ON Thursday evening there was an improved turnout on Island Lodge for the fourth target match. Daz Shaw took top weight with roach and skimmers for 7-6-1. In second place was John Fletcher (6-0-4) and third, Frank Henderson (1-10-6). On Sunday the Jubilee
PHILIPS High School will be hosting short tennis lessons every Saturday from June 12 for six weeks. The lessons - for 7 to 11 year olds - will run from 2pm to 3pm, costing £20. Places are limited and bookings must be made and paid for in advance. Contact
SEDGLEY Park RUFC celebrated a magnificent season of success with a marvellous awards dinner at their Park Lane clubhouse on Friday evening. The RFU National League Division Two trophy was on parade as was the Lancashire Cup and awards were handed out
I WONDER whether readers in Blackburn can help me? I am looking for information about people with the surname Barnes who lived in Wilpshire in the early to mid-1990s, probably farmers, and who may have previously lived in Lammack. They may be related
I AM pleased to see the new "super hospital" at Queen's Park, Blackburn, gradually taking shape. But I am also surprised to have read one or two negative views from people. Recently, someone labelled it a "monstrosity." Surely they should take into account
PLEASE can we have something done about the loud music coming from cars. In my area we have youths driving around and the noise coming from their cars is unbelievable. If I sit in my friend's house, which is on a main road, her windows shake. It is worse
SKIPPER Steve Orrell cracked an unbeaten 85 to keep Prestwich in pole position. He led a sterling fightback with professional Craig Duxbury, who struck 66, to overhaul a Denton total of 216 with more than three overs in hand. The four-point victory kept
IT comes as no surprise that the government, in its quest to make sure that the pensioners of this country are the downtrodden people of Europe, have found another way of extracting their hard earned savings, this is by effectively removing dental health
AS chair of the Rossendale and Hyndburn Amnesty International Group, may I, through your page, say an enormous thanks you to the students from Accrington and Rossendale College, for their fantastic fundraising efforts over last weekend. The HND music
A YOUNG father who shook his five-week-old daughter to death in a fit of temper was today starting a three-year jail term. The sentence was met with anger and dismay by the baby's mother, who felt that it was not long enough. Andrew Ashurst, aged 22,
PRIME Minister Tony Blair is due to make a flying visit to the borough this morning (Friday)to meet some of the area's crimefighting force. He will stop off at a location, undisclosed for security reasons, where he will meet Bury South MP Ivan Lewis,
POLICE have ordered the closure of a pool hall, because of allegations it was being used as drugs den. Officers yesterday served notice on the Streetwise Pool Hall in Bury demanding the immediate cessation of business and barring anyone from entering
A COMPLAINT alleging that a Metrolink staff member drove a tram while reading a newspaper and with his feet up on the window has been withdrawn. Mr Allan Bennett had claimed his partner and daughter had witnessed the incident while travelling from Bury
VIOLINIST Nicholas Chen has another string to his bow after hitting a top note with judges. The 14-year-old Bury CE High pupil was first prize winner at Bury's Young Musician of the Year contest for 2004. Talented pupils from Woodhey, St Gabriel's and
PARAMEDICS were fired on with a paintball gun as they raced to an emergency call in Bury. A yellow paint-filled pellet struck the passenger-side window of an ambulance in Peel Way at 5.30pm on Tuesday. If the window had been open, the pellet could have
A FOUNDER member of Ramsbottom Heritage Society has retired. Mrs Dorothy Moss has chaired her last meeting but insisted she was still going to be involved in the society "behind the scenes". She said: "I felt it was the right time to retire from the committee
TEACHER Rob Faulkner is one in a million as far as his pupils at Tottington High School are concerned, for they wrote to the English Schools Football Association to say how good he is. And the association was so impressed that they named 31-year-old Mr
SIXTY jobs are to be shed by Bury ductwork manufacturers Senior Hargreaves. But the Lord Street firm hopes to achieve the losses through natural wastage and volunteers for redundancy. In December, 35 staff, who faced losing their jobs, were given an eleventh
DRUG dealers have been trying to stop people reporting them to police by claiming they can eavesdrop on their phone calls. Residents in Lancaster Drive, Hapton, have received anonymous leaflets warning them off calling police to alert them about criminal
A CHILDREN'S home in Ramsbottom is to be reopened seven years after it was closed. Social services want to establish a four-bed home at the building in Fir Street to provide a better service and reduce costs of sending youngsters away from their families
A SHOPKEEPER has been cleared of assaulting two 11-year-old girls after a court heard how tearaways had made his life a misery. And today, 68-year-old Daljit Sharma hit out at police for failing to protect his family and his business in the run up to
THE Mayor of Bury is getting on board in the campaign to recruit more foster carers Councillor Wilf Davison is to launch a new eye-catching advert on the back of a bus which from Bank Holiday Monday will be seen all over Bury. Bury Council's family placement
"WASTE not, want not" is set to become the motto for environmentally-friendly pupils at Bury Catholic Preparatory School. And they will learn a new version of the three Rs: reduce, re-use and recycle. The school is the latest in the borough to become
A GROUP of churches has stretched out the hand of friendship to provide activities for adults with learning difficulties. The launch of the "Friends" project, spearheaded by Churches Together in West Bury, recently took place at Bolton Road Methodist
IT was described as the most controversial transfer in English football history by some of the national Press this week. And there's no doubt Alan Smith's contentious switch from Leeds to Manchester United has caused shockwaves on both sides of the Pennines
A 78-YEAR-OLD man who had been ordered to leave his property within six weeks by the High Court has been given permission to appeal the decision. An eviction order was served on Joseph Taylor, of Pollards Farm, Howick Cross Lane, Penwortham, in April
A VISIT by actor Malcolm Hebdon was right up their street for members of the Brookvale Ladies committee. The Coronation Street star, who plays nosey Norris, was special guest at their annual social evening, held at the Lancashire Health and Racquet Club
THE final proposals from the boundary committee for the future of local government in Lancashire were announced this week. Residents in Preston and South Ribble will be faced with two options when the issue is put to a vote, expected to be later this
AN inquest opened on Wednesday (May 26) into the death of a man from a suspected drugs overdose. Thirty-six-year-old Mark Cryan was discovered on the floor of a bedroom at his parents' house in Mere Close, Unsworth. Mr Cryan, who was unemployed and lived
PLANS are in the pipeline for a host of top chefs to appear at this year's Preston International City Festival. One name to be thrown into the pot is local chef, Nigel Smith, who has cooked for the Queen and top celebrities. The culinary wizard, who grew
THE HISTORY of Manchester Jewry will be explored in a heritage trail this Sunday (May 30). The trail will leave Manchester Jewish Museum, in Cheetham Hill Road, at 2pm, and take in the streets and buildings that were once home to the Jewish community.
HUNDREDS of women turned out in the glorious sunshine to take part in the massive charity run in aid of Cancer Research UK on Sunday. The atmosphere at Preston Sports Arena, in Tom Benson Way, was charged with emotion as a record 1,587 women prepared
A PENSIONER claims a new filter traffic light near his home has turned a junction into a "deathtrap". Brian Gillibrand, 77, of Morris Crescent, Preston, believes the green light is not on for long enough and that traffic lights on the junction of Ribbleton
A FORMER Polish soldier who died from cancer was given a special send off at his funeral this week. Walter Zimny, originally from Kielce, near Warsaw, died at home in Frenchwood Street, Preston, on May 17, after a five-month battle with liver cancer.
PRESTON'S top cop plugged his ears to pound the beat in the footsteps of a deaf person to help raise disability awareness and improve his communication skills when dealing with the hard of hearing. Chief Superintendent Russ Weaver got first hand experience
PRESTWICH police station has welcomed two new officers to the patch. PC Mark Robertson and PC Tony Evans are the latest additions to the Community Beat Officer team and have special responsibility for certain areas of Prestwich. PC Robertson (29) will
A MAN who overcame childhood blindness through self healing will give a talk in Prestwich next Friday (June 4). Meir Schneider, from America, was born with cataracts and other serious vision problems. After five operations on the lenses of his eyes, doctors
ONE of Burnley FC's most famous fans has risked the wrath of fellow supporters after confessing he doesn't hate fierce rivals Blackburn Rovers. Alastair Campbell, the Prime Minister's former press secretary, made the admission during an ITV football documentary
BURNLEY brewer Moorhouse's is raising a glass after one of its beers was voted the best cask ale in the world. The Champion Cask Conditioned Ale accolade was awarded to Moorhouse's Pride of Pendle at the Brewing Industry International Awards held at London's
A WOMAN who lost her husband after he was given unnecessary chemotherapy treatment watched their son give an emotional performance to mark the 10th anniversary of his death. Ten-year-old Thomas Lloyd joined singer Suzannah James on stage at Stand Unitarian
SOUL legends Jimmy James and the Vagabonds will take the stage at Burnley's newly opened Circulation Club this weekend. The appearance is a coup for the club as Jimmy and his band are among the best names in soul and played the venue back in the 1980s
FOOTBALL mania will hit Whitefield on Tuesday (June 1) with a fun-packed day in Victoria Park. A new state-of-the-art ball zone will be launched and there will be activities for children to take part in throughout the afternoon. The £50,000 ball zone
THE mother of a "difficult" teenager constantly up before the courts has lost her bid to have a parenting order quashed. The woman told a crown court judge the order, which required her to attend counselling and guidance once a fortnight for three months
COUNCILLORS have called for action in Padiham after an eight-year-old girl was hurt in an accident in Green Lane. The girl was rushed to Burnley General Hospital after she was hit by a car just after 3pm yesterday. The accident occurred just under a railway
GOURMET food is being served up in Lancaster over the Bank Holiday weekend as the city stages a Continental Market. A taster day is this Friday in Market Square with the main market on Church Street from Saturday to Monday. The event is a joint venture
FOUR unfit women drivers are abandoning their taxis for the day and stepping onto the sands for an eight-mile trek in aid of cancer care. The Coastal cabbies have been spurred on to undertake the Cross Bay challenge after colleague Penny Baines was diagnosed
THERE'S something fishy going on in rural North Lancashire - but police are onto the case. And they hope it will prompt more residents to voice their views on police activity. The community beat manager for Silverdale, Warton and the two Yealand villages
A RADICAL shake-up of local government has been unveiled in the run up to the referendum for a North West Regional Assembly. The Boundary Committee for England announced this week that a single council or seven smaller ones could run Lancashire. Such
DANCERS have stopped the bulldozers from moving in on the last remaining ballroom in the Lancaster district. More than 40 members of the Astra Ballroom took to the steps of Morecambe Town Hall in protest at plans to demolish it to make way for a car park
UTILITY player Lee Unsworth has committed his future to Bury by signing a one-year contract extension. The 31-year-old joined the Shakers from Crewe on a free transfer in July 2000. He has joined midfielder David Flitcroft and youngsters Daniel Douglas-Pringle
WORKERS facing the axe at East Lancashire's last remaining major footwear manufacturer are being thrown a lifeline by a Rossendale company. Bosses at kitchen and bedroom manufacturer J&J Ormerod are offering jobs to workers recently made redundant
RISHTON station was kept busy as a party of more than 1,000 - including nearly 600 children - boarded a train for Morecambe. They were having an outing as guests of Rishton's combined working men's club. At Morecambe they were met by buses and taken to
HOWARD Kendall was set to become Blackburn Rovers first ever player-manager. Rovers' chairman, Derrick Keighley, said he was awaiting a phone call from Stoke City to see if they would allow him to move. And drivers were reverting to sob stories to try
A 61-YEAR-OLD man who raided a vulnerable pensioner's home is facing a jail term. Ex-convict John Brown's victim - a 92-year-old woman - lived near him in Oswaldtwistle, Burnley Crown Court heard. Brown has 13 previous convictions, including six for burglary
A 28-YEAR-OLD man once banned from Accrington town centre under an anti-social behaviour order was caught on camera stealing five jars of coffee from Asda. Blackburn magistrates heard that Michael Aspin, who had been convicted of 145 previous offences
THE embattled Lancashire holidays group MyTravel today announced a £200million loss for the first six months of the year and warned that the summer market remained "challenging." But company bosses insisted the company was back on track and stressed the
A UNIQUE pay-as-you go PR service to promote companies in the UK and the USA has been launched by a Bury firm. Parker Street-based CLICKintoPR.com is spearheading a new professional online service to write news releases and distribute them on both sides
THEY have taken the heart out of Whitefield. But there is one lady, with a heart of gold, working night and day for the good of this community. Mrs Mavis Warner, along with friends Mr and Mrs Berry, has got the community centre going again. Bulldozers
I HAVE again had the unenviable task of cleaning out the black box which was left when mine was taken to be emptied. It was swimming with stale beer and the bottom was covered with a thick yeasty substance that took ages to clean off. It smelled foul.
COUNCILLOR Keith Grime (Letters, May 21) seems to have forgotten that the vast majority of the council's income comes from a government block grant and that is taxpayers' money too! A waste of the public's money is a waste of money from wherever that
SIX borough-wide companies have been shortlisted for next month's glittering North Manchester Business Awards. And they could be in line to win prizes in ten categories at the event to be staged at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton, on Wednesday, June 9. Prize
AS ballot papers drop through letter boxes in the next few days our community has the chance to define itself for the future. Are we going to allow the BNP to peddle their hatred and division or do we have the courage and decency to tell them they are
IT BEGGARS belief that Cllr Tony Wade should suggest doing away with the Scale Hall Lane traffic lights in his letter published last week. The many local residents and people from Bare and Morecambe who used Scale Hall Lane prior to the installation of
LANCASTER City Council has recently issued notices about arrangement for postal voting in the European Parliamentary elections. I wonder how many potential voters have read the small print and realise that there is a clear requirement to have their signatures
IT IS current popular opinion that Tony Blair has been so damaged by the Iraq war and its aftermath that he is toppling. The most likely replacement is Gordon Brown, which does not make sense at all. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Blair over Iraq,
DID the mafia kill Kennedy in collusion with the CIA? Did the moon landing take place in a film studio? Did Lady Di meet her end at the hands of Prince Phillip? More importantly, is the bay bridge proposal merely a way to justify having a western bypass
STRIKER Danny Carlton, has completed negotiations with the Shrimps and signed a new three year extension to his contract. The 20-year-old who has come through manager Jim Harvey's Academy system at Lancaster and Morecambe College, scored 21 goals in 31
MORECAMBE motor bike racer Glyn Ormerod saw his lead in the New Era Superclub 600 series slip away in rounds four and five of the championship at Cadwell Park, Linconshire, at the weekend, writes Maria Salt. Glyn was sitting proudly at the top of the
THROUGH the keyhole at the Chaplow family home, there are few football-related trappings of fame. A framed picture of the smiling Clarets midfielder in his early Turf Moor years, hardly recognisable with a shock of spiky hair, sits proudly on view. But
A PRESTWICH dentist who created a babycare web business has joined forces with a TV journalist after his site came to her rescue. Granada TV's Elaine Wilcox searched the internet in desperation after the birth of her second son, James. At just two-weeks-old
AN attritional day of cricket saw Lancashire's championship match against Middlesex heading for draw. The game looked set to finish in stalemate after neither seemed keen to take it by the scruff of neck yesterday. A slow pitch, which took increasing
I SAY, I say, I say, look where lovestruck Fred can find his Orchid blossoming? "Home sweet home" for actress Casey Lee Jolleys is in Prestwich. She has been at the forefront of one of Coronation Street's major storylines as a fake Thai bride trying to
HASLINGDEN have snapped up Rohan Gavaskar as sub professional for this weekend's Lancashire League double header. The son of Indian Test legend Sunil Gavaskar, Rohan replaces Andrew McDonald, who will return to Australia if he doesn't recover from a back
A PRESTWICH family may have found light at the end of the tunnel after being named as living in the noisiest house in the UK. It might not be a title to shout about, but the accolade means the Stott family will now benefit from new double glazed windows
BURNLEY Moto GP rider Neil Hodgson is hoping that spending time in a decompression chanber will help him win his fitness race. A crash at Le Mans two weeks ago left Hodgson with cracked ribs and vertebrae and he is now struggling to be fit in time to
CARL Fogarty is hoping that the slowest circuit on the Superbike World Championship calendar will not put the brakes on his Foggy Petronas racing team's progress this weekend. On the back of the successful reliability test provided by the high speeds
MUM'S the word for one Leyland woman who is pulling on her trainers for the challenge of a lifetime in China. Sally Hunter, 35, of Gower Court, off Longmeaneygate, is set for a trek along the Great Wall of China to raise money for Breast Cancer UK. The
POLICE in Preston and Leyland will be cracking down on binge drinkers and alcohol-related violence over the bank holiday weekend. Using high profile patrols, they will target known trouble spots, enforce street drinking bans, and carry out random tests
FOUR Fylde police officers have been publicly commended for their bravery in tackling "dangerous and life-threatening situations". PC Catherine Ellison, PC Edward Baldwin and PC Stuart Thompson, of Fleetwood, and Blackpool's PC Mark Stringfellow were
AN elderly customer who was ill in a town centre shop was left slumped over the counter, as staff refused to leave their tills to help. Olga Gore (75), of Mountbatten Close, Unsworth, had gone into the Index catalogue store in Kay Gardens to buy a food
A BURY telecoms company is under investigation after six overseas firms behind a mass of spam and scam text messages received record fines. Smile Telecom Ltd, based at the Bury Business Centre in Kay Street, acted as UK agents for the six who have each
THREE local schoolboys have been selected by the Lancashire Schools Cricket Association for its Under-15 squad to go on their spring Bank Holiday tour. Simon Woolford, a Bury Grammar pupil who plays at Greenmount, Ammar Baig, who plays at Bury and attends
BURY FC's moneyspinning corporate football day sponsored by Eurosimm was a massive success all round. The club raised a five figure sum from the event which was played out on the Gigg Lane pitch. The winners were Euro Options of Chadderton, who picked
RADCLIFFE pool star Karl Boyes made a winning international debut at the World 8-Ball Championships in Blackpool on Wednesday evening. Boyes, at 20, the youngest member of the England side, featured in two of his country's three opening games. And he
AFTER a decade at the helm of one of the town's leading amateur clubs, Elton Vale manager Guy Mallinson has stepped down. After a particularly difficult season, where finding a settled squad proved to be an onerous and exhausting task, the team was relegated
A COMPREHENSIVE home victory over Farnworth has fired Greenmount to the top of the Bolton League table. The villagers declaration, six overs short of their allotted fifty, was certainly decisive as they beat the visitors with just three overs remaining
RADCLIFFE Hall Primary School are celebrating after winning the Radcliffe Juniors Schools League soccer title. Despite being one of the larger schools in the borough, they have struggled to win the elusive trophy. But a good team spirit has seen the side
POWERFUL striker Phil Denney has turned his back on Conference football to sign for Radcliffe Boro. The 24-year-old front-runner was courted by Leigh RMI and Northwich Victoria but has linked up with manager Kevin Glendon after coming to the end of his
BLACKBURN Rovers are hoping Tugay will sign a new contract with the club in the next seven days. Rovers' chief executive John Williams has drawn up a final offer for the former Rangers and Galatasaray star. And his agent will present it to his client
IAN Moore has warned his Burnley team-mates that next season could be make or break. The Clarets striker is counting down the days until a new manager rolls up at Turf Moor with his own grand plan. Whoever takes charge faces a mammoth task, with only
FINAL plans for a multi-million pound superstore in Rossendale have been given the green light. Asda's application for a split-level supermarket off St Mary's Way, Rawtenstall, was given the thumbs up by Rossendale borough councillors at last night's
TOP marks went to two schools in a boroughwide awards scheme for making everyone welcome. As winners of the Bury Inclusion Awards, Whitefield Primary School and Prestwich High School go on to a North West competition. Council staff looked at the steps
BOWLERS in Cleveleys fear their club may be forced to close by a spate of vandalism and youths playing football on their greens. Members of Cleveleys North Drive Bowling Club say they are plagued by groups of youths playing football on the bowling green
THE classmates of a Fylde schoolgirl who died from a rare form of brain cancer have opened a new £10,000 adventure school playground in memory of their friend. Lisa McDowall, 9, died after becoming one of only three people in the UK to be diagnosed with
A RESIDENTS' referendum has started in St Annes over the planned sale of part of the town's main park. Campaign group Supporters of Ashton Gardens (SOAG) has delivered voting forms to 'every St Annes household' to find out if residents support council
WYRE's anti-gas campaigners say they are 'undaunted' by the government's go-ahead for an unpopular gas storage plant in Knutsford. Protect Wyre Group (PWG) and Thornton Action Group (TAG) will fight on despite the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister
BLACKPOOL councillors are set to go head to head with counterparts in Wyre and Fylde over a new look for local government in the area. Voters across Lancashire -- but not in the unitary authorities of Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen -- will be given
MORE traffic calming measures are to be introduced on one of Radcliffe's busiest accident blackspots. Warning signs, hatched markings and Textureflex surfacing have already been added to Bolton Road in a bid to slow traffic. Now five pedestrian refuges
PUPILS from St Monica's RC High School, in Prestwich were last night (Thurs May 27) set to perform in a celebration of youth theatre in Wales. The students were taking part in the Shell Connections Festival 2004 at the Clwyd Theatr Cymru. Under the direction
SOCIAL services bosses in Blackburn with Darwen arranged 27 adoptions in the past year - almost doubling their intended target. And one judge who granted adoption orders for a group of five brothers and sisters praised the authority, saying no other council
BUS company bosses have been given a month to improve their operation after one in four services failed to show up on time. But a public inquiry has told the Blackburn with Darwen Council-owned bus company that its vehicles are up to scratch. The inquiry
A HOSPITAL boss today blamed a fall in demand and the need to save cash for the closure of two rehabilitation wards at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn. East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust planned to have 260 rehabilitation beds at its two Blackburn hospitals
UNLIKE my previous year's futile support for the 'Pensioners Convention' march in Blackpool, I am not supporting this year's usual shambles of a few hundred misguided senile sheep pensioners march for the following reasons: 1. The pensioners purported
THIS week's newspaper has a picture of four Fylde Councillors standing in the middle of a yard full of rubbish. Who dumped the rubbish if it wasn't their people? Who should get it cleaned up if not them? It looks to me as though they don't care about
AN ANTI-European party member (Citizen13 May) blames the EU for a bottle containing a note, thrown from a ship 80 miles south of Ireland, being found on Southport beach. That is laughable, surely he should blame the person who threw the bottle not the
IN the late 60s and early 70s 600 bungalows were built off North Drive and surrounding areas of Thornton Cleveleys. One of the amenities was the building of a Bowling pavilion and the laying out of a bowling green. Approximately 150 to 200 residents became
THANK God there are still decent, unselfish people like David Jennings who are prepared to confront the threat from Keith Talbot over the Whitehead's and Parker's lodges. If the reported intention by Mr Talbot to "fish them or fill them" is true then
LABOUR'S election addresses have been dropping through letter boxes and the glossy publication paints a much more attractive picture of Bury than you might recognise from the perspective of a local resident. But that is not my complaint. We have distributed
IN view of David Jennings' offer to purchase the Parker's and Whitehead's reservoirs (Bury Times, May 21), it is now time for Mr Keith Talbot to come clean regarding his "hidden agenda". It is evident that the expenditure required to complete the work
I WOULD ask borough engineer Mike Cannon just how many penalty points will NCP get if I am correct in alleging that 95 per cent of their parking meter clocks in Bury are set "slow"? Their performance has been abysmal over nearly two years. Just how bad
IT was not surprising to read of yet another account of sheer incompetence by Royal Mail, when it was reported that a letter had been delivered to a house in Ramsbottom instead of an address in Birmingham. This incident, along with many others, only goes
BISPHAM- A JUMBLE sale and auction takes place at All Hallows Bispham church barn, All Hallows Road, on June 2 at 7pm. Admission 20p, proceeds to church funds. Jumble items for auction and help would be appreciated. For more information contact Pat on
IT'S pretty tough being British and for anyone in any doubt let's get straight to the point. I used to think that being able to speak English meant you were British. Wrong. I used to think that if you could name at least two characters in Rainbow it meant
IT should be no surprise that reaction to plans to close 15 more Post Offices across East Lancashire is hostile. The news comes just a day after the Royal Mail unveiled profits of £220million - the first time the organisation has been in the black for
DESPITE a mounting injury crisis, Ramsbottom won both of their Lancashire League fixtures with a minimum of fuss. Playing without the experienced Brian Taylor and opener Alex Bell, the Rams decided to only risk their half-fit professional Kartik for one
PRESTWICH schoolboy Oliver Holt has been selected by the Lancashire Schools Cricket Association for its Under-15 squad to go on their spring Bank Holiday tour. Oliver, who plays for Prestwich CC and attends Prestwich Community High School, will travel
MORE than 50 juniors jumped at the chance to practise their tennis talent at a special event in Prestwich. Supported by the Lawn Tennis Association, Prestwich Tennis Club held a free Play Tennis day for all ages and it proved to be a smash-hit with young
WHEN bowler Andy Bradley knocked over the off stump of Denton West top scorer Imi Zaman earlier this month to clinch victory against last year's league champions, he joined an elite club. It was Bradley's 500th first team wicket for Prestwich CC - a feat
SO determined was mum Sharon Carroll to complete the Great Manchester Run in memory of her brave daughter, Dana, she finished it with a broken foot! Sharon, of Pilling Street, Walshaw, suffered the break when she tripped up halfway round the 10km course
VICTIMS of hate crime are being urged to have their voices heard. Packs containing information on bullying, personal safety, local contact groups and domestic violence are now available from libraries and community centres in the borough. Self-reporting
A QUIZ challenge at the Hoyle Early Years Centre pitted mothers, fathers and teachers against local councillors. The Hoyle Challenge Cup contest was one of several activities laid on at the Chesham Fold Road nursery's spring fair. And it was parents and
BURY's Fusiliers will be hitting the right note when they head off to Canada. The Fusilier Association (Lancashire) Band and Corps of Drums will fly out to Canada on June 10 as part of the 75th Anniversary Commemorations between the Lancashire Fusiliers
RESIDENTS living near Holy Cross College are hoping to curb a parking problem that is driving them to distraction. Householders in Brierley Street say that students have started to hog parking spaces since they discovered a nearby fire gate to walk onto
BURY's 180,000 population were being protected from fire by only five firefighters on Wednesday morning. For several hours, Bury's two engines were sent to man the pumps at Farnworth while their colleagues at Whitefield were on duty in Broughton. Ramsbottom's
A NATIONAL newspaper and a Bury businessman have put up cash rewards to catch thugs who hurled a puppy to its death from a motorway bridge in Ramsbottom. The Labrador-mongrel had its paws and jaw bound with tape and was then tossed on to the southbound
TOWN Hall staff are on stand-by to deliver postal ballots for the elections if the Royal Mail is snowed under by the numbers. Residents were supposed to start receiving their forms on Wednesday (May 26), but printing problems mean that they are only going
LEIGH Centurions' record-breaker Neil Turley is facing the biggest dilemma of his life. The Hilton Park scoring sensation must choose between continuing with his honeymoon plans or delay them for 24 hours and play for the Centurions in their crunch game
A MAN who repeatedly shot a cat with a pellet gun said he did it because the animal was "vermin". Paul Hill (45), of Fountain Place, Whitefield, fired at the stray which had been locked in an upstairs room at his home. Hill pleaded guilty to torturing
BLACKBURN Rovers are hoping Tugay will sign a new contract with the club in the next seven days. Rovers' chief executive John Williams has drawn up a final offer for the former Rangers and Galatasaray star. And his agent will present it to his client
THE PRESTWICH and Whitefield branch of the Manchester City Centenary Supporters Club continued their 10th anniversary celebrations with a family fun day. The event took place last Sunday (May 23) at Heaton Park Social Club, in Bury Old Road, and attracted
BURY'S controversial kerbside recycling scheme is to be examined by the council's economy, environment and transport commission. The panel has asked for an evaluation of the scheme to be placed on its work programme for later this year. Mr Philip Allen
POLICE in Preston and Leyland will be cracking down on binge drinkers and alcohol-related violence over the bank holiday weekend. Using high profile patrols, they will target known trouble spots, enforce street drinking bans, and carry out random tests
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a woman was injured by two handbag thieves who pulled her out of her car. The 35-year-old victim was sat in the vehicle in Arlington Avenue, Sedgley Park, Prestwich, at 2.30pm on Friday (May 21), when two men approached
A FORMER Liberal Democrat councillor has defected from the party to join Labour. Muhammed Fazal Aubhan Khan, 67, of Clive Street, Burnley, was a Liberal Democrat member of Burnley council from 1994-1998. He has lived in Burnley for more than 30 years
CHILDREN from Israel who are suffering from cancer were treated to a trip to England thanks to a local charity. The Miracle Of Life charity, which is based in Sunnybank, hosted a delegation of 14 children aged between nine and 17. The organisation aims
FIRE crews today stressed that smoke alarms save lives after a family escaped a burning house in Burnley this morning. A fire broke out in the kitchen of a home in Milner Street at 6.25am after smoking materials set light to a curtain. One of the occupants
THINGS are about to get serious for fun-loving Keith Blacklock. Keith (54) is more accustomed to dressing up in silly costumes and hiding behind masks as a hard-working member of Prestwich Lions. But the grandfather-of-six will be laid bare when he dives
ROSEGROVE Action Group is holding its annual Garden Competition in July. People are invited to enter themselves or nominate a neighbour and vouchers are up for grabs for the winners. Judging will take place at the end of July. There are four categories
AN investigation into allegations of price fixing in 11 Bury care homes will continue, according to the Office of Fair Trading. The news comes after Bury Council struck a compromise with Bury Care Providers Action Group over the level of fees paid towards
PUTTING bobbies on the beat in Morecambe has dramatically slashed crime this year, it is claimed. The area's community beat manager says theft from stores on the Morecambe town centre 'patch' is down by 50 per cent compared to last year. PC Neil Pigott
PLANS to rebuild a youth centre 26 miles from where it originally stood have been approved by Burnley Council. Briercliffe Residents' Youth Group made almost 60, 52-mile round trips to the village of Tosside to dismantle and transport an old village hall
OLDER people are being invited to hear how to avoid being the next 'falls' casualty. A special event at the Royal Hotel in Heysham on Tuesday, June 8, will teach them how to reduce the risk of accidents in the home. The coffee morning meeting starts at
DRUG dealers have been trying to stop people reporting them to police by claiming they can eavesdrop on their phone calls. Residents in Lancaster Drive, Hapton, have received anonymous leaflets warning them off calling police to alert them about criminal
Lancaster University is working on a major funding bid to boost the number of doctors working in the North West. Experts at the campus want to extend local training opportunities for undergraduate medical students. They are preparing the business case
A TOP Government advisor whose roots are firmly planted in North Lancashire is to take the title Baroness of Lancaster when she becomes a life peer next month. Dr Ruth Henig, chair of Lancashire Police Authority, was awarded her life peerage on May 1,
WITNESSES who came forward after an armed robbery on a Lancaster post office have been commended for helping convict the pair. Ronald Grimes and Wayne Bland, who raided Newton Post Office on Langdale Place, were jailed last Friday for a total of 13 years
HARD work to improve the environment in Pendle has been rewarded. A number of residents who received money from the Green Partnerships Awards scheme to help them carry out environmental work were presented with awards at a Celebration of Achievement event
A NELSON man who made malicious calls to the fire brigade has become only the second hoaxer in Lancashire to be given a penalty notice by police. The first Penalty Notices for Disorder were introduced in Pennine Division in January this year and more
PRESTON slipped to fourth place in the Northern Premier League table despite enjoying a two wicket victory at Barrow. A six wicket haul for Manoj Parekh (6/34) restricted the home side to 148. Preston lost eight wickets in pursuit but an unbeaten 61 from
IT appears that the road to riches these days is not via hard work and study but by selling "kiss and tell" stories to the tabloid newspapers, sordid tales that set-up these people for life. Such revelations then allow them to appear on all sorts of TV
A BLACKBURN Police chief questioned security at sub-post offices after a series of East Lancashire hold-ups. Superintendent John Debicki called a meeting with the regional head of security for Post Office Counters Ltd after the increase in raids in the
ARTISTS are being invited to draw up plans for Hyndburn's 'panopticon' statue in a bid to avert a repeat of the flying saucer "fiasco." The £1million project, which aims to put a piece of eye-catching artwork in each of East Lancashire's boroughs, caused
CREATIVE design and marketing company Portfolio have been praised by a council leader for giving an annual awards night extra special sparkle. Bury Council's deputy chief executive Mike Kelly said the agency had turned the local authority's annual employee
A BURY company has combined an expansion with a move to new premises. Paul Nolan & Company have gone into partnership with another Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Mike Redshaw. Nolan Redshaw is the name of their new
LEGAL practice Butcher and Barlow, whose head office is located in Bury, are continuing their expansion with the acquisition of another regional office in Runcorn. The 12-partner practice, which was first established in Bury in 1887, has grown significantly
I AM amazed at some of the negative and churlish comments made by some readers about the new fountain and sculpture in the centre of Prestwich. Do they want to live in an area devoid of any quality in its urban environment and do they not appreciate good
THE main election address from the Labour Group controlling Bury Council has been dropping through letter boxes and, as you would expect, the glossy publication paints a much more attractive picture of Bury than you might recognise from the perspective
THREE men have appeared before Bury magistrates accused of concocting a robbery story to dishonestly obtain more £1,300 cash from their employers. Andrew Bennett, aged 19, of The Terrace, Prestwich, Gary Holmes, aged 21, of Minerva Street, Huddersfield
A HUGE row has broken out over a Bury Council U-turn to bring back the regular "weekly" bin collections. Town hall bosses admit that their controversial recycling policy has proved unpopular with some residents, and are reinstating the original service
I HAVE read a leaflet giving information about the planned North West Assembly but nowhere on it can I find out what is going to happen to the many town, city and county halls in the region - or the people who are employed in them. How many town clerks
BOSSES at a bottling plant in Simonstone were today counting the cost of a blaze which destroyed a lorry and 400 wooden pallets. Around 40 workers were evacuated from the Seaways (Services) UK Ltd building in Blackburn Road yesterday after the alarm was
I COULD not believe the letter from your correspondent Darren Clifford supporting the former council leader Stanley Henig (Citizen, last week). If the title of Alderman is given to reflect a high standard of service to ratepayers, the action taken by
HOUSING bosses are monitoring one of their properties after the tenant appeared on a television clean-up show with its rooms filled with rubbish. Officers at Ribble Valley Council were alerted to the situation at a house in Mayfield Avenue, Clitheroe,
DAVID Flaxington has again asked what CND is 'really up to' (Citizen Letters). We are not up to anything in the implied sense of the question. We are campaigning for the abolition of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction. Far from
UNDER the superb leadership of skipper Paul Danson Blackpool maintained their unbeaten record in the Northern Premier League this season by inflicting a first defeat on visitors Lancaster at Stanley Park. Lancaster batted first and on a pitch tailor made
TRANMERE Rovers head up the list of teams who will tangle with Jim Harvey's new-look Morecambe team ahead of the new football season. Division Two Tranmere, under manager Brian Little, just missed a place in the promotion play-offs last time around and
WARTON Stock Car Club holds its annual team championship banger meeting this weekend - with a £2,000 prize fund to be shared out. There are prizes for the overall winning team, the most destructive team, best driver, best car and plenty more. Each team
A STUDENT from Slyne is to join the British team for a two-month tour across some of Europe's whitest waters. Rob Sellers has won a place in the country's junior freestyle kayak team to compete in the European Championships in Spain - and at a host of
VALE of Lune's women rugby players shook off their under-dog tag to bring home yet more silverware from Coventry at the weekend. They beat Richmond 22-10 to win the National Shield final to add to the double of league championship and play-off final wins
BLACKPOOL chiefs were this week drawing up a hit-list of potential Bloomfield Road bosses as the first round of interviews came to an end. Around 10 candidates are believed to have spoken to chairman, Karl Oyston, and his deputy, Peter Whitehead, in the
THIS week, the Football League printed the official list of all players released by clubs - a list that is now being scanned in fine detail by managers up and down the country. The clock is therefore ticking for Burnley Football Club, who need a manager
IAN Moore has warned his Burnley team-mates that next season could be make or break. The Clarets striker is counting down the days until a new manager rolls up at Turf Moor with his own grand plan. Whoever takes charge faces a mammoth task, with only
A FUNDING boost will enable the Creative Living Centre in Prestwich to run until August, but only with a reduced service. The holistic centre for people suffering from mental health problems has received a grant from the Community Foundation for Greater
THE bitter pay row by firefighters could soon be resolved although a ballot for strike action is still going ahead in Greater Manchester. The Fire Brigades Union's national executive council has recommended proposals to break the deadlock over the 3.5
AN inquest was dramatically halted after it was claimed a window cleaner fell off his ladder within 100 yards of Whitefield Ambulance Station, and it took an hour for a properly-equipped ambulance to arrive. Carl Hibbert plunged 40ft from his ladder while
AFRAID to tell his parents he had been to a party, a 15-year-old youth slashed his own face and made up a story about being robbed. The youth received a reprimand from police. Now, using new legislation, police say they will be cracking down on people
THE Northern Premier League are introducing a 20-overs a side competition this season, to be known as the Thwaites Twenty20 Cup. Arrangements were made at a meeting on Monday last. The brewery already sponsor the league's major cup competition. The coloured
A MOTHER-of-two is hoping to sizzle her way to success in London today (Thursday) to be crowned Britain's best barbecuer. Barbara Cairns, 47, of Barncroft, Leyland, kept her cool in the regional final of Britain's best barbecuer 2004 to win her place
MARKET traders in Leyland fear proposed town centre car parking charges and plans for a new supermarket could spell the end of their businesses. Traders at the Ecroyd Street market, off Hough Lane, have started a petition against the charging plans by
A Chorley teenager has demanded to know what has happened to £10,000 for a Millennium project. The 16-year-old says hundreds of pupils paid towards the scheme for a Millennium Wall, but four years on, there's still nothing to show for it. The school,
IT is with increasing anger that I write this. Every week the Guide publishes letters from people shouting for a Morrison's store in Whitefield, people who seem quite happy to have a supermarket at the expense of people's homes and peace of mind. The
A MAN who admitted killing his wife and two children at a Blackpool Hotel has been sent to a maximum security mental hospital indefinitely. John Jarvis, 42, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility after stabbing his
LEIGH Miners Rangers has become the first Rugby League club in the Wigan and Leigh Service Area to achieve the Sport England Rugby League specific Clubmark award. Sport England Clubmark sets generic criteria for national governing bodies of sport to accredit
"Local elections concentrate the mind: it's as obvious as that," said Coun Roy Walker, Tory group leader. "If this was next year, there's no way they would have changed it. "Look at the influence we're having on the council, and we're in opposition! All
BURY'S ambitions to merge with Rossendale under a shake-up of regional government have been dealt a fatal blow. The Boundary Committee says that our northern neighbours would be better off forming a new East Lancashire council with Burnley, Pendle and
TOTTINGTON High School's Year 11 soccer team head for Solihull on Sunday to compete in the national final of the Lions International Youth Football Competition. The local lads take on opponents from Folkestone in the prestigious competition. They earned
BURY will be swingin' and jumpin' this Bank Holiday Weekend when the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) recreates the flavour of the 1940s. Their popular annual Wartime Weekend is being staged, embracing numerous events to be held in Bury, Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall
BURY CTC and Bury Clarion are inviting riders to join them on their annual Charlie Westlake Memorial Ride on Sunday, June, 6. There are a choice of two routes this year and both are hilly but completely on-road. There is the usual 54km (34 miles) ride
BURY Chess Club's third team are already celebrating winning the D Division Championship and with promotion already in the bag, one match remained. All proved easier than expected however, when their opponents, the University, were unable to field a team
EVER dreamt of signing for the Shakers and appearing on the official team photo? Well, all this and more could be yours for just a £10 ticket. Bury Football Club are holding a 'Live The Dream' raffle that will reward the winner with an official Football
BURY'S early season Manchester Association woes continued at the weekend after they were hammered at Winton. Batting first, Winton made the Bury bowlers toil after losing both openers cheaply to Richardson (2-15). However, this brought the home side's
A DIFFICULT days racing at the Sherwood Track last Sunday eventually produced two victories for Bury Pedalsport on a very dry slippery track; where riding was difficult and racing almost impossible. The first round of the British Team Championship found
ELTON'S seemingly flawless Bolton Association form continued in emphatic fashion at the weekend as they demolished Astley and Tyldesley by seven wickets. On a once again sunblessed Leigh Lane ground, Astley and Tyldesley were put into bat and appeared
ELPM finally gained their first North Manchester League win of the season as the comfortably defeated Glodwick by nine wickets. The Millers began well with Paul Hewart taking three early wickets which reduced the visitors to 18 for 3. Khan (62) blasted
RADCLIFFE slumped to to back-to-back defeats at the weekend. Norden left the Racecourse with four points on Saturday and Werneth capped a miserable weekend for Graeme Simpson's side when they sent them stumbling out of the Wood Cup at the first hurdle
RADCLIFFE Hall Post Office closed its doors for the final time on Saturday (May 22)-- with the stamp of disapproval from its regular customers. Neighbours spoke of their sadness at the closure and said that it felt like they were losing part of the community
BURY FC top scorer Gareth Seddon has joined Third Division rivals Rushden and Diamonds after rejecting a new deal. The Burnley-born striker ended the last campaign the club's leading marksman with 11 goals. One of nine players offered new terms after
A MAN was thrown from a car and another was injured when the vehicle plunged 25ft down a moorland ravine. The accident happened on the A666 at Cadshaw Brook Bridge, between Bolton and Darwen, at 10.30pm yesterday. The two Blackburn men, believed to be
A TEENAGER who was seen to throw a stone through a Darwen pub window in the early hours of the morning returned later as a police officer was talking to the landlord. Blackburn magistrates heard Damien Duckworth, who had a long-standing grievance with
AN 18-year-old trouble-maker has been banned from a large part of Darwen town centre in a bid to protect local people. Lee Taylor, nicknamed the Pied Piper of Darwen because of his influence on other youths, is believed to be one of the first people in
COUNCILLORS concerned about illegal parking in Rossendale will consult police over delays to the decriminalisation of parking. The new procedure, which means enforcement will be passed from police to the council, was due to start on July 4. But the Department
WORKERS facing the axe at East Lancashire's last remaining major footwear manufacturer are being thrown a lifeline by a Rossendale company. Bosses at kitchen and bedroom manufacturer J&J Ormerod are offering jobs to workers recently made redundant
RADCLIFFE United Reformed Church Players will be performing an evening of one act plays entitled "Where does the fairy come into it?", based on typical theatrical characters. The first play is a send up of the Dallas-type American soap opera. The second
RADCLIFFE Boro supporters organised a soccer tournament at the weekend with fans of other club's at their sports complex. Ten teams entered and were split into groups of five, with Boro fielding two teams. However, both of Boro's sides struggled and won
THE Fylde has been hit with another jobs blow, as insurance giant AXA announced plans to move 80 jobs from Lytham to India. The firm says it will make 'every effort' to minimise the need for redundancies as the jobs in the financial operations unit disappear
HAVE you always wanted to go out on a wing and a prayer for charity? Well, here's your chance... For years, the Utterly Butterly Wing Walkers team have been besieged with requests from volunteers who want to join them on their daring flights to raise
FYLDE folk are being encouraged to get in the Cab it Habit by a new partnership between their local council and taxi operators. The borough's Quality Taxi Partnership is launching a 'Get the Cab it Habit' campaign, encouraging people to take a cab rather
THE GRAND National will be back on track -- despite the massive blaze which ripped through the Pleasure Beach last week. Park bosses have pledged to bring the famous twin-track wooden roller coaster back into operation despite the complete destruction
THE FORTIES are returning in Blackpool as the town celebrates the 60th anniversary of D-Day in style. Big-band concerts, military displays and a wartime dance are among events planned to mark June 6, 1944 - the day thousands of Allied soldiers began liberating
A BAR owner is determined to reopen his business for the bank holiday weekend, after escaping a blaze yesterday. Andrew Livesey, 27, lives in a flat above Blackburn's Baroque bar, Northgate, where a fridge set alight around 3.45am, damaging the bar's
PRESTWICH councillor Wilf Davison left behind his mayoral car to take part in a fund-raising event. Coun Davison led the way in a sponsored walk at Parrenthorn High School, where he is chairman of governors. Around 400 pupils from Years 7 to 10 took part
GUTSY great-grandad Ted Howarth is scaling new heights after taking up abseiling - at the grand old age of 80. But for Ted, of Bolton Road, Blackburn, it's just the latest in a long line of adrenaline-pumping pastimes, including flying lessons and hot
ELDERLY women in Blackburn have been warned not to go out alone after a vicious street robber struck for the second time in two days. In the latest attack, a woman in her 80s was mugged and pushed to the floor by a man who stole her purse. It happened
A SHOPKEEPER has been cleared of assaulting two 11-year-old girls after a court heard how tearaways had made his life a misery. And today, 68-year-old Daljit Sharma hit out at police for failing to protect his family and his business in the run up to
PLANS to close 15 post offices in East Lancashire were today slammed as horrific -- as MPs and council leaders warned the elderly and young families would suffer most. The Royal Mail has announced its intention to shut seven post offices in Blackburn,
FOOTBALL: Accrington Stanley are hosting their latest Soccer Schools for boys and girls. The course is open to children aged between six and 12 inclusive, and will be held at Highams Playing Fields from Tuesday June 1 to Friday June 4, from 10am to 3pm
STEVE Davis will not be joining Accrington Stanley after being released from his contract at Blackpool. The former Burnley captain, 35, confirmed he has been offered a position as a player/coach at a Conference side next season. But I understand Stanley
GERARD Houllier was on borrowed time the day he decided not to pursue Damien Duff. The Blackburn winger had been a Liverpool target for 12 months leading up to the summer of 2002, but Houllier was only willing to pay up to £10 million for the Irishman
REFERENCE your article featuring Mr Bostock: A major issue in this country today is providing shelter for the less fortunate. A situation highlighted in the Court of Appeal with a ruling against the Home Secretary. One local authority seems to be in opposition
AS a long standing campaigner against landau horses being used on the Promenade, I must say I am 100per cent behind Preston-based Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS) when they say it is time to scrap them (Citizen 6/5/04). They are not an attraction
TWO of Preston's longest-serving players left the club this week -- and Craig Brown admitted he didn't want to lose either of them. Stalwart centreback Michael Jackson has opted to join Second Division Tranmere Rovers on a two-year deal after rejecting
UNSWORTH had a weekend of contrasting fortunes against Rochdale at Pole Lane. Paul Entwistle's side narrowly lost out to the defending champions on Saturday in the Central Lancashire League but a superb win in the Wood Cup the following day more than
I REFER to the article "Tory councillor faces disciplinary action" (May 21) and am shocked that the Bury Times was able to obtain a copy of a confidential letter. I am led to believe that only two copies of this letter were sent out from the Standards
IT is with increasing anger that I write this letter. Every week the Bury Times publishes letters from people shouting for a Morrison's store in Whitefield, people who seem quite happy to have a supermarket at the expense of people's homes and peace of
AS a paid council official, newspaper journalist and the editor of Bury Metro News, I am extremely disappointed that Councillor Roy Walker has publicly accused the newspaper of party political bias ("Top Tory reports council newspaper", Bury Times, May
I REFER to the letter headlined "Parking 'scams' are a bad joke" (May 21) from "Cheesed-off Chap". This case is no joking matter since "Cheesed-off Chap" has nothing to complain about! Why? Because, after receiving his complaint on May 10, the council's
LOCAL councils are battling noise pollution today (Thursday) as part of Noise Action Day. In Wyre, the borough council's pollution control team will visit primary schools with noise information packs and for noise-themed lessons. And in Blackpool, public
HAVE I lost the plot here, so far as the current prime issue in Bury goes? The general public, from my understanding, are complaining not of recycling but about the reduced bi-weekly collection of their grey bins. Politicians, however, see this as an
A HUGE row has broken out over a Bury Council U-turn to bring back the regular "weekly" bin collections. Town hall bosses admit that their controversial recycling policy has proved unpopular with some residents, and are reinstating the original service
