A TEAM of toolmakers have made a couple of grand presentations. Employees from BAE Systems, Samlesbury handed over cheques for £1,000 to Derian House Children's Hospice in Chorley and St Catherine's Hospice in Lostock Hall. The money had been lying in
WACKY racers braved the wind and rain and made a Boxing Day dash up one of Rossendale's fells. The Whinberry Naze Dash attracted 130 runners from around the country. Many donned fancy dress for the event, organised by Rossendale Harriers. Last year's
VOLUNTEERS for the Samaritans were kept busy over Christmas providing a listening ear for people with problems. The Blackburn branch of the organisation took 170 calls from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day - up on last year's figure of 150. Christmas Eve and
I AM writing to congratulate Stan Ternent and his players for the excellent display at Derby. Let's hope for a similar result at Coventry. J PITTARD, Park Lane, Oswaldtwistle. Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may
CLARETS defensive lynchpin Steve Davis will be in the clear to face Coventry City in the fourth-round of the FA Cup - just. Davis's dismissal for deliberate handball in Burnley's Boxing Day defeat at Bury will land the central defender a one-match ban
A WOMAN was taken to hospital after fainting as the traditional sales rush got under way at major stores in East Lancashire. Early morning bargain hunters flocked into town centres to take advantage of offers from retailers, looking to end the year with
FLYING winger Damien Duff believes Tony Parkes is responsible for putting the fizz firmly back into Blackburn Rovers promotion campaign. The Republic of Ireland international was one of a clutch of players whose form plummeted during the dark days of
I SINCERELY hope that R Jeeves (Sports Letters, December 21) is prepared for the onslaught of hate mail he will have no doubt generated in decrying one of the world's greatest-ever sportsmen. Let's get the facts straight - just how British is Lennox Lewis
KILLER dolls were handed out to more than 120 children by an unsuspecting Santa. And Burnley trading standards department urged parents to return the gonks before tragedy struck. The gonk dolls were seized from Santa's market hall grotto after one grandad
RIBBLE Assembly ran a good race at Wetherby yesterday coming fourth in the opening novice hurdle. Unfortunately, last night he had a big swelling on his front right knee after making a bad mistake in the back straight four hurdles out. Hopefully it is
ANDY Preece's revived Bury were looking to make it three straight wins when they visited bottom of the table Chesterfield today. Thanks to Preece and his partner Steve Redmond, who are running team affairs, the clouds of gloom which hung over Gigg Lane
TWO second half strikes from former Blackpool front man Neil Mitchell clinched Chorley's first league double of the season. But the Magpies second home win of the season was as much about Celtic keeper Paul Allen as man of the match Mitchell. A couple
POOR William Hague. Having had his Christmas spoiled by the defection to Labour of former front-bencher Shaun Woodward and the scab being picked off the Tories' sleaze sore by Lord Archer and the Neil Hamilton libel case, he now heads to the New Year
STEVE Wilkes' pacesetters had their unbeaten home league record snatched away by a buoyant Borough whose victory hauled them back into the promotion picture. "We were out-battled, out-fought and out-played," admitted Darwen manager Wilkes, who was forced
THREE shoppers in Nelson received some unexpected extra Christmas spending money after they took part in a survey of shopping habits. Diane Jackson, of Brierfield, Eileen Connolly, of Burnley and Alice Hey, of Briercliffe, won £25, £15 and £10 in shopping
FIREFIGHTERS are investigating the cause of a blaze which gutted a popular Padiham nightspot early today. The Guy Fold Cabaret Club was totally destroyed after flames swept through the single storey Guy Street premises shortly before 2.30am - just a day
CHILDREN who live in East Lancashire's poorest areas are to be given a flying start in their schooling, thanks to a £3million scheme pioneered in Darwen. Burnley has been selected to bid for the next round of Sure Start, a government-backed initiative
CLARETS defensive lynchpin Steve Davis will be in the clear to face Coventry City in the fourth-round of the FA Cup - just. Davis's dismissal for deliberate handball in Burnley's Boxing Day defeat at Bury will land the central defender a one-match ban
DETECTIVES investigating two thefts from service stations by a man in a Jaguar believe they are connected. The latest incident occurred at Baxenden Service Station, in Manchester Road, when a man put £45 of petrol into his car without paying. The incident
ACCRINGTON ambulance chiefs today blasted hoax callers after receiving two malicious 999 calls. The calls were made from the Woodnook area of Accrington near to where a team of paramedics and their emergency vehicle were ambushed last month. A spokesman
BACK in the summer, a group of schools accepted our invitation to write their own articles reflecting life in school at the end of the 20th century. The intention was not to look too far back or forwards, but to tell future generations about the great
STEVE Marsden, managing director of Nelson-based Marsden Engineering, has always maintained that it is the people within an organisation who make it successful. To prove his point the company aimed for, and achieved, the prestigious Investor In People
A VISIT to see his estranged wife and four children ended with George Toomey being arrested by armed police. Blackburn magistrates heard that Toomey was stopped by officers hunting the men responsible for an armed robbery at a Darwen sub post office.
AN armed robber made off with cash from the till of a grocery store after threatening the 41-year-old shop assistant with an axe. The man escaped from Faz and Bros General Store in Wensley Road, Blackburn, following the robbery at 6.50pm yesterday. He
A DECISION on whether a former 'talking shop' can be converted into an eating house and pub is expected within a month. Planning inspector Anthony Davison will rule on an appeal by the Preston-based Inns and Leisure group against Pendle's council decision
STAFF at a primary school in Blackburn enjoyed an even happier Christmas after being told by independent inspectors that they are running a "good school." Schools watchdog body Ofsted described Griffin Park County Primary as a school whose "strengths
A fan's-eye view from Turf Moor, with Stephen Cummings FOR a lot of Burnley supporters there were two options for what to do on Boxing Day. You could either go to Gigg Lane for what was sure to be a pulsating derby, with the return of Stan and a number
A FAMILY have spent the festive season in mourning after a loved one was struck down by the killer bug meningitis. Brian Hoyle, 30, right, never recovered after being discovered vomiting and delirious by his sister Donna on the bedroom floor at the house
A fan's-eye view from Ewood Park, with Phil Lloyd I SUPPOSE it's a bit like your kids growing up, or your parents growing old. You see them so often that it's hard to appreciate the changes that are gradually taking place. Then Christmas comes. Distant
HAVING witnessed Rovers' 2-1 defeat at Sheffield United, it is now more apparent than ever that Colin Hendry is desperately needed at Blackburn Rovers. It is a great pity that the opportunity to give Hendry a post amongst the management set-up appears
Dance Night Out Millennium Party Night, King George's Hall, Blackburn. Cinderella On Ice, King George's Hall, Blackburn, 2pm and 7pm. Line dancing, 7.30pm-11pm (absolute beginners, 7.30pm-8pm), Longshaw WMC, Bryan Street, Blackburn. British Sub-Aqua Club
A HOLIDAY price war was expected to spell thousands of bargains for East Lancashire sun-seekers. Going Places, owned by Rossendale-based Airtours, launched its own new year sale by offering discounts of up to 20 per cent on summer holidays abroad. However
CLIVE Lloyd's decision to step down as West Indies manager could pose professional problems for Lancashire League champions Nelson. The Seedhill club were hoping that Roger Harper would return for their title defence. But, with current coach Sir Viv Richards
IT TOOK a Mark Robinson special to brighten up this festive local derby in front of a bumper crowd of 180 spectators at Victoria Park on Bank Holiday Monday. The goal was no more than Nelson deserved in a first half which they controlled and, but for
AS the Millennium approaches and experts predict big changes in the way we live, the holiday rush to the sales shows old habits die hard. The thought of battling through the crowds to find a bargain and queuing for ages to find a parking spot ought to
THERE'S just no stopping 16-year-old whiz kid Justin Astley in the Darwen Hotels Snooker League. He followed up league breaks of 96 and 94 with a spectacular 104 in the 7-1 win over Uncle Jack's. It was the highest break ever in the Darwen League, pipping
STANLEY crashed to defeat at home to third-placed Radcliffe Borough in a match which saw them hit the woodwork six times. Watched by a bumper Bank Holiday crowd of 687, Stanley's highest of the season, it was the visitors who almost took the lead on seven
PUNK took a generation of East Lancashire youngsters by the scruff of the neck - and although they may now have nine to five jobs and families, there are still enough fanatical ex-punk followers to fill East Lancashire venues when cult acts hit the comeback
WAYS of funding community environmental projects will be discussed at a seminar in Lancashire next month. The event has been organised by Rural Action, which funded 147 projects across the county between 1994 and 1998. Since the merger of the Countryside
