Archive

  • Star lots going up for grabs

    CELEBRITY memorabilia will be up for grabs in an auction in aid of the Red Brick Theatre in Blackburn. Theatre celebrities including Ken Dodd, Bobby Ball and Julie Hesmondhalgh have donated items, and there are also dozens of pictures, books, games, toys

  • Trust plan to alter attitudes

    BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw is to launch a new scheme which teams the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service with the Prince's Trust. Through the trust's volunteer programme the initiative will mean the fire service will work directly with disaffected young people

  • Golden years celebrated with a pampering

    JOHN and Noreen Mullen will be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary on golden sands. The Blackburn couple first met at the New Empress Ballroom in 1950 and married a few months later. John said it was love at first sight -- he saw Noreen and that

  • School calls in security guards

    A SCHOOL has been forced to employ private security guards in a war against burglars and vandals. Rhyddings High School has brought in the security firm to patrol its grounds at night after a series of break-ins and vandalism attacks. The Oswaldtwistle

  • Eggen fries Berg!

    THE coach of the reigning Norwegian champions has claimed his side would kick Rovers' backsides if they ever played them again. Rosenborg boss Nils Arne Eggen hit back after Blackburn defender Henning Berg criticised Norway's selection policy ahead of

  • Attack victim permanently injured

    A DRUNKEN teenager ended a night on the town by sinking his teeth into another man's nose, leaving him permanently scarred. Burnley Crown Court heard how "mouthy" Adam Parkinson, 19, had been involved in a brawl with his victim outside a Burnley nightclub

  • Cricket cops' mixed fortunes Down Under

    INJURY and heat fatigue dogged a Lancashire police cricket team's two-week trip to Western Australia. But members did meet former Aussie bowling demon Dennis Lillee, once the professional at Haslingden. Ten teams from across the world took part in the

  • Lottery grants of £1.7m in under four years

    PENDLE has scooped £1.7million of lottery money in less than four years, it was revealed by the borough's MP this week. Gordon Prentice quizzed culture minister Chris Smith about the art projects that had benefited his constituency and was delighted to

  • Question time in the classroom

    ROLES were reversed at Trawden Primary School yesterday when children asked the questions. The man in the hot seat was Pendle MP Gordon Prentice, who agreed to talk about his life as an MP as part of the school's arts fortnight. After the interview session

  • Bogus workmen target woman, 71

    POLICE have warned pensioners to be on their guard after a pair of bogus officials talked their way into an elderly woman's home. The pair pretended to be council workmen to get into the house in Tennyson Road, Colne. Although the 71-year-old lady believes

  • Who's playing where in Blackburn

    SATURDAY March 24 Privilege Nightclub, Darwen: COMMERCIAL AND CLASSIC DANCE ANTHEMS, 10.30pm to 3am, £4. Oxygen, Blackburn: 70s DISCO SOUNDS, 9pm to 1am, free. Cubes, Blackburn: DJ ROBIN WOLFENDEN, house and garage, 9pm to 2am, free. Utopia Discotheque

  • Accident twins 'stable'

    THE twins injured in a road accident yesterday were said by police to be stable today. David and Matthew Howard, both 14, were injured after the accident on Thursday near a zebra crossing on High Street, Rishton. The 14-year-olds, of Shelley Gardens,

  • Chemists on Duty

    Sunday, March 25 BLACKBURN: 12noon-1pm: Donald M Wood Ltd, 53 Fishmoor Drive; 10.30am-4.30pm: Superdrugs Pharmacy, 3-7 Stonybutts; 11am-2pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. DARWEN: 12noon-1pm: Geloo Bros Ltd, 14 Union Street. ACCRINGTON: 11am-1pm:

  • Chemists on Duty

    Thursday, March 29 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 6.30pm: Donald Wood Ltd, 53 Fishmoor Drive; Healthbook Ltd, Audley Shopping Centre

  • Chemists on Duty

    Tuesday, March 27 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst Road; Geloo Bros, Cleaver

  • Witness appeals after two are injured

    POLICE are appealing for information on two road accidents which left both victims seriously injured. A pedestrian was involved in a serious collision on the A59 Whalley/Clitheroe by-pass at Worston Road at around 1.30am today. Police said a driver was

  • Florrie's luxury carriage awaits

    IT may have been her 98th birthday, but even Florrie Birtwell never dreamed she would be spending the day cruising around the Ribble Valley in the lap of luxury! But that is just what awaited Florrie and her 100-year-old friend, Emma Brown, also of Whalley

  • Plan for mosque on car park site

    THE Ribble Valley's Muslim community could soon get its first mosque. Members of the community have submitted an application to Ribble Valley Council to buy the council's Peel Street car park in Clitheroe For several years now the town's Asian community

  • Cinema VIP kids in the groove

    FORTY youngsters aged four to seven were VIPs for a special screening of The Emperor's New Groove at Apollo Nine at Hollywood Park, Burnley. Manager Andy Smith used to be a governor at Healey Wood Infants school and offered the school a special viewing

  • Armstrong: We've still got plenty to play for

    OUR season is far from over. That was the defiant message from former Clarets skipper Gordon Armstrong as he prepared to take on relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers at Turf Moor this afternoon. Burnley look to have left themselves too much to do

  • Eggen fries Berg!

    THE coach of the reigning Norwegian champions has claimed his side would kick Rovers' backsides if they ever played them again. Rosenborg boss Nils Arne Eggen hit back after Blackburn defender Henning Berg criticised Norway's selection policy ahead of

  • Go with The Flow

    ACCRINGTON band The Flow are in the market for a new singer. Current frontman John Wilkin is described as "gutted" after work commitments have forced him to leave the group. But building on a promising live set the four remaining members have a batch

  • Ex-Bliss girls on way back: 'The big time's in our blood'

    FORMER Bliss girls Abigail Jackson and Laura Heyworth who sensationally quit the highly rated group just days after playing at Wembley Arena with Steps are on the brink of their own comeback. The ambitious pair were integral members of Bliss from the

  • The 'cottage' that's so good it's unreal!

    A DARWEN woman has turned her two-up two-down home into a fantasy world where what you see is not what you get. Gail Goodson has turned her terrace house into a country cottage using only paint, a bit of wood and a large slice of the imagination. For

  • Drug addicted knifeman is jailed

    A DRUG addicted knifeman who tried to rob a bus driver but fled empty-handed has started a four-and-a-half year jail term. Burnley Crown Court heard how Bill Kay's intended victim was a "robust" man, who kicked out at him and had suffered no long-standing

  • Drug addicted knifeman is jailed

    A DRUG-ADDICTED knifeman who tried to rob a bus driver but fled empty-handed has started a four-and-a-half year jail term. Burnley Crown Court heard how Bill Kay's intended victim was a "robust" man, who kicked out at him and had suffered no long-standing

  • Virtual babies get the message across

    TEENAGERS are to get a real taste of parenting with a "virtual baby" to give them sleepless nights. Condom manufacturer Condomi has given the Brook Centre, Blackburn, the high-tech toy to help projects to stop teenage pregnancy. The lifelike doll, which

  • Crime issues tackled by young people

    COUNCIL bosses are teaming up with young people to discuss the findings of a new crime report. Officials at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council have invited people to a seminar to investigate crime issues in the borough which were revealed in a study

  • Price is put on heads of arsonists

    A REWARD is being offered to help detectives get more information about an arson attack on a family home. Officers from Blackburn CID say Crimestoppers have made the offer to try to get more witnesses to come forward to help with the investigation. Police

  • Teenage boozers create no-go zone

    POTENT alcopops and underage drinking are turning Blackburn town centre into a violent no-go area for most people, according to a pubs' group. And pub and nightclub owner Margo Grimshaw backed the chairman of Blackburn's Licensed Victuallers Association

  • 'Drunks and louts will not be tolerated

    A MAN was ordered to pay £2,500 compensation to the victim of a prolonged and brutal assault outside a Blackburn nightclub. A judge told John Steven Taylor he had come close to going to prison for what could have been a far more serious incident and warned

  • £2,500 compensation order for assault victim

    A MAN was ordered to pay £2,500 compensation to the victim of a prolonged and brutal assault outside a Blackburn nightclub. A judge told John Steven Taylor he had come close to going to prison for what could have been a far more serious incident and warned

  • Suspect named in 25-year-old murder mystery

    DETECTIVES investigating the brutal murder of 11-year-old Lesley Molseed a quarter of a century ago have named a former Todmorden and Bacup man as a prime suspect. Detective Chief Supt Max McLean, who is leading inquiries into Lesley's death, said they

  • 70-hour weeks for ambulance staff

    AMBULANCE unions have revealed staff are working up to 70 hours a week to keep the Lancashire fleet on the road. And after urgent talks with management, they have refused to work excessive overtime and given bosses four weeks to sort the problem out before

  • NON LEAGUE SOCCER: Stanley forum

    ACCRINGTON Stanley are holding a sports forum in the bar at the Crown Ground on Monday night, start 7.30pm. Reds' chairman Eric Whalley, manager John Coleman, assistant Jimmy Bell and some of the players will answer questions. All are welcome and admission

  • SOCCER: My finest Hour

    Ronnie Clayton: Brazil v England - Rio de Janeiro 13 May 1959 RONNIE Clayton's most testing match was when he came up against Brazilian great Pele. It was 1959 and the Rovers legend was playing for England in Rio de Janeiro in a friendly game. "At that

  • Events in East Lancashire on Sunday, March 25

    Blackburn and DIstrict Model Boat Club Tud Towing, Oswaldtwistle Mills, 10.30am. Blackburn Association meet outside Blakey Moor Baths, Blackburn, 9am. Finding Your Ancesters, Blackburn Central Library, Town Hall Street, 12.30pm-2.30pm. Settle Orchestra

  • Spiritual experience is back on the agenda

    The Saturday Message, with Canon Stewart Hartley, Vicar of St John with St Philip, Nelson ASK my family; when it comes to shopping I'm lost! Put me behind a trolley and ask me to choose a packet of breakfast cereal and I break into a cold sweat. Which

  • My first. . .

    This week, with celebrity chef ANDREW NUTTER, of Nutter's Restaurant, Edenfield MEMORY: On holiday on Anglesey, my dad holding me by my feet over a wall at the cliff edge. One of those half- terrifying mom- ents where you think, 'is he going to drop me

  • Settle for a small brush with fame

    Drive and Stroll, with Ron Freethy - this week, in Settle WHEN we talk of the Ribble Valley's towns we usually think of Clitheroe, which I visited last week, and Settle, in Upper Ribblesdale, which I strolled around this week. Next week I am going to

  • Town's Sweeney Todd was hanged for child's murder

    WILLIAM Fish gained infamy as Blackburn's answer to murderous cut-throat barber Sweeney Todd when he killed and butchered seven-year-old Emily Holland in his shop. In the final part of his series of six features retracing the steps of some of East Lancashire's

  • I'm so scared of singing in this town

    Opera singer Sean Ruane has wowed audiences in Italy and made recordings at Abbey Road, the studio made famous by the Beatles... so why does he get nervous before a concert in Bacup? PAULINE HAWKINS finds out. THE thought of singing in front of an east

  • 'Befuddled' man found in car

    MARK Noone was arrested after being found in a "befuddled" state sitting in someone else's car. Blackburn magistrates gave Noone a conditional discharge for 12 months after hearing that he had already spent a week in custody. Noone, 23, of Laburnum Road

  • Making friends at school

    A DISUSED area of garden at Langho Primary School has been transformed into a Friendship Area where pupils will be able to sit during the better weather and chat to friends. Grants towards the work which has involved landscaping work and the purchase

  • Putting on the style to celebrate

    JOHN and Noreen Mullen will be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary on golden sands. The Blackburn couple first met at the New Empress Ballroom in 1950 and married a few months later. John said it was love at first sight -- he saw Noreen and that

  • Mattress blaze

    THREE children and an adult were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke after a mattress fire at their Atherton home. The fire is thought to have started after a child playing with a cigarette lighter set fire to a bed. Firefighters wearing

  • Axe raid gang member found guilty

    A 20-YEAR-OLD man who denied being part of vicious four-man gang which robbed a security van has been convicted by a jury. Red security dye was found on one £20 note from £820 cash Colin Paul Smith had asked his mother to look after for him. Smith will

  • Cleared child worker's life 'upside down'

    A CHILDREN'S home worker cleared of assaulting a boy in his care today told how is life has been "turned upside down" by the case. David Towler, a team leader at an East Lancashire children's home, said he felt 'gutted' when he received the letter from

  • Ewood Beat

    with Andy Neild Reserves switch ROVERS are understood to be considering switching all their remaining reserve games to Christie Park. Rovers officials are keen to ensure that the Ewood playing surface remains in tip-top condition. Initially, the plan

  • Frontage must be replaced

    A NEW timber frame canopy frontage at Barden Mill, Burnley, has been granted planning permission. The scheme replaces a frontage to enclose a small area for the sale of plants and garden products built without approval and then refused. Planning officer

  • 'Massive' tree to be axed despite order

    LOWERHOUSE resident Donna Hargreaves was successful in a plea to Burnley Council to axe an ash tree growing in her back garden. The tree at Printers Fold is covered by a Tree Preservation Order and objections to its felling were made by two councillors

  • Bed firm dream team is back together

    BURNLEY-based Sweet Dreams, the UK's fastest-growing bed manufacturer and distributor, has re-formed the management team that once made 'Layezee' a household name. John Craig, the former sales director with Layezee and parent company Silentnight, has

  • Deaf couple's burglary shocker

    A BURGLAR who raided the home of a profoundly deaf couple as they slept is behind bars, while his accomplice who helped get rid of the spoils has won his freedom. Burnley Crown Court heard how the victim and her partner knew nothing of the night-time

  • Cleared child worker's life 'upside down'

    A CHILDREN'S home worker cleared of assaulting a boy in his care today told how is life has been "turned upside down" by the case. David Towler, a team leader at an East Lancashire children's home, said he felt 'gutted' when he received the letter from

  • Pensioner leads campaign over 'health hazard' risks

    PADIHAM pensioner Dennis Cannon is launching an action group against phone masts which he regards as a health hazard. He has hired the council chamber at Padiham Town Hall for a public meeting with the intention of setting up a campaign committee. Mr

  • No powers to halt phone mast work

    WORRIED residents left a council meeting disappointed after being told there was nothing that could be done about telecommunication equipment being added to a existing 30 metre mast in front of their homes. Seven residents of Woodlands Grove, Padiham,

  • Bazaar put back a month

    ORGANISERS of a girls' school charity day will have an extra month to prepare, as the event has been postponed. The charity meena bazaar at Nelson Civic Theatre was due to be held on Tuesday but will now go ahead on Sunday April 29. The Ghausia Girls

  • MP happy with Lords drug move

    GORDON Prentice has welcomed a House of Lords report calling for the legalisation of cannabis-based medicines. He said it was another step along the way to allowing the "soft drug" to be used to relieve chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis and

  • £3m could bring benefits by October

    PENDLE'S economy is to be top priority following the announcement that £3million is being put back into the borough. The money - from the North West Development Agency (NWDA) - is the first allocation of cash from a new regeneration programme that will

  • Reviews of the latest sounds

    Singles GORILLAZ: Clint Eastwood, (Parlophone) - It's impossible not to love the turbo boosted cartoon characters of Gorillaz. And with the lazy reagar feel of Damon Albarn's keyboards, it's a tune that brings the summer into focus. But with a whole host

  • Speed cameras an option in road safety campaign

    SPEED cameras could be introduced on a busy main road in Baxenden. They are one option in a drive for better safety on Manchester Road, which already has a 30mph limit. Others include widening sections of the kerb. The measures, being considered by Lancashire

  • School calls in security guards

    A SCHOOL has been forced to employ private security guards in a war against burglars and vandals. Rhyddings High School has brought in the security firm to patrol its grounds at night after a series of break-ins and vandalism attacks. The Oswaldtwistle

  • Dogs on death row as crisis spreads

    UP to 30 dogs were facing death row across East Lancashire today and face being put to sleep unless new homes can be found for them. Kennel bosses expressed concern that the deepening foot and mouth crisis had stopped people rehoming animals and said

  • Chemists on Duty

    Wednesday, March 28 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; The Surgery (Chiropody), 132 Lammack Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The

  • Chemists on Duty

    Friday, March 30 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Moss Pharmacy, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst

  • Chemists on Duty

    Monday, March 26 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Moss Pharmacy, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst

  • Further delay in Evans assault case

    THE Crown Prosecution Service has apologised for delays in dealing with the case of a man accused of assaulting East Lancashire Tory MP Nigel Evans on Christmas Eve. The case against Gary Beddows was adjourned two weeks ago after the police had failed

  • Mark makes his mark in the Army

    BURNLEY soldier Mark Wilkinson has just qualified as a mechanical engineer. Mark, 19, who comes from the Lanehead area, has this week been back in town helping with recruitment at the Army careers office in Yorkshire Street. As a student at Habergham

  • The Sam Ellis Column

    HAVING started his football career at Sheffield Wednesday in 1964, Burnley's assistant manager Sam Ellis has never been out of the game for than a matter of weeks. After hanging up his boots he worked at Watford, Blackpool, Manchester City, Lincoln City

  • Turf Moor Beat

    with Pete Oliver Coxy the warrior 'SOCA WARRIOR' Ian Cox (pictured) was linking up with the Trinidad and Tobago squad yesterday in preparation for next Wednesday night's World Cup qualifer in Costa Rica. The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation confirmed

  • Armstrong:

    We've still got plenty to play for OUR season is far from over. That was the defiant message from former Clarets skipper Gordon Armstrong as he prepared to take on relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers at Turf Moor this afternoon. Burnley look to

  • Battle's over for bands

    BLACKBURN College band The Reserved join forces with their fellow student bands for a special gig at the Cellar Bar tonight. Last week the group took first place in a battle of the bands contest in Darwen, pipping Scenario to the trophy and prize money

  • Get your demos in

    ASPIRING local bands who want to play at this year's music event in Accrington, are being invited to dust off their demos and send them to the organisers. The annual festival which takes place Oakhill Park, will be on August 12 this year. A recent demo

  • Cigarette starts blaze at flat

    A MAN needed hospital treatment after he fell asleep with a cigarette in his hand. Leading firefighter Jim Earnshaw said the cigarette started a blaze at Mark Hunter's Woodvale flat, in Vale Street, Darwen, at around 2.15am today. A caretaker at the Blackburn

  • College job fight goes to Europe

    A LECTURER in East Lancashire is to spearhead a landmark pan-European test case on the pay and pension rights of part-time workers. Debra Allonby, 42, says she was discriminated against when Accrington and Rossendale College decided to switch all its

  • Transplant boy Faizan to get Diana award

    A TEENAGER who faced a third lifesaving kidney operation four months ago has been honoured with another prestigious award. Faizan Awan, 14, of Leamington Road, Blackburn, will receive a Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Award next month after being nominated

  • Teen girl's lover sent to prison

    A MAN who disappeared to Wales with his schoolgirl lover wept as a judge sent him to jail for eight months. Sacha Edwards and the 14-year-old girl had booked into bed and breakfast accommodation in Cardiff, the girl going missing from her Blackburn home

  • RUGBY LEAGUE: Happy Lynx chase second victory

    AFTER ended their long losing run tomorrow against York, Chorley Lynx will be looking for another victory this Sunday when Batley Bulldogs are the visitors to Victory Park, ko 3pm. In last week's victory Lynx ran in 15 tries with Stuart Fisher breaking

  • ANGLING: Ireland trip plans are dealt a blow

    DESPITE the essential restrictions imposed because of the foot and mouth disease outbreak most anglers are managing to get fishing. It was difficult in the extreme last weekend due to the dramatic fall in temperature on Saturday. A return to milder weather

  • SOCCER: Casper fights back by Royals appointment

    The Saturday Interview - this week with Chris Casper "I KNEW as soon as I went into the tackle, that was it!" "I felt it snap and then it was agony." It was the sort of injury every footballer fears. And Boxing Day 1999 almost signalled the abrupt, painful