BYGONES’ recent stories about Blackburn’s Ragged School have prompted happy recollections from a number of readers. Grandmother Eileen Wharton, who still lives in the town, sent us this photograph of her and her friends, taken outside in Bent Street
EVERYONE knows of the heroism of Captain Lawrence Oates in the Antarctic in March 1912; few know of a similar sacrifice by Ralph Bolton, a young Darwen lad, just five years later. Unlike the monuments, memorials, books, films, plays, exhibitions
ARE you wondering what to wear this Hallowe’en? It’s now only two days away — and you don’t want to turn up at that party with last year’s outfit. Let’s face it, most fancy dress costumes available online are cheap and uncomfortable and no matter
BACK in history the parish of Whalley was the second largest in all England. Most of the East Lancashire we know today, apart from Blackburn, came within its boundaries. St Mary & All Saints was built on the site of an Eighth century church
CHIMNEY sweeps were an essential part of life in the late 1850s through to the mid 1950s when the main source of heating and cooking was a coal fire for the working classes. Huge cast iron fire ranges, which were black-leaded every week, heated
CHORLEY’s Laura Massaro believes squash is heading in the right direction in awarding equal prize money to men and women. That is despite the fact that the former Albany High School pupil netted £12,300 for winning the world squash title in Malaysia
A DARWEN councillor has slammed a town centre store after it emerged it is making a third of its staff redundant. Convenience store chain McColl’s took over the former Co-op in Church Street earlier this year and reopened after a refurbishment.
TURTLE power is set to take over Blackburn town centre next month. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello will be performing at the lights switch on Thursday, November 20. MORE TOP STORIES: The heroes
COUNTY chiefs have appealed for prospective adopters to help keep brothers and sisters together by taking in more than one child. Lancashire County Council currently has 70 children waiting to be matched with prospective adopters, including 10
EAST Lancashire’s latest world champion, Samantha Murray, is targeting the 2016 Rio Olympics after making the most of her month off following success in Warsaw. The 25-year-old, from Clitheroe, was crowned modern pentathlon world champion at the
LOCAL authorities have come under fire for failing to prioritise spending on mental health. Research by the charity Mind found that less than 1.5 per cent of English local authorities’ public health budget is spent on preventing mental health problems
THIRTY Ribble Valley families in a hard-to-heat village street are now as warm as toast thanks to a pioneering scheme that could be repeated across the borough. Occupants of the properties in the Kirklands cul-de-sac in Chipping are delighted with
A YOUNGSTER was airlifted to hospital following an accident at an East Lancashire quarry. Emergency services were called to Com Quarry, in Whitworth after receiving reports the boy had head injuries. A spokeswoman for the North West Ambulance
LANCASHIRE County Council’s Labour leader Jenny Mein has clashed with Tory MPs Nigel Evans and Andrew Stephenson over a letter from the authority’s chief executive Jo Turton on the ‘bedroom tax’. Ms Turton wrote to all of Lancashire’s MPs following
HALLOWE’EN fans looking to take part in some spooky activities in East Lancashire this week won’t be left at a ‘dead end’. Numerous activities will be held at a variety of ‘fang clubs’ as venues vie to attact revellers this All Hallows Eve.
DIRECTORS of a Lancashire-based charity have paid a visit to India to see how donations collected locally are being spent on the ground. Staff from Tauheedul Charity visited seven Indian states during a whirlwind twelve-day tour. MORE TOP STORIES
YOU never really get to know someone until you live with them. I say this because after almost four years of “dating”, my partner has decided to take a chance on mad, bad Cookie and we’re now living together. He’s burned his bridges as he’s sold
A COMMUNITY stalwart who was instrumental in setting up a village association has died, aged 67. Caring Janet Simpson was secretary of the Lower Darwen Village Community Association for more than 20 years, raising money and securing grants to enable
THE victory over Nottingham Forest was a massive result for Rovers, and I think it was the double substitution with the score at 1-0 that changed the game. Forest started 4-4-2, were winning, then went to 4-5-1, and lost, while Rovers were losing
YOUNGSTERS were given a taste of what it would have been like to serve in the forces during the First World War. An ‘immersive space’ at St Wilfrid’s CofE Academy in Blackburn was transformed into the trenches for the special event marking the
COUNTY council bosses are set to spend £5million on a new youth zone for Preston - £1million more than the combined cost of five similar facilities in East Lancashire. Burnley Liberal Democrat MP Gordon Birtwistle said the decision was just another
RESIDENTS in East Lancashire are being encouraged to access a range of free courses to help improve their health and wellbeing. The Healthy Minds Academy, managed and co-ordinated through Lancashire Women’s Centres, is running a programme of courses
FIREFIGHTERS in Lancashire will be walking out again as part of an ongoing dispute. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has announced further strike dates in a dispute with the Government over pension reforms. MORE TOP STORIES: Strikes will take
LANCASHIRE County Council highways boss John Fillis has welcomed progress on Blackburn and Accrington bus stations. He said: “The new Blackburn Bus Station is another important step forward in the Pennine Reach scheme. “Together with the recently-approved
A 27-year-old woman who ‘glassed’ a man in the face, cutting his eye, could be facing a jail term. Ashleigh Bayliff, of Paulhan Street, Burnley, admitted wounding Phillip Campbell, in a pub in the town on July 5. She denied the more serious
A ROW is brewing over two controversial wind turbine bids at either end of Pendle – with views from some of the borough’s most historic buildings and countryside potentially compromised. Angry residents have flooded the borough council with complaints
The Archbishop of York John Sentamu will visit East Lancashire next month. During the trip on November 4 and 5, he will visit Blackburn Cathedral twice. It is his first trip to Lancashire since he consecrated Bishop of Blackburn Julian Henderson
BLEAKHOLT Animal Sanctuary in Edenfield is in need of volunteers to help out in the cafe and shop on weekends and in the charity shop in Ramsbottom, which is open every day between 10am and 4pm. A spokeswoman for the centre in Bury Old Road said
A DRUNK seen with blood around his mouth in the street had a CS gas canister in his jeans pocket, a court heard. Shaun Coffey, 39, was found unsteady on his feet and smelling of alcohol when police arrived on Ford Street, Burnley, after reports
TWO youngsters who ‘banded together’ to sell the latest must-have fashion accessory have been praised by hospice chiefs. Eight-year-old Mae Gardner, from Helmshore, and seven-year-old Lauren Kershaw, from Barrowford, both cousins, decided to make
EXTRA police patrols have been requested after representatives of a Pendle OAPs club complained about problems caused by street drinkers. Officials from the Senior Gateway Club, based in Richard Street, Brierfield, had raised concerns with councillors
AN investigation is said to be underway after vandals reportedly targeted amateur gardeners at an allotment site in Nelson. Residents complained to the town’s area committee after a small parking area, at the top of the allotments on Hollins Road
THE government does not know how long it takes, or how much it costs to get access to properties to undertake statutory gas safety checks, Hyndburn and Haslingden MP Graham Jones found in Parliament. The Labour MP asked what estimates the Department
A THUG left his ex-partner terrified when he flouted a restraining order and threatened to smash her face up, a court heard. Damon Murphy, 42, was given the order for attacking Sarah Parker. He was banned from contacting her, but phoned and
A 29-YEAR-OLD man who was arrested by police after jumping into the River Brun, in Burnley, has been released with no further action to be taken. Firefighters were called around 1am yesterday to help pull the man from the water at Cow Lane.
AN amphetamine dealer who kept his £660 stash in his then-partner’s freezer, walked free from court the day after becoming a dad. Burnley Crown Court heard how addict John Beveridge, 36, repaired bicycles and people would bring him bits of bikes
TWO local butchers have made the finals of the Q butchers Guild Smithfield Awards, the annual high profile meat product competition. A total of 479 products from 54 members nationwide have been entered, including Riley’s Butchers, from Crawshawbooth
A FORMER England Schoolboys and Burnley youth team goalkeeper died after years working near asbestos, a coroner has ruled. Alan Tattersall, who won the Burnley Combination Second Division Championship with Burnley Colts in 1953, died at his Haslingden
THE team behind Burnley’s newest high school threw open their doors as they hosted their first-ever Founder’s Day. Borough MP Gordon Birtwistle and other invited guests joined the leading lights behind the new Burnley High School to see what it
THE defeat to Everton on Sunday was really upsetting for the fans and I’m getting worried about our home form. It is a big concern, we need to be strong at home in this league. We were very strong at home last season, Turf Moor was a fortress,
THE latest piece of the £125 million redevelopment of Burnley’s former mill heartland looks set to slot into place with the confirmation of new lottery funding. Finsley Gate Wharf, parts of which date back to the early 18th Century, is now in line
A TRANSDEV bus driver has been cleared over an alleged incident in which a 76-year-old passenger was said to have suffered serious injury. Roy Cropper, 64, had been alleged to have set off from a bus stop before the pensioner had chance to sit
BLACKBURN Rovers’ youngsters had to come from behind twice as they earned a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion. Yann Songo’o and Jordan Preston scored second half goals for the Under 21s to cancel out efforts from Samir Nabi and Tavhon Campbell
BLACKBURN Rovers will be looking to secure a third league win on the bounce when Reading visit Ewood Park on Saturday, but on recent history it looks a feat that is difficult to achieve. Few leagues can match the Championship for inconsistency
ACCRINGTON Stanley captain Luke Joyce has backed the Reds to cause a cup upset after the draw for the first round of the FA Cup was less than kind to them. Stanley will have to travel to League One high-flyers Notts County after the draw was made
FORMER Burnley striker striker Chris Iwelumo has announced his retirement from football. The 6ft 3in former Scotland international signed a one-year contract with Conference side Chester at the start of the season but had not played since October
BURNLEY might still be looking for a first Premier League win as we enter the first week of November, but they have a long way to go before they are matching the worst starts in the top flight. The Clarets are the ninth team in the 23 years of
CHORLEY missed out on the chance to face Bradford City in the FA Cup first round after Halifax Town old boy James Dean was sent off in a 5-0 defeat in their fourth qualifying round replay at The Shay last night. The Magpies were attempting to reach
RISHTON have had to pull out of a shock deal to sign former England spinner Graeme Swann as professional for next season. The Lancashire League side are keen to attract a big name to be their pro for 2015 as they celebrate their 150th anniversary
TRAVELLERS have set up camp on a highway next to council offices in Bacup. A spokesman for Rossendale Council said they were aware of a ‘unauthorised’ encampment at Futures Park and that officers were working to have them moved on as soon as they
A DRUNKEN bakery worker who ‘bottled’ a club barman in the face left him suffering torment because of a facial scar, a court heard. Nicole Howe, 21, had hurled one bottle at victim Jordan Sedgewick, which hit him, closely followed by another in
AN UP-AND-COMING singer-songwriter is set to release her debut single. Ella Shaw, a former St Augustine’s RC High School pupil, will be launching her dance track If You Want to Love Her on iTunes in the coming weeks. MORE TOP STORIES:
A LITTLE girl lived in horrific squalor with her single mother in a filthy and stinking house in East Lancashire, where the cupboards were bare, a court heard. The pair's home had dirty and stained carpets, black water in the kitchen sink and bath
UNPAID council tax is costing households in East Lancashire up to £150 each. Figures show that £2.5 billion is owed in council tax arrears in England, with £3 in every £100 going uncollected last year. MORE TOP STORIES: In East Lancashire
COMMUNITIES across East Lancashire are set to benefit from the installation of new alley gates. The lockable gates help to prevent burglary, fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour. Blackburn Council has approved funding for eight sets of alley
MICHAEL Kightly says Burnley will ‘never give up’ as they continue to look for a first Premier League win of the season to kick-start their safety bid. The Clarets have taken just four points from their first nine league games, and after QPR’s
GARY Bowyer has challenged his young Blackburn Rovers side to keep improving as they look for a third straight win this weekend. Only two players who started the 3-1 win at Nottingham Forest on Saturday were older than 26, with Alex Baptiste 28
A REGISTERED sex offender who went missing has handed himself in at Blackburn Police Station. Tariq Shah, 43, was convicted of rape at Carlisle Crown Court in January 2004 and was sentenced to five years imprisonment and made subject of a Sexual
A SERIOUSLY-ILL man who went missing has been found safe. Ray Clark walked out of the Royal Blackburn Hospital on Wednesday last week against the wishes of staff and had not been seen since. MORE TOP STORIES: But today, his family has thanked
DANGEROUS asbestos waste has been left dumped in a lay-by in Hyndburn. A large pile of the deadly material, which can cause serious health problems, was left in New Inns, Great Harwood. MORE TOP STORIES: Although one concerned resident
PREPARATIONS for a £4.8million link road scheme to speed traffic in and out of Blackburn are well under way for a New Year start to the main works. Contractors North Midland Construction (NMC) have dug a series of massive holes along Accrington
A MAJOR recruitment campaign has ensured the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospitals are now employing ‘more nurses than ever before’. Despite a national shortage of qualified nurses, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) has managed
