A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. St John's Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society present "My Fair Lady," Pendle Hippodrome Theatre, New Market Street, Colne, 7.15pm. Life drawing classes, Mid Pennine
THE shutdown of the furnace today at Philips' TV glass factory in Simonstone today marks the beginning of the end of a manufacturing tradition that goes back more than 40 years. By September more than 400 jobs will have gone at the company, better known
IF you want to enjoy wildlife and need some guidance you should join your local Wildlife Trust. Over the next few months I will be visiting some of the Trust's Reserves which are spread around the old county of Lancashire. The Trust is based at the Barn
I HAVE commented before on the number of times "artist's impressions" of grandiose schemes have never materialised into bricks and mortar. It is good to see that the North West Development Agency (now, there's a real quango) has put at last a temporary
IN the last paragraph of his letter (LET, April 13) Coun Ron O'Keeffe has fallen into the trap of thinking that in my recent letter I was criticising Blackburn as a place to live and work in; I was not. I was simply criticising the exaggerated claim that
THE bitter legal battle that tore apart the family behind the multi-million pound "Pataks" Indian food empire has ended in a provisional £12 million deal. The peace pact was agreed in the High Court between company boss Kirit Pathak, who lives in Bolton
WITH 18 days to go the only certainty is, well, uncertainty. Nagging worries still remain over which division Burnley will be in next season, albeit eased considerably by last night's crucial victory against Wimbledon. And doubts have also surfaced that
RELATIVES of murdered teenager Carry Ann Brown today told of their disgust at not being allowed to see a report into her care before it was made public. Carry Ann, 14, of Huntingdon Drive, Darwen, was taken into foster care after being made pregnant by
RESIDENTS who do not believe they get a first-class service from the Post Office can have their say at a public meeting on Wednesday. Postwatch Northern England is keen to hear from customers who are unhappy with the services they are getting from their
A BURY woman was left with a bad taste when she bit into a custard doughnut to discover it contained apple to which she is allergic. Although Mrs Kerry Rodzoch spat out the slice, the apple caused stinging to her throat, and she feared the reaction could
BLACKBURN Rovers are expected to announce details of a new kit deal later this week. The club's contract with Italian clothing giant Kappa is coming to an end and Rovers are currently working on lining up a new manufacturer. Club officials were today
BLACKBURN Rovers defender Craig Short today said he's prepared to wait until the end of the season before opening talks about a new contract. The veteran centre-back is planning on playing for one more season before he reluctantly hangs up his boots.
IT MIGHT sound ridiculous, but Lorenzo Amoruso's injury might have been the best thing that could have happened to him. When he first signed for Rovers, the transition from the Scottish League Premier Division to the Premiership looked a little bumpy
BURNLEY MP Peter Pike has made a Commons call for a full public inquiry into the death of Christopher Alder in a Hull police station in 1992. The former paratrooper choked to death and a CCTV video, in which several police officers were seen present while
TWO solicitors and a chartered accountant were among five people arrested this morning for offences relating to money laundering, theft and deception. Officers in Lancashire raided a number of addresses in Burnley and Pendle before arresting four males
THE organiser of a holiday football camp for children has slammed thieves who stole a set of goal posts. Eddie KcKane (pictured left) organised the Bentley and Barons Soccer Fun Week along with Mark Bentley for Pendle schoolchildren in the Easter holidays
FIREFIGHTERS have warned that homes due for demolition in Burnley are a potential death trap after youngsters torched a house last night. Crews were called to the blaze, which had been started deliberately, in Melrose Avenue at 8.45pm. They found a house
SHAKERS defender Danny Swailes looks certain to miss the final three games of the season after suffering knee ligament damage at the weekend. The big Bolton-born centre back didn't take to the field for the second half of the Shakers' match at Yeovil
A TRIO of youngsters asked to use the toilet at a partially-sighted woman's home and stole a purse containing £20 cash. Two of the youngsters went into the 87-year-old's lounge after asking to use the toilet at her home in Marsden Crescent, Nelson. The
LANCASHIRE detectives have arrived in China in a bid to confirm the identities of the victims of the Morecambe bay tragedy. Eight officers, including two normally posted in the east of the county, were due to visit victims' families in the south eastern
A DRUNKEN man spat blood in an officer's face when police were called after he attacked a pub landlord. Burnley Magistrates heard how Daniel Lee Machin later laughed and said it sounded like something he would do when he was drunk. Machin, who had slung
A YOUTH from Barnoldswick has been mugged by three men while walking along a street in Nelson. The 18-year-old was walking down Ellen Street at 9.15pm on Friday when he was approached from behind by three men thought to be aged between 18 and 22. One
A YOUTH worker told a court how she was roused from her bed by the sound of racist taunts on the night Sean Whyte died in a Colne street. Ann McGladdery told Preston Crown Court she had gone through the back of a house in North Street where Wasim Mumtaz
A BLACKBURN firm was declaring war on litter louts with new "drive-in" waste disposal stations. White Cross Equipment Ltd, of Park Road, developed the waste units for sale to local authorities. It hoped the disposal stations would become a familiar site
ENVIRONMENTAL improvements across Hyndburn in the last year will be discussed at the forthcoming annual general meeting of the Prospects Foundation charity. Work such as Rishton's Jubilee gate, Great Harwood's Windsor Road football area, and the launch
AN East Lancashire man has told how he tried to help after a teenager plummeted 100ft from a rollercoaster. Pete Hawkins, of Park Lane, Oswaldtwistle, told how he and other stunned bystanders desperately tried to help 16-year-old Hayley Williams after
A CYCLIST is recovering in hospital after being involved in a traffic accident. Andrew Farrow, 39, of Kirkmoor Road, Clitheroe, fractured his neck when he was in collision with a black Polo driven by Mark Anthony Pinder, 41, of Black Lane Croft, Clitheroe
A NEW Tesco Express will open in Burnley next month. The final touches are being put to the store which will open in Casterton Avenue on Monday, May 24. As well as full supermarket facilities, the store will also have a petrol station on the forecourt
AN early morning market hall raider with almost 60 previous convictions has been spared jail. Burnley magistrates heard Peter Johnson was found, with an accomplice, crouched down by a stall in Burnley market hall around 7am. The other man ran off but
IT'S usually the cricketers at Turf Moor that lap up the applause when they reach a half century. But it was the footballers who marched proudly back to the pavilion last night as Burnley hit the 50-point mark and edged closer to another innings in the
LANCASHIRE'S County Championship match against Sussex, which started today, is shaping up to be a crucial clash between two of the main title contenders. The Red Rose side face a Sussex team who have shown some good early season form and are keen to prove
BACUP Borough manager Brent Peters is set to keep faith with the players who reached the North West Counties League Challenge Cup final, writes SUZANNE GELDARD. And he admitted he would be giving the starting 11 plenty of notice so they could be mentally
CLITHEROE returned to the top of the table following this crucial derby win and now know that just one victory from their last two games will secure them the league title. A hard working team ethic was the platform for the three points, which means three
CHORLEY'S slim hopes of gaining promotion to a revamped UniBond Premier Division finally came to an abrupt end in Cumbria last night The Magpies had to beat Kendal Town and then Ossett on Saturday and hope that results went for them elsewhere. But Jim
JOHN Cowburn, 46, of Jack Keys Drive, Darwen, will walk 100 miles non-stop walk around Exmoor next month to raise money for the bursary scheme at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn. John, whose son attends the school, belongs to the Long Distance
A WOMAN went into prison hooked on heroin and came out addicted to heroin substitute methadone, a court was told. Lisa Matthews, 27, of Hindle Street, Darwen, was remanded on bail for the preparation of a pre-sentence report when she appeared before Blackburn
A REPORT into the death of Darwen teenager Carry Ann Brown has exonerated social services workers. The report by Blackburn's Area Child Protection Committee, under an independent chairman, said nothing reasonably could have been done by professionals
RELATIVES of murdered teenager Carry Ann Brown today told of their disgust at not being allowed to see a report into her care before it was made public. Carry Ann, 14, of Huntingdon Drive, Darwen, was taken into foster care after being made pregnant by
ANYONE interested in Haslingden and preserving its future resources is invited to a meeting later this month. Haslingden Environment Trust has been involved in bulb planting, litter picking and environment days. They are currently working in partnership
COUNCIL bosses have drawn up a rescue plan to salvage a beleaguered benefits and council tax service. Rossendale Council wants to team up with another authority in a bid to improve these two key services. A feasibility study has been carried out into
EAST Lancashire Hospice will hold a mammoth tea party on Thursday, June 17. Tea at Three is part of the Hospice Care Campaign taking place throughout June to raise awareness and funds for hospices across the UK. Thousands of tea parties took place across
IT'S something most couples take for granted. But when baby Archie arrived, parents John and Paula Swinscoe could have been forgiven for being more overjoyed than most. Weighing in at exactly 6lb, Archie's birth came as a shock to the couple, of Fellstone
Accrington Stanley supporters travelling for Saturday's game at Exeter City will be allowed to pay on the day. The match has been made all-ticket, but only for home fans. Stanley have an allocation of 290 in the ground's Express and Echo Stand. Admission
A NEW £25,500 initiative to give vital support to ethnic minority carers in Bury is to be launched next week. Funding from Lloyds TSB and the Church Urban Fund will enable the befriending service to continue for a period of three years. Bishop of Bolton
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. DJ Hickey Blue Eyes, The Work's, Burnley, 10pm. Quiz Night, Black Bull Inn, Marsden Road, Burnley, 8.30pm. Karaoke Evening, Railway Club, Rosegrove, Burnley. Karaoke,
Do women decide to put their careers on a back burner when they have kids? Not all of them, as JENNY SCOTT found out. . . THE idea that women -- and particularly mothers -- should automatically give up their careers to look after the family was apparently
LABOUR promised much but has delivered very little -- that is bad enough. Iraq, and the terrible aftermath, where the principle reason for going to war was clearly lies, has made me lose all trust in Labour. We are dealing with politicians who are so
COUNCIL cleaners have promised to keep on top of the rubbish problem afflicting the Mosses area of Bury. The pledge follows a successful weekend blitz on garbage carried out in partnership with Irwell Valley Housing Association. Bulky waste was removed
A TEENAGE nuisance nicknamed the Pied Piper because of his unruly influence on youngsters was today told to grow up after starting adult life behind bars. Lee Taylor appeared before Blackburn magistrates on his 18th birthday after assaulting a mother
ATHERTON LR rounded off their North West Counties League campaign with a 1-0 win over fourth-placed Woodley Sports on Tuesday night.
SO the general consensus around Ewood appears to be 'one more win should do it.' And if history and the current Premiership league table are anything to go by, I fully agree with that prognosis. Saturday's result against Leicester was a massive one for
A THIEF who stole items from a skip to sell for food and gas was given a six-month community rehabilitation order. Burnley Magistrates heard how Brian Ingham, 45, was said not to be a risk to others and a community order would keep him out of trouble.
THE April meeting of the Men's Group has been moved to the April 27 to accommodate Easter. There will be a talk by PC Peter Wareing about drugs. The May meeting is the annual meeting and takes place on May 11 with a quiz. On May 15 it's the annual dinner
A TAKEAWAY raider who used crime as a diversion has won his freedom. Ben Francis Mason, 20, who also took part in two thefts, struck on licence, offended for the sake of it, Burnley magistrates heard. The defendant, who has been in custody on remand,
THE mother of a Burnley father-of-four who lost his brave battle against cancer at 34 today paid tribute to her son. Christopher Ashworth died last Tuesday at his Pink Street home with his wife by his side after pleading to be taken home from Burnley
A BLITZ on taxi safety in Burnley saw eight cabs pulled up for a variety of defects. Taxi safety checks discovered a number of faults including defective headlights, brakelights, tyres, exhausts and infringements of licensing conditions including having
A DIABETIC Burnley man died the day after an ambulance failed to collect him for dialysis treatment, an inquest heard. But East Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor ruled the mix-up had not contributed to his death. Edgar Bailey, 75, was admitted to Burnley
A THIEF who has been involved in the drugs culture since he was very young was given a helping hand to kick his habit by magistrates. Axis Robertson, 28, of Poplar Street, Nelson, admitted theft on March 23. He was given a 12 months community rehabilitation
PENDLE's Canal Corridor Project is holding a conference to encourage people to take an active role in environmental issues affecting the area. The event held at Northern Technologies in Nelson on May 15 will offer a range of hands-on workshops to let
A KEEP fit scheme developed by an Olympic silver medallist is to be introduced at a Pendle leisure centre. Pendle Wavelengths Leisure Centre will run swimZone, a swimming fitness programme for all developed by former swimmer Nick Gillingham. The sessions
SUNDAY games were not to be allowed in the castle grounds at Clitheroe, the town council decided. After an application by Castle Bowling Club, the parks committee voted 7-7 on a resolution permitting Sunday games in the current season. but Alderman H
MORE than 20 tons of litter and grime were being cleaned from the streets of Accrington every year. To highlight the scale of the problem, council street sweeping was suspended for a day in Broadway, the market area and other parts of the centre. Instead
POLICE and council wardens in Accrington have stepped up patrols in a new bid to beat car crime. The move, involving uniformed and undercover officers, comes less than a week after police began signposting areas of the town warning motorists against a
A FRIGHTENED dad grabbed his sleeping son from the back of his car just seconds before armed raiders sped off in his vehicle. And in the wake of the carjacking, he says he and his family will be leaving the area. His comments came after he, his partner
A DRUG addict who requested a custodial sentence at the beginning of the month came back and asked for more because the first sentence had not been long enough for him to get clean of heroin. And Blackburn magistrates obliged by sentencing Ronald McCool
POLITICAL leaders found themselves tucking into Lancashire hotpot and Eccles cakes when some of the North West's finest food was showcased at the House of Commons. In an initiative spearheaded by award-winning chef Nigel Haworth, of Northcote Manor, near
THE closure of the Philips TV glass factory at Simonstone starts today, bringing to an end 44 years of glass production at the site. Phase one in the closure of the LG Philips Displays plant will be the shutdown of the furnace, which will take two days
PARISHIONERS face a race against the clock to raise £200,000 for vital repairs to their two medieval churches, one of which is danger of collapse. They were offered £100,000 by English Heritage to help fund the repairs to the two churches -- St Wilfrid's
BURNLEY took a major step towards first division survival with a 2-0 victory over Wimbledon at Turf Moor last night. However, they will fight the rest of that battle without Tony Grant, who will miss the remainder of the season. Manager Stan Ternent has
APPARENTLY, I played a major part in one of Brian Flynn's most memorable experiences - or at least that's what he told me last week. I started to wonder. Surely, a two-year playing stint at Bury in the mid-80's, wouldn't go down in anybody's personal
GREAT Harwood professional Andy Crook is eager to make up for lost time and could not have made a better start as he guided last season's runners-up to a tense opening day win in the Veka Ribblesdale League. Crook missed much of the Australian season
RELIEF is on the way for Bury bus drivers who have taken the "hump" over town centre traffic calming measures. Transport bosses are giving £8,000 towards the cost of replacing speed humps in Market Street, Haymarket Street and Silver Street with straight
BLACKBURN Rovers defender Craig Short today said he's prepared to wait until the end of the season before opening talks about a new contract. The veteran centre-back is planning on playing for one more season before he reluctantly hangs up his boots.
BURNLEY took a major step towards first division survival with a 2-0 victory over Wimbledon at Turf Moor last night. However, they will fight the rest of that battle without Tony Grant, who will miss the remainder of the season. Manager Stan Ternent has
YOUNGSTERS at Ashleigh Primary School, Darwen, learned about life in an African orphanage when 12 children from Tanzania visited and entertained with traditional songs. The youngsters were from the Bethany Project, set up by former Darwen born-again Christians
HORSE riders from the Darwen area will be advising motorists at the weekend of the safety procedures they should undertake when driving near horses. Tracy McCluskey, of the North Bolton and Darwen District Bridleways Group, will be accompanied by other
BURY'S St Gabriel's Roman Catholic High School have enjoyed great success on the netball court recently. Both their Year 9 and Year 8 squads have been among the trophies. The Year 9 team, that includes two county elite and two county development players
THE teenagers who copied TV stunt programme Jackass by carrying out a near-fatal prank are to face a fire awareness instruction course. Police officers are to refer Darwen teenagers Michael Davies, who filmed the pranks for his website, and Joe Armstrong
A DARWEN taxi driver who used the back of his cab to sell designer clothes will have to explain his actions to a council licensing committee. Blackburn magistrates heard Lee Martin's goods were all fakes and he was part of a bootleg industry that costs
CARRY Ann Brown died in August 2003 following a car crash on the M6. She had been driven away from her foster home in the Whitebirk area of Blackburn, by her father. Today a report was being published by the Area Child Protection Committee into the youngster's
A TEENAGE nuisance nicknamed the Pied Piper because of his unruly influence on youngsters was today told to grow up after starting adult life behind bars. Lee Taylor appeared before Blackburn magistrates on his 18th birthday after assaulting a mother
POLICE chiefs in Rossendale are investigating the mysterious death of a 25-year-old man who died after suffering a head injury. Ryan Greaves, of John Street, Whitworth, was taken to Rochdale Infirmary on Tuesday, April 13, after he woke up feeling ill
AN 18-year-old student who missed out on going to university after his school withheld his A-Level exam results because his fees had not been paid has started up his own business. Tom Cunningham, a former pupil at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn
BLACKBURN pupils are among the most racially segregated in Britain, according to a report. The Parallel Lives? paper, written by academics at the University of Bristol, found Asian and white pupils are leading separate school lives in the town. Researchers
AN 11-YEAR-OLD schoolboy is to have his dream come true this summer when he swims with dolphins at Walt Disney World, Florida. Sean Linley, who was diagnosed with Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD) when he was three years old, will enjoy an all-expenses
A HOAX caller who issued a bomb threat at a community centre on one of its busiest nights of the week was today slammed for a 'dirty trick'. Police went to the recently-opened Green Lane Community Centre, Blackburn, at around 4.50pm yesterday after receiving
BLACKBURN Hawks overcame Nottingham Lions on 'enemy' territory to remain unbeaten in five games and guarantee an exciting climax to the end-of-season play-offs. For the second time in a month, Bobby Haig's men came from behind to dent the Lions' pride
