Archive

  • Neville's retirement is well deserved

    REGARDING the article about Neville Barnett's retirement after some 50 years of service in nursing to the people of Blackburn and surrounding area, having been the recipient of both Neville and Christine's nursing expertise I wish BOTH a healthy and safe

  • Young thief will get away with it

    I WAS very upset to read about the old lady of 90 having her money stolen by a 15-year-old boy (LET November 20). I was also very angry -- angry to think, what they will do if and when they catch the culprit. They will say he can't be named for legal

  • Town centre a danger to public

    CONGRATULATIONS Blackburn Council for managing to create one of the most chaotic town centres in the North West. Returning to Blackburn by bus the other day it took 30 minutes to travel from Preston to King Street but 15 minutes from Astley Gate to the

  • Hiding behind selected facts

    I FIND it hard to grasp what Bert Hardwick is trying to address in his letter (Thursday, December 4). He tried to make issue of the Indian desire for independence from the British and hides behind a barrage of selected facts as to the consequences. Sure

  • Top-up fees for rest of a student's life

    SO now we know. We are all invited by Tony Blair to join in his 'Big Con,' which first of all will centre on the ludicrous question of Top-Up Fees for university students. This is typical of the champagne socialists (people who can afford to be socialists

  • Workers' hostage terror

    TWO shop assistants were held hostage by armed raiders in a robbery at an off-licence on Tuesday night. The two store workers, aged 56 and 68, were preparing to lock up for the night at the Co-op Late Shop, Newbrook Road, Over Hulton, when three raiders

  • Devastated family tell teenagers: Just walk away

    A FAMILY today issued an emotional warning after a teenager "with everything to live for" died from sniffing lighter fuel in a town centre toilet. George Shankly, 17, wanted a career as a joiner and was looking forward to a holiday in Russia when he went

  • RMI Ladies notch a double victory

    LEIGH RMI Ladies gained a double over Manchester Stingers with a 4-2 victory. Louise Sumner put RMI ahead in the first minute, but Stingers equalised. Leigh dominated the second half, and went ahead through new player Billie Boardman. They added a third

  • New role Stig

    FORMER Blackburn defender Stig Inge Bjornebye is on the world stage after being appointed Norway's assistant coach. Bjornebye, who made over 60 appearances for Rovers, was forced to retire from football earlier this year following a horrific eye injury

  • Why Dugarry will be back to haunt Rovers

    THE Football Association have hardly covered themselves in glory during the last six months. In fact, when it comes to the art of shooting yourself in the foot, they've got a deadlier aim than old golden gun himself, John Wayne. First, there was the Rio

  • Officers among aisles to tell of policing

    POLICE chiefs will be making guest appearances at Burnley's newest supermarket to tell the public more about their work. Members of the town centre policing team and Burnley's Chief Inspector Richard Morgan will be at Tesco, Active Way, Burnley, on Friday

  • Can of lager took woman over the drink-drive limit

    A MOTORIST who smashed into another car was over the limit after a can of lager topped up alcohol levels already in her system, a court heard. Burnley magistrates heard how Donna Sutcliffe, 21, crossed the carriageway on Burnley Road, Cliviger, and hit

  • Cop a lug'ole full o' this on CD!

    A RARE record made in Leigh 25 years ago has been re-released on CD. EMI have finally pressed the correct Silver Jubilee Edition of the legendary "Lanky Spoken Here", the album of Atherton writer Dave Dutton's book of the same name. The record company

  • Mum's horror at arson attempt

    A MUM has spoken of the terrifying moment she caught a man trying to set fire to her home while her unsuspecting teenage daughter was inside. Julie Ingram was on her way back to her home in Ebor Street, in Burnley, when she saw a man outside her door

  • The last resting place of soccer legend Tommy

    oTHE ashes of a football legend are set to be the latest East Lancashire contribution to The National Football Museum in Preston. Tommy Lawton, who began his professional career with Burnley after a spell with Rossendale United, played 390 games between

  • Behave or else, Bengali Boys told

    EIGHT young men accused of wreaking havoc in their community have had orders forcing them to behave extended. The group are said to be members of a group calling themselves the Bengali Boys, who police said were making peoples' lives a misery in Stoneyholme

  • Brave mum's help for others

    A MOTHER who lost twin boys during pregnancy is helping run a support group for East Lancashire parents who have suffered similar agony. Jayne Morant was inspired to join the Stillbirth and Neo-natal Death Society (SANDS) after turning to the support

  • Hayes goal freezes out Shakers

    Bury 0 Scunthorpe 1: BURY'S hopes of an LDV Vans Trophy final appearance at the Millennium Stadium disappeared on Tuesday night as they slumped to a silver goal defeat at the hands of Scunthorpe. Iron substitute Paul Hayes slid a winner past Glyn Garner

  • Carols choir are right on the button

    LADIES from Christ Church in Walmersley have undertaken the marathon task of producing button holes for 90 choristers. The Rossendale Male Voice Choir, Ladies' Choir and the Rossendale Festival Choir will attend the annual Christmas Concert on December

  • Mum's cash move to solve mystery of daughter's accident

    A MOTHER has offered a £1,000 reward in a bid to find out how her daughter was left fighting for life after a night out. Margaret Leonard, 63, and her family are maintaining a 24-hour vigil at the bedside of mother-of-three Jane Loughlin, who is on a

  • 50 years ago

    OPERATORS in spinning mills were told to be vaccinated for small pox. There were 135 cases of a mild form of the disease over the last year in south-east Lancashire. The Preston by-pass, which the Ministry of Transport said could be started in 1956, was

  • Six-a-side teams wanted

    BUDDING footballers are being urged to get together in teams for Wigan's 6-a-side football league. Games will be played on an outdoor astroturf pitch situated near to the town centre every Monday evening. Equipment such as balls and bibs will be provided

  • 'Babes' in wood open new forest

    THIRTY-FIVE millennium babies officially opened a wood created in their honour. The Millennium Baby Woodland in Altham was created by environmental group the Prospects Foundation to celebrate the births of Hyndburn babies in the year 2000. One tree for

  • Pool reopens tomorrow after repairs

    RIBBLESDALE Pool, in Clitheroe, will reopen tomorrow morning after a three-day closure for maintenance work. The facility was forced to close at the weekend after its 30-year-old boiler suffered mechanical failure. Ribble Valley Borough Council's leisure

  • Festive concert fund-raiser

    RIBBLE Valley Mayor Alan Yearing is to host a fund-raising Christmas concert on behalf of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Dyslexia Association. The event will take place at the Centenaries Theatre, Stonyhurst, on Friday at 7.30pm. It will feature the

  • Family's battle of the bulbs

    AN East Lancashire family is getting ready for a Christmas challenge that could light up the whole street. Betty Edwardson and her daughter-in-law Helen, who live next door to each other in Limefield Avenue, Whalley, are gearing up for their annual battle

  • Laser gun bid to cut speeding

    A NEW machine to catch speeding motorists in the Ribble Valley has been unveiled. Police have been trained to use a laser speed gun after members of the public consistently complained about what they saw as a rise in the number of vehicles speeding through

  • Johnson set for the perfect ten

    AUTOTESTER Steve Johnson is clearing some space in his trophy cabinet - because he has ten awards coming his way. The experienced Accrington-based competitor has enjoyed one of his best-ever seasons contesting national and regional championships. To accomplish

  • Peak endures a painful finale

    RALLY co-driver Phil Peak has finished his year on a roll -- which is exactly what he didn't want. For the Oswaldtwistle-based civil engineer made a spectacular exit from the Grizedale Stages after his driver, Simon Taft, put their Peugeot 205 GTi on

  • Gee makes most of mistake

    GARY Gee and Jason Crook made the most of an error by rivals Carl Hawkins and Iain Tullie to win the CSMA road rally. The pair missed a passage check on the very last section, incurring a five-second penalty, which dropped them down to second place and

  • Facey is still in the frame

    STAN Ternent has not ruled out a future swoop for Bolton striker Delroy Facey. The Trotters hitman returned to the Reebok late last month following the end of a three month loan that brought five goals in fourteen starts for the Clarets. Burnley were

  • Now watch Gally go!

    BLACKBURN defender Lucas Neill believes Paul Gallagher has taken his first major step on the road to stardom after breaking his Premiership scoring duck. The teenage striker netted his first ever top flight goal in the 4-0 demolition of Birmingham on

  • Woman made false claims for benefits

    A 22-YEAR-OLD Darwen woman claimed benefits while working as a care assistant at a residential home, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that Sharon Green received more than £1,200 she wasn't entitled to. Green, of Woodvale, pleaded guilty to

  • Girl and mother in home raid terror

    A MOTHER and daughter hid upstairs after hearing an intruder smash open the front door of their Darwen home in the early hours. Blackburn magistrates heard that police who arrived minutes later found drunken Wayne Craig Cox staggering around inside. And

  • County council questions answered

    PEOPLE have the chance to quiz their county councillors at two special roadshow events to be held in Rawtenstall later this month. Lancashire County Council's touring trailer will be at the East Lancashire Railway Station, Bury Road, Rawtenstall, on Saturday

  • Axe killer home for Christmas

    AXE killer Jan Charlton has been released after serving 18 months of a sentence for killing her lover, a former Rossendale businessman. The 37-year-old former escort girl walked free from Askham Grange Open Prison yesterday. And speaking on the doorstep

  • Wind farm project suffers huge blow

    PROTESTERS against plans for a £50million wind farm in Edenfield were celebrating last night after Rossendale Council voted unanimously against it. Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and Lancashire County Council have already objected to the application

  • Free professional theatre school

    A THEATRE school is offering free drama sessions to budding young Leigh actors and actresses in a bid to recruit a new crop of performers for a Sunday service. Liverpool's Black Box has been running a Saturday school since August 2000 and is seeking performers

  • Theft the start of nightmare for drink-driver

    A NIGHTMARE visit to Blackburn came back to haunt a Northamptonshire businessman six years later. Blackburn magistrates heard that Bhagwant Singh phoned the police after having £5,000 stolen from his lorry after parking up for the night prior to making

  • Convicted killer is married in jail

    A CONVICTED killer has married his friend's long-term lover while behind bars for a Blackburn street murder. Paul Smyth, was jailed six years ago for the murder of Kevin Sudall, 22, who was a relative of the town's former snooker world champion Dennis

  • Police handed £70,000 to recruit specials

    LANCASHIRE police are to get more than £70,000 to help recruit 75 extra special constables over the next three years. The cash boost has been welcomed by local MPs as an important move in the fight against crime. Home Office minister, Hazel Blears, today

  • Report sends a wake up call to lagging county

    EAST Lancashire was today given an economic 'wake-up call' after a report revealed it had fallen way behind the rest of the country. The East Lancashire Partnership said the region's economy has been failing for at least 10 years, which has led to major

  • Devastated family tell teenagers: Just walk away

    A FAMILY today issued an emotional warning after a teenager "with everything to live for" died from sniffing lighter fuel in a town centre toilet. George Shankly, 17, wanted a career as a joiner and was looking forward to a holiday in Russia when he went

  • Free professional theatre school

    A THEATRE school is offering free drama sessions to budding young Leigh actors and actresses in a bid to recruit a new crop of performers for a Sunday service. Liverpool's Black Box has been running a Saturday school since August 2000 and is seeking performers

  • Factory destroyed in early morning blaze

    A FACTORY was destroyed in the early hours of Wednesday morning when fire ripped through the building. Fire crews from throughout Greater Manchester tackled the fire, which started at 4am at the Malligram factory, which manufactures polystyrene, on Lodge

  • Wake-up call that has to succeed

    MANY of the facts and comments on our area's economy spelled out today in East Lancashire Partnership's "wake-up call" are hardly new. Over dependence on vulnerable, traditional manufacturing industry, too many low-wage, low-skill jobs and pockets of

  • Nature Watch: Why this plant's so Devilish

    ALSO called Traveller's Joy and with the scientific name of Clematis Vitalba, Old Man's Beard is a plant better known to the gardener than to the East Lancashire naturalist. This shrubby climber occurs in woods and hedgerows in chalk and limestone areas

  • Carole's role as a serial thriller

    IT'S the village where the local farming big-shot had an extra-marital affair with the doctor's wife before she ran off to Germany with their love-child vowing never to return - but will she? Meanwhile the village snob's artistic pretensions are wreaking

  • Light up street with a smile

    MAY I congratulate the Darwen market traders and council workers for the magnificent firework display at the grand switch on. They really were amazing and the best-ever. Also, the market looks very seasonal and inviting for Christmas shoppers I also congratulate

  • Just don't talk about the play-offs

    THE reaction of Stan Ternent said it all on Saturday night. Anyone with a modicum of Turf Moor knowledge should have known not to mention the words 'Burnley' and 'play-offs' in the same sentence in the post-match press conference. And Stan's reply left

  • Mum's cash move to solve mystery of daughter's accident

    A MOTHER has offered a £1,000 reward in a bid to find out how her daughter was left fighting for life after a night out. Margaret Leonard, 63, and her family are maintaining a 24-hour vigil at the bedside of mother-of-three Jane Loughlin, who is on a

  • Now watch Gally go!

    BLACKBURN defender Lucas Neill believes Paul Gallagher has taken his first major step on the road to stardom after breaking his Premiership scoring duck. The teenage striker netted his first ever top flight goal in the 4-0 demolition of Birmingham on

  • KEELEY: Gallagher is a rarit in lame Academies

    LIKE all Blackburn fans, I was delighted to see Paul Gallagher score his first ever Premiership goal against Birmingham on Saturday. It's always incredibly satisfying to see a home-grown player make it big in the first team and Rovers' record in that

  • Drugs misuse group to hold awareness day

    INFORMATION on drug abuse will be available at a drug awareness event in Burnley town centre on Saturday. The event, which follows a similar scheme in June, is being run by Burnley Community Safety Partnership's drugs misuse action group, backed by Burnley

  • Three arrested at house as police swoop in drugs raid

    THREE people were arrested earlier today after police executed a drugs warrant at an address in Burnley. Following the execution of the warrant at a house in Leyland Road the property was searched and a quantity of a substance believed to be heroin was

  • Worsthorne Bulletin

    ST JOHN'S Church have agreed to donate a total of £2,425 to the following organisations - £600 to the Bishop's Harvest Appeal, £25 to The National Heart Research Fund, £200 each for St. Luke's Hospital, USPC, CMS, Historic Churches Preservation Trust

  • Support the fight against mast call

    RESIDENTS have slammed plans to build a mobile phone mast near homes. A planning application to erect a mast above Albert Mill, Wyre Street, Padiham, has been submitted to Burnley Council by Vodafone UK. But campaigner Dennis Cannon, chairman of the pressure

  • 'Wheel' is driving force!

    AN INNOVATIVE project providing trailblazing support to young people across Pendle was officially launched in Nelson yesterday. Around 500 children have already been referred to the Wheels within Wheels project which provides recreational activities and

  • 25 years ago

    AN Accrington Roman Catholic priest left his church amid growing controversy and sadness about the circumstances of his departure. People at Mass in St Anne's Church wept as Fr John Davies announced he was to leave. Blackburn fork lift truck driver George

  • 10 years ago

    HODDED robbers held three terrified store workers at gun point in a raid on a Kwik Save. But the two raiders carrying a sawn-off shot gun, a hand gun and a crow bar fled when they realised the safe at the store in Blackburn could not be opened. Brave

  • 'Abuse barrage' from man with knife

    POLICE responding to a report of a man with a knife in Accrington's Arndale Centre faced a barrage of abuse from the suspect, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that Anthony Walker was eventually found not to have a weapon but he was arrested

  • Former miners urged to make claims

    FORMER miners in East Lancashire who believe their work has affected their health are being urged to make a compensation claim. To be eligible to make a claim, miners need to have worked for British Coal after 1954 and had the symptoms of chronic bronchitis

  • Limit lift blasted

    PLANS to increase the speed limit on a stretch of road in Hapton have been described as "bonkers". Proposals to raise the limit on Manchester Road, between Lancaster Drive and Blythe's chemical works, from 30mph to 40mph have been put forward by Lancashire

  • Wembley deal stops job cuts

    UP to 25 jobs at a Bury firm have been saved at the last minute after it clinched a £7 million contract for the new Wembley Stadium. Bosses at ductwork company Senior Hargreaves had announced in October that 20 to 25 redundancies would have to be made

  • Lantern-light walk celebrates bird life

    YOUNGSTERS in Chipping were tonight set to lead a torchlight procession through their village with special lanterns celebrating Ribble Valley bird life. Pupils at Brabins Endowed School have been working with community artist Steve Elliot in preparation

  • Carpenter polishes his performance

    WELSH wonder Rhys Carpenter enhanced his growing reputation with a stunning hat-trick in Burnley Youth team's 6-0 romp over Oldham. The Clarets teenager made it ten goals for the season as the Latics were put to the sword at Gawthorpe on Saturday. And

  • Facey is still in the frame

    STAN Ternent has not ruled out a future swoop for Bolton striker Delroy Facey. The Trotters hitman returned to the Reebok late last month following the end of a three month loan that brought five goals in fourteen starts for the Clarets. Burnley were

  • DOBSON: Christmas matches will focus minds

    THE Christmas period is fast approaching and it is often recognised as a significant guide to the eventual Championship winning teams and those doomed to scrap out a relegation dog fight. The Clarets, after an impressive run of form and results, have

  • Black puddings pick up a top award for Andy

    AWARD-winning Waterfoot black pudding maker Andy Holt has been presented with another gong. The boss of RS Ireland's Black Puddings was among five small companies in Rossendale to be honoured at a special ceremony, winning the prize for most promising

  • Brass band hits the high notes

    THE Haslingden and Helmshore Brass Band swept the board at a regional championships. The Manchester and District Brass Band Championships saw the Rossendale outfit taking first prize in the second section, achieving 187 points for their rendition of A

  • Recycle to save the public cash

    A £600,000 recycling blitz has been launched in Ramsbottom. In a bid to meet government targets, Bury Council are making it easier for residents to recycle and save money on expensive disposal costs at the same time. A new campaign is being launched to

  • Woman slashed wrists

    A 68-YEAR-OLD woman who was on anti-clotting drugs bled to death after slashing her wrists with a carving knife, an inquest was told. The inquest heard that Doreen Benko had only been released from hospital 10 days earlier and had appeared "fine" when

  • You are going to die, knifeman said

    A MAN was stabbed with a steak knife as he lay on his settee before diving head first through a window to escape, a jury heard. Derek Bowes allegedly saw his attacker holding a knife dripping with blood and saying: "You are going to die in here." Mr Bowes

  • Fan Lowe proud of his Stanley high

    ACCRINGTON Stanley fan Steve Lowe has hailed the trip to Bournemouth as the proudest moment of his life as a Reds' fan. For Lowe was instrumental in 200 of the 600-plus Stanley supporters who witnessed their side's 1-1 draw at the Fitness First Stadium

  • Hawks soar into second place

    BLACKBURN Hawks soared into second slot in the English National Ice Hockey League North with a hard-fought win over Bradford Bulldogs at the Arena. The Hawks, who are the Northern section's in-form team, made it three wins on the bounce, clinching a double