I confess. I've spent more time in Brussels in recent weeks than Blackburn. Indeed, I seem to have spent more time in Brussels than anywhere. All thanks to the EU Presidency. This office officially ends on December 31, but in practice it should all
MIRROR, mirror on the wall, where is the greatest kids pantomime of all? Last night, the search focused on the Thwaites Empire Theatre in Blackburn. And Duggie Chapman has done it again, producing a perfect panto, blending the right mix of fun and
GET ready to boo the baddies and cheer on the goodies - it's panto time once again. And with this, the area's most spectacular seasonal show, it is guaranteed that the kids are going to love it. Forget some of the opening night technical difficulties
OPERA singer Sean Ruane has announced a new show on January 29 in his native Rossendale after he was forced to postpone the second of two concerts because of illness. Sean developed a throat infection following the first of the two concerts at Bacup's
Just how much Disney has looked to Warner Brothers' The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the production of its rival fantasy franchise based on CS Lewis' Narnia tales is readily apparent. It, too, has picked a Kiwi director to helm the project in Andrew
WHAT'S that Lassie? There's a boy trapped in the well? Yes, yes we all know the American version of Lassie the rescue dog. But what about the real Lassie the good old British rough collie from Eric Knight's classic novel Lassie Come Home? She may be
IT'S difficult to go one bigger and better after the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but Peter Jackson has managed it with his spectacular remake of King Kong. The three-hours-plus film is the most expensive movie ever made and is as much
A FEW months ago things looked decidedly gloomy for retailers across the country as it seemed like 2005 would be a year to forget. Well-known high street chains were reporting the worst figures for some time and it seemed people were holding on to their
MY father is 85 years old and is very forgetful. He lost his OAP bus pass. I went to the town hall to renew it and was outraged on being told he must pay £10. Fortunately he had the money, God help the old people who haven't got £10. C N THOMPSON (Mrs
WHY don't readers beat the Christmas queues and instead go online to adopt an ex-lab monkey for those "hard to buy for" people? A unique scheme organised by the BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection), means that for the first time, they
COMPARISONS are inevitable. Burnley and Watford both had young, ambitious managers in their dug-outs for last weekend's cracking Championship game. Adrian Boothroyd is one of the youngest managers in the country, gaining a reputation for transforming
'THE next game is always the most important'. It's a line Mark Hughes describes as the 'stock answer' when comparing the forthcoming trips to the Riverside either side of Christmas Day. But you get the impression that the Blackburn Rovers boss really
AN engineering guru from Canada has visited East Lancashire as part of a worldwide tour looking at manufacturing around the globe. Jack Firth from the South Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) visited Northern Technologies' new Advanced Manufacturing
IT performed in front of millions of TV viewers on ITV's X Factor -- now the classic jukebox which kept Shayne, Chico and the Conway Sisters entertained is back home in Padiham. After performing as an extra throughout the series, the reproduction classic
A TEENAGE girl was mugged by a knife-wielding woman -- who had a baby in her arms. A court heard drug addict Debbie Kearns, 23, had a four-inch blade in her right hand and held the 18-month old infant in her right arm. Kearns, of Grimshaw Street, Accrington
FRIENDS and family said goodbye to a 'hero' at the funeral of a teenage soldier. Hundreds of mourners gathered at St John's Methodist Church, Albert Road, for the funeral of Colne Private Craig Lee Warren, 19, who was run over on a motorway in Cyprus,
A DOCTOR accused of indecent assault was told his behaviour in examining a 17-year-old patient was "not normal". A jury at P Crown Court was told Dr Tanuku Venkata Suryanarayana had performed a chest examination and an internal examination on a young
A TEENAGE girl was mugged by a knife-wielding woman -- who had a baby in her arms. A court heard drug addict Debbie Kearns, 23, had a four-inch blade in her right hand and held the 18-month old infant in her right arm. Kearns, of Grimshaw Street, Accrington
I RECKON I've been quite a good boy this year, so come December 25 my sock drawer should be bursting. But I won't take any comfort from having that new cotton sensation on my feet - not until Santa gets with the 21st century programme. The old guy is
MIRACLE man Wayne Thomas is ready to step back into the breach whenever Steve Cotterill calls. The Burnley defender has made a stunning recovery from the cruciate knee injury suffered at Reading in August, which looked to have ended his season just six
JIM Noir is as solo as it gets -- he plays every instrument -- but what he's come up with on Tower Of Love, his debut album, is utterly divine. Hailing from Manchester, Noir's music is delicate, childlike and luscious. Having said that, despite the computerised
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes is determined to keep Craig Bellamy fit for the rest of the season. The Welsh striker is almost back to full fitness after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury and is edging his way back into contention for tonight's
MIRACLE man Wayne Thomas is ready to step back into the breach whenever Steve Cotterill calls. The Burnley defender has made a stunning recovery from the cruciate knee injury suffered at Reading in August, which looked to have ended his season just six
OPERA singer Sean Ruane has announced a new show on January 29 in his native Rossendale after he was forced to postpone the second of two concerts because of illness. Sean developed a throat infection following the first of the two concerts at Bacup's
MORE than 40 people were evacuated from their homes as police launched a dramatic operation to blow up chemicals and home-made explosives found in a terrace house. Four controlled explosions were carried out outside a house in Grane Street, Haslingden
A man was due to appear at court today following an alleged fist fight inside a circle of 15 men. Brennan James, 25, of Mill Hill, Blackburn, was due to appear before the town's magistrates charged with a public order offence. Christopher McGuire, 25,
A 65-year-old Alzheimer's sufferer who went missing from the accident and emergency ward at Blackburn Royal Infirmary was today found safe and well. George Davenport, who lives in Brockhall, near Whalley, had suffered strokes recently and as a result
TWO drunken teenagers who left a man seriously injured after a late-night street mugging have been jailed for four-and-a-half years. Luke Haworth and Luke Freeston, both 19, left victim Anthony Smith with smashed ribs, a broken jaw and a broken arm after
CHRISTMAS shoppers in Blackburn are being targeted by a thief who has struck six times in three weeks -- and cleaned out a pensioner's bank account. The quick-fingered thief steals a shopper's wallet or purse, then later phones the victim, pretending
BLACKBURN Hawks grabbed victory in their last game of the year, beating Solway Sharks in the Crossover Cup. Hawks emerged triumphant after falling behind to the Scottish National Ice Hockey League team - stealing the points in a close 4-3 victory at the
I WRITE regarding the A675 which runs from Junction 3 of the M65 through Abbey Village and Belmont village. This stretch has been identified by the authorities as in need of special attention due to the high number of fatal and serious accidents. Various
LOSING Nathan Dyer is a blow, but it was no real surprise. The big shock was that Southampton let the youngster remain at Turf Moor as long as they did. Ask yourself this; if you saw your team struggling while one of your players was starring for a Championship
MORE than 40 people were evacuated from their homes as police launched a dramatic operation to blow up chemicals and home-made explosives found in a terrace house. Four controlled explosions were carried out outside a house in Grane Street, Haslingden
FAMILY loyalties will be divided in Stuart Ripley's household as Middlesbrough and Blackburn do battle twice in the space of a week over the festive period. Ripley, who played for both clubs during his 18-year career, has two sons - one's a Rovers fan
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes is determined to keep Craig Bellamy fit for the rest of the season. The Welsh striker is almost back to full fitness after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury and is edging his way back into contention for tonight's
A BURNLEY falconer has slammed a callous burglar who ripped the body of a barn owl from its legs before throwing it to a bird of prey. Mark Dickson returned from doing his Christmas shopping to find someone had broken into his Wycoller Avenue home and
A TOP East Lancashire scout boss has appeared in court on charges of sexually assaulting a teenager. Assistant County Commissioner for the Scout Fellowship Kenneth Fawcett denies five charges of indecent assault, said to have taken place between May 1986
A 14-year-old girl was able to buy booze in half of the Nelson stores she went into, police have revealed. Officers carrying out a test purchasing operation in 15 shops were shocked to find some cashiers did not even look up to see who they were serving
TWO drunken teenagers who left a man seriously injured after a late-night street mugging have been jailed for four-and-a-half years. Luke Haworth and Luke Freeston, both 19, left victim Anthony Smith with smashed ribs, a broken jaw and a broken arm after
Walsall Youth 2 Burnley Youth 5: CAYNE Hanley found the net for the third game in a row as Burnley youth team got back to winning ways at Walsall. The Clarets striker, who made the first team bench twice earlier this year, has missed most of the season
'TIS the season to be jolly. But a double dose of Middlesbrough is a double dose of depression if you ask me. It was always a grim place when I was playing up at Newcastle, and having to go there twice in the Christmas week isn't the most pleasant of
IF the frenzy leading up to Christmas has worn you to a frazzle, have a listen to this and you'll be semi-comatose within minutes. Chilling out is what Morcheeba are all about -- polite trip-hop guaranteed to lull you into a sleepy state. Skye Edwards
OPERA singer Sean Ruane has announced a new show on January 29 in his native Rossendale after he was forced to postpone the second of two concerts because of illness. Sean developed a throat infection following the first of the two concerts at Bacup's
Doves have never ceased to entertain and mesmerise with their filmic, atmospheric and anthemic performances, and they didn't let Preston down. Velvet-voiced front man Goodwin was faultless from opening with Snowden to ending a spectacular encore on There
MEMBERS of Darwen Lions are hoping to bring Christmas joy to sick and poor children in the town by playing Father Christmas. And they want to hear from anyone who knows of a deserving child under 10 to whom they could donate a present. They have a large
THE tables were turned on a teenage film director from Darwen when he had to appear in front of the cameras on national TV. Rik Nicholson, 16, of Belgrave Road, was given the opportunity to appear on BBC2's Classic Blast programme to promote his new 12
ROSSENDALE has unearthed its own Charlotte with a voice of an angel. Charlotte Halliwell showed viewers of BBC North West Tonight that she not only shares the Christian name of Miss Church but she too is blessed with an impressive singing voice. The 15
A GERMAN lorry driver was abducted when his vehicle was hijacked by a gang on an East Lancashire industrial estate. The lorry, thought to have been delivering computers to a business on Altham Industrial Estate, was hijacked overnight, but the exact time
JIM Noir is as solo as it gets -- he plays every instrument -- but what he's come up with on Tower Of Love, his debut album, is utterly divine. Hailing from Manchester, Noir's music is delicate, childlike and luscious. Having said that, despite
IF the frenzy leading up to Christmas has worn you to a frazzle, have a listen to this and you'll be semi-comatose within minutes. Chilling out is what Morcheeba are all about -- polite trip-hop guaranteed to lull you into a sleepy state. Skye Edwards
Half-Lancastrian electro foursome Performance have been chart stars in waiting for the last few years, and finally look like fulfilling that pop potential having snagged themselves a major label deal. The first fruits of their spell with Polydor, Surrender
Christmas has come early for Twickenham quintet Mystery Jets, who have found themselves included on the bill for the 2006 NME Awards tour, the UK's most popular new bands showcase. There exist few speedier chauffeur rides to commercial success (first
Boisterous teen four-piece Thee Unstrung recorded their debut album in the summer but it's not out till the New Year. Meanwhile this EP jumble-sale of musical styles and derivative swagger is suffering from an ever-slipping release date too. It's not
These three Wakefield brothers have been wowing live audiences up and down the UK for two years now. The big guns have come on board for this double A-sided pop snarl from the defiantly independent trio. You're Gonna Lose Us was produced by Bernard
