THE football mad Matthews family are wrestling with a big problem after mum Diane won an ITV Sport soccer phone-in competition. Diane is now the proud owner of a giant England plaque which used to hand in a dressing room at the famous Wembley Stadium.
IOBJECT to the proposed closure of care homes for the elderly. Why should people be removed from their homes when they have worked all their lives to put the country on its feet? You only have to look around Blackburn at the money being wasted on so-called
NOT owning a car, I make extensive use of public transport. When in West Yorkshire I buy a day Rover Ticket and in Greater Manchester I use the Wayfarer Ticket. Both are excellent value, giving unlimited travel on bus and train and tram within a defined
ON Tuesday, April 2, I telephoned the main office of Lancashire County Council. There was an answerphone message, stating that the council would be back in action 'tomorrow!' Would this be the same council, which is pleading poverty with their overwhelming
COMMUNITY leaders and police have joined forces to combat youth nuisance problems in a popular park. Local residents have complained of drunken teenagers causing trouble in Rayner Park at Hindley. Now Hindley area constable Mark Schofield and Cllr Stuart
A PROJECT has been launched to stem the tide of schoolgirl mothers after it was revealed East Lancashire had among the highest teenage pregnancy rates Europe. Girls in Hyndburn, Burnley and Pendle are also more likely to have abortions than anywhere else
BRENTFORD boss Steve Coppell has thanked Rovers' backroom staff for helping to get Ben Burgess fit for his side's promotion bid. It looked like Burgess was out until the play-offs - should Brentford need them - after suffering a hamstring injury. But
A 26-YEAR-OLD man has been cleared of trying to knife his former girlfriend and of attempting to set her new partner on fire. Andrew Ormerod, of Kay Street, Padiham, was found not guilty of two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm by a jury at Burnley
A DOG which attacked a man was put down before a judge made a decision on the case. Duke, a three-year-old Alsatian, may have faced destruction following the incident last April. The animal escaped from the home of Stephen Meadway and Meadway was found
BURNLEY's crippling housing problem was top of the agenda for a meeting between two of the town's councillors and Prime Minister Tony Blair. Peter Kenyon and Carole Galbraith were at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton with people from all over the North West
AN orthopaedic surgeon at Burnley General Hospital is under investigation by a specialist team from the Royal College of Surgeons. The Rapid Response Review team from the RCS in London were called to Burnley General Hospital at the request of the health
DETAILS have been unveiled of two new £5million state-of-the-art primary schools to be built in Burnley. They will replace five outdated smaller schools which have been hit by falling pupil numbers. A third school will undergo an £850,000 facelift. The
MAY 2 signals the first all-out council elections in Burnley since 1991. BANK HALL: Patricia Bennett (Lab)*; Joan Dewhirst (BNP); Barry Gutteridge (Lab)*; Abdul Hamid (LibDem); Caroline Kavanagh (Lab); Dr Simba (Lib Dem). BRIERCLIFFE: Lawrence Embley
PENDLE councillors and local residents paid their own tribute to the Queen Mother, ahead of her funeral today, by attending a special service in Nelson. Led by Canon Stewart Hartley, the service at St Philip's Church yesterday evening offered time for
PLANS to build a house on land next to West Paddock, in Massey Lane, Brierfield, could be given the go-ahead this week. A detached house was built on a former lock-up garage site near Massey Lane in 1996 and the bungalow West Paddock was built on a paddock
DESPITE being pipped to the post in the final of the BBC's Britney Spears Talent Competition, 14-year-old Emma Nicholls is determined to make it in the world of performing arts. Emma, of Townley Street, Brierfield, reached the final of the competition
CAN 'Looking Back' readers help a Highland-dweller succeed on a pot-hunting mission in East Lancashire to surprise an old lady in Wales? It sounds like a riddle, but all's explained by this picture (above) that David Solo sends from Aberdeenshire of his
THE season ticket book grows ever thinner. The finger nails are chewed ever shorter. And the nerves? Well, they have been shredded that much in recent weeks it's a wonder they are still there. Yup, it's that time of year again. And while the management
BUTCHER Cliff Cowburn, of Cowmans in Clitheroe, scooped an award at Blackpool's annual Lancashire sausage competition for his speciality pork and lime recipe. He said: "Winning is a dream come true."
MARKET bosses in Blackburn had to rethink plans to open the three-day Easter market on Good Friday. Stallholders wanted to open on Maundy Thursday as usual and not be forced to open on the religious festival.
NOT bad. That was as good a weekend in terms of results we've had for some time and we didn't even kick a ball! Defeat for Derby left them with a maximum possible points haul of 41 and looking hot favourites to join Leicester for the drop. Not looking
A DIRECTOR of a Great Harwood firm which went out of business leaving debts of thousands of pounds, has agreed not to be a director or take part in any company management for six years. John Kendall, a director of Seymour Fletcher and Morris in St Lawrence
A YOUNG mum wept as she told a jury how she was attacked and raped following a night out. The woman told the jury at Burnley Crown Court that she was dragged from a house. She said she screamed for help but nobody came. Andrew Courtney, a HGV driver,
A LOCAL pet owner is appealing for help in sniffing out her missing ferret. Mary Jackson, of Sabden, originally had a family of six ferrets escape from their home on March 30 -- but she found five of them sleeping in a bin bag! The missing pet, a cream
THE recent Youth Merit League matches have provided youth coach Terry Pashley a chance to experiment. In their most recent outing they notched a 2-0 away win over Shrewsbury. After a first half in which the Shrews held the upper hand, the Clarets took
CHURCH official Jack Houldsworth knows how his Accrington counterparts must have felt when Ashwell Prince pulled out of his pro contract just three weeks before the start of the new season. He sympathised, saying it is every club's worst nightmare to
THE Railway Pub in Darwen, is set to re-open after being closed for four months. The pub has had a full refurbishment and new tenant Mark Hilton, who also manages Marigolds and The Green, hopes to turn the pub around. He said: "We have invested a lot
EXTENDED opening hours for pubs and clubs are coming into force to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee. New legislation will allow bars to stay open for two extra hours from 11pm on June 3 until 1pm on June 4. However the extra hours could still be turned
CELEBRATIONS are in full swing for pub and micro-brewery The Ministry of Ale as it marks its first birthday. The Moonstone brewery in Trafalgar Street, Burnley - one of 400 micro-breweries in the UK - has concocted more than 300 guest beers in its first
AN Irish millionaire has not ruled out the possibility of buying a stake in Bury FC if his bid to rescue another cash-strapped club fails. Businessman John Courtenay has been involved in take-over talks for Third Division Carlisle United since January
JANET Anderson will be toasted tonight as she celebrates a decade as Darwen MP. She will enjoy a meal at Sukhi's Indian Cuisine, Blackburn Road Darwen. Friends from the Darwen Labour Party and some of her supporters will celebrate the achievement at the
SPONSORSHIP forms are available around town for the annual eight-mile Darwen 'Tower Trudge'. The walk through Sunnyhurst Woods, Darwen Tower, Tockholes and Bold Venture Park is organised by the Darwen Rotary Club. It is intended to be an event where smaller
MORE than 300 people took to the hills of Rossendale on a three-mile sponsored run on memory of Jane Heys. The member of Sion Baptist Church in Higher Cloughfold, died last August from cancer of the colon aged 51. The fun run was organised by her friends
A CONTROVERSIAL landfill site in Rawtenstall is applying for permission to extend the time it has to complete its restoration. Horncliffe Quarry, off Bury Road, has applied to extend the time for restoring until December 2007. The application, which has
MILLIONS of people said a final, fond farewell today to the royal grandmother who captivated a nation. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of London following on from the 160,000 who filed past the coffin to pay their respects to the Queen Mother
COMEDIAN Jim Davidson has announced that his show tonight at King George's Hall, Blackburn, will go ahead as planned. The TV funnyman had been concerned about the suitability of his show and had considered postponing it out of respect on the day of the
'CAN'T get you out of my head' was the message when CragRats theatre company performed at Pleckgate High School in Blackburn. The Kylie Minogue hit was part of a show designed to educate pupils about career opportunities in a way they would remember.
HOSPITAL managers from Blackburn have been praised for caring about their staff's health. The Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust, which runs Queen's Park Hospital and Blackburn Royal Infirmary, won the NHS category of the national Health
POLICE are investigating reports that yobs pelted members of a bowling club with stones while they were playing on the green. One missile hit the pram of nine-month-old Liam Lang, son of one of the members, who claims it could have caused him serious
COUNCIL bosses have been celebrating after hearing that two of their services have been named as shining examples to others. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council was one of only two councils in the North West to be awarded Beacon status for two of its
MORE than £1million is set to be spent on emergency repairs to Lancashire's care homes to stop health and safety officials from shutting them down. Rotting window frames, faulty fire alarms and electrical problems have been highlighted after a Health
POLICE today promised to continue to patrol a troubled area of town after another weekend of disturbances. The pledge came after eight people, a number of whom were juveniles, were charged after alleged public order offences in the Infirmary area of Blackburn
to win Rovers tickets THIS week we've got more fab footie tickets to give away courtesy of CIS, an official stand sponsor at Blackburn Rovers. On offer this week is a pair of tickets to tomorrow's Barclaycard Premiership match with Chelsea at Ewood Park
BURY South MP Ivan Lewis has appealed to the Home Office to review their decision not to allow a Prestwich family to stay in Britain. As reported earlier, the Lata and Devesha Campaign received an unexpected blow when the Home Office rejected the recommendation
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. "Carousel," Greenbrook Church Hall, Burnley. Blackburn and District Probus Club, St Silas Parish Rooms, Preston New Road, Blackburn, 10am. Speaker: Mr D Cairns. Rossendale
AT a time when they should be excitedly planning for work and further education, more teenage girls in this area are facing an unplanned pregnancy than almost anywhere else in Europe. Figures for teenage pregnancies in some parts of East Lancashire are
BURY FC could fold this month if administrators cannot table a deal to clear the club's debts in the next three weeks. As creditors wait in the wings to recoup a £1.3million mortgage repayment, Shakers have been desperately scraping enough cash together
A NEW psychological therapy designed to beat depression and anxiety is coming to a doctor's surgery in Blackburn. The Shadsworth Surgery will be a trial site for the computer package Beating the Blues -- a self-help programme for people suffering emotional
A PARROT with the ability to mimic a cat's meow is still missing, more than a week after he escaped from his garden. Kai, an African Grey, took off from his garden in Manxman Road, Blackburn, a week last Saturday after he had been put out to enjoy the
THE Bishop of Blackburn seems to have totally lost the plot when he blames the malaise in our public services on 'blame culture' (LET, April 1). For far too long the managers and employees in these services have not been accountable for their performance
TERRY Hutchinson made the saddest trip of his life last week. The 52-years-old rubber technician flew to his Leigh home from New Zealand to attend his father Roy's funeral. The former builder and BICC worker died in Wigan Infirmary, his wife Mabel's 75th
REGARDING the proposed closure of care homes run by Lancashire County Council, this policy change is taking place when more elderly people are living longer and requiring care. We need to seriously consider the age profile of the population, say, 10 years
POLICE today promised to continue to patrol a troubled area of town after another weekend of disturbances. The pledge came after eight people, a number of whom were juveniles, were charged after alleged public order offences in the Infirmary area of Blackburn
THREE of the Centurions' smallest players turned in giant performances as Leigh took a major step towards qualification for the quarter-finals of the Buddies National League Cup. With the score at Leigh Centurions 50, Workington Town 24, a second successive
BLACKBURN Rovers Under 17s have qualified for the knockout stages of the FA Academy League play-offs after finishing top of their group. Rob Kelly's young guns needed a point against Derby on Saturday and they got a 1-1 draw. Rovers will now play Leeds
NORWEGIAN outfit Viking Stavanger are planning a summer raid for Ewood exile Egil Ostenstad. I can reveal that officials from the Scandinavian club have already sounded out the 30-year-old striker about a possible move back to his homeland. And Ostenstad
INDIAN, Pakistani and white youngsters aged ten to 17 broke down barriers and enjoyed musical multi-cultural percussion and DJ workshops at Burnley Mechanics.. The day ended with the youngsters performing a joint concert, entitled Bhang, for an audience
A TEENAGE cricket fan has been committed to crown court for trial after being re-charged following an incident at a one-day international between Australia and Pakistan. Student Yasin Shafi, 18, of Oxford Road, Burnley, was brought back to court after
IT was more like animal farm for the crew at Burnley fire station when a rabbit on a lead was brought in followed by an emergency call to a stuck, pregnant ferret. Firefighters were in hysterics when Gillian Lingard turned to the brigade for help at 7.30pm
VOTERS not prepared to go to a polling station in Bury next month for the local elections need to get a move-on. Council chiefs are warning voters they only have until April 24 to make an application for a postal or proxy vote.
AN exhibition of painting, sculpture and printmaking by members of Manchester Academy of Fine Arts and artists from all over Britain is being held at Bury Art Gallery and Museum until May 11. Talks and workshops are also being held.
RAMSBOTTOM and Tottington Area Board meets tonight (Tues April 9). There will be a 45-minute open forum before the meeting gets underway. On the agenda will be suitable sites for new mini-recycling points to be established around the area, development
CLOVER Croft Mill in Higham could be transformed in to a housing development if councillors give the idea the thumbs-up on Thursday. Outline permission to build 13 flats and redevelop the whole site, which was used by Winchester Furniture, was refused
TWO teenage boys were due to appear at Burnley Magistrates Court today charged with robbing a pensioner in Colne. Police said a 79-year-old woman had got off a bus and was walking towards Colne, near the Esso service station in Burnley Road, at 6.30pm
TWO men were injured after violence erupted at a working men's club, a court was told. Burnley Crown Court heard allegations that Glyn Sedman, 39, and his daughter's boyfriend Gary Hooper, 22, both separately attacked Nathan Phipps while Hooper also attacked
PENDLE Council is currently inspecting a block of flats in Earby after both the police and residents contacted the Urban Renewal Section regarding its 'derelict' state. Inspections of all but one of the flats at 57 and 59 Colne Road have been carried
SOROPTIMIST International members have been counting the pennies after setting up a 'penny mile' in Accrington Arndale Centre. Lack of space meant much of the 'mile' was in vertical piles but it is hoped the small towers will beat last year's efforts
POLICE have appealed for witnesses to contact them after a man indecently exposed himself to a nine-year-old boy. The child was playing with a group of friends in the cemetery area near Blackburn Road and White Path in Great Harwood on Saturday between
POLICE today launched an internal disciplinary hearing into the case of an Accrington teenager found dead in a mill lake. The body of 18-year-old Sajjad Mahmood was discovered in Hagg Lodge, close to Accrington's Asda store in Hyndburn Road, in April,
STAN Ternent's double-capture of a month ago are set to see out the season together at Turf Moor. Five-goal striker David Johnson and former England star Paul Gascoigne will be part of the Clarets push for the play-offs. Johnson's loan deal from Nottingham
BEAUTY shows and a night of fun have been planned for the Woodlands Hotel, in Preston New Road, Blackburn, tonight. Cosmetics for men and women will be on sale from the Virgin Cosmetic Company and all commission from sales and a raffle will go to Blackburn
CUSTOMERS at the Royal Oak are now able to enjoy their new-look local. The Pubmaster-owned pub in Longsight Road, Clayton-le-Dale, has had a full external refurbishment with a new updated but traditional look. Landlords Mike Terry and Steve Rowley-Terry
NORWEGIAN outfit Viking Stavanger are planning a summer raid for Ewood exile Egil Ostenstad. I can reveal that officials from the Scandinavian club have already sounded out the 30-year-old striker about a possible move back to his homeland. And Ostenstad
STAN Ternent's double-capture of a month ago are set to see out the season together at Turf Moor. Five-goal striker David Johnson and former England star Paul Gascoigne will be part of the Clarets push for the play-offs. Johnson's loan deal from Nottingham
I WAS about 13 when I found out how much my dad earned. I remember opening his pay slip by mistake - we have the same initial - and being amazed by the amount. Now I know the true value of money, it actually wasn't that great, but I remember wondering
A MAN failed to enter a plea when he appeared in court charged with the murder of a Darwen woman. Gareth Richard Horton, 29, of Walmsley Street, Darwen, was remanded in custody until May 10 by Judge Goddard at the Old Bailey yesterday. He was charged
DARWENERS were rejoicing today as their most cherished landmark reopened after being off-limits for 19 months. Darwen Tower is now safe for the public to walk around again after a six-week £26,000 engineering project. The worn stone slabs have been replaced
RESIDENTS in Rossendale could soon be benefitting from a new all-weather sports facility. And if plans for the complex, to be built at Rossendale United in Dark Lane, Newchurch, get the go ahead up to 20 new jobs could be created in the Valley. The new
A 16-YEAR-OLD student at Blackburn College beat off competition from throughout the North West to win the Rotary Young Chef of the Year award. Emily Crew was the choice of a panel of judges including celebrity chef Andrew Nutter, Neil Hogg of Accrington
THE candidates for this year's local elections have been announced with voting taking place on May 2. Wards which have two stars next to them mean the sitting councillor is not standing. The candidates with one star next to their name are the current
A NEIGHBOURHOOD fundraising campaign has been launched to help a nine-year-old cerebral palsy sufferer lead a normal life. Alex Hook was given a new lap top computer by the social services department of Blackburn with Darwen Council just before Easter
THREE Bury musicians will be playing with the National Youth Orchestra at a prestigious concert today (Tues April 9). They will be performing under renowned conductor Sir Colin Davis at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall. The talented trio are Zara Benyounes
WHEN Dean Macey competes in the decathlon in the Commonwealth Games this summer there will be one lad who is watching extremely closely. Burnley AC athlete Colin Bailey is keen to emulate the World Champion silver medallist and will be competing in his
IT comes as no surprise when a teacher says the kids are the future. But for one Nelson teacher, his nurturing tendencies extend way beyond the classroom. Alan Pickering, who does the job of chairman at Nelson - without the title - is building up the
A PENSIONER died after suffering horrific crush injuries while working on a car. Mr Harry Moxon from Holcombe Brook was pronounced dead on arrival at Fairfield General Hospital yesterday afternoon (Mon April 8). The emergency services were called out
