Archive

  • Training for Ribble Valley ‘dementia friends’

    THE second of two “dementia friends” training sessions in the Ribble Valley has been organised. The free event at the Council Chamber in Clitheroe is on October 29 from 4.30pm to 6.00pm and is part of a campaign to establish the area as one of

  • Tributes paid to a pillar of the Stacksteads community

    MORE than 200 cards of condolence were delivered following the death of a much-loved community figure from Stacksteads. Tributes have been paid to James Heyworth, who has died at the age of 83. Born in Stacksteads, on September 3, 1930, Mr

  • Hope for future of Slaidburn GP practice after meeting

    THE future of an under-threat health centre has been boosted after top level talks. Slaidburn County Practice staff and Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said they were ‘hopeful’ a short and long-term funding solution could be found after meeting with

  • Flood schemes are ‘necessity’ in East Lancashire

    COUNCILLORS in flood-hit areas have highlighted the ‘absolute necessity’ of new defence schemes. This year, Ribblesdale Road in Ribchester, and in Stubbins, near Ramsbottom, were targeted by schemes by the Environment Agency and Ribble Valley and

  • Free-for-all Darwen veggie patch hopes for public spaces

    A GROUP of green-fingered residents are hoping to turn their town into a community growing haven. Incredible Edible Darwen wants to turn unused spaces in public areas into free-for-all vegetable patches and herb gardens. The group, inspired

  • Nelson drug dealers put behind bars

    THREE main players in a drugs supply conspiracy have been sentenced to a total of nine years and nine months imprisonment. Rockab Afzal, 29, of Beaufort Street, Nelson, was today (Thursday 24 October) given two years and nine months at Burnley

  • ‘Green Oscars’ go to East Lancashire's sustainable firms

    FIRMS in Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington, Nelson and the Ribble Valley picked up awards at the Lancashire ‘green Oscars’. The 11 winners were hailed champions of sustainable enterprise at Lancashire Business Environment Awards ceremony, at Rovers

  • Great Harwood leisure centre free facilities are set to start

    A LEISURE centre in Great Harwood is opening its doors for free this Saturday. All activities at Mercer Hall Leisure Centre will be provided free of charge from 9am. The move comes after the recent Hyndburn Community Sports Awards, which highlighted

  • Oswaldtwistle first-time buyer homes sold off for £50,000

    HOMES in Oswaldtwistle renovated for first time buyers were sold to a housing association for £50,000 each, it has now emerged. Six homes in Blackpool Street and South Street were bought by the council as part of a regeneration project, aimed helping

  • Down to earth aid

    SKYDIVING Ribble Valley Mayor Richard Sherras will come down to earth when he hosts a charity dinner dance. He and his mayoress, family friend Lynne Pate, will hold the event at the Shireburn Arms Hotel, Hurst Green on Saturday, November 9 It will

  • Kit and training gear for Trawden players

    AN UNDER nines football team has received a grant of £350 from Pendle County Councillor Paul White. Trawden Celtic Under 9s will use the money to buy football kit and training gear. David Whitfield, club secretary, said: “The under nines football

  • Five per cent of Blackburn and Darwen children skip school

    MORE than five per cent of schoolchildren in Blackburn and Darwen persistently skipped school last year, new figures revealed. Data released by the Office of National Statistics shows 5.4 per cent of children in the area missed more than 15 per

  • Colne woman gives Chase on telly quiz show

    A COLNE property landlord failed to beat the chaser on ITV’s popular tea-time quiz show. Joanne Nutter, 40, wife of former Colne cricketer Justin, appeared on the ITV show The Chase on Tuesday, hosted by Bradley Walsh. She was part of a team

  • Closures in place at Pendle Hallowe’en hotspot

    HALLOWE’EN revellers have been advised to avoid the Nick O' Pendle on October 31. Ribble Valley Borough Council said the Nick will be closed to fairground rides, mobile catering units and parked cars from 6pm until 3am. There will be a one-way

  • Burnley Council leader on tour

    BURNLEY Council leader Julie Cooper will head to Daneshouse as part of her ‘Out and About’ tour around the borough. The Labour councillor will hold her next surgery at the Chai Centre in Hurtley Street on October 30. Coun Cooper said: “This

  • Work on Rossendale park to start

    WORK is set to begin to install new equipment at a Rossendale park next week. The Friends of Snig Hole Park and Rossendale Council have appointed contractors to carry out drainage improvements and create a new play area at Snig Hole Park in Helmshore

  • Burnley man fined £35 for being drunk

    ADRIAN Collison, 44, of Morse Street, Burnley, has been fined £35 with £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge. He appeared before Pennine magistrates after admitting being drunk and disorderly in Hargreaves Street on September 27.

  • Burnley factory burgled

    A FACTORY in Burnley was broken into and a Yamaha quad bike, 30 alloy wheels and 40 wooden panels were stolen. The thieves also tried to crowbar open a metal shutter at a unit in Billington Road Industrial Estate between 5pm on Friday and 10am

  • Stacksteads woman, 83, died after fall

    AN 83-YEAR-OLD mother died after falling down the steps to her cellar, an inquest was told. Minnie Selby was found at the bottom of the steps of her home in Greenbank, Stacksteads, by her daughter and son-in-law on August 14 this year. She

  • Job-loss Safiya makes her dreams come true

    RATHER than sit on her hands after three months of unemployment, Safiya Ugradar set up her own events business and is now looking to recruit 20 casual staff to help her booming enterprise. The 23-year-old mum raised cash from friends and relatives

  • Crackdown on bogus whiplash claims welcomed in East Lancashire

    A GOVERNMENT crackdown on bogus whiplash claims has been welcomed by MPs and insurers as helping cut motor premiums in East Lancashire’s BB postcode. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling announced the move in a package of measures to cut motoring costs

  • Our Dead Friends have a real live label

    BLACKBURN alternative rock band Our Dead Friends have been signed by a new record label. The four-piece, who have a psychedelic groove are one of the first bands on the Preston-based Esprit de Corps Records and will be launching their EP, Dig Your

  • Ian Fox to raise the roof at Thwaites Empire Theatre

    AUDIENCES may be used to seeing him in pantomime as a Dame and as a performer with The Storytellers Theatre Company, but for the first time at Thwaites Empire Theatre in Blackburn, Ian Fox is presenting a solo show. Proceeds from the evening are

  • A fairytale ballet experience in Blackburn

    THE Vienna Festival Ballet are back at King George’s Hall, Blackburn, next week. With a new performance of Snow White Based on the traditional Grimm Brothers story, this new ballet incorporates all the favourite elements from this well-loved tale

  • The Lindisfarne Story, Oswaldtwistle

    IN the Seventies a bunch of working class lads from Newcastle were riding high as one of the biggest bands in Britain. Songs like Lady Eleanor, Meet Me On The Corner and Fog on the Tyne had seen Lindisfarne achieve huge sales and also saw them

  • Thief raids home of Earby 93-year-old man

    A 93-YEAR-OLD man had his home raided in the early hours as he slept. The victim, who lives in Barnwood Road, Earby, was targeted by a burglar who threw a large stone through his lounge window. Once inside, the offender stole several hundreds

  • Blackburn man, 90, well versed in writing

    AN EX-radio engineer with a creative spark has embarked on a full-time poetry career aged 90. Lancashire Telegraph contributor and Blackburn resident Bill Austin has published his debut collection to encourage everyone to read verse. Bill,

  • St Mary’s College Blackburn Ofsted Report

    On Friday September 13th, Ofsted informed St Mary’s College that an inspection would be conducted the following week. The staff and students quickly rose to the challenge by proving to be a harmonious college community that delivers a high quality

  • Ribble Valley MP backs ex-PM’s call for energy tax

    FORMER Prime Minister Sir John Major’s call for a windfall tax on the profits of the UK's big energy firms has been backed by Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans. The Tory backbencher is writing on the issue to Chancellor George Osborne. Sir John

  • PUB OF THE WEEK: Hare and Hounds, Padiham

    Mark Briggs has been a real ale connoisseur for over 35 years.  A self-professed ‘beer geek’, Mark visits East Lancashire’s pubs for his weekly column. Read of Mark’s adventures in ale at his blog realaleupnorth.blogspot.com or follow him on Twitter

  • The Peatbog Faeries conjure up Celtic magic in Clitheroe

    BUBBLING electronica, blazing fiddles, whistle solos, the skirl of the bagpipes... The Peatbog Faeries are back in town for another dancehall rave of Scottish song. “We played Clitheroe on St Patrick’s Day last year and it was as good a vibe as

  • Meet Hendrix of the desert

    BOMBINO’S raw-edged, rock and blues take on traditional Tuareg music has won him a global audience, and through times of conflict and exile in the desert dunes of Niger his music was a constant companion. The African’s guitar sound features fast

  • St Mary’s College given a ‘good’ Ofsted rating

    SIXTH form centre St Mary’s College has been ordered to improve its management, despite a ‘good’ Ofsted rating. The Blackburn college was praised for good teaching and the success of its students, however inspectors said college leadership ‘required

  • Review: Oasis, Blackburn

    BLACKBURN’S Oasis is a regular haunt of mine - but read on. This is not a re-hash of an old review, nor a blatant case of lazy eating. The other night while stuck on a late shift I really fancied some tea. Oddly for me I didn’t really fancy

  • Classic stage comedy Vagina Monologues comes to Blackburn

    THREE generations of British TV actresses will be coming to Blackburn next week with one of the most enduring comedy shows Diane Keen, Terri Dwyer and Hollie-Jay Bowes will be appearing in The Vagina Monologues, which comes to King George’s Hall on

  • Jake Berry’s joy as nine taken on as apprentices

    FOLLOWING MP Jake Berry’s recent success with finding 203 young people apprenticeships in Rossendale, he has welcomed nine more people to a Bacup-based manufacturer. The Rossendale MP’s recent ‘100 in 100’ campaign to find apprenticeships for 100

  • Barker is Bob on in classic

    Dropping just one mark in 32 sections was enough for Bob Baker to claim the honours at the annual Waterside Trial. Organisers Red Rose Classic Motorcycle Club laid on a demanding day of classic trailling, starting and finishing at the New Delight

  • Insight into Rawtenstall Commons meeting

    A WOODLAND activities group for parents and toddlers will meet in Rawtenstall to help young children engage with nature. The Big Lottery-funded programme, starting on Monday, November 11, will be held in St Mary’s Primary School’s environmental

  • 11% fall in crime figures welcomed in Pendle

    PENDLE MP Andrew Stephenson has welcomed a drop in recorded crime in Lancashire. Latest figures from the independent Office for National Statistics show that over the last three years recorded crime in Lancashire has fallen by 11 per cent.

  • Jail for Burnley mosque raider

    A MOSQUE raider trampled over prayer mats in trainers and stole a £150 mobile phone from beside a sleeping member, a court heard. Heroin addict and career crook Andrew Purvis, 32, had also broken into a safe and stolen £50, after walking into Queensgate

  • Suzanne Geldard Column: Ings ain’t what they used to be

    THE return of Charlie Austin will be the major sub-plot to Saturday’s top of the table clash between the Clarets and QPR. As such, comparisons will inevitably be drawn between the striker and former team-mate Danny Ings. But given how technically

  • £½ million Big Lottery Fund welcomed by Pendle MP

    News that £555,522 has been awarded to local groups by the Big Lottery Fund has been welcomed by the Pendle MP. Conservative Andrew Stephenson has been working closely with the Big Lottery Fund on a number of projects. Between July and September

  • Probe into mystery of Jack the Ripper killings

    THE 125-year-old mystery of the ‘Jack the Ripper’ killings comes to Darwen Library Theatre on November 7. Retired detective Trevor Marriott will reveal the results of his personal ‘cold case’ review of the infamous Whitechapel murders in London

  • New cafe will be a major asset to Darwen

    DARWEN’s Mayor Eileen Entwistle will officially open the town centre’s new community cafe this weekend. The Sudell ward Labour councillor believes it will be a major asset for local people. The cafe is behind the former George Hotel public

  • New face takes charge of Blackburn parishes

    A NEW priest has been licensed to oversee services at two Blackburn parishes. A special service was held to welcome Reverend Catherine Elizabeth Brooks at St Luke’s and St Phillip’s in Bank Top. Rev Brooks has now become the priest in charge

  • Champion for patients backs North West ambulance cuts

    PATIENT champion Russ McLean has backed plans to close dozens of ambulance stations across the North West, but said he will seek assurances that response times will not be affected. North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has launched a review of all

  • Vicious dogs 'tore pet cat to pieces’ in Darwen

    A DISTRAUGHT cat owner has called for a change in the law after dogs killed her beloved pet. Darwen woman Lisa Welsh was devastated when her pet cat Honey was severely injured yards from her home by a pack of dogs. The 37-year-old said she heard

  • Paul Wheelock Column: Boss Bowyer needs an injury break

    BLACKBURN Rovers just cannot catch a break with injuries. It is not just their severity but the timing of them too. First DJ Campbell, David Dunn and Ruben Rochina and now Corry Evans – this season is being characterised by the loss of key

  • Rishton children’s home couple cleared of abuse

    A COUPLE accused of indecently assaulting two youngsters in care homes they ran have been cleared of all charges. Husband and wife Sylvia, 65, and Kelvin Rostron, 70, were found not guilty after an eight-day trial at Burnley Crown Court. The

  • Letter: Your choice – pay the excess

    RE: Unlocked cars in Blackburn shock police (LT, October 21). So you have a £200 excess on your insurance policy. They break into your car by smashing a door lock or a window, and it costs £200 to get it repaired. Now if you leave your car

  • Letter: Preying on vulnerable

    RE: Zero-hour contracts at 'heart of crisis' claims Haslingden and Hyndburn MP. What do you expect from, “these grossly overpaid Millionaires out of touch MPs. They are all in favour for these zero hour contracts on the unemployed, “by their

  • Letter: Just look at who’s making the money

    RE: Zero-hour contracts at 'heart of crisis' claims Haslingden and Hyndburn MP. I would be interested to see who voted against this bill. Graham Jones is right when he says this goes to the heart of the cost of living crisis. I thought the

  • Comment: An end to whiplash claim culture

    THE issue of false whiplash claims has plagued East Lancashire for years. A small number of motorists have caused the majority of us to pay over the odds for insurance. The ‘no win, no fee’ and compensation culture has spread like a disease

  • Nelson headteacher slates ‘unfair’ Ofsted report

    A HEADTEACHER has defended his staff after government inspectors criticised teaching standards at his school. Ofsted said pupils at St Paul’s CE Primary School in Nelson were failing to make consistent progress because of ‘weaknesses’ in teaching

  • Lancashire Police clampdown on sex offenders

    SEX offenders who travel in and out of the UK illegally are to be tackled by Lancashire officers in airports. Lancashire police are teaming up with the five other North West police forces, along with the UK Border Force and the Child Exploitation

  • Burnley family wait for news of missing ashes

    A FAMILY from Burnley is still facing an anxious wait after a burglar was arrested in connection with a raid in which a 91-year-old’s ashes were stolen. Police arrested James Greenwood, 42, in relation to a break-in at the home of Claire Wynn in

  • Old Blackburn police house is set for demolition

    WORK to finally give Blackburn’s £12million ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ a destination starts this week, seven years after its construction began. Demolition of the Old Police House in King Street will finally get under way tomorrow. It is the first

  • Passion killer for Lancashire smokers

    ALMOST a quarter of Lancashire smokers have missed out on a kiss because they smoke, a poll claims. Nicolite Electronic Cigarettes commissioned the survey to discover the reasons behind decisions to quit in ‘Stoptober’. In the survey 18 per

  • Raiders steal Nelson mosque safes

    A MOSQUE in Nelson was burgled by thieves who sneaked in during prayers and hid until the building was empty, and stole two safes containing hundreds of pounds. After finding the metal safes, which were bolted to the wall of the Islamic Mission

  • Red Rose glory for Blackburn

    THERE was a bumper turnout of 700 runners as Chorley Athletic and Triathlon Club hosted the Lancashire Red Rose Cross-Country fixture at the town’s Astley Park. And Blackburn Harriers were out in force, with the men’s Under-17 team of Joseph Howe

  • Burnley man's fake butcher gang £1million fraud

    A BOGUS butcher used fake invoices to claim VAT repayments on slaughtered sheep carcasses as part of a £1million scam. Mohammed Ajaib Khan, 46, from Burnley, was one of nine men who became embroiled in the scam engineered by ex-butcher Kaiser Matlub

  • Evans: I won't risk rushing back from injury

    BLACKBURN Rovers midfielder Corry Evans will not rush back from the injury that will rule him out for the rest of the year. The 23-year-old is determined to return fitter and stronger after suffering a torn ankle ligament while playing for Northern

  • Barrowford heroin dealers sent to prison

    TWO dealers have been locked up for a total of seven years for their parts in a plot said to involve the potential supply of heroin worth £170,000. Addicts Shahid Ansar, 22, and Ishfaq Hussain, 25, both played important roles to feed their own

  • Clayton le Moors pie-fect task for foodies!

    EXPERT bakers are looking for people with top notch tastebuds to share a slice of their sell-out pies. Pastry and pie specialists at Clayton Park Bakery are hoping to put together an A Team of taste testers as they develop new flavours. The

  • Ex-Burnley boss expects a Championship cracker

    FORMER Burnley boss Steve Cotterill says Saturday’s top of the table showdown with Queens Park Rangers is ‘too close to call’. Sean Dyche’s Championship leaders will look to stretch their two-point gap over second placed QPR when the sides meet

  • Prime Minister backing Colne bypass talks

    PRIME Minister David Cameron has welcomed the consultation on creating the long-awaited Colne bypass. The Lancashire Telegraph revealed earlier this month that the £40million A56 villages bypass scheme had been named as a priority in the county

  • Thief banned from 27 East Lancashire stores

    A ‘PERSISTENT’ shoplifter has been banned from 27 stores across East Lancashire, and from shopping in Blackburn town centre. Shop owners said Diane Caswell would frequently target stores, sometimes filling numerous bags with items, including toys

  • Deluge prompts new fears of flooding in East Lancashire

    AN early morning deluge of rain sparked flooding fears across East Lancashire. Bury Road in Edgworth was among the areas hit, with waters reaching a couple of feet after downpours which lasted for around 12 hours. Drivers had to mount the pavement

  • Advance tickets only for Towneley Park bonfire

    FINAL preparations are being made for the spectacular bonfire and firework display at Towneley Park next month. With just under two weeks to go until the event on Bonfire Night, Tuesday, November 5, tickets are selling fast. The bonfire and

  • Barnoldswick man cleared over child sex charges

    AN ex-senior police analyst has had his name cleared over sex allegations against two children. Mark Dallison, 45, had earlier stood trial at Burnley Crown Court, where he had been accused of and denied a total of six charges of rape and three

  • Tour de France to be Lancashire's moneyspinner

    HOTEL, guest house and bed and breakfast owners in East Lancashire should move now to take advantage of a huge tourism boost from the Tour de France, says a regeneration chief. Promoters of the road race have confirmed that the two Yorkshire legs

  • Lancashire Telegraph racing column

    Fantasy Invader remains a maiden after 10 starts but there has been enough hope of late to suggest he can take a hand in the 32RedBet.com Handicap at Wolverhampton. John Quinn’s three-year-old has only once tried seven furlongs, so it would not

  • Pilkington in to Nick victory

    There was less than 20 seconds between the fastest three riders as they crossed the finish line at the top of the Nick o’Pendle on Sunday with Matthew Pilkington of Poulton-le-Fylde, who rides for the Metalek-Knights of Old squad, taking top slot with

  • Hartley finishes on the podium

    WORSTHORNE'S Harry Hartley ended the National Superstock 600 Championship in fine style as he moved from 25th to second in the final race of the season at Brands Hatch. Hartley has been competing in the championship, a feeder series to the British

  • Bumper entry for Hall Trophy

    CLITHEROE and District Motor Club have attracted a bumper entry to their traditional end of season rally, the Hall Trophy Rally in Lincolnshire. Rally ace Terry Martin, who will team up with Andy Fraser in their Darrian T9 V6, will join a host

  • Good end to season for title winners

    FORMULA Two sidecar title winners John Holden and Andy Winkle ended their season with a respectable finish in the British Sidecar Championship on Sunday. Holden, from Mellor Brook, and passenger Winkle recently clinched the British Formula Two

  • Fun in the Sun for champions

    Russ Thompson and Andy Murphy are the 2013 BRC Challenge champions after a top-class drive on the Rallye Sunseeker. A second place finish on the Dorest-based event was enough for the Thompson, from Clitheroe and Murphy to be crowned, as their title

  • Matt’s finish helps local aces strike 5K team gold

    BLACKBURN Harrier Matt Lalor won the bronze medal at the Lancashire Five-Mile Road Championships, running in the Green Drive 5K at Lytham. And it proved a double celebration for Harriers, with the men’s team – led by Lalor’s efforts – carrying

  • Fish back to his best

    BLACKBURN Harrier Ben Fish claimed a season’s best time, winning the Oxford and Abingdon Marathon. Fish won the race in two hours 26 minutes and 55 seconds – a six-minute improvement on his time at Chester earlier this month, where he finished

  • Blackburn DJ looking towards a seaside special

    BLACKBURN Rovers striker DJ Campbell has a chance of starting against his former club Blackpool on Saturday. The 31-year-old made his comeback from the injury ankle he sustained in pre-season when he came off the bench against Charlton Athletic

  • Ewood offer to attract youngsters

    CHILDREN can get in for a quid at Blackburn Rovers’ next home game. Tickets for children under 16 cost just £1 for the visit of Middlesbrough to Ewood Park on Saturday week. Rovers have also slashed prices for adults, students and seniors for

  • Young Clarets up for the cups

    Burnley’s Development Squad will face Crewe in the second round of the Premier League U21 Cup at the Alexandra Stadium next Wednesday. They will also host Oldham in the second round of the Lancashire Senior Cup.

  • Phelan linked with Middlesbrough job

    Mike Phelan has reportedly emerged as a leading candidate for the vacant manager’s role at Middlesbrough. Nelson-born Phelan – Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant at Manchester United – is reportedly at the top of a shortlist which is also said

  • Hyndburn allotment holders face 10 per cent rise in rents

    PRICES at allotments in Hyndburn are set to increase by nearly 10 per cent – nine months after the first increase in seven years. Almost 40 per cent of the 919 allotment users in the borough will face an average price hike of £4.98 from January