A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Speedier Dating -- age 35-50 years, Blakey's Cafe Bar, King George's Hall, Northgate, Blackburn, 7pm for 7.30pm. Plant Sale, Worden Park Walled Garden, Leyland, 11am-
THE revival of rail travel in East Lancashire received a tremendous boost today with the disclosure that regular services could soon be restored on a line saved from extinction by steam enthusiasts. For the East Lancashire Line running from Rawtenstall
MR J Walsh's recollections of Bleasdale's Band (Letters, June 7) evoked a few memories for me. I don't recall them playing at Ewood Park, but what I do remember is my father taking me as a little girl on Sunday mornings to Roney Street in Blackburn for
WHAT a fantastic show was "Dancefusion" at the Thwaites Theatre in Blackburn on June 13 and 14. All the girls and children were fantastic and loved every minute of their dances and being on stage. Congratulations to everyone involved. The show as a credit
THERE is again talk of entry into the euro, yet, as far as the Green party is concerned, it is one more step along the path of globalisation. Globalisation is giving fewer and fewer people control of our food, services, health, and media etc, so that,
A SEX fiend attacked a teenage girl in the street after befriending her while she was on a night out in Blackburn town centre. Police said the 17-year-old victim was pounced on close to some benches, in a secluded area near Museum Street. Detective Inspector
Leigh Centurions 12 Salford City Reds 32 by Mike Hulme: SALFORD looked every bit as good as their odds-on quote for a rapid return to Super League as they obliterated their closest rivals to take over at the top of the table. The Reds full-time squad
LORENZO Amoruso claims he will sign for Blackburn next week. Blackburn have already had a £1.4m bid for the Italian defender accepted by the Scottish giants. And Amoruso has broken his silence to reveal he will link up with Rovers once he undergoes the
BLACKBURN striker Andy Cole claims it is vital that Graeme Souness is provided with the funds to make at least a couple of quality signings this summer. Boss Souness wants to recruit at least four new faces over the coming few weeks as he looks to freshen
THE Marketing manager for Burnley Town Centre Management, has announced that he is leaving Initiative Burnley and the Burnley Town Centre Management project next month to take up a position in nearby Pendle as Town Centres Officer. Ian Stackhouse is currently
A CROWD gathered in amazement and cars ground to a halt in Padiham town centre on Saturday as they watched a teacher, two vicars and an organist dangle from the church tower to raise money. The sponsored abseil at St Leonard's Church, in Church Street
A WIDOWED pensioner has called for an urgent security review after a spate of cemetery vandalism culminated in flowers being taken from his wife's grave. Former builder George Holt, 76, of Brownhill Avenue, Burnley, spoke of his disgust after the plants
A SPECIAL needs co-ordinator from Burnley who has helped transform the lives of people in Lancashire had been honoured at County Hall. Mother-of-three, Carole Wolstenholme, who works at Burnley's Central Library, was invited to the headquarters of Lancashire
THOUSANDS of people made their way to Colne on Saturday to the town's main event of the year. But Colne Gala committee member Sue Bulut said more volunteers and sponsors were needed or the popular event could face the chop. The annual Colne Gala, held
THEY came from far and wide to worship at the altar of Travis on Saturday night. The Brit Award-winning band chose Blackburn to play their first live gig for nearly a year in front of a capacity crowd. The date served as a warm up for the band before
THE banqueting hall at Hoghton Tower held a service between all Christian churches in the area. The meeting between Anglican, Methodist and Roman Catholics was the first of its kind at the venue.
HYNDBURN'S four most deprived wards will join the recycling revolution when 6,000 homes are given wheely bins. The scheme has been funded by £280,000 from the government's Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) and will provide facilities for more than half
A VETERAN soldier has been rewarded for his work campaigning against the closure of care homes in Lancashire by being made chairman of a campaign group. Norman Hickey has worked tirelessly for more than a year with Hyndburn Action Committee to try to
THOUSANDS of people beamed with sunshine smiles at the carnival that refused to go under. The Accrington Lions wanted to make Saturday's event go with a bang after fellow fund raisers in Blackburn with Darwen were forced to cancel their events. And councillors
A FORMER high school head teacher took to his bike and raised over £2,000 for charity from a sponsored cycle ride the length of the country. Peter Donnelly, 60, of Long Buildings, Sawley, near Clitheroe, raised the cash after cycling 1,070 miles from
A SENIOR judge has been caught up in a row over low cost housing in Clitheroe. Clitheroe Community Church hosted a meeting last Saturday aimed at exploring possible uses for the former Barker's Primrose Nursery site in Whalley Road. Church members wanted
WORK will begin this week on phase two of Blackpool FC's stadium redevelopment. Bulldozers are expected to move in on the east paddock, affectionately known as the 'scratching shed' this week, and the aging south stand will also be demolished shortly.
BLACKPOOL are being tipped to swoop for two former Burnley stars as they bid to strengthen their squad for the new season. Former Clarets skipper, Steve Davis and keeper, Marlon Beresford, are both believed to have had strong interest from Steve McMahon
BLACKPOOL face the toughest possible start to their 2003/2004 second division campaign with a tough away trip to QPR. The Seasiders have lost their last three games against the London side, who start as one of the favourites for the title after losing
THE Clarets have announced ticket details for the two, Turf Moor pre-season friendlies against Premiership opposition. The Clarets are due to face Leeds United on Sunday, July 27, followed by the visit of Steve Bruce's Birmingham City side a week later
GRAHAM Branch has ended speculation over his footballing future by agreeing to sign a new two-year deal with Burnley. The versatile defender has been locked in talks with Clarets chief Stan Ternent all summer long to thrash out the finer details of a
HASLINGDEN openers Graham Knowles and Mike Ingham have rewritten the record books at the Bentgate club. The opening duo put on 216 for the first wicket as Haslingden scored a 54-run success over Lowerhouse, though the rain frustrated the home side as
GLEN Chapple staged a thrilling Lancashire rescue act and admitted "that was the best one-day innings of my career". The scoreboard read badly enough when Earby-based Chapple came in, with Lightning 24 for four and Durham's total of 197 way in the distance
TWO tremendous all-round performances lit up Saturday's Lancashire League programme, as Gyandera Pandey and Jason Arnberger destroyed their opponents with bat and ball. TODMORDEN pro Pandey took all nine ACCRINGTON wickets for 74 runs, the league's best
WORLD Superbike Championship, Misano, San Marino. Race 1: 1 Ruben Xaus (Spa) Ducati 40mins 22.423secs, 2 James Toseland (Gbr) Ducati 40:23.183, 3 Regis Laconi (Fra) Ducati 40:24.134, 4 Gregorio Lavilla (Spa) Suzuki 40:33.356, 5 Chris Walker (Gbr) Ducati
NEIL Hodgson lost his 'Mr Invincible tag' here in Italy as he failed to finish in the top two in a race for the first time this season. The Burnley bike ace and runaway championship leader was overshadowed by his Ducati Fila team-mate Ruben Xaus, who
IT has finally got to me. Me, a woman renowned for never doing a scrap of housework. A woman who would not know what to do with a duster. A woman who only cleans anything when the well-being of the children are at stake. Me, a cleaning-phobic. Me, who
HEALTHY eating advice comes to Darwen at the end of the month. Managers at the Holistic Therapy Centre in Belgrave Sqaure will teach members of the public the benefits of maintaining a healthy diet. Vanda Croft, manager, said: "There are some things that
A CAT rescuer is today pleading with the public not to dump their pets after three kittens were left for dead on the banks of the River Darwen. The three six-week-old females were dumped in a holdall. It was not until the next morning that they were discovered
OFSTED inspectors have praised a Darwen headteacher for strong leadership and teamwork which have raised standards at the school. Laura Pooles only joined Sudell Primary School a year ago, but is now celebrating with her staff and governors after the
DWINDLING numbers at Darwen's top language school has caused fury among an Italian class which has been forced to carry on in Blackburn. The Access Point and Holker House, Darwen's only adult education centres, offer a wide range of language programmes
HARRY Potter joined pirates and clowns this weekend as thousands of people lined the streets of Rossendale for the annual carnival. The sun shone on the procession of children in fancy dress, dance groups, bands, community groups and carnival queens who
NICHOLAS Joseph Dawson punched his ex-girlfriend in the face when he saw her out with another man. And Blackburn magistrates heard it was the second time he had assaulted her since they split. Dawson, 41, of Malham Gardens, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to
A TEAM of swimmers from Westholme School, Blackburn, will be hoping to make a big splash when they attempt to become the first school in the North of England to successfully swim the English Channel. The girls are taking the plunge to raise cash for a
A BLACKBURN mother-of-two will put her best foot forward to raise funds in memory of a close friend. Tracy Reed, 33, is in training for The Women's Great Walk of China in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The social policy student at the University of
THE victim of a suspected arson attack has told of her devastation after she lost all her possessions in the blaze. Angela Craig's flat on Winmarleigh Street in Blackburn was gutted when it is believed youths broke in and set fire to her front room. All
MORE than 180 designs have been drawn up for a series of six sculptures set to dominate East Lancashire and put the area on the cultural map. Now the public are to have their say on which of the 12-shortlisted works of 'modern art' which will sit in prominent
CHILDREN who are missing their fathers have posted emotional messages on a website as part of a competition by the Department for Education and Skills. The website was launched as part of an initiative for Father's Day. Some children used the opportunity
SCHOOL REPORT: The school aims to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, with emphasis on the wider aspects of education including the arts, the environment and personal responsibility. There is a clear expectation that everyone connected with the school
EAST Lancashire teenagers will have a wider choice in the curriculum - including vocational courses - if recommendations by the education watchdog are introduced. A recent report by Ofsted - Key Stage 4: towards a flexible curriculum - examined the provision
HEALTH and social services in Blackburn and Darwen recently signed an accord to implement much closer working relationships. Health reporter Roger Airey went along to a support groups for teenage mums -- an example of the partnership in practice. HAVING
THE "Should halal butchery be banned?" issue is quite simple to resolve. Either it is acceptable to kill an animal in a certain way to satisfy human cultural needs or it is not -- so either ban both foxhunting and halal/kosher butchery or ban neither.
IT would be a good idea for the really bad crime areas in Blackburn to have mini police stations. Two houses could be knocked together to form them, with a couple of holding cells and an office manned 24 hours a day. The public could then visit these
HOW is it when Councillor Dave Smith talks of monies invested in Darwen (Letters, June 10) he goes back two or three years and then goes to the future by the same amount of time, but when Blackburn is mentioned, it is of monies spent over the last 12
NOW the tide of war in Iraq and Afghanistan has receded and all those who fled the tyranny of Saddam Hussein can wend their way back home, it's time to look at the role of the European Union. Like cowards, they stood back and let Britain do what needed
A SEX fiend attacked a teenage girl in the street after befriending her while she was on a night out. Police said the 17-year-old victim was pounced on in the King William Street area of Blackburn town centre. Her attacker had begun talking to her while
AN INTER-community carnival is set to be held in Burnley this summer after the Rank Foundation charity gave a £90,000 grant to police. The money will support various projects in the town over the next three years aimed at improving community cohesion.
A SPECIAL needs co-ordinator from Burnley who helped transform the lives of people in Lancashire for years to come had been honoured at Preston's County Hall. Mother-of-three Carole Wolstenholme, who works at Burnley's Central Library, was invited to
BURNLEY'S £3 million space-age bus station has been officially named one of the best in the country eight months after it opened. The futuristic glass-fronted, purple and grey structure reached the finals of a top award at the National Transport Awards
A CYCLEWAY covering the lush coastal countryside of Arnside and Silverdale, the remote Forest of Bowland and the majesty of Pendle Hill has been upgraded and relaunched. The 260-mile Lancashire Cycleway claims to be Britains most scenically diverse cycle
FIRE chiefs in Nelson have warned pranksters who waste time with malicious calls that they will be caught and punished. Sub-officer Mark Woodward said the irresponsible actions of these people could lead to them being taken away from a genuine incident
PENDLE'S executive members have approved the the call for CCTV in Earby, Barnoldswick and Barrowford -- but have decided to wait for confirmation on possible capital funding for the scheme before agreeing to meet the revenue costs. A decision made at
IN more than 25 years as a teacher, Janet Gilbert has seen it all, working in secondary and primary schools. Such is her dedication, she often works well into the evening and even during the holidays. And now her 17-year-old daughter Frances is putting
PHONE callers to an electrical store were treated to a live tune when lines were busy. Graham Charnock, of Aspen Lane, Oswaldtwistle, played his violin to customers waiting on the line for Colourvision in Blackburn.
LITTLE Jessica Spibey has always dreamed of swimming with dolphins in Florida. And now thanks to generous workers at Holland's Pies factory in Baxenden her dream could be about to come true. They have raised more than £2,500 for five-year-old Jessica,
PARENTS campaigning for play equipment for their children were getting their chance to vote on a range of proposals today at a public consultation. Residents in the Spring Hill area of Accrington staged a protest in November demanding the return a set
WORRIED East Lancashire Labour MPs are declining to join a backbench rebellion tonight over plans to allow English universities to charge top up tuition fees-- despite their opposition to the policy. Greg Pope, Peter Pike and Janet Anderson are refusing
FIVE people were arrested in dawn raids today as part of a police crackdown on heroin and cocaine dealers. Officers targeted 13 addresses in Church and central Accrington as part of Operation Nimrod. Some 80 officers from across Lancashire and drugs sniffer
TWO neighbours who embarked on a four-year dispute over land between their homes are at the centre of a new probe -- over a garden fence. Andrew Moore and Merryck Johnson have been arguing over the boundary line between their properties in Kenilworth
MO CAMARA has joined the Clarets on a two year deal from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Guinean defender has agreed on a deal that will bring the left full-back to Turf Moor after he was released by the recently promoted West Midlands team. Camara, a Guinea
Blackpool decided to bat and no sooner had they taken the crease than Mercer knocked over Caunce's stumps with the first ball of the match. Keith Semple then dismissed Simcock in his first over to leave the in-form Steven Croft and Lomas to try to repair
A SMILE was back on the face of Carl Fogarty last night. After a traumatic couple of months for his fledgling Foggy Petronas Racing team, the Blackburn bike ace finally had something to celebrate as Troy Corser secured two top 10 finishes in track-side
MO CAMARA has joined the Clarets on a two year deal from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Guinean defender has agreed on a deal that will bring the left full-back to Turf Moor after he was released by the recently promoted West Midlands team. Camara, a Guinea
BLACKBURN striker Andy Cole claims it is vital that Graeme Souness is provided with the funds to make at least a couple of quality signings this summer. Boss Souness wants to recruit at least four new faces over the coming few weeks as he looks to freshen
CHURCH fundraisers realised £700 for a national children's charity through a series of street collections in Darwen. Pub-goers and shoppers gave towards essential funds for the 98,000 vulnerable children and young people the NCH charity aims to help.
HE may be in demand in foreign footballing circles, but David Beckham has been given the red card by punters at a Darwen pub. Regulars of the Golden Cup Inn have given 'Golden Balls' the boot - by declaring the word 'Beckham' a swear word. Landlady Maria
A FATHER devastated by the loss of his son following a savage Rottweiler attack today issued the final photograph of the tragic 11-year-old - taken just minutes before he died - as a warning to other parents. Kevin Kearney, 49, of Anyon Street, Darwen
A NEW Meditation group is offering 'Come and Try Sessions' to help people in the valley enjoy the powers of relaxation. David Jessop has organised the four-week free sessions to take place at Stacksteads Drop-In-Centre. He said: "I would like to show
HOPES are high that 1,000-passenger trains may soon be pulling into Rawtenstall after rail and town hall chiefs started talks with the rail regulator. The opening of the four-mile Heywood Link to the national rail network - expected for September 6 -
A SEX fiend attacked a teenage girl in the street after befriending her while she was on a night out. Police said the 17-year-old victim was pounced on in the King William Street area of Blackburn town centre. Her attacker had begun talking to her while
A SEX fiend attacked a teenage girl in the street after befriending her while she was on a night out in Blackburn town centre. Police said the 17-year-old victim was pounced on close to some benches, in a secluded area near Museum Street. Detective Inspector
A GROUP of Leigh schoolchildren were on top note, singing in front of Tony Blair's new Arts Minister Estelle Morris. Pupils from four Leigh schools joined others from Salford and Trafford and Blackburn with Darwen for a NorthWest Education Action Zone
INFLUENTIAL hooker Paul Rowley will be missing for at least the next month after fracturing his hand in the recent win at Dewsbury. Leigh's worst fears were confirmed when x-rays showed a break to a metacarpus bone in the back of his hand. His injury
TOMMY Martyn won't be the last big name player to join Leigh Centurions this season. Coach Paul Terzis has one more significant target in his sights as Leigh prepare for their push towards Super League. On the day Leigh concluded the deal that brings
A NEW group to run Bury's council houses could bring in millions of pounds for vital improvements. That's the thinking of the Bury Housing Options Project Board, which has voted unanimously to hand over the running of 9,000 local authority homes to an
