Archive

  • The gloves are off...

    THE election race is on. The political battle-lines have been drawn and campaigning is well under way. With radical boundary changes creating two new local constituencies, the traditional political waters have been muddied and there is everything to fight

  • Drunken intruder tackled at school

    AN INTRUDER found himself hauled before the head when he broke into a girls' school late on Tuesday night (April 8). The culprit - thought to be the worse for drink - is alleged to have broken a window and got into the cellar of Elmslie Girls School as

  • Veteran Jepson gives Shakers five!

    Bury 2 Walsall 1 BARREL-CHESTED Ronnie Jepson barged open the door leading to First Division riches and then handed the praise to all his teammates. The much-travelled Jepson forced home his ninth goal from 21 starts, and his third in the last four, to

  • Heart attack driver 'poorly'

    A 40-year-old Heysham man is in a poorly condition after suffering a heart attack at the wheel of his car on Tuesday afternoon. Allan McFall, of Levens Drive, was driving his B-reg Ford Sierra along Mellishaw Lane at Heaton-with-Oxcliffe when he collapsed

  • Conference success

    "FOR those who want to know who? what? why? where? and when? - I don't think there will ever be an answer." As a journalist weaned on asking the five 'w's' this statement went somewhat against the grain as I took in the atmosphere at the Planetary Aid

  • Kill your speed campaign

    A MUM-of-four has launched a one-woman Kill Your Speed campaign against dangerous drivers near her home. Elizabeth Shanley says motorists speed along a wide stretch of Warley Road, near Claremont Park, putting children and the elderly in danger. She has

  • We'll be back

    THE family who watched in horror as their business come crashing to the ground in Lancaster's Penny Street three weeks ago have vowed they will return. The Barnes family - the heartbroken owners of Outdoor Pursuits - told the Citizen that Penny Street

  • Bosses travel in for garden tour

    THREE top-level Romanians are coming to Leigh - to see how our gardens grow! (writes Malcolm Ryding) And they will be going home with top tips and millions of seeds from Bents Garden Centre at Glazebury. Bill Hampson, who has spearheaded links between

  • Fancy a trek to Everest?

    A MOUNTAIN of traditional Nepalese goods will be among the wonders on display at the Derian House charity street market in Blackpool this month. Sarki Tamang comes from a small village near Mount Everest but has now settled in Poulton with wife Jayne.

  • Taylor fills Parker's shoes

    Morecambe FC Chairman Ken Parker resigned this week to make way for a new boss to take the club into the next millennium. Citing work commitments and the responsibility of running the expanding club as his reasons for stepping down, Mr Parker will now

  • Fright riders!

    GET ready for the fright of your life! That's the message to 30 daredevils who are preparing to tackle Blackpool's Big One - five times! The event, in aid of the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust, will see the brave souls go non-stop around the world's

  • Journal winners miss out on 'big race'

    LOCAL people caught-up in Aintree's bomb hoax race course drama included Journal prize winners who had won tickets to watch the Grand National. Glazebury farmers John and Joan Patrick won free tickets for the big event in a Journal competition, but lost-out

  • Roman Road FC 3 Bradley Wanderers Youth 5

    BRADLEY Wanderers Youth turned in a fine performance to defeat Roman Road 5-3 in the semi-final of the Blackburn Youth League Cup. Roman Road took a sharp lead after five minutes, only for Bradley to equalise with a well struck penalty from Daniel Coupe

  • Miracle baby wins regional tots competition

    MIRACLE baby Thomas Narramore has every reason to gurgle with delight! For the cute little cherub has just been named Boots Darwen store winner in the Baby of the Year 1997 regional competition heats. Proud mum, Karen Narramore of Cavendish Street, Darwen

  • School's closing festival

    WITH only weeks to go before closing for the last time after 104 years, Tyldesley Central CE School has announced a week of activities to which local people are invited. To be called 'Celebration Week' the school, in Darlington Street, starts with a sponsored

  • I quit, says landlord after vicious gang attack

    A LANDLORD who was badly beaten by thugs has called time after just seven weeks at a town centre pub. Keith Butterworth, 33, has quit Oswaldtwistle's Tinker and Budget in disgust after his family were brutally attacked by a group of drunken customers.

  • Preston Grasshoppers 18 Lichfield 9

    PRESTON Grasshoppers demolshed Lichfield 18-9. A Steve Kerry penalty for Hoppers was followed by a try under the posts for Wade Dooley with Kerry converting. Hoppers' second half performance was disappointing as too often the Lichfield pack took line

  • Bye, bye blackbird

    A BLACKBIRD which has taken roost in a local supermarket has been given a last minute reprieve after bosses decided against shooting it. Supermarket staff have tried every trick in the book to try to persuade the bird to leave Accrington's Asda store

  • Peter backs Wesley fight

    See Helen is new Labour choice See Cunliffe's big six questions See Your tenner's safe with me! PETER HOUGH has given a little cheer to Wesley Guild battlers. The Lowton-based author and Liberal-Democrats' Leigh prospective parliamentary candidate said

  • Henry drops fun from Wakes - but fails!

    TYLDESLEY'S Wakes is at crisis point after the threat of a £25,000 fairground fine! Club officers were expected to order fairground boss Henry Hill Jnr off the Tyldesley Rugby Union Club venue - despite assurances that he would turn down the volume. Last

  • Teenage dancers toe-ing the line

    TWO tiny foot-tappers are heading for the high -life after hopping their way into the finals of a top line dancing contest. . Preston girls Ella Baines and Emma Hudson have just won the semi-finals of the British Line Dancing competition. Ella, who attends

  • John's new challenge for the Millennium

    JOHN AYRES prides himself on being a remodelled Lancastrian (writes David Hodgkinson). And his late-acquired clog complex has given him the passion to restore Leigh's long-lost prestige. The former London accounts executive has just settled into his new

  • Barton and Foggy in top form

    GRAND Prix exile Darren Barton blasts back into action at Sunday's opening round of the British 125cc Supercup. And the man dubbed The Chief by his race rivals says he's hungrier than ever to win back one of the biggest prizes in British motorbike racing

  • Aces round off in style

    FOUR medals from six final placings! That was the count as Howe Bridge Aces rounded off their efforts at the Central Lancashire Preliminaries. Chris Atherton took gold in the 13-Year 100 breaststroke just ahead of Ben Hancock's silver. Silvers also for

  • Community will be divided by road widening scheme

    PROTESTING parents have angrily rejected plans to widen a busy main road. Furious residents slammed all three proposals put forward by Lancashire County Council to make London Road accommodate a park and ride scheme in Walton-le-Dale and cope with extra

  • Tracing dancing days

    I RECENTLY came across an old letter that referred to morris dancers dancing in Whitefield to the Besses o' th' Barn brass band in 1909 or 1910. It was thought that the dancers were collier lads from Westhoughton. This is the first time that I have come

  • LETTER:Europe awaits

    WITH the General Election fast approaching, I found it rather amusing to read Mr Monks' letter in last week's postbag. If everyone listened to him, Arthur Scargill would be Prime Minister, pensioners wouldn't be able to vote (unless they worked part time

  • Man is dragged from 'car bomb'

    FIREMEN dragged a man from his car after he turned it into a huge petrol bomb. Tesco petrol station on Bury New Road in Prestwich was evacuated after the man poured petrol over himself and the roof of his car. The man, in his 30s, drove his Ford Escort

  • Please come clean 'Voice'

    WE, The Millennium Centre Project, would like to inform the public and certain local services that no-one now connected with our project has anything to do with the 'Voice of the People' or 'Senior Citizen' letters in The Journal Mailbox. Although this

  • Museum dusts down decades of history

    BLACKBURN museum is planning the biggest spring clean in its 135 history to make way for new exhibits. Storage rooms are currently jam-packed with unwanted stock and museum manager Sally Coleman and her staff are busy making room for new material. She

  • Bowled over by teeny vandals

    YOU won't blackmail us! That's the message to teeny vandals who are wreaking havoc on senior citizens' bowling greens. Council leisure bosses say the youngsters who ride their bikes and play football and cricket on the well-kept lawns are holding the

  • Patient's praise for MIU

    IN view of the vast amount of criticism of Leigh Infirmary recently, I felt I should put on record my own experience at the nurse-led Minor Injuries Unit. The unit is bright and cheerful, with a large rocking horse and plenty of toys available for children

  • Goodbye to shopping centre manager

    ALLAN Caster paid a glowing tribute to the people of Blackburn on the eve of his retirement as shopping centre manager. Mr Caster, who steps down at the end of the month after 14 years in charge, praised shoppers for their loyalty and continued support

  • Doncaster Dragons 20 Lancashire Lynx 24

    THE Lynx made an impressive start to this game, scoring the opening try less than a minute. A break made by Steve Gee paved the way for winger Simon Smith to cross the whitewash unfortunately, the Lynx failed to continue in this manner. The Dragons immediately

  • Passenger killed in motorbike crash

    A MOTOR cycle pillion passenger died after being catapulted from the machine. Mark Kay (26), of Nuttall Street, Bury, was dead on arrival at hospital after Wednesday night's (April 9) accident in Manchester Road when the bike was in collision with a pedestrian

  • Study reveals serious social decline

    SHOCKING statistics have revealed serious social decline across the county. The results of a four year study - released this week - revealed that only one in five students in Blackburn and Accrington achieve five A to C grade GCSEs. The survey, Lancashire's

  • Nursery vouchers launched in Bury

    ALISTAIR Burt MP launched the controversial nursery voucher scheme in Bury - but it may not last long. The scheme was heralded as "a benefit to all parents", by Mr Burt, who joined children and staff at Educare for Early Years nursery in Walshaw Road,

  • Counting the cost of pitch invasion

    A NAVAL officer who carried out a lone Gigg Lane pitch invasion and assaulted the referee has been banned from every soccer ground in the country for 15 months and fined a massive £2,750. Shamed Royal Navy Petty Officer Darren Williams attacked Hartlepool

  • Council kick out dole plan

    BURY Council is to boycott the Government's controversial "work for your dole" scheme. And local authority leaders are also telling their business partners to join them in kicking Project Work out of the borough. Bury has been chosen to pilot the scheme

  • Citizen election round-up

    OUR election round-up kicks off with Ribble Valley ... where Tory Nigel Evans is defending the seat against a strong challenge from Liberal Democrat Michael Carr and Labour's Marcus Johnstone. Boundary changes have put large chunks of Fulwood into this

  • Gun hero's Council Tax fury

    PENSIONER Derrick Whalley helped save the council thousands of pounds during an armed raid and now they are threatening to take him to court over a £75 bill. Mr Whalley (70), claims he has been threatened with the bailiffs unless he immediately pays £75

  • Doctor fights to keep breast cancer nurses

    A TOP doctor today pledged to fight for the cash to revive the roles of two specialist breast cancer nurses. John Tresadern, who spearheads the fight against breast cancer in East Lancashire, has spoken out after funding was withdrawn for nurses Wendy

  • Hip-op heartache behind PM's handshake

    GRANDMOTHER Gladys Barker had her hip replacement operation cancelled for the fifth time - only hours after shaking hands with Prime Minister John Major. A smiling Mr Major, who flew into Bury on a surprise vote-catching visit on Monday, posed for press

  • 10 YEARS AGO: Blistering Bank Holiday

    STAY-at-home Bank Holidaymakers were rewarded with record temperatures, while day trippers met record-breaking traffic jams. The Easter holiday got off to a sizzling start with temperatures reaching 70f, but weathermen warned the heatwave would not last

  • TABLE TENNIS: Andrea on song

    ANDREA Holt of Ramsbottom helped steer the England ladies' table tennis team to the final of the Commonwealth championship. She won both singles encounters and doubles match, alongside British number one Lisa Lomas, against Australia and is hoping to

  • CRICKET: Lancashire League working party report

    A RETURN to a form of "time cricket", more focus on the development of young players and encouragement for clubs to enter other knockout competitions could be on the agenda as the Lancashire League heads towards the millennium, writes PETER WHITE. The

  • Seven-up for Atherton

    THREE gold in seven medals made it a super day for Atherton SC at the Fifth Central Lancashire Age Group Gala. Firsts went to Daniel Kings in the 13-Year 200 freestyle, Matthew Jackson in the 15-Year 200 butterfly and brother Nicholas Jackson in the 16

  • Ban is beautiful

    WHAT excellent news. At last, the National Trust has banned deer hunting on its land. But what of the bloodthirsty sadists who will be frustrated and bored by not being able to hunt the poor creatures. May I make a suggestion to them: Why don't you hunt

  • Staz steps up for Leigh

    GED STAZICKER is Leigh's new reserve team coach. The switch came when the club parted company with Alliance boss Willie Johnson who had been in charge for almost three years. Johnson has left by mutual consent with former Leigh, Salford and Wigan prop

  • Mill plan a symbol of East Lancs fighting spirit

    IF EVER there was a symbol of East Lancashire's industrial might when cotton was king, it is Darwen's India Mill with its unique and magnificent landmark chimney. Today, with textiles manufacturing there having gone the way of so many other mills, the

  • £250,000 store revamp

    THE biggest supermarket in Nelson is having a £250,000 face-lift. The new-look Food Giant store in Leeds Road opens with a re-launch on Tuesday, April 21. Store manager Ken Thomas, a member of the Nelson Town Centre Forum, says the investment comes at

  • Kate's in mood for Nationals

    KATE WARD has booked another place in the Nationals. The 13-year-old swimmer with Tyldesley SC took gold in a cracking swim in the 200 freestyle, setting an event record with a PB at the fifth Central Lancashire Gala. Firsts also went to Matthew Hampson

  • Get rid of the bean counters not the nurses

    AS THEY fight on lofty plains, trading ideals and sound bites in the battle for the voters' trust, political leaders would do well to come down to earth and discover what concerns ordinary people. For consider just one issue that has flared in East Lancashire

  • D-Day for controversial site

    COUNCILLORS in Colne decide the fate of North Valley Road tonight (Thursday),. A development company is offering a £60,000 package as part of a deal for permission to build a massive shopping and industry park alongside a car showroom and a fast-food

  • Blind woman alleges driver threatened her

    A BLIND passenger claims a driver threatened to throw her off his bus because he did not recognise her Lancashire County Council pass. Heather Nutter has held a concessionary pass since she was registered blind in 1983 and travels throughout Lancashire

  • Junior titles for Richard

    SWIMMER Richard Hampson has been in hot form for Tyldesley SC. The 16-year-old hit gold in the Lancashire Age Groups at Wigan, winning the 100 freestyle (PB, NQT), 200 freestyle, backstroke and butterfly (NQT) and individual medley. He also took junior

  • Hope springs eternal

    ENTREPRENEUR Mel Sharp has proved that age is no barrier to business success. The 64-year-old from Colne has clocked up more than 45 working years - but retirement is the last thing on his mind. After taking voluntary redundancy from Rolls-Royce three-and-a-half

  • Rainbow-full of kiddies' laughter

    A POPULAR children's entertainer from St Helens and a group of talented Haydock-based youngsters will be rubbing shoulders with clowns from around the world at an international event in Southport. 'Bokco the Clown', alias Michael Hines, from Central Street

  • Lee sparks Courage victory

    LEIGH RU were good value for their 20-12 Courage League win against Carlisle. But a bustling first-half show could not be matches after the break. Chris Lee bagged the opening points with a kick and chase, earning a penalty try after being obstructed.

  • Bride takes lorry ride to love

    IT proved a traffic-stopping moment when Kym Weights arrived for her wedding ceremony. For she rolled up at St Helens Register Officer in a spanking new £70,000 Mercedes lorry. Tanker driver Dave Johnstone had always promised his attractive blonde bride

  • ROVERS: 'Patience' is key in youth team's final bid

    PATIENCE will be the key word when Rovers' youngsters take on Crystal Palace at Ewood tonight in their FA Youth Cup semi-final second leg, writes PETER WHITE. Trailing 2-1 from last week's clash at Selhurst Park, youth development officer Jim Furnell

  • Patient Leigh in final surge

    KEITH LATHAM called for patience on the terraces. But it was Leigh's patience on the pitch that did the trick. A rousing finale saw them finish with a three-try burst in the last 19 minutes to kill off dogged Prescot Panthers. The 27-14 win wasn't much

  • Michelle's a real charity champ

    MICHELLE Lewis has spent most of her young life battling to beat the crippling effects of a rare muscle condition. But that hasn't stopped her becoming a regular charity champ... by doing her 'bit' to help others. And she has now passed a memorable milestone

  • Grey day for Royal Oak

    ROYAL OAK'S Grey day turned into a nightmare. In the Leigh & District Amateur Football League's first evening matches of the season they suffered a shock 5-2 home defeat against relegation threatened Three Crowns. Dave Greyson scored a hat-trick and

  • Charity's search for Superkid 97

    FOLLOWING the success of last year's inititial competition, local charity The Disability Network is on the lookout for the St Helens Young Citizen of 1997. The Bickerstaffe Street-based charity is asking people to nominate 'superkids' who have made an

  • Fred's top choir finale

    CHOIRMASTER Fred Shaw has retired after nearly 25 years. Mr Shaw, of Henfold Road, Tyldesley, was choirmaster and musical director of Astley Male Voice Choir and later, Deep Harmony Male Voice Choir. He had the ability to teach singers who could not read

  • David gallops into action

    DAVID GRIME is set for his most demanding role. He plays a knight errant in St Joseph's Players' ghostly thriller "A Murder Has Been Arranged". The play, the first half of the Leigh company's Springtime Double, will be staged for four nights from April

  • Double image of the past

    ALAN WHALLEY'S WORLD AN amazing pictorial coincidence popped up in my old mailbag this week. Having spotted a pre-war snapshot, taken by a street photographer and featuring shoppers in St Helens town centre, Harold Nevitt dug into his family album. And

  • There's gnome business like gnome business!

    THE coffers of Westleigh High School are almost £2,000 better off - thanks to pupils selling gnomes away from home. For a group of pupils travelled to Belgium to market and sell their 'nice little earner' at a trade fair in Brussels. The youngsters made

  • CRICKET: Lancashire League preview

    LANCASHIRE League clubs have had a frantic winter juggling resources to try and strengthen their squads. And, with just three days to go before stumps are pitched, here is a round-up of the major moves: Pre-season favourites EAST LANCASHIRE welcome the

  • Now it's Security Plus quality

    LEIGH based security specialists are top quality operators. Security Plus Limited, based on Firsdale Industrial Estate, has been rewarded with a ISO 9002 certificate which Secretary of State for Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs, the Rt. Hon. Malcolm Rifkind

  • Car thief set fire to school

    A FIRE which caused £16,000 worth of damage at a Leigh school was started by a car thief "torching" a stolen vehicle, a Crown Court was told. Kevin Jones 20, of Abbey Lane, Leigh, who pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and arson was sent to a

  • Common sense needed

    I CANNOT understand why newsagent Mr Les Smalley (above), of Rishton, has slammed a council policy which bans advertising boards on the pavement (LET, April 10). Surely, any obstruction on the pavement is illegal, whether or not it involves something

  • Pensioner raps vandals

    A BURY pensioner's garden and car have become the targets for young vandals. Mrs Marianne Podins, of South Bank Road, is appealing for police to show a greater presence in the area to prevent further trouble. Vandals tore up daffodils and rose trees in

  • Tribute to a popular character

    ALAN WHALLEY'S WORLD RECENT reference to the passing of one of the town's most popular characters, Big Gerry Parfitt, saddened many a customer of this column. Among them, Greta Brown from Hoyle Street, Warrington, who writes: "What a shock to read that

  • Brave bobby gets his reward

    A POLICE Constable from Atherton has been awarded a Citation of Merit for his bravery after arresting a violent man in Salford despite being attacked by a mob (writes Peter Riley). PC James Hunt, 31, who patrols his beat from The Crescent in Salford,

  • Flight of fancy for Elsie

    PENSIONER Elsie Coates enjoyed the trip of a lifetime at the weekend after winning a competition organised by an independent radio station. For Elsie, from Windle Street, St Helens, flew from Liverpool's Speke Airport to London on Saturday, April 5, aboard

  • Ex-Butts headmaster dies, aged 88

    FORMER headmaster Howard William Davies has died, aged 88. Mr Davies, who with his wife Lillian moved to live with their daughter in Wendover nine years ago, died peacefully in hospital. He was a teacher at Butts School, later St. Thomas's, from 1937-

  • Leader Ken is a brave, honest fellow

    I WOULD like to congratulate Ken Jackson, who has taken the stand of banning homosexuals from his East Lancashire scout groups. I listened in amazement when the Scout movement announced they would be accepting gays as leaders - it followed news of parents

  • Suzanne gets top pit prize

    WHEN it comes to getting results in life there are few to beat the determination of Atherton teenager Suzanne Brown. For Suzanne, 18, an ex-pupil of Hesketh Fletcher High School and Winstanley College, has already made her mark by gaining the prestigious

  • Christopher's dream trip to USA dolphins

    LOCAL youngster Christopher Cowgill is hoping to return to America to swim with the dolphins for a second time. Six-year-old Christopher, from Holly Street, Bury, suffers from a rare neurological disorder called Angleman Syndrome. Two years ago, family

  • Premier bid put on ice

    ST. Helens' Recs bid to become founder members of a Lancashire Premier Cricket League has been put on ice - for one season at least. For the proposed new competition fell through at last week's meeting at Old Trafford when four Northern League clubs withdrew

  • Baby and mum in blaze rescue

    A TEENAGE mum and her baby had to be rescued from their home in Prescot town centre after a fire in a nearby building. Michelle Formby (18) and her five-month-old son Marc were escorted from their flat in Chapel Street by fire crews, shaken but unharmed

  • Top team aims to put North West on movie map

    DAVID Taylor, chief executive of Lancashire Enterprises Ltd, is to be the first chairman of the new North West Film Commission. He will be joined on the board by four vice-chairmen - Brookside creator Phil Redmond, former Labour front bencher Gerald Kaufman

  • Your tenner's safe with me says Mr Ed

    See Peter backs Wesley fight Helen is new Labour choice Cunliffe's big six questions LEIGH Tory Ed Young will be fighting the General Election under a "No single currency" banner. "It will be in my manifesto that I could never support a single European

  • Late blow for Panthers

    Prescot Panthers 14 Leigh Centurions 27 PANTHERS' French recruit Davide Collado was the star of the show as Panthers submitted to a late defeat at the hands of the men from Hilton Park. He led the way as Prescot edged into a 12-8 half-time lead thanks

  • Volex power boss retires

    See £3 million switch to bright future VOLEX Powercords Managing Director Frank Kennedy retires on Friday after 32 years with the company. Mr. Kennedy, 55, who was brought up in Leigh but lives now in Boothstown, started working with the firm when it

  • Trouble in the valley

    STANDING as Labour's general election candidate in the Ribble Valley, Burnley councillor Marcus Johnstone has been accused of "apparently inciting people to riot" by Conservative candidate Nigel Evans. This week Mr Evans has written to the chairman of

  • Dark days for LSH

    Rosslyn Park 25 Liverpool St Helens 7 JUST when LSH needed a massive effort to pull off a win which probably would have left them in Division Three, a poor display means the threat of relegation still looms darkly. Park tried their best to provide the

  • Lilian's golden handshake!

    IT was one "golden" surprise after another for Mrs Lillian Green and her husband Alfred this week. For the golden wedding couple celebrated the arrival of their son Brian and granddaughter Gillian from Australia, while Lillian received personal congratulations

  • Aussie boost for Rainford

    RAINFORD Cricket Club are looking forward to the start of the 1997 season with renewed vigour as the impending arrival of Aussie import batsman Troy Martin looks set to expel the memories of the disastrous 1996 campaign. With the returns of ex-Southport

  • Jolly hockey fears

    STREET hockey dangers have brought a safe play plea from worried parents. Roller boots and hockey sticks are an exciting combination but in the heat of a side street scramble traffic dangers are often ignored. Now parents are hoping the local authority

  • Children terrified by 'gunman'

    A MENTAL patient terrified Bury schoolchildren with a bogus shotgun just months after the massacre at Dunblane. Simon Kenneth Rawcliffe thought he was protecting three young girls from people like the Dunblane killer Thomas Hamilton as he shouted and

  • Kings of Europe!

    PROVING themselves undisputed Euro-kings of junior soccer, the three-squad St Helens City Glass JOL organisation has returned from a seven-nation tournament with "gold, silver and bronze". It was a one, two, three performance by the under-12s, 14s and

  • Livewire kids prove medal marvels

    A TEAM of talented youngsters from St Helens put their body and soul into the British Aerobic championships and came away clutching an impressive string of medals. Six girls from the Body FX Junior Aerobicsport competition squad, based at Parr Industrial

  • It ASDA-be the trip of a lifetime

    DISNEYWORLD treats lie in store for youngsters who captured community hearts. Customers and staff at Golborne Asda dug deep to send deserving youngsters Sophie Lee, Sean Pennington and Adam Green on the trip of a lifetime. They raised a fantastic £8,500

  • Town hopes blown away

    St Helens Town 1 Glossop North End 2 AT this stage of the season when teams have little at stake, games tend to need some stimulus. But when a negative factor such as a gale force wind intervenes the outcome is to be endured rather than enjoyed. Saturday's

  • Sisters step out on world stage

    DANCING queens Donna and Nichola Forrester proved they were a force to be reckoned with in the Irish Dancing World Championships, held in Galway. The sisters, both pupils at De La Salle school, in Eccleston, produced creditable performances in the keenly-contested

  • Award that proves Christian's special

    BRAVE Christian Timms has every right to proudly display his bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. For the 16-year-old son of former Leigh garage boss Stepehen Timms has leukaemia and had to battle against mighty odds to earn it. Christian's illness was diagnosed

  • Paris cakewalk for Saints

    Paris St. Germain 6 Saints 44 CHAMPIONS and joint Super League leaders Saints duly completed their Gallic mission with this eight-try romp at the impressive Charlety Stadium. But the game itself didn't exactly set the Champs Elysee alight! And no fault

  • Back to Dark Ages

    THE health authority should reconsider their decision to lose the services of their two breast care nurses (LET, April 3). By removing facilities which have heightened our awareness of breast cancer, we are going back to the Dark Ages. In March, 1996,

  • So let us play!

    A ST ANNES vicar is hoping his musical talent will help to put a church up rather than bring the house down. The Rev Nigel Uden, of St Annes on Sea United Reformed Church, is hoping to raise the rafters - and lots of cash - with a 24-hour sponsored musical

  • Good old days

    THE poem 'My Love' must have taken some people back to an era when life was harder, but somehow happier than today. It evokes a time when certain people were in the same boat but pulled together. May 'Poet's Corner' continue. G T GENT, Bombay Street,

  • Dog fight over proxy votes

    ALLEGED abuse of proxy voting in some wards in Pendle is leading to a political dog fight. Election officials were asked to come up with a system to solve the problem, but their suggestions did not meet universal approval. Labour and Conservative party

  • Health bosses in test blast

    HEALTH chiefs were today accused of wasting thousands of pounds of taxpayers' cash by refusing to fund a simple £1.50 test for a killer disease. East Lancashire Health Authority has come under attack for not screening newborn babies for Cystic Fibrosis

  • Going for a song?

    IF YOU have you ever watched Antiques Roadshow and wondered just how much your heirlooms are worth you could be about to find out. Whether it's an ornament, piece of furniture, jewellery or the old teapot left to you by grandma, you will be able to have

  • Oyston's £100 million

    "ONLY forty million?" asked Owen Oyston when the news reached Wymott Prison that The Sunday Times had downgraded him in its annual list of Britain's 1,000 richest people. The newspaper that once crossed him and was forced to pay him a million in libel

  • Horse sense!

    LADY Luck shone for the Citizen's Grand National competition winners at the weekend. Amid the chaos at Aintree following the IRA bomb scare, our winning readers luckily escaped being caught up in the confusion which saw hundreds of racegoers stranded

  • Nationwide League Division Two

    To view tabulation download and replace hyphens with tabs --P-W-D-L-F-A-W-D-L-F-A-Pt- -Bury...-40-15-5-0-35-7-6-5-9-23-29-73- -Luton...-40-12-5-3-35-13-7-7-6-30-28-69- -Brentford...-40-7-11-2-25-19-11-3-6-29-19-68- -Stockport...-38-11-5-3-25-12-7-7-5-

  • From Russia with love

    MOSCOW'S renowned State Circus will roll into Lancaster next week, so when you see the vans follow them. That's what I did - and ended up at the peak of the Big Top. Catching up with them in Lancaster, I apprehensively headed for my first taste of circus

  • Blind guitarist makes the grade

    CONGRATULATIONS should be the theme tune for blind guitarist Barry Best who recently passed a difficult grade three guitar exam. Now he's got "ambition all the way" as he prepares for the next exam and whatever else he can tackle. Barry Best, aged 46,

  • Happy Birthdays for the Shakers!

    GOOD news continues to follow the Shakers around. Just two days after the team opened up a four point gap on its closest Division Two title rivals, commercial chief Neville Neville has announced a new shirt sponsorship deal with Birthdays. The Bury-based

  • Avon Galling!

    Bristol City 1 - Bury 0 IT'S thirty-six years since Bury returned from Ashton Gate victorious. That season they clinched the then Third Division championship, but those Shakers' fans who hoped for a favourable omen from Saturday's encounter will have

  • Retrial for Dixon after jury falters

    THE jury trying the case of a Lancaster woman charged with seriously wounding her friend has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict. Joanne Dixon, is alleged to have battered Susan Capstick about the head with a metal pan during an argument

  • Dour display

    FIRE POWER has been sadly absent in far too many games this season for the Seasiders and this dour match brought little action from either side and a goal you could have been forgiven for missing. A double substitution by manager Gary Megson saw Brabin

  • Question time - put your questions to political big guns

    QUESTION Time comes to the Lancaster and Morecambe Citizen this week with a rare chance for our readers to quiz the big guns in the election battle - John Major, Tony Blair and Paddy Ashdown. With the General Election campaign in full flow we are offering

  • Lottery plea to save blind centre

    A CAMPAIGNER hopes a National Lottery grant could save a threatened Blackpool blind centre. Bispham resident Kath Rowson has launched a petition to save the Harold Hoyle complex of sheltered flats for the blind in Warren Drive. Now she is urging its management

  • Cunliffe's big six questions

    See Peter backs Wesley fight Helen is new Labour choice Your tenner's save with me! LABOUR'S Lawrence Cunliffe has asked Tory opponent Ed Young for views on the Conservatives' manifesto. Mr Cunliffe, is Labour's candidate for the Leigh constituency in

  • The killing is wrong

    PEOPLE should come before animals but I believe to chase a fox and kill it is wrong. I am against fox hunting. When I read of drag hunting (LET, April 7) that does not seem wrong because horses do jump and run. It is not the sport I am against, only the

  • The spice girls ... and boys!

    WHAT seven young members of the Cartmell family really, really want is to be as famous as the Spice Girls. And with seven talented singers in the one family, we're sure their debut show will turn the wannabes into true stars. The youngsters are the seven

  • It's Mick Meat-loaf!

    WHEN customers asked if he served home-made pies Tyldesley butcher Mick Hilton didn't like saying "No" - so he built a bakery next door! "We sell the best beef in Bongs, now we'll serve the best bread as well," he smiled. "Being on the main street we

  • £3million switch top bright future

    A £3 MILLION investment in a new Volex Powercords factory in Leigh will secure the future of its 1,000 employees. The company will move into its new, purpose-built 110,000 square foot premises on the Hope Carr Estate in Leigh later in the year. One of

  • Inferno fear over Mecca pilgrims

    CONCERN was mounting today for hundreds of East Lancashire Muslims after a devastating fire which claimed more than 340 lives near the holy city of Mecca. About 1,000 people from East Lancashire are thought to have made the trip to the annual pilgrimage

  • Stephen is rising rugby star

    A RISING rugby union star turned in a great performance for England Under 18s as they trounced Scotland 55-18 at Grasshoppers ground Lightfoot Lane. Second row lock Stephen Borthwick from Cop Lane, Penwortham, was part of the team which over-ran their

  • Oyston's jail millions

    'ONLY forty million?' asked Owen Oyston when the news reached Wymott Prison that The Sunday Times had downgraded him in its annual list of Britain's1,000 richest people. The paper that put him 289th richest in 1995, 387th richest in 1996 has now dropped

  • Perm-anent £2.75 million way forward for college

    LEIGH is to get a £2.75 million hairdressing college. 'Temporary' buildings at Grasmere Street are to be replaced by a 'permanent' custom-built, country-leading facility which will train up to 750 students, seven-days-a-week! The 12-month building project

  • ROVERS: We're all in this together - Sutton

    CHRIS Sutton is optimistic that he will be fit to return at Highbury on Saturday, when Blackburn Rovers face another immense challenge in the shape of Premiership title contenders Arsenal, writes PETER WHITE. And the £5 million striker, forced to sit

  • Soccer vets battle it out

    THEY thought it was all over! - but not quite for some of the soccer stars of yesteryear who dug out their boots to raise cash for charity. Veteran Preston North End players clashed with arch-rivals Blackpool in a 'friendly' game in aid of local charities

  • Cheers, it's open doors!

    AFTER major refurbishments, two of Bass brewery's most popular Fylde pubs have now re-opened. The Gardeners Arms at Thornton and The Bull in Poulton have both had a face-lift. To fit in with the image of a pub being a home from home, the two now offer

  • Traders welcome new president

    DAVID Cottam believes the good times are coming back to Blackburn and that the new-look town centre has everything to offer local shoppers. The new president of Blackburn Chamber of Trade has put attracting shoppers back into the town top of his priority

  • Football lads bring smile back to tragic boy's face

    SUPERSON Daniel Taylor is riding high again after a local football team replaced his stolen bike. The caring 14-year-old from Longton was bought a £500 mountain bike by his mum for the help and support he showed his family after the tragic death of dad

  • Blaze hero mum praised

    FIRE chiefs have praised a quick-thinking Leyland mum who rescued her young sons when a blaze trapped them in their home. Elaine Murphy promptly rounded her two children into a back bedroom and lowered them to safety from the first-floor window of their

  • Terror at the race course

    A PENWORTHAM couple thanked their lucky stars when they failed to find a car park space at Aintree racecourse on Saturday. Sherry Ross and boyfriend Kevin McKendrick parked in a nearby side street when they went to watch the doomed Grand National. And

  • Running Rev's divine dash!

    RUNNING Reverend Ben Humphries is swapping the pulpit for pumps - to take part in the world's most famous race. Ben is to revving-up take part in the gruelling London Marathon on Sunday (April 13) to raise money to provide clean water in the Third World

  • Image booster for clinic

    A CLINIC which offers sex advice to young people is spending thousands on boosting its image. Blackburn's Brook Advisory Centre is to expand into the ground floor of their Darwen Street premises to make it more welcoming to anxious clients. The centre

  • LETTER:Ken deserves credit for speaking out

    AS an ex-scout leader, I would like to congratulate Ken Jackson on his stand to refuse to accept practising homosexuals as scout leaders in Lancashire. Citizen Smith last week correctly pointed out that there is an increased risk to boys if they have

  • Smart cheats steal from store

    SMART thieves went into a Fishergate store and stole sets of waistcoats, shirts and shorts from the children's department. The clothes, valued at £42, were taken by a blond haired woman on March 25. She was aged 25, and wore a black and white jacket,

  • Houghton Weavers at the Charter Theatre

    THE Houghton Weavers breezed into the Charter Theatre on Sunday night with their special brand of folk music. They threw in one or two popular ballads such as Don McClean's And I Love You So ... and the audience loved it, even when the stage lights went

  • Cross words as residents battle for road safety measures

    RESIDENTS fear someone will be killed unless a crossing they are fighting for is built on a busy main road. Locals who live close to congested Leyland Road in Penwortham have battled for road safety measures close to the junction of Flag Lane for more

  • Police have 'lost control' - Traders

    POLICE have "lost control" over crime in Ramsbottom, claim local traders. Now the traders are calling for the return of the community bobby to police the streets, claiming a new Township police initiative, which has seen the area have its own inspector

  • Arnie has Total Recall - even after 10 pints!

    HOLLYWOOD hunk Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known for blitzing villains in blockbuster movies - but did you know he used to go boozing in Preston? The millionaire star of Terminator and Predator stayed in the town several times in the early 70s and often

  • Horsfield injury blow rocks survival hopes

    DARWEN have been dealt a blow as they battle against the drop with news that leading scorer Martin Horsfield could miss the rest of the season. Horsfield picked up a knee injury on the weekend playing a Sunday League match and is racing against time to

  • PNE fan struck down by meningitis

    A YOUNG North End fan looking forward to a landmark game has been struck down by meningitis. Darren Addison was all set to help his dad organise an 'old shirt day' at the game against Plymouth on Saturday when he was rushed to hospital. Dad Stephen, from

  • Police warning to lock up sheds

    HOME owners are being warned to lock up their sheds and garages as the warm weather brings out a new breed of thief - the back yard bandit. Shed and garage break-ins soared over the warm Easter period, and in one case an entire shed was stolen from a

  • Meetings solve nothing

    THERE we go again! How many times have we heard it? Blackburn Council representatives and Muslim leaders are set to hold another meeting (LET, April 14). Only one? Will someone please tell us how many more meetings will be held before something positive

  • Frickley 1 Bamber Bridge 0

    All the Brig action with GARY THOMAS Heading for the drop? BAMBER Bridge seemed plagued by end of season nerves at Frickley last Saturday as their fight for survival took another turn for the worse. Despite enjoying a host of goal-scoring chances - and

  • Road rage? I'd give 'em road rage!

    YOU'VE probably heard this gripe a thousand times over but I'm about to give it to you again. That's because I'm sick to the back teeth with lawless youths who insist on making my life as difficult as possible, posing daily inconveniences for me to deal

  • Junior Rugby with Doreen Baron

    Shaw Tigers 40 Warriors U8s 10 The U8s played Shaw Tigers at Moss Side Way, Leyland and the Warriors met a good defensive team but lost 40-10. Tries by Craig Hewlett and Matt Shepherd, with a conversion by Tom Perry. Man of the match was Craig Hewlett

  • Are sunbeds safe to use?

    WE all know the sun's rays can do more harm than good if we over-expose ourselves, so many of us retreat to the safety of sunbeds, right? - wrong! According to an alarming new report on the use of sunbeds, 11 per cent of female skin cancer sufferers and

  • PNE guilty of another poor performance

    Preston 1 Plymouth Argyle 1 IN the week when North End boss Gary Peters was fined £180 for driving without due care and attention - his team were accused of the same offence on the pitch. They paid little attention and seemed not to care as they threw

  • Prayer vigil for hostage's father

    PEOPLE were today urged to pray for the father of student hostage Paul Wells as he continued his quest for clues about his son in the Indian province of Jammu Kashmir. The Rev John Cree, vicar at Immanuel Feniscowles Parish Church, Blackburn, has written

  • Colin sends a war cry to Manchester

    COLIN HENDRY has sent out a war cry on the eve of the super-charged clash with Manchester United vowing he won't rest until Rovers are mathematically safe. And the Scottish giant warned Eric Cantona and company that they are in for the fright of their

  • Choice of centre plan for infertile couples

    CHILDLESS couples in East Lancashire could soon be sent to Leeds, Liverpool or Nottingham for fertility treatment on the NHS. Gynaecologists in Blackburn and Burnley are locked in talks to decide where a second IVF (In-Vitro Fertilisation) contract for

  • Boxing champ's managers hit out at council

    MANAGERS of Bury's British boxing champion Ady Lewis have challenged councillors to get in the ring. Stuart Andrews, coach of flyweight Lewis, has launched a flurry of blows on the council for refusing to make up their minds whether to allow professional

  • 5 YEARS AGO: Jobs axe looming

    ABOUT 100 East Lancashire jobs hung in the balance after chemical giant ICI announced cuts. The company appealed for voluntary redundancies from the Darwen workforce. Employees over 50 years old were being offered early retirement. Child actress Catherine

  • Funds needed to ease hospital bed block crisis

    BURY'S top hospital boss has called for an immediate cash injection to stop the town's hospitals lurching from one bed crisis to another. This week 34 patients are "bed-blocked," even though it is spring, a time when pressure on beds normally eases. Chief

  • Plans reaps rewards

    PRODUCING business plans for staff in both English and Urdu has helped Simon Jersey Textiles - which manufactures business clothing - to become the latest East Lancashire employer to reach the Investors in People standard. "We have invested heavily in

  • GOLF: QEGS boys lift three trophies

    QUEEN Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, won their third title in two days with victory in the Lancashire Schools' East Region championship at Accrington. Jonathan Ashton from Pleasington made off with the individual prize, scoring 70, while Paul

  • CRICKET: Yates stakes claim

    ONE day wonder Gary Yates has put himself in line for a starting place in Lancashire's Championship team. The 29-year-old off-spinner was a key figure in their Lord's double last year, but bitterly disappointed that he didn't play a first class match

  • Board backing for Morris

    ATHERTON LR boss Dave Morris is staying at Crilly Park. The board rejected his offer of resignation which followed a disastrous run of 19 Unibond Division One matches. Rovers look doomed to relegation, but the board feel the club's problems are not down

  • Gays accused of stifling council sex shame debate

    GAY activists were accused of halting a sex-in-toilets debate in Burnley by "leaning on" the national Liberal Democrat Party. The scandal surrounding the gross indecency conviction of shamed ex-mayor Peter Swainston took a new twist last night with allegations

  • Waywell pays tribute to new fans

    TITLE-CHASING Leigh RMI have stepped up the pressure on league leaders Radcliffe Boro. They bounced Flixton 4-1 on Saturday to move within two points of the lead - with a game in hand. Victory was their seventh on the trot, making nine wins from their

  • Thieves and vandals target schools

    THIEVES and vandals targeted schools in Pendle causing around £9,000 worth of damage. Most badly hit was St John Southworth primary school in Lomeshaye Road, Nelson, where intruders smashed 16 doors and ransacked the headmaster's office in their search

  • Gunman flees empty-handed in raid

    POLICE are hunting a would-be robber who fled empy-handed after threatening to shoot a female shop assistant in a raid on a sub-post office. The man, aged about 25, entered the post office on Haresfinch Road, at about 4.50pm on Wednesday, April 2. He

  • Demolition man suffers horror spinal injury

    A DEMOLITION worker has been paralysed from the chest down after he plunged 40ft from a building roof. Anthony Knappett, 23, was working on East Lancashire Coach Builders, Whalley New Road, Blackburn, when the accident happened on Tuesday. His parents

  • Sharp stuff from Miners

    DELIGHT for Leigh Miners' Alliance side as they clinched the Alliance Cup. For the seniors, however, the season ended on a low note... Peter Sharp gave his best from full-back, centre Neil McColloch and prop Mark Edwards caused problems in the early stages

  • Showing why we're streets ahead

    COUNCILLORS have given the green light to detailed plans for major improvements to key streets in St Helens town centre. Members of the council's Highways and Transportation sub-committee approved the proposals for what they believe is ope of the North

  • Euro cash opens door to exporting

    FIVE firms are being offered a unique opportunity to break into exporting thanks to European funding. The Chamber of Commerce has secured the cash grant to work with potential exporters to get them selling products overseas. Under the initiative, the

  • Beggar is sent to jail

    AN aggressive beggar who is claimed to have harrassed town centre shoppers has been jailed for two months for threatening and offensive behaviour after appearing before St Helens Magistrates Court. James Gaskell (47) of Duke Street, St Helens, pleaded

  • A legend named Peggy

    ALAN WHALLEY'S WORLD I'VE always been intrigued, while pottering around the Billinge area on tale-gathering expeditions, to note how many times the name of Peggy Melling trips off the tongue of villagers from middle age and upwards. So far I've only been

  • Jolly George and his japes

    ALAN WHALLEY'S WORLD FOND memories of jovial George Booth, one of the chirpiest of local landlords in his day, have come tap-dancing across this page. They arise from our most recent yedscratter, in which a gaggle of Moss Bank arm-benders asked if anyone

  • Repair man crushed under car

    A MAN was crushed to death when a rope holding a car he was working on snapped, a Leigh inquest heard. Bernard Lester, aged 36, had used a tripod, a block and tackle with a rope attached to hoist the car off the ground. He was working on the car at the

  • Blast rocks homes

    HUNDREDS of homes in the Pimhole area of Bury were rocked by a huge blast when a propane gas cylinder exploded. Fire crews who raced to the scene on land in James Street found the remains of the metal container among a quantity of burning building materials

  • Community choir seeks new songsters

    THE Knowsley Community Choir is looking for new members, particularly men. Anyone interested in singing is welcome to go along to rehearsals at The Teachers Centre, Knowsley Lane, Huyton, on alternate Mondays and Thursdays from 7 to 9pm. From September

  • Helen is new Labour choice

    See Your tenner's safe with me! Peter backs Wesley fight Cunliffe's big six questions FORMER Atherton solicitor Helen Jones hopes to be pleading the Labour case in Westminster. Mrs Jones, is the new Labour candidate for Warrington North, and hopes to

  • Witness appeal after East Lancs accident

    TRAFFIC police are appealing for witnesses to a serious accident which occurred at about 2.15pm on Wednesday, April 2, on the A580 East Lancs Road near the junction of City Road, St Helens. Three vehicles were involved - a Volvo 245, a Renault lorry,

  • Ring and Ride passenger one in a million!

    PASSENGER in a million Leslie Barnes has helped to celebrate a milestone in Greater Manchester's Ring and Ride service. Mr Barnes, of Hawk Close, Bury, was using the service last week when it clocked up its millionth journey, and Greater Manchester Passenger

  • Needle action line plea

    HEALTH and safety officers in Bury are again highlighting the needle action-line after a five-year-old boy found a used hypodermic needle in the town centre. Last week, Christopher Hurst, of Woodhill Road, Bury, found a blood-covered needle while playing

  • Play has a drugs message

    A PLAY highlighting drugs issues and which keeps its young audience spellbound is touring Bury high schools. The production has received the cash backing of the Greater Manchester Police Shrievalty Trust and the force's anti-drugs campaign, Operation

  • Sutton set for openers

    SUTTON CC start their season this weekend with games against Liverpool Nalgo, in the Merseyside League. Sutton's home in New Street is looking in peak condition, the players having rallied round after the untimely loss of Syd Wearden to prepare the ground

  • Many hands will make our light appeal work

    TODAY we launch an appeal to spread a little more light in Blackburn Cathedral. Our aim is to raise £5,000 for a stained glass window in the Cathedral's landmark lantern tower. And we want you, our readers, to help us reach that target. If 500 readers

  • Big guns in town as election race hots up.

    BURY was the big gun battleground in the General Election this week, with big names from the two main parties throwing their weight behind the local campaign. Labour were first in with deputy leader John Prescott riding his battle bus into town. Mr Prescott

  • Beware of the basket-snatchers

    AN angry Star reader is urging gardeners to be extra vigilant after hanging baskets were snatched from the front of her home for the fourth time in six months. Christina Ashcroft had two £15 baskets taken from the front wall of her house in Axbridge Avenue

  • Danger drugs alert after theft

    A LARGE quantity of a potentially lethal medicine has been stolen from an industrial unit in Haydock. A number of delivery vehicles parked in the compound in Kilbuck Lane were broken into some time between between Saturday, March 29 and Tuesday, April

  • Three face charges after bike death

    A MAN died from horrific injuries after he lost control of a stolen motorbike and smashed into iron railings. The 20 years-old man suffered fatal injuries in the incident on Chanters Bridge, Tyldesley Road, Hindsford, at 11pm on Friday. Police believe

  • Teenage villain robs pensioner

    POLICE are hunting a cowardly teenage robber who snatched a purse from an elderly woman in broad daylight. The victim, who is in her 70s, was walking along Birchley Street in St Helens town centre at about 9.30am on Tuesday, April 1, when her young assailant

  • Joanne's a snip at winnign title!

    LIFE is now a snip for top Leigh student Joanne Smith who has won the finals of a national hairdressing competition. The win means a 'perm'-anent position for Joanne, aged 20, of Redwaters, Leigh, who works at Kevin Colby Associates in Leigh, and who

  • Saints face Rhinos' charge

    JOINT Super League leaders Saints face a stern test of their ability to repeat last season's championship success when they travel to Leeds tomorrow night, kick-off 7.30pm. A wind of change has blown through Headingley following a disastrous previous

  • Reward out for 'bloodsoaked' garage robber

    MOTOR bosses are offering a cash reward for information leading to the capture of a thief who left a bloody trail after smashing a car showroom window to steal an expensive computer. The thief struck at the Dutton James garage on Windle Island, at about

  • Huge success for benefits campaign

    MORE than £300,000 may soon be claimed by Knowsley residents following this year's hugely successful Welfare Benefits Campaign. The campaign, which this year concentrated on carers, highlighted what allowances this group of people may be entitled to when

  • Crooks stung by Bumblebee team

    POLICE have arrested four men and seized drugs and stolen equipment as part of their ongoing Operation Bumblebee campaign. A man is being questioned in connection with handling charges after a raid on a house in Ridgewood Drive, Sutton, when £500 worth

  • Old lady (82) target of sneak thief

    POLICE are hunting a cowardly sneak thief who snatched a pension book and £125 in cash from an 82-year-old woman. The victim was making her way home to Herbert Street, Sutton, from the nearby St Helens Town Ground with her daughter, when the thief struck

  • Chart best sellers in Burnley

    Top 5 singles 1 R Kelly: I Believe I Can fly 2 Orbital: The Saint 3 Blur: Song 2 4 No Doubt: Don't Speak 5 Suede: Lazy Top 5 albums 1 Chemical Brothers: Dig Your Own Hole 2 Now 36: Various 3 Ministry of Sound: Dance Nation 3 4 Wet Wet Wet: 10 5 Spice

  • Light fantastic!

    "WE want to restore the park to its former glory. I want children to feel they're walking into a magic kingdom and have memories they'll keep for the rest of their lives." This is the vision of the future the joint boss of Civic Illuminations, Mark Knowles

  • Counselling room victory for nurses

    BREAST care nurses are to have proper facilities for counselling patients instead of "cramped conditions", tonight's community health council meeting will be told. Burnley General Hospital's breast cancer work is recognised as being first class, so two

  • Troubled site firms told 'carry on working'

    BUSINESSES on a troubled industrial park will get a chance to secure their futures, TIM NIXON reports Firms at Farrington Court, Burnley, were worried that they could be left without premises after a row between Burnley council, which owns the site, and

  • Poor show in survey

    SOME 13 per cent of the adult population in Lancaster and Morecambe are on income support, 15 per cent of children in Skerton live in homes with no working parents and some areas of the district have the highest rates of burglary in the county. These

  • Liquid opinion on election specials

    LIQUID opinion polls put voting favours at neck-and-neck in the election stakes, according to shoppers at Asda. The supermarket's stores in Burnley and Colne began selling a range of fun beers featuring the leaders of the main political parties and within

  • Old routine for Blues

    Lancaster 0 Runcorn 2 WITH nothing left to play for this season, City manager Gordon Raynor had set his sights on a run of victories to achieve a creditable midtable place. Following last week's impressive win against Bishop Auckland, Raynor felt his

  • Please find my daughter

    A WORRIED mum made a desperate plea today for help in finding her 15-year-old daughter who went missing on her birthday more than a week ago. Emma Jones disappeared from social services accommodation in Liverpool last Wednesday and is believed to have

  • Too little too late!

    Southport 3 Morecambe 1 IT'S not been a good week for the Shrimps. Southport's scintillating three-goal salvo in the first half gave Morecambe a mountain to climb in this Tuesday night derby. And, although the Shrimps staged a valiant fight back, it was

  • Support for poorly mums-to-be

    FOR midwife and mother-of-two Karen Thompson, becoming a mum was a life-threatening thing. In both her pregnancies she suffered from a common but little-known condition called pre eclampsia. The disorder is a defect of the placenta which produces high

  • Fears over drift mine plan

    RESERVES of coal on land at Porter's Gate Colliery off Manchester Road, Burnley, could be extracted if Lancashire County Council say yes to the planned re-opening of a drift mine. Proposals currently lodged at County Hall show that the site is expected

  • Jail for resort drug couple

    A COUPLE who allowed their Morecambe hotel to be used as a base for drug dealing have both been jailed for 18 months. An undercover police surveillance operation on the bed and breakfast hotel in Clark Street revealed up to 30 drug users were calling

  • Jet protesters go on trial

    PROTESTERS who allegedly broke into an aircraft plant carrying a child's coffin go on trial in Lytham next Wednesday (April 16). The seven members of the Stop the Hawks campaign are alleged to have scaled the fence of British Aerospace, Warton, on December

  • Meet the new pros

    GREENMOUNT Cricket Club have turned the clock back three years with the reappointment of Australian Richard Chee Quee as professional for the 1997 season. The Bolton League club had lined up promising New Zealand batsman Craig McMillan for the new campaign

  • 'Friendly' transport wins funds

    A CAMPAIGN encouraging Lancashire firms to use more environmentally friendly transport has won special Government funding. The TravelWise Business Travel Plan was launched by the County Council last year to reduce traffic and help businesses save money