her classmates but when

  • Apathetic or powerless?

    I SUSPECT our apathy stems from our ideas being overrun time and again by planning procedures beyond our control. So often you read of local communities trying to fight major developments near their homes. You only have to look around at all the new housing

  • Consultation was a farce

    THE Citizen front page, Apathy, November 29, blamed the public of Preston for not being interested in the proposed town centre development. The Citizen article said 'just 22 members of the public had bothered to reply, despite a massive advertising campaign

  • Elderly but not indifferent

    REGARDING Preston's future, I thought questionnaires had been distributed though I never received one. However I have a definite view about the bus station which should not be demolished, though it could do with a better system of access. Previously I

  • A dash of early Christmas cheer

    THIS choir, who performed on Disney's classic 'The Lion King', came into a rain soaked Manchester evening to bring early Christmas cheer in the form of carols old and new. They were billed as a capella singers, which unfortunately they are not. Some of

  • Lara meets Shrek in family fun panto

    AN AMERICAN I know thought pantomime was a play without words performed by gay actors, and definitely not family entertainment. He couldn't understand the link with Christmas. Men called dames and women called principal boys, whatever next! Oldham's show

  • A must for curious Elvis fans

    ELVIS Aaron Presley is alive and well, thrusting the hips, shaking the legs and curling the lip as he sings the King's old favourites. Elvis Junior that is. The one who was awarded the name legally by the Federal US Court after documents proved him to

  • Man is critical after flat blaze

    A BLACKPOOL man was critically ill in hospital after being pulled from a blazing flat. Two fire crews from Blackpool were called to the fire at an end-of-terrace building in Cookson Street, Blackpool, at around 8.50pm on Sunday, November 2. Firefighters

  • Syd gets festive

    IT was a supersonic Saturday last weekend when Syd Little helped to open the festive celebrations at Farmer Parr's Animal World and the Fylde Country Life Museum in Fleetwood. The comedian was at the family attraction to help Wyre's Mayor, Coun David

  • Car crime crackdown

    MOTORISTS in Blackpool are facing a seasonal double whammy as police crack down on car-related crimes. Separate initiatives to combat drink driving, joyriding and to make speed cameras more visible have all been launched within the last week. The county's

  • Residents slam 'noisy' clubs

    OUTRAGED residents of Poulton oppose the renewal of licences for the town's nightclubs and argue it is the irresponsible attitude of licensees that is the problem. Both The Hub and The Residence nightclubs are applying for the renewal of their public

  • End of traffic chaos?

    DEVELOPERS are proposing to build a new road between Lostock Hall and Walton-le-Dale as part of a huge scheme to relieve traffic on some of the main routes into Preston. A planning application for the route from Leyland Road to London Way is to be considered

  • Son had 'wished his mum dead' court told

    DAVID William Johnson became abusive and threatening to his mother after an argument over unauthorised spending on his credit card. Blackburn magistrates heard that he called his mother a 'whore' and a 'bitch' and that he 'wished she had died in her car

  • Newsquest buys Asian title

    NEWSQUEST Lancashire publishers of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and Citizens, has this week acquired Asian Image, a monthly free newspaper. It will be produced from the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's offices in Blackburn. Newsquest Blackburn Managing

  • Former boyfriend admits causing damage

    A BLACKBURN man has admitted causing damage, with intent to endanger the life of his former girlfriend. Mark Lawrence also pleaded guilty to two further offences relating to the same woman when he appeared at Preston Crown Court today. The forty year

  • Sex case evidence 'planted by police'

    THE man accused of abducting and indecently assaulting two young girls in Blackburn claimed he was set up by police. Mark Hayhurst told a jury at Preston Crown Court that detectives had planted a pair of girls' knickers in his work briefcase and also

  • Police chief's gloom at£6m extra funding

    BLACKBURN MP and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has promised to meet Lancashire Chief Constable Pauline Clare to discuss the force's funding settlement which the county's top cop has described as "disappointing". Lancashire Constabulary bosses said cuts

  • Urgent bid to bring halt to jobs losses

    MPS today pledged action to help the East Lancashire economy in the wake of the jobs bombshells which have rocked the area. The move came as the North West Aerospace Alliance revealed it was working on a five-point plan to help fend off more redundancies

  • Micky set for Nelson debut

    NELSON new boy Micky Batholomew is set to make his debut tomorrow after moving from NWCL Division Two leaders Stand. John Bailey won the race to get the 35-year-old striker's signature ahead of rivals Bacup and he will go straight into the fray for tomorrow's

  • It's a family affair for the Dowes

    JULIAN Dowe will come up against his brother when Bacup make the trip to Oldham Town in the NWCL Division Two tomorrow. Former Rochdale player Dowe joined Oldham in the early part of the season to join his brother before he made the move to West View

  • Swailes is staying

    DARWEN striker Matt Swailes has told Salford City he will not be returning to the club. The former Chorley player had an understanding with Salford that he would return to the North West Counties First Division title hopefuls once he had regained his

  • Davis hits back

    STAND manager Nick Davis has hit back at the critics who say the club have bought success. It is a widely held belief around the North West Counties League that Stand pay over the odds for their players but Davis says that isn't the case. "There are three

  • Make your mind up for Kelly

    RAMSBOTTOM boss Mike Kelly has a headache over his front partnership for tomorrow's NWCL Division One game at Glossop - but it is a nice one. He has to decide whether to play Steve Orrell or Jamie Taylor up front along side top scorer Russell Brierley

  • George let's his feet do the talking

    GEORGE Craddock is a man of very few words but thankfully for Colne manager John Lister he's not goal shy! For while the quietly spoken striker is hardly the life and soul of the dressing room he is fast becoming the scourge of NWCL Division Two defenders

  • Clitheroe aim to strike it hot

    CLITHEROE are set to unleash one of the most potent strike forces in the North West Counties League on Cogenhoe United tomorrow. The Blues travel to Northamptonshire for the FA Vase third round clash against the Eagle Bitter United Counties Premier League

  • Hamilton out to deliver a shock

    IN THREE years David Hamilton has gone from managing mail to managing Rochdale - and tomorrow could be a red letter day for him. The rookie boss has hopes of clinching the Dale hot seat full-time if he can deliver an FA Cup shock at second division Blackpool

  • Answer on animals

    D MOORBY states in her letter criticising Pat Simpson "so Mrs Simpson, the real answer to the question, do animals belong in captivity or the wild, is both". Correction. Ms Moorby, those animals may BE in both, but they definitely don't BELONG in both

  • Looking for an old shipmate

    WE are trying to trace an old shipmate of ours by the name of Peter Holland who served with us aboard HMS Loch Fada as a REM 1955/56 in the Persian Gulf and originated from the Blackpool area. If anyone who has knowledge of his whereabouts could get in

  • Reviewer should have read the book

    I WRITE in protest at your film reviewer Richard King who, despite all the advance publicity about the Harry Potter film, decided (in his ego) that he didn't need to read the book first. The film script stuck to the book diligently. That is why the Stone

  • Anti-terror laws are unnecessary

    DAVID Blunkett is trying to rush his "anti terrorism" legislation through Parliament before anyone has had a chance to read it. If it will help to put the IRA behind bars so much the better, but if he hopes to use it to protect us from Bin Laden it is

  • Gizza job, Tony!

    HERE we go again. Another one of Tony's cronies strikes it rich with New Labour -- and the taxpayer foots the bill. Imagine this as a job advert and the response it would receive. Wanted, a candidate to act as leader but this is not essential as instructions

  • Let's show what real support is

    WE didn't get our hoped for 'double' at Sheffield last week with the game ending in a rather disappointing 2-2 draw. Disappointing in the fact we were 2-0 up at the break but somewhat overrun in the second half. For the second week running we conceded

  • No... People are just enjoying themselves

    THERE'S always the rush for this year's must-have present, but according to supporters of the retail trade in Blackburn, shops respond to what people want themselves -- to spoil their loved ones. Ron O'Keefe, president of the East Lancashire Chamber of

  • We want our child back

    A BISPHAM couple whose daughter was taken from them by social workers two years ago expressed their anger this week at the way the case had been handled. The couple's eldest daughter was temporarily removed from their care after allegations of violence

  • Who are all these supporters?

    I WRITE regarding the building of a hostel for the homeless at Castlecroft in Bury. There are a lot fewer than 200 residents and businesses near the site, and 95 per cent of these were opposed to the building of the hostel. So could someone please explain

  • No longer on the register

    IF the article (Nov 23) regarding the planning application for St Anne's Parish Hall, Tottington, I was referred to as the "church architect". I had the privilege of carrying out those duties from 1983 until my retirement in November 2000. The title "

  • Relax and enjoy Robbie's antics

    FOOTBALL is supposed to be an entertainment and Jonathan "Robbie the Bobby" Pollard was a breath of fresh air at Bury FC. He does his job for nothing, has attended charity events at short notice and I regard him as a great success. The worst he did was

  • A massive injustice

    I WONDER why Zionists and apologists for the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine always resort to historical distortion and untruths. In 1943, the British coalition government, attempting to implement the Balfour Declaration peacefully, offered European

  • Respect property

    AFTER all the money that has been spent on local parks and nature trails, is there no way that we can now educate people, old and young, to respect what is other people's property? In this throw-away age people seem to think that if it doesn't cost them

  • Help is there so use it

    PEOPLE are quick to call Bury Council but, as chairman of Drinkwater Warriors Junior Football Club, I have nothing but praise. From the moment we approached Phil Parkinson, the Area Board co-ordinator, we have had assistance all the way. He gave us contact

  • What a dreadful world we live in

    A. P. TOBIAS's "unbiased" propaganda machine (Your Letters, Nov 13) continues to rumble on. His defence of the most dangerous rogue state in the Middle East, supported by the most dangerous rogue state in the world, is really quite preposterous. But in

  • Don't hijack our "museum" idea

    AS a member of the Radcliffe Area Board and a Radcliffe resident, I have read with interest the coverage of the proposed market-museum for Radcliffe. I have repeatedly supported the concept of the market-museum since it was proposed and the actual designs

  • Councillors no longer represent the people

    AFTER several years of successful resistance by the residents of Willow Road and Highfield Road, Prestwich, Grimshaws have finally been given planning permission to build an MOT service centre on a small plot of land at junction 17. off the M60. Although

  • Schoolgirls looking stupid

    HOW long have schools been issuing Max Wall style uniforms? I was travelling through Daisy Hill when I spotted two girls who looked like they'd forgotten to put their skirts on heading for school. They were wearing just thick, black, woolly tights under

  • The weird and the wonderful

    COMPILERS of the Oxford Dictionary of Weird and Wonderful Words are hoping some of the ancient terms listed will make a comeback. I can't see why they shouldn't. Many are more fitting than the ones we use now. You couldn't get a word more fitting for

  • Cleaning no longer a priority

    HOW attitudes have changed. Cleaning is no longer people's priority. After a long day at work they'd rather spend their time socialising. A British Gas Home Truths study has revealed that most people are too exhausted after work, they'd rather live in

  • Warriors finish on top

    AN exciting match from start to finish saw the Warriors coming out on top despite some strong defensive tackling by the opposition. Leyland were determined to get the ball over the line and took an early lead but let the Rhinos come back to within two

  • Up and running

    Leigh Centurions 30, Barrow Border Raiders 12 LEIGH'S ring-rusty Centurions made their first hesitant step on the long road that they hope will lead to their dream destination of Super League. The side that for so much of last season looked destined to

  • RMI drop into danger zone

    Hayes 2 Leigh RMI 1: THE danger of a relegation battle at Leigh RMI reared its ugly head once more as Steve Waywell's men lost a citical game against potential candidates for the drop - Hayes. The Railwaymen did the double over their Middlesex opposition