FORMER infant teacher Yvonne Haughan knows first hand the problems faced by people suffering severe depression. The 57-year-old, who for 35 years played a key role at Northern Primary School, Burnley Road, Bacup, was left feeling "nothing but hopelessness
IN a stylishly converted French farmhouse, Bernard is hoping to entertain his chic, Parisian mistress, Suzanne, for the weekend. He has arranged for a cordon bleu cook, Suzette, to furnish the gourmet delights, is in the process of packing his wife, Jacqueline
I HAVE been watching a story rumble on over the past several weeks and found that I simply could not help but comment. It is the story about the alleged 'rat run' outside the town hall/market hall in Accrington centre. Why is it that this bit of road
EDENFIELD Horticultural Society will be holding its annual meeting next Monday. Members and friends of the group will gather at the community centre off Exchange Street, Edenfield, at 7.30pm. The meeting will cover the society's successful year, followed
MP David Chaytor has demanded that a ban on hunting is brought in despite fresh opposition in the House of Lords. Peers decided last week to approve a watered-down bill which would allow some hunts to be licensed. But the Bury North backbencher accused
BOLTON Mountain Rescue Team, which covers parts of Bury South, needs new members. Now it is holding an introductory evening on November 16, followed by a full day exercise on November 21. Potential recruits must be over 18 and relatively experienced in
HOUSEHOLDERS in Walmersley, Bury, are being asked to keep a look-out for a missing dog. Fifteen month-old fawn-ginger bull terrier cross Vinny went missing from near the New Inn pub on October 25. The dog, described as very friendly, had a leather harness
A SELL-out cabaret dinner staged by Bury FC netted a fantastic £6,500. More than 150 guests attended the event held at the town's Village Hotel. Entertainment was provided by The Ambassadors who took to the stage to present a Tribute to the Legends. This
A MAJOR investigation has now been launched after 14 passengers were injured in a train incident on the popular East Lancashire Railway tourist line. On its second round trip of the day, the Duke of Gloucester steam train shunted the carriages, causing
FEARS that a storage hut will be a focal point for vandals have been allayed after a compromise was reached between Summerseat Juniors Football Club and neighbouring residents. Householders on Waterside Road and in the nearby vicinity were concerned that
A GRANDMOTHER has been given a community punishment order for claiming almost £10,000 in council benefits she was not entitled to. Margaret Close, 58, of Wycollar Avenue, Burnley, pleaded guilty to the offence last month, and was sentenced for the 14
A BURNLEY councillor is facing calls for her resignation after moving more than 30 miles away from her ward. Labour's Caroline Kavanagh, who represents Bank Hall in the town, has left her home in Hart Street to go to Wigan in Greater Manchester. The move
NURSES across East Lancashire are leaving the NHS for better salaries and a package of job perks with privately-owned nursing agencies. Mairead Linton, director of Burnley-based Montague Nursing Agency, says she has more than 50 nurses across East Lancashire
BURY will entertain non-league opposition in the first round proper of the FA Cup in two weeks'time. The Shakers have been drawn against Nationwide Conference North outfit Vauxhall Motors, a team of renowned cup fighters. The Ellesmere Port-based side
BRITAIN'S next big internet success story could come out of Pendle's new Innovation Centre. The £1million state-of-the-art complex, Brook Street, Nelson, is being opened by internet entrepreneur David Atherton later this month and has already attracted
THE Christmas lights will be officially switched on at the Mill Gate shopping centre in Bury on November 18. Following a Mayor's Parade, Santa will help flick the switch and then greet youngsters in his magical toy worshop grotto.
TWO man have been charged after an incident which left a homeless man fighting for his life after being set on fire as he slept in a bus shelter. Matthew Kitchen suffered severe burns to his chest and face when the occupants of a car threw a firework
P. KAISERMAN (Letters, October 19) says that £38.96 is paid weekly to out-of-work asylum-seekers yet he fails to mention free furnished accommodation, heating, lighting, water, colour TV and licence, council tax and, in some cases, free driving lessons
I AM delighted that the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority have decided to postpone the timetable for the closure of the special care baby unit at Fairfield, but we must not be complacent - the threat still remains. I have no doubt that the
10 years ago CALLS were made for a roundabout to be axed after the 17th accident in a matter of months. A steady stream of motorists had crashed at the junction of Dunoon Drive and Shadsworth Road, Blackburn, since the layout was introduced earlier in
by JASON WHALLEY WHAT is it with football that it keeps sneaking up on you and proving you wrong just when you think you've got it sussed? I'd scoffed at all the optimists I'd talked to during the last week who said we'd get something against Liverpool
FAR right political group the British National Party has been slammed for targeting Huncoat in a leaflet campaign. The group has highlighted issues including the controversial plans for a waste treatment centre on the site of the former Huncoat Power
A NORTH west training specialist, which operates in Bury and elsewhere, can justifiably say it practises what it preaches. For Alliance Learning has earned a special commendation for its internal health and safety procedures which is helping reduce the
WHILE the world is holding its breath on the outcome of the American presidential elections, one couple have more reason than most to await the verdict of the Bush-Kerry clash. Bruce and Marianne Topa, above, have swapped the sunshine of California for
PICTURES of near-nude gamekeepers from the Ribble Valley are set to appear on walls across the globe after a fun charity calendar became a must-have Christmas gift. Now the game-for-a-laugh gamekeepers have ordered another print run of their calendar
DARWEN manager Steve Mullen is getting fed up with settling for anything less than the best. And the message is beginning to rub off on his players, who are determined to secure their fourth victory of the season at home to lowly Castleton Gabriels tonight
DEFIANT Clitheroe player manager Lee Sculpher is hoping to silence the Mossley boo-boys tonight. The Blues travel to take on their UniBond First Division rivals in the league's Challenge Cup first round tonight (kick-off 7.45pm). Sculpher is expecting
BLACKBURN Rovers striker Matt Jansen may need an operation in order to cure a knee problem. The 27-year-old forward was ruled out of Saturday's thrilling 2-2 draw with Liverpool after a scan revealed he had torn his cartilage. And if the problem deteriorates
PEOPLE in Darwen are being asked to be extra cautious after a selection of fireworks were stolen from a grocer's shop in Brighton Terrace. Various fireworks are missing, including large rockets which the police have advised could be dangerous in the wrong
A TEENAGER who fought to overcome dyslexia at school is to be rewarded for her achievements. Lara Dawson, 19, of Cemetery Road, Darwen, had to work twice as hard as other students but completed her a-levels and is currently taking a business degree at
RESIDENTS concerned about traffic problems in a Rossendale town have objected to plans to create a new housing estate. But their battle could be in vain after planning chiefs recommended the proposals be given the green light. Waterfoot-based developers
INTREPID Rob Holden is set to push himself to the limit and take on sub zero temperatures in one of the world's most hostile terrains. The 39-year-old is set to brave the freezing conditions of the North Pole for the challenge of his lifetime. Rob will
LEIGH Literary Society have speakers covering a wide variety of subjects on the agenda for this season. The society, which was founded in 1878, meets in the Derby Room, Leigh Library, on alternate Mondays at 7.30pm. The rest of the 2004-5 agenda is: November
RADCLIFFE Boro returned from Conference high-fliers Hereford with their heads held high, despite suffering an expected defeat writes Ian Hannay The difference between the teams was clear to see, but Boro stuck to their task and their reward came with
LANCASHIRE is seventh in an 'anti-yob' table showing the number of Anti Social Behaviour Orders. A total of 95 ASBOs have been issued in the county since 1999 - more than nine times the number in bottom placed county, Wiltshire, which has issued 10. ASBOs
A MAN has been jailed for more than two years for molesting a young girl. Preston Crown Court heard that Richard Greive absconded while the jury was considering verdicts at the end of his trial. He gave himself up three or four days later. The 31-year-old
ONE of Blackburn's most historic Catholic churches is being restored to its former glory by a team of dedicated parishioners in a labour of love. Former Thwaites brewery signwriter Raymond O'Brien has been joined by pals Michael Barratt, Alan Briggs and
DRUGS Mr Big Ayub Khansia's wholesale supply of heroin ruined scores of lives, police revealed today. Officers said the drugs seized would have led to thousands of individual street deals, where wraps are sold for £10 each. He is now facing another police
ACCRINGTON Stanley players Peter Cavanagh and Ian Craney have made the cut for the 16-man England National Game XI squad to face Italy in an Under 23 international next month. Manager Paul Fairclough selected the Reds duo for the initial, bigger, squad
MIKE Flynn returns to the ground where his football career began tonight, hoping to put the spark back into Accrington Stanley's season. The Reds central defender believes an LDV Vans Trophy scalp over Oldham Athletic, on the back of their first round
BURY Grammar School (Boys) is celebrating a special milestone. For this year marks the 50th anniversary of an exchange trip with its partner school, Deutzer Gymnasium in Cologne, Germany. It is believed the exchange trip is the second oldest existing
I HAVE been a general practitioner in this town for the last 24 years and during this time I have seen the development of both obstetrics and paediatrics. When I came to Bury there was only one paediatrician and at one stage there were five full-time
BURNLEY Doug Scott, Mechanics, Manchester Road, Burnley, 7.30pm. Hyper Kids Club, Queensgate Church, Colne Road, Burnley, 11am-3pm. Gordon Giltrap in Concert, Oaks Hotel, Burnley. Scamp Theatre Company present "Rumpelstiltskin at the Fairytale Laundry
DRUGS 'Mr Big' Ayub Khansia neither knew nor cared who would suffer as a result of his heroin supply operation. So his capture and imprisonment is rightly heralded as a major victory in the war on dealers. Police say Khansia was second only to the international
I HAD occasion to visit the endoscopy unit at Blackburn Royal Infirmary as a day patient and did not know what the visit might reveal. I need not have worried at all. I was put at my ease immediately, everything was done on time and with care, and everything
WELL done Coun Roy Davies for trying to get security spy holes for elderly residents in his neighbourhood. It's good to see a councillor out trying to help the people who elected him (LET, October 26). But no wonder the funding has all gone when someone
I AM concerned about the stone setts on Church Street and the manner in which they were laid by the people from Portugal. I blame the laying methods as the reason for the shunting movement of the setts, and also the lack of experience of the Labour councillors
IWAS very impressed to see the drawing of our proposed £9million four-lane bridge on the front page of the LET. Unfortunately the artist neglected to add all the traffic lights, speed humps, mini-roundabouts, lane narrowing and every combination of white
OXFORD has its spires, Chester has its Roman ruins, York has its Minster and what does Blackburn get? Grey sheds. They are everywhere, travelling into Blackburn from east or west down the motorway, glace over towards the town and there they are - corrugated
WORKERS from Bury Council's Bradley Fold depot are celebrating after completing an innovative course to boost their customer service skills. The group of 12 employees, in the environment and development services department, are the first to take part
PARK rangers visited a Ramsbottom primary school to teach them all about the town's wildlife. Pupils at Emmanuel Holcombe County Primary School, Helmshore Road, spent the morning talking to park rangers, Amy Leach and Carragh Teague, and countryside ranger
Dozens of forms have already been sent in by people nominating a wide range of staff for the local authority's annual Employee Achievement Awards but the closing date is next Friday Nov 5. The awards were launched last year to recognise the outstanding
PUPILS are being told "Don't be a Muppet" as Bury Councils campaign against nuisance fireworks continues. Some 15,000 straight-talking leaflets have been sent to high schoolchildren asking them if they are a selfish muppet who uses fireworks dangerously
SPECIAL plaques have been commissioned to mark the wide range of regeneration projects carried out through the East Bury Initiative. They will be presented to 40 schemes over the next few months and displayed at various centres and offices in the area
A MAJOR victory in the war on drug dealers was being hailed today after Blackburn's Mr Big was jailed for eight years. Ayub Khansia ran a heroin factory from a flat in Swallow Drive where thousands of £10 wraps of the drug were produced. Today police
BURY Grammar School (Boys) is celebrating a special milestone. For this year marks the 50th anniversary of an exchange trip with its partner school, Deutzer Gymnasium in Cologne, Germany. It is believed the exchange trip is the second oldest existing
A BURNLEY councillor is facing calls for her resignation after moving more than 30 miles away from her ward. Labour's Caroline Kavanagh, who represents Bank Hall in the town, has left her home in Hart Street to go to Wigan in Greater Manchester. The move
ELDERLY residents on a Bury estate have been without a telephone line for three weeks. And it could be a further two weeks before repair work is completed. Pensioners on the Topping Fold estate - some of whom are unable to venture out because they are
KEITH Barker was the toast of Brockhall after springing from the bench to inspire Rovers Under 18s to victory. Academy director Bobby Downes was certainly quick to recognise the impact of the substitute as he scored twice in the 3-0 win over Wolves on
BLACKBURN Rovers striker Matt Jansen may need an operation in order to cure a knee problem. The 27-year-old forward was ruled out of Saturday's thrilling 2-2 draw with Liverpool after a scan revealed he had torn his cartilage. And if the problem deteriorates
LEIGH Literary Society have speakers covering a wide variety of subjects on the agenda for this season. The society, which was founded in 1878, meets in the Derby Room, Leigh Library, on alternate Mondays at 7.30pm. The rest of the 2004-5 agenda is: November
AN unemployed man who supplemented his benefits by collecting scrap was caught by a community support officer throwing a copper cylinder out of the upstairs window of a boarded-up house. Blackburn magistrates heard Stephen Trevor Preece had used a section
THE mother of a Burnley teenager who died in youth custody today spoke of her disgust that the family could have to wait two years before an inquest is held. Carol Pounder spoke out as she joined a lobby of Parliament led by pressure group Inquest to
ROCK star Ozzy Osbourne helped fix it for cancer sufferer Jimmy Hamer in a surprise phone call. Ozzy fan Jimmy was shocked to hear his Brummie hero on the other end of the line as The Prince of Darkness became a prince of kindness. Jimmy's wish came true
A MOTHER-of-seven facing jail over money laundering has begun a fight to save her "nuisance" family from being thrown out of their Padiham home. Janis Gabriel, 49, disabled husband John and their children have received eviction papers and could have their
PEOPLE living in Burnley's Cog Lane have made an emotional appeal to councillors to sort the area out. Residents have told Burnley Borough Council they are plagued by anti-social behaviour, paving stones are in desperate need of repair and many houses
SHAKERS striker Graeme Jones is back in the fold. The evergreen Gateshead-born player has been hampered by a niggling calf injury since the first week of the campaign and after a spell at the FA's Lilleshall Rehabilitation Centre Jones is expected to
NELSON residents are continuing to fight against plans to change the town's namesake to Last Orders. Honeycombe Leisure PLC have taken over the Lord Nelson pub, Leeds Road, and announced last month they were going to rechristen it. But people living in
WHEN does it start? Where are the witches' graves? The questions regularly fielded by police during Hallowe'en duty on Pendle Hill highlight one of the annual event's major problems. People expecting to be greeted by an entertainment jamboree on the spookiest
IT'S about time Mr Kaiserman stopped trying to find fault with the BNP. He should realise that if the BNP got into power his country would not be such a soft touch for those who risk life and limb to get here and to stay at the taxpayer's expense. The
I READ a lot about hygiene in hospitals but what about public toilets? The public spend 20 minutes waiting for buses to take them into town and when they get there, more often than not, the toilets are closed. And even when they are open there is never
CAT and dog fur is being shipped into Britain on a record scale for use as trimming on clothes and children's toys. Cats, many of them pets, are killed using the most barbaric methods. America, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Greece and Australia have banned
CORRESPONDENT Phil Kaiserman is apparently forgetting what he and others fought the Second World War for - "democratic freedom." Freedom of thought, freedom to speak those thoughts, freedom of religion - or not - as the case may be. Sometimes we do not
REGARDING the Compulsory Purchase Order on Minden Medical Centre, the important issues are as follows: Easy access to the medical centre is important for my husband and myself and for all the other patients. It is a facility we want to keep. Disabled
by STEPHEN CUMMINGS IT HAS been a strange week to say the least. If ever proof were required that the beautiful game is also a contrary, frustrating and wildly unpredictable one, it was found in the fortunes of Burnley FC this week. Last Tuesday the pampered
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a teenage window cleaner was punched in the face and robbed in Great Harwood. The 18-year-old, who is from Oswaldtwistle, went into an alleyway behind Queen Street because he needed to go to the toilet. He was
PLANS to grant a pub in Accrington an entertainment licence have been opposed by a resident. The licensee of the Warner Arms, in Warner Street, Carl Marland, has applied to Hyndburn Council for the licence. It is due to be discussed by the authority's
TWO pupils have been suspended from an Accrington high school as part of a crackdown on firework troublemakers. The youngsters, who let off a firework in the grounds of Moorhead County High School, Cromwell Avenue, during school hours, were also put on
GOOD news for the region is that the north west's private sector economy grew in September for the 18th straight month. The encouraging statistics are contained in the latest business survey data produced for the Royal Bank of Scotland by NTC Research
FAST growing design and creative communications specialist Appleby Bowers were highly commended at a coveted awards ceremony to mark their expertise in the vending industry. Bernie Bowers, managing director of the Prestwich firm, was honoured in the personal
John Early, executive director of AMEC, has been inaugurated as Greater Manchester Chamber's president. The new organisation, the biggest of its kind in the UK, was officially launched in October following the merger of the North Manchester Chamber -
A SLEEPY village club is bidding to shed its stuffy image by encouraging members to take up pole dancing. And now regulars at Whalley Conservative Club are set to ditch the dominoes and snub the snooker in favour of imitating risque exotic dancing. The
A MOVE to impose stiffer sentences on fatal accident drivers has been welcomed by the family of a woman who died at Accrington bus station. But a Commons committee has been told that its move to create a new offence of causing death by negligent driving
STEVE Cotterill has been ordered to attend a hearing later this month to answer an FA charge. The Burnley boss has been forced to wait over two months to discover his fate after appealing against his 'sending off' during the Clarets 2-1 Championship defeat
IF Daniel Southward was a drink he says he would be a bottle of Budweiser. Because advertisers claim Budweiser is the King of Beers and Daniel thinks he's King of the bar. And the 20-year-old, who has worked at the King Street Pub Co, Accrington for the
A SELL-out cabaret dinner staged by Bury FC netted a fantastic £6,500. More than 150 guests attended the event held at the town's Village Hotel. Entertainment was provided by The Ambassadors who took to the stage to present a Tribute to the Legends. This
STEVE Cotterill has been ordered to attend a hearing later this month to answer an FA charge. The Burnley boss has been forced to wait over two months to discover his fate after appealing against his 'sending off' during the Clarets 2-1 Championship defeat
PREPARATIONS are under way for a Christmas Fair at St Paul's Church, Hoddlesden, later this month. The event will take place on Saturday, November 27, between 11am and 2pm. And this year, children will be given the opportunity to have their photograph
A COMPUTER firm worker who stole almost £23,000 in a credit-card fraud has been given a 10-month jail term. A court heard how Karl Kent, 20, then earning £12,000 a year, had money troubles when he pinched the cash from Granville Technology, Simonstone
BLACKBURN'S new JJB Soccer Dome will open with a bang - giving the public a sneak preview and a free firework display on Bonfire Night. An official opening ceremony takes place at 5pm on Friday, and later in the evening visitors can look around the facility
ONE of the six Asian councillors who walked out of the Labour Party after this year's elections today revealed he wants to rejoin. Coun Salim Mulla, who represents Queen's Park, is the first of the six defectors to publicly say he wants to go back. He
A TEXTILE company is taking legal action in a bid to keep its contract for army camouflage uniforms. Around 35 jobs at Blackburn firm Cookson and Clegg - which has been providing military uniforms for more than 25 years - are under threat because of a
A MAJOR victory in the war on drug dealers was being hailed today after Blackburn's Mr Big was jailed for eight years. Ayub Khansia ran a heroin factory from a flat in Swallow Drive where thousands of £10 wraps of the drug were produced. Today police
EDENFIELD Horticultural Society will be holding its annual meeting next Monday. Members and friends of the group will gather at the community centre off Exchange Street, Edenfield, at 7.30pm. The meeting will cover the society's successful year, followed
LONDON WELSH 17, SEDGLEY PARK RUFC 21: PARK travelled, for the first time, to Old Deer Park to take on the once mighty London Welsh and emerged with their first away win of this the club's inaugural National One season writes Ernie Neely With both sides
IN her recent reply to Mr Kaiserman's exposure of the British National Party's prejudice and aggression, correspondent Mrs D. Crompton says the BNP has "no voice". What do their speeches, letters to the press and leaflets constitute? I don't know why
I NOTE with interest recent letters concerning the waste transfer station at Fernhill, Bury. The facility has been there for many years and has a reputation for being a well-managed site. This should not be associated with the ready mix concrete works
A TEENAGER who risked his life to save a youngster from drowning is to be honoured for his bravery. Ben Keen (13) has been awarded a Testimonial on Vellum by the Royal Humane Society following the rescue of a six-year-old boy who had slipped into the
