SPRIGHTLY pensioner Mary Howarth refuses to let life slip through the net At 80 years old, she is still running her fishing tackle shop in Watson Road, Blackpool - and dips her rod most weekends. Mary's so busy, she puts most 18-year-olds in their plaice
LANCASHIRE County Council is mounting a legal challenge against water meters. Council leader Louise Ellman said the meters were a back door method of disconnecting water supplies and depriving hard-up families of clean water and they bypassed normal legislation
DARWEN Leisure Centre will splash out more than £220,000 on a major facelift thanks to a lottery win and council grant. Plans are well under way to transform the town centre facility with special emphasis on making it more user-friendly for the whole
HUSBAND and wife team, Doug and Sandra Hayes were left reeling in the wake of the local elections. The Conservative couple both lost their seats after eight years on the council - just as they were about to become Mayor and Mayoress. Now Mirza Yousaf
POORLY Michael Banham's best friends helped send him on a fun holiday. Children, staff and parents from Best Friends Nursery in Mort Lane, Tyldesley raised £1404 with a series of events to send Michael and his parents on a much-needed break. Last summer
DARWEN MP Janet Anderson has panned the borough council for offering sub-standard loos in Darwen when Blackburn boasts award winning facilities. The criticism follows complaints by users of Darwen's only public conveniences. "I can only describe them
A £19,000 heritage centre is about to open its doors to the Oswaldtwistle public. Tomorrow (Friday, May 10) the new visitor centre will be officially launched - years after the local civic society began fund-raising for it. The centre is a joint project
LAST week as part of Access Month, countryside lovers got together to argue their different interests. Lancashire Evening Telegraph naturalist Ron Freethy takes a personal look at what happened. NOT so long ago, my nightmare would have been to sit in
TROUBLED Darwen communities are set to reap the benefits of an initiative designed to help them shed their "Bronx" style images for good. Blackburn Partnership is preparing to launch a Darwen Employers' Forum in an attempt to stamp out problems faced
THE government has been condemned for failing to go all the way in tackling British child sex perverts who commit offences abroad. Hyndburn Labour MP Greg Pope wants Home Secretary Michael Howard to allow the prosecution of Britons who commit sex crimes
LEIGH councillor Terry Harper is quitting the council. While Labour colleagues were celebrating their wipeout of Conservative opposition on Wigan Council, Terry was telling The Journal: "I've become disillusioned with local politics!" The one-time Social
FROM a shady nook to a denuded street. That is what East Avenue, Leigh, has become according to local residents who are angry at the council who have just chopped down the last two mature trees. And according to the residents the council have ignored
MINERS' leader Billy Kelly has won an appeal against British Coal over redundancies at Lancashire's last remaining pit. Parkside Colliery, Newton-le-Willows, closed in June 1993 with the loss of 750 jobs following a hard-fought campaign by miners and
WITH reference to the article on the Church Street Pavilions by Sol Buckner in last week's Citizen, it seems a shame that these buildings are earmarked for demolition. However, Blackburn Council's development services officer Jane Reeve said "we welcome
THEY came to salute their heroes. It has been a long time coming ... but it has been well worth the wait. Thousands of jubilant North End fans swarmed into Preston Flag Market on Monday for a triumphant celebration in honour of their winning team. There
THE new Blackburn Boulevard is taking shape and work will be finished this year. The railway station, a listed building, has already been renovated, re-roofed and seen its brickwork cleaned. The clock has also been restored to working order. And the bus
A SCENE of complete devastation met members of the bowling committee when they returned to Leyland Motors Sports and Social Club after the Bank Holiday weekend. Vandals had cut through fences, smashed windows and kicked in cupboards at the club. And the
SKILLS, thrills and spills are on offer until May 12 when a Forest Focus Adventure Week offers taster sessions of activities in country parks in Bury. . Organised by Red Rose Forest the event will offer chances to sail, canoe, windsurf, cycle and orienteer
JACK Straw has joined Darwen MP Janet Anderson in her race against time to make stalking a criminal offence. The Blackburn MP and Shadow Home Secretary is calling on Michael Howard to back the Stalking Bill, which has been drafted and brought forward
FOR the part it played in supplying emergency assistance to local users Bury Council should be paid, say water watchdogs Ofwat. On New Year's Eve the local authority's Contract Services staff swung into action after a flood of calls from people without
I SECOND the comments of Brian Wood in his review of Queen tribute band, Ga Ga (Citizen, May 2). These three guys from Liverpool were exceptionally brilliant. Undoubtedly, they captured Queen on the night and are a must for all Queen fans. Unlike any
I WOULD like to express my own and my family's great relief through your newspaper and to thank our local councils who are at last doing something positive to stamp out the nuisance caused by noisy neighbours. For more than three years we have had our
DAD Brian Lawrenson is demanding an apology from PNE after he lost his son for a frantic hour and a half in the chaos as 18,700 fans struggled to get into the ground on Saturday. Seven-year-old Adam had to queue at a different gate to his mum and dad.
MORE than 300 young people had the chance to plan their first career moves when they attended the recent Your Future - Your Options day at Bury Town Hall. Sixteen trained providers from a wide range of occupations were on hand to speak to the youngsters
AMBULANCE service operative Jackie Smith was hailed a heroine - after helping save a stroke victim's life...by telephone. Jackie, of the Livesey Branch Road area, became the first mercy service phone operator to put a new emergency procedure to the test
FOLLOWING a market testing exercise the Greater Manchester Ambulance Service NHS Trust has had its non-emergency Patient Transport Service contract renewed with the Central Manchester NHS Healthcare Trust Worth more than £1.5 million over the next three
PRESTON Borough Council is set for a major reshuffle following last Thursday's elections which left the Conservatives badly depleted and facing the loss of their Mayor elect. Labour remains in control with 32 councillors, having gained one seat overall
KING ANDY Saville (pictured) crowned a perfect season on Saturday - scoring his 30th goal and putting Proud Preston on the road to Division Two. It was a proud day at a proud club - and there was only one man prouder than King Andy, his boss Gary Peters
BRITISH Gas today apologised to a brassed-off customer for bombarding her with bills and red reminders for money she never owed. Margaret Cullen's bills blues began in February when she was wrongly invoiced £142.02 for a boiler repair covered by insurance
FOLLOWING its rise from the ashes Parrenthorn High School has earned top marks from OFSTED inspectors who have described its head's leadership as providing "a vision for the school that strives to develop all pupils fully." In January last year a £1 million
HEALTH bosses in East Lancashire want to become baby-friendly to encourage mums to breast-feed their tots! A pioneering course will be launched at Queen's Park Hospital's maternity unit in Blackburn next Wednesday to coincide with National Breast Feeding
LABOUR forged ahead on an anti-government tide today as election night left East Lancashire Conservatives at their weakest in the town halls for more than a decade. Labour had control of Rossendale for the first time since local government reorganisation
FANS, players and management were jubilant at Gigg Lane on Saturday after the 5,658-strong crowd had waited with bated breath for the result of the drama still unfolding at Scunthorpe's Glanford Park where the home team were entertaining Darlington. The
POLITICIANS from a housing blackspot were today hopeful of government backing for a new plan to speed up slum clearance. Hyndburn Tory MP Ken Hargreaves and a delegation from Hyndburn Council saw Housing Minister Sir George Young about a new blueprint
SUNDAY afternoons are never quite the same without a siesta. And there is nothing better to induce the comatose state than a Formula One Grand Prix. Personally, I would rather watch three hours of snail racing. This at least contains an element of true
STAFF at Beardwood Hospital, Blackburn, have received a giant vote of confidence from their patients. The hospital has come first in a national survey on nursing care and communication. An independent research organisation questioned patients at 21 private
MOVIE-maker Peter Copestake will remember a ecumenical church service marking Colne's centenary for the rest of his life. Peter and the Pendle Movie Makers have been compiling their long-awaited video of the Songs of Praise service. He said: "I must have
A YOUNG girl who suffered serious injuries in a road accident may have to spend up to ten weeks in hospital to recover. Helen Cunliffe, whose ten-year-old daughter, Rachel, was injured in the accident on Tuesday, said the youngster suffered fractures
THE family of a teenager bravely battling against a muscle-wasting condition are saying a big 'thank-you' to goldenheart townsfolk who helped to buy him a special wheelchair. An appeal was launched to raise the £5,800 needed for the electronic chair after
NEARLY 400 townsfolk attended the special NSPCC Centenary Commemorative Service at St Helens Parish Church on Sunday, April 28 - almost 100 years to the day since the St Helens branch was founded. Special guests included the Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside
ATTENDING a brewery awards evening in Chorley recently Hark to Dandler licensee Tom Jones received a Mastercellarman Award Certificate from Matthew Brown managing director John Sarginson. He was among 45 licensees nominated from more than one thousand
HAPPY? Who wouldn't be after such a comprehensive victory. So said Saints' boss Shaun McRae after his team's demolition of Oldham on Sunday. WHITTLE: A dozen brilliant tries and not a 'bomb' in sight! That was the delighted response of handling rugby
THERE is another disease, far more widespread than 'mad cow disease,' which is linked not only to the consumption of beef, but to all meats - It is heart disease. According to a recent World Health Organisation study, the UK had the highest rate of heart
LOWERHOUSE continued their perfect start to the season on Sunday as Shawn Flegler made an unbeaten 159 in a total of 237-6 to put the result of their game with Accrington beyond doubt. The Australian professional also took four lower-order wickets for
BURNLEY boss Adrian Heath has joined the growing Burnley kit row. Some Turf Moor fans have slammed the choice of claret and blue quarters for the new home strip for the 1996-97 season. The smart new white away kit - featuring three fading blue stripes
MEAN thieves dealt a blow to the Olympic dreams of top disabled runner Mark Brown when they broke into his car and stole his athletics gear. Arm-amputee Mark, 33, now faces a race against time to find his running shoes before the Atlanta Paralympics in
TIM Sherwood today blasted out a warning to anyone who thinks Blackburn Rovers are a spent force - "We are no one-season wonders." The Ewood skipper, who was in outstanding form as Rovers battled - unsuccessfully in the end - for a place in Europe, has
IF every picture tells a story, then the picture painted on the walls of Sipovo kindergarten, Bosnia, tells the story of a group of Lancashire soldiers who are trying to rebuild a world fit for children amid the ruins of a country destroyed by a monstrous
BARLICK'S answer to X-Files UFO hunter Fox Mulder is determined to get to the bottom of Pendle's most enduring mystery. Sky watcher Simon Whitehead is convinced the area is being visited by craft that may prove to be literally out of this world. And he's
MORECAMBE proved just how far they have come this season as they finished the campaign on a winning note at home to Kidderminster on Saturday. The Shrimps avenged their early season 4-2 defeat in the Midlands with a fine 3-1 win which means they lost
LANCASTER'S long unbeaten league run came to an end when they lost their final game at home to Farsley Celtic on Saturday. With the league title already secured, City found it difficult to raise their game despite taking an early lead and eventually went
GIANT Axe, the home of Lancaster City Football Club, is set to be converted into a multi-million pound sports complex serving the city. The £4 million plans designed to provide leisure facilities for local people and make the football club eligible for
BLACKPOOL nitespot Brannigan's is expecting capacity crowds of women this summer - all hoping to snare £10.9 million lottery winner Karl Crompton. The 23-year-old Cleveleys salesman, who counts Saturday nights at the town centre venue among his favourite
THE MEMORY of Les Dawson was at the forefront of a special round of golf as celebrities teed off to help raise funds for one of his favourite charities. A multitude of stars from the showbusiness to sporting world converged at Blackpool's exclusive De
DARWEN Library Players have a full cast for their epic Accrington Pals production - thanks to an appeal in the Citizen. The theatre group was searching for two people to perform in a special play in Sunnyhurst Woods about the East Lancashire 11th battalion
IN your leader (LET, April 29) you state "MPs would do well to remember it was the British public who voted in a referendum to join Europe." What you omitted to say is that we were cheated. People voted to join a European Economic Community. Then, there
DETECTIVES have released a man they were quizzing over the death of an Atherton mother of two. Robert Glover, aged 40, was given police bail on Tuesday morning after being questioned at Leigh police station since Sunday night. A file will be sent to the
MILLIONAIRE Owen Oyston told police he had been subjected to a "very nasty and vicious" campaign for 10 to 12 years. In court this week, he named Lord Blaker - formerly Blackpool South MP Sir Peter Blaker - and ex-sports minister Robert Atkins, MP for
LEIGH'S bumpiest road is runway smooth compared to the ones leading to a Ghanan clinic. And fund-raisers from Our Lady of Apostles Convent hope pot-holed Orchard Lane won't deter people from attending their May Fair which is supporting the Sisters' Clinic
FROM Llamas to pot-bellied pigs, a whole herd of unusual animals are about to make their home in Rishton. The new animal park is about to take shape at Lord's House Farm, thanks to a £10,000 British Telecom community award. The cash will pay for a barn
CHALLENGE Cup fever will grip RL fans again this month - a quarter of a century after Leigh's famous Wembley win. But, 25 years on, the cup-winning team celebrating the silver jubilee anniversary of that still-talked-about 24-7 win over Leeds, will be
ROAD chiefs have introduced a new scheme to slow traffic at an accident blackspot in a last-ditch effort to prevent more casualties. Red "slow" stripes have been painted across Dill Hall Lane at Church, but Hyndburn Council engineers have admitted that
RAY Harford has no trouble picking out the double whammy which caused him the most pain during the season just ended - the injuries to Graeme Le Saux and Ian Pearce. The Blackburn Rovers boss had to cope manfully with a season that had more lows than
NORTH West Water is forking out a further £10 million to protect essential supplies as the region continues to suffer from a lack of rainfall. This brings to £85 million the company's investment in projects to keep the water flowing despite the lack of
THE new Archbishop of York is to make his first official visit to the Blackburn Diocese this weekend. The Most Reverend and Right Honourable David Hope will visit towns throughout the county including Blackburn, Preston, Lancaster, Blackpool, Nelson and
LATEST reports show privatisation could bring cuts to rail services calling at Preston and Lancaster. The office of Passenger Rail Franchises has published a draft report about Cross Country Train Ltd indicating that only two thirds of the current number
"CHAMPIONS, champions, champions," they sang. And what a weekend it was! Saturday saw Preston North End crowned champions of their division - and heralded a weekend of celebrations culminating in an open-topped bus tour of the town centre and massive
DARWEN had mixed success over the weekend, picking up their first win of the season only to be dumped out of the Lancashire Cup. The Birch Hall side picked up their first Northern League win with a comfortable victory over Leyland, who they bowled out
SHOPPERS look on in horror as a young woman is flung into the air by a speeding car. But there was no tragic ending to the story because it was all a big stunt being filmed by the BBC for a new series of the popular drama, Hettie Wainthrop Investigates
THEY'VE had some real ding-dong battles in the past and Saturday's clash between Cup holders Great Harwood and League champions Padiham promises to be no different. The two sides come face to face in the first round of the Vaux Ramsbottom Cup at Padiham
CRUEL vandals have led a spate of attacks on a fleet of minibuses provided for disabled people in Preston. Co-ordinator of Preston Community Transport John Atkins said increasing acts of 'extreme vandalism' had badly affected services, leaving many vulnerable
A LOCAL snooker hero raced over 100 miles to play a special round of golf for one of the late Les Dawson's favourite charities - and pocketed first prize. Blackburn-based, Dennis Taylor, rushed to Blackpool's De Vere Hotel from the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
FORMER Preston joiner Peter Frost holds an ace card in his one-man campaign to win the hearts and minds of schoolchildren in the battle against smoking. He suffered four heart attacks as a result of a lifetime of heavy smoking and eight years ago this
YOUNGSTERS are to join forces with local people to stage a massive clean-up operation in Radcliffe. Derelict land off Spencer Avenue on the Bolton Road estate is to be tackled in a new joint initiative bringing together the entire community. And already
I WAS compelled to write after reading your article headlined "Beanz Meanz War", on how certain supermarkets were competing to offer low-priced tins of beans. The quote by Chris Blundell, Morrisons marketing manager, particularly interested me. Commenting
DAIRY farmers have gone into very public mourning over the BSE-related killing of thousands of calves less than ten days old, whose remains are to be incinerated rather than being eaten. Normally, 500,000 of these calves are off-loaded every year to continental
POTENTIALLY lethal needles are strewn across a Leyland wasteland where children regularly play. Children as young as ten have found used syringes abandoned on wasteland on the Wade Hall housing estate. Some even admit to picking them up with their bare
YOUNGSTERS on a Leyland estate are to be given a set of new goal posts after council workmen demolished their own home-made ones. Children living on the Wade Hall estate used to spend every evening kicking a ball. Local builder Martin Benson stepped in
A RED TIDAL wave of Labour councillors swept this year's local elections as Tory candidates took to the hills for cover. The Conservatives felt the backlash of a disinterested and disillusioned Blackburn borough electorate who returned just five of their
CARING schoolgirl Samantha Hollingsworth's wish is to come true. The eight-year-old wrote to Bury Metro's mayor, Councillor Neville Singer, asking what the Council could do to help the homeless. Now she's found out herself - at the controls of a JCB digger
FUN-FILLED memories are now all that remains of the old flume at Blackburn Waves Water Fun Centre. The ageing ride is being dismantled to make way for a new white-knuckle, high speed "spaceship" flume to thrill summer visitors. Waves will be one of only
LARRY PEARSON is a rare breed in the world of cricket and in the perfect position to monitor the form of his beloved East Lancashire. For Larry has been chairman of the club for the past two years AND first team scorer since 1969 - the longest serving
UNSWORTH and Stand experienced the highs and lows of life in the Central Lancashire Cricket League. The former were the top scoring local side in the weekend's cricket programme with a winning 224 for 8 while the latter scored the fewest, just 60, but
LAST Friday a second heated public meeting was held to discuss a planning application submitted to the Council by the owner of the disused Taylor Nicholson lodge off Mather Road in Bury. He is proposing to in-fill part of his picturesque lodge to reduce
CHRIS Harris faces a dramatic race against the clock to reach Acre Bottom in time for Sunday's Jennings Worsley Cup first round tie between Ramsbottom and Rishton. New Zealand all-rounder Harris, who has missed Ramsbottom's start to the Marsden BS Lancashire
EVERY one of the London Marathon runners - first to last - deserves a medal. But, particularly, I would like to put on record my admiration of Gary Mitchell, of Darwen, and Malcolm Doherty, leader of Blackburn Council. Their efforts and altruism are of
ONLY A week ago, voters in England's local elections told the Tories what they thought of them as they turfed them out of hundreds of council seats across the country. Looked at as an opinion poll verdict, the results made grim reading for party chiefs
PARENTS were put on a baby snatch alert today as it was revealed that bogus officials entered a house after telling a dad he had been mistreating his child. Stunned Michael Rigby found the man and woman so convincing that he let them into his home and
ATHLETE John Taylor has set himself an Olympian target. As the pace gathers towards Atlanta and the centenary of the Olympic Games, he is going back in time. John is researching the history of Leigh Harriers, launched in October 1890 - six years before
ERIC HUGHES is now acutely aware of the awesome task facing him at Hilton Park. Sunday's 23-20 home defeat by South Wales showed him first hand the problems that cost Ian Lucas his Leigh coaching job. Hughes' losing start to his Hilton Park reign was
A SAFE containing £2,500 in English and foreign currency was stolen from the presbytery of St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Dentons Green Lane, St Helens, between 4.55 and 5.45pm on Saturday, April 27. Anyone who can help the police with their inquiries
LEE SMETHILLS has won an England call. The cycle speedway ace with Astley & Tyldesley will feature in a junior international at Newport on June 1. Meanwhile, A & T enjoyed their Dutch treat. The Gin Pit club scored a breathtaking 90-89 win in
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an armed robbery at Blackbrook post office at around 10am this Wednesday morning. Two men - one with a handgun and the other brandishing a sawn-off shotgun - entered the post office on Blackbrook Road, shortly after
A GROUP of Greek schoolchildren will be visiting St Helens from May 18 to 24 as part of an innovative and exciting environmental project linking their country with England, Germany and Italy. 'Towards a Better Europe' is the title chosen by the 22 15-
ST HELENS and Knowsley Local Medical Committee (LMC) has pledged to 'fight tooth and nail' against proposals put forward by a health watchdog to merge two NHS trusts. The Community Health Council believes the merger of St Helens and Knowsley Community
AS a motorist, I believed that the flashing lights on both sides of a motor vehicle, front and rear, were an excellent innovation as a hazard warning in case of breakdown. Now I see it is quite common to see private vehicles parked on double yellow lines
THE MAN who has done more than most to help shape the future of a 450-year-old Accrington church is making his plans to leave the parish. The Rev Fred Cooke is leaving St James Church in the year it celebrates its anniversary with a series of exhibitions
THE decision by Blackburn Council not to spend any of a £60,000 English Heritage cash grant on the Church Street Pavilions - instead favouring other listed buildings - is as regrettable as it is baffling. One must accept the statement from development
CHURCH members across Pendle are helping to raise cash for charity. Around 15 churches of differing denominations in Colne are joining for a massive house-to-house collection for Christian Aid Week from May 12 to 18. And in West Craven, they are holding
THE 'will he, won't he move?' surrounding Saints' Welsh ace Scott Gibbs rumbled on as the Star went to press yesterday, Wednesday, with the Knowsley Road club adopting a 'sit tight' policy. Gibbs signed for Saints from Swansea in 1994 and has made no
WEAPONS technology adapted for peaceful purposes has brought Lucas Aerospace a £34 million, five-year contract. The Burnley plant will produce high-pressure fuel storage cylinders for the latest gas-powered vehicles, which are designed to cut exhaust
FEAR gripped Gillian Cocker when her 82-year-old mother started to struggle for breath during a family evening at home. Panic overwhelmed her and it was all she could do to reach for the phone to dial 999. Luckily the voice on the other end of the phone
A FORMER college head of science has died after a heart attack at home. Dr Peter Jackson, 71, of Pleckgate, Blackburn, retired from Blackburn College in 1983 after becoming department head in 1968. But he continued an active role in college developments
AWARD-winning coalman Albert Milligan has a theory that open fires are good for people's health. The 59-year-old Burnley man - voted the North-West's top coalman - says the warmth of a real fire is an excellent cure for complaints such as asthma and chilblains
CLITHEROE'S Andy Taylor has no doubts - the Blues are going to Wembley to win! And the man who scored a crucial semi-final goal believes Clitheroe's "business-as-usual" approach to Sunday's FA Vase final against Brigg Town will pay a big dividend. "Our
RESIDENTS in a troubled-part of Burnley are at the end of their tether after suffering years of drug-related crime. Burglaries, theft, damage and nuisance offences had shattered the confidence of decent folk, one resident claimed. The remarks were made
SOUTH west Burnley, the borough's biggest crime blackspot, is being targeted in the latest Safer Cities project. The police and the council will combine to try to cut the rising number of burglaries and other offences in the area, which includes Trafalgar
BARNOLDSWICK is at risk from an RAF jet crash because of low-flying war planes, its MP claimed in a new row on the issue. Labour's Gordon Prentice (right) feared that use of the area for low-level sorties held out the prospect of tragedy. This week, Defence
THE inventor of the notorious Africar wooden car has admitted fraudulent trading and deception. Anthony Howarth's company Africar International Ltd, based on Caton Road in Lancaster, collapsed in 1988 leaving massive debts including £100,000 of prospective
COMMUTERS, students and businesses in and around Lancaster could be left high and dry by plans to privatise the area's railway network. That's the claim from city council leader Stanley Henig who's outraged at the minimum level of cross country train
THE casualty department at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary is to get a check-up of its own from the city's health watchdogs. Members of Lancaster's Community Health Council (CHC) are to hold a 24-hour vigil at the hospital's accident and emergency unit
