IT'S often said that you can use statistics to prove anything, and at first glance the wide variety of figures in today's School Performance Tables are pretty complex. We all know certain schools do better than others in exam results and many of them
CHILDREN at Broadlands Special school in Blackburn were given a special creative boost when they received a belated Christmas gift. Staples of Blackburn donated crayons, paints and paper to the school which accommodates 30 pupils aged 2 to 5 years with
WHILE I totally agree with the removal of the tyrant Saddam Hussein, the method to be employed is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. If we continue to disillusion ourselves that by using such means we will eradicate his weapons of mass destruction
NO one needs to remind anyone at Burnley that the trip to Brentford is going to be tough one - we all remember what happened at this stage of the season last year. We travelled to third division Cheltenham Town full of confidence that we would be in the
DETECTIVES have launched a major inquiry after a man was found dead with a mystery injury at his home. Police were called to an address in Dall Street after they were contacted by concerned friends of Roger Ellerton. The body of the 56-year-old was discovered
HOME Secretary David Blunkett is to launch an inquiry into the case of an Iraqi Kurd asylum seeker stabbed to death in Blackburn. The move comes after Blackburn MP and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called for an urgent probe and admitted the system for
IT'S full steam ahead at Hilton Park as Leigh Centurions put the final preparations in place for Saturday's historic match against Russian champions Locomotiv Moscow writes Mike Hulme The Centurions aim to make it a night to remember on and off the pitch
HAVING helped Manchester United knock Burnley out in the last 16, ex-Claret Mike Phelan knew he would get a hot reception in his home town if they were to lose out to Rovers in the last four. But United's first team coach enjoyed his evening on the Ewood
LUCAS Neill believes Andy Cole's early strike could have been their downfall. The Rovers right back felt Manchester United were fuelled by their 14th minute deficit but added: "Now we can try to win the FA Cup!" And he urged his team-mates to generate
ROVERS captain Garry Flitcroft was gutted to miss out on a Worthington Cup final for a second time. The midfielder was suspended for the final last season and was desperate to make a swift return to Cardiff. But he admitted Rovers were beaten by the better
DWIGHT Yorke said beating an on-form Manchester United was like trying to accomplish the impossible. The Rovers striker, who spent four years at Old Trafford after signing from Aston Villa for £12.6 million in 1998, knows from his own experience that
THE latest in a worryingly long line of hamstring injuries for Irish winger Damien Duff capped a miserable night for Rovers as they relinquished their hold on the Worthington Cup. The scores and the tie were level when he limped slowly across the pitch
BURNLEY Football Club today issued 12 more life bans to people convicted of football related offences. Those banned all have convictions for a number of offences, at both home and away matches. They include affray, racial chanting, attempting to enter
GREEN goddess crews fought a blaze at a church after arsonists struck on Tuesday night - during the latest 24-hour stoppage by fire fighters. The church at Westgate Cemetery was targeted at around 8pm. Vandals kicked the six-inch thick wooden front door
FIRE chiefs are warning of the dangers of electric blankets following a blaze at a house in Burnley. Fire crews were called to a house in Waterbarn Street at about 10pm last night after the owner fled the property when the blanket in the bedroom caught
BUDDING young actors in Burnley have a lot to sing and dance about after the town's Youth Theatre landed a £1million grant for a new building project. The Arts Council has given the go-ahead for the group to build extra premises in Queens Park Road. The
A MAN battling mental illness stabbed his sister's partner -- 48 hours after walking into a hospital casualty unit to seek help for his increasing symptoms. Gavin Willis, who had received in-patient treatment days earlier, was apparently sent home from
RADCLIFFE High School looks certain to be closed in the next three years. The 71-year-old Abden Street school, the worst performing school in the borough according to this week's league tables, is targeted for closure as part of a plan by education chiefs
PACKED houses greeted Lancaster's newly re-opened cinema, with more than 1,500 film fans attending during the opening weekend. Eminem's film 8-mile won bigger audiences at The Regal than at all but one cinema in the rest of the Granada region - with the
BAE Systems are to cut around 700 jobs in Barrow-in-Furness as part of a sweeping consolidation of its maritime operations. As well as these jobs, 265 in its shipyards on the Clyde, 50 at Waterlooville and up to 30 jobs at Farnborough are set to go. The
LONDON-style congestion charges should be introduced in Lancaster, says local MP Hilton Dawson. He is urging city councillors to back the idea - based on the £5 charge for entering central London - in a bid to beat the city's traffic problems. But one
BURGLARS and people who act as "fences" for stolen property were today introduced to a weapon in the fight against crime -- a dedicated property police officer. Property disposal officer PC Paul Roden will take a tough line on the handling and sale of
POLICE are still awaiting the results of toxicology tests on a dead 19-year-old found in the back of a car. The man, whose identity has not been released, was found slumped in the car's back seat in Commercial Street, Oswaldtwistle, at 2.30pm on Tuesday
LEIGH Harriers have scored a double victory. They have won a £10,000 grant for sprint track improvements and the honour of hosting the county schools' cross country championships for the first time. The grant from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts
FORMER Leigh RL Club kit man Joe Atherton, has died, aged 89. Joe, of Lever Street, Tyldesley, looked after the first team strip from pre-war days at Mather Lane and for many years at Hilton Park. Born and raised in the Wigan Road area of Leigh, Joe supported
DIAMOND couple John and Brenda Stott have begun a year of big family celebrations. The pair, who married at "Allsop's Chapel" -- Leigh Register Office -- on January 26, 1943 began 2003 in swinging style with their own birthdays. John was 80 on January
RIBCHESTER St Wilfrid's and St Saviour STYDD will be holding a Festival of Talents in St Wilfrid's Church on Saturday, February 1 from 10.30am to 4pm and on Sunday, February 2 following the 10.30am Eucharist. There will be displays and demonstrations
PERHAPS a local historian could answer a question for me. Why are there so few straight roads in the area? Was it because the Romans did not stay here for long, or perhaps local tribes were less gifted in path-making than those in other areas? There is
WEBLOGS have finally hit the mainstream as businesses have started using them to promote their work. Analysts at Jupiter Research, well established as one of the world's foremost Internet think-tanks, have set up a site of weblogs (weblogs.jupiterresearch.com
MORECAMBE take on fellow-play-off hopefuls Hereford United as they look to get back into the Conference play-off race on Saturday, writes Steve Dunthorne. Jim Harvey's Shrimps have lost ground on the leaders after a fortnight of cup interruptions, a disappointing
Leigh Miners 'A' 50 Wigan Keeper Inn 5: LEIGH Miners 'A' had a break from league action and all the squad took part in a convincing 50-5 win over newly-formed Wigan side Keeper Inn. The visitors scored with a drop goal, then some fluent rugby saw first
Leigh East 8, Leigh Miners 24: HIGH-FLYING Leigh Miners took their time, but eventually clicked into top gear to see off their near neighbours Leigh East. Surprisingly it was only when the Miners were temporarily reduced to 12 following the sin-binning
ANOTHER East Lancashire borough is to be part of the "Pathfinder Project" to regenerate housing across East Lancashire, and the Government has hinted that hundreds of millions of pounds are on the way to upgrade homes. Social exclusion minister Barbara
A DRUG and alcohol scheme which is believed to be the first of its kind in the county has been launched in Rossendale. A support worker has been assigned to Bacup and Stacksteads in a bid to tackle some of the communities' worst problems. Laura Brown,
HALLS, Balls and Catheralls will come under scrutiny when Leigh Local History Society meets at 7.30pm next Wednesday in the Derby Room at Leigh Library. Fred Holcroft will talk about Lancashire Surnames.
THE age of steam came to life for the second time at Atherton Probus Club when Norman Astley gave part two of his illustrated talk on steam locomotives. At the next meeting on Tuesday, January 30, at 2pm in the Jubilee Hall, Eric Howe will speak on Wigan
A NEW community group kicks-off its activities with an event to help boot racism out of football. The Afro-Caribbean Opportunities Initiative is inviting children aged 11 and 12 to compete in a football tournament at Radcliffe Borough's Stainton Park
SCORES of Blackpool residents were given the key to a safer future this week as the town's alley-gating scheme began. Community safety wardens, beat officers and crime prevention officers handed individual keys to around 240 Claremont and Grange Park
A CULT band has been given a chance to shine again after a chance meeting with a record boss in a Blackburn bar. Manchester band The Fall signed a deal with Preston's Action Records after its owner Gordon Gibson heard them at their North Bar gig. The
DETAILS of sports and arts organisations will be at your fingertips when Fylde Borough Council produces a comprehensive directory. With over 90 sports clubs and leisure providers currently on file the Council is looking to add to this number to provide
THE United Kingdom, as a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, has an obligation to consider all applications for asylum made in this country. Each application is considered to determine whether the applicant
IT was one-way traffic as Blackburn Hawks rode roughshod over Grimsby Buffaloes and soared into the top four with a 14-1 triumph. A fourth successive league win pushes the in-form Hawks above rivals Whitley Warriors and into the end-of-season play-off
ACCRINGTON Stanley are on course to retain the Lancashire FA Marsden Trophy after overcoming Conference opposition at the Crown Ground last night. John Coleman's men swept Southport aside to book their place in the semi-finals of the cup, where they will
Burton Albion 0 Leigh RMI 1 by Martyn Hindley THE acquisition of Martyn Lancaster from Chester City always looked a sound investment for Leigh RMI, but it took victory at Burton Albion to find out just how good he'll be. Lancaster's solid and dependable
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Drop-In Advice Surgery, Billington and Langho Community Centre, 3.30pm-6pm. Tom Jones Tribute, Pines Hotel, Preston Road, Clayton-le-Woods, 7.30pm. East Lancs ME/CFS
A WOMAN who went home and collapsed drunk got the wrong house, Burnley magistrates heard. The court was told how alcoholic Pauline Barnes, 55, actually collapsed at another property in the same street and the upset owners called the police. Barnes was
ACCRINGTON and District Boys' Brigade brass band has been presented with new instruments to replace some that were well past retirement age The band was formed in 1956 and some instruments were bought second hand at the time. Grants from Hyndburn Council
THE details for a new bus forum in an East Lancashire borough will be discussed by councillors and bus company operators next week. An initial meeting for a Hyndburn bus forum has been set for Monday. Coun Tim O'Kane said: "Obviously these are the early
COUNCIL tenants in Hyndburn are facing an average £58 per year rise in rents. But the council says the 2.35 per cent increase could have been worse after the Government proposed a 3.25 per cent rise. The hike will bring average weekly rental on a council
A MAN, aged 38, was driven to suicide following a catalogue of personal set-backs that had blighted the last years of his life. An inquest heard that Christopher Orton had been made bankrupt when his business failed. He had been hospitalised by injuries
MOTORISTS claim that a new junction built to ease congestion in a village centre is dangerous. They say the layout and roadmarkings at the Stonecross Lane-Slag Lane crossroads are confusing drivers and that staggered traffic lights are making congestion
A FAMILY was dealt a double blow when close friends died within days of each other. Tom Wilcock, aged 73, died while on holiday in Tenerife, and just two days later the Wilcocks' best friend Auntie Em -- Emma Hughes -- passed away, aged 79. Mr Wilcock
BOSSES at a Ribble Valley psychiatric unit set up a covert closed circuit camera after a series of thefts. Blackburn magistrates heard that the 'spy camera' at Kemple View eventually caught contract cleaner Andrea Smith stealing a mobile phone. Smith,
A £100,000 scheme could see Clitheroe town centre get a make-over in a bid to boost tourism. If successful, the scheme could also be implemented in Longridge and Whalley. Cash will be up for grabs by Clitheroe traders for shop front renovation and decoration
A LETTER from assorted Labour sup-porters in the Citizen last week describes the British National Party (BNP) as neo-Nazi - this we dispute. The Concise Oxford Dictionary definition of Nazi is 'a person hol-ding extreme racist or authoritarian views or
IT is often said that the best ideas are the simplest and this site is definitely one of those. The online homebase (www.onlinehomebase.com) site is a web based reminder service that allows you to keep diary notes and jottings for reference. But one of
WHEREVER the British National Party decides to stand it will meet with resistance. Both the National Front and the BNP have made attempts to generate interest in their Fascist policies in this town and both have failed miserably. Lancaster has a truly
YOUNG Lancaster rugby players hit the road to Twickenham on Friday with a game that, if they win, will leave them just two matches away from a game at the home of rugby. The Lancaster Royal Grammar School first team take on St Bee's school, from Cumbria
PLANS for the Cocker-mouth based Malcolm Wilson Rally on Saturday, March 8, are well underway, with route surveys reporting that the forest tracks are in great condition. The event, which uses tracks in the Whinlatter and Grizedale complex, will be looking
LANCASTER City travel to Unibond league leaders Accrington Stanley in the Lancashire Cup next week. But a good run in that competition is unlikely to save some of City's players from the chop after a disappointing start to the season. The game at Accrington
HAPPINESS leads to an enthusiasm to learn for pupils and staff at an Euxton primary school - and to praise from the county's top education boss. Barbara Coulton, headteacher at St Mary's RC Primary School, says skittleball, football and dancing contributed
VOULEZ Vous, one the UK's greatest and best loved Abba tribute bands will be playing at the Morecambe Dome on February 7. Now in their twelfth year together and still boasting their original line up, Voulez Vous promise an evening of pure 'Abba' nostalgia
A DEPLETED Leigh East U12s left their defence at home as they went down 20-0 at Blackbrook. Top tackler was Tyree Roper with the man of the match award shared between Sam Shepherd and Adam Thomasson.
CALLS for an unwanted path to be removed have been stepped up after a resident revealed his car window was smashed by gravel. Terry Rose, 63, is one of 70 campaigners on Redvers Road and View Road, Darwen, who want a gravel path leading to the new M65
A DRINK driver was spotted by police swerving inside his lane on the motorway, a court was told. Burnley magistrates heard how Mark James Johnson, 25, who was captured on video at the wheel of the vehicle, smelled strongly of drink. He maintained he had
JIGSAW, a social group for widows and widowers is keen to welcome new members, especially men. The friendship group has more than 50 members, aged between 50-80, who meet monthly at Leigh Miners Club in Twist Lane, where they organise monthly day trips
ANTI-GAMBLING protestors are up in arms after councillors gave casino bosses the go-ahead to turn a family amusement arcade into the first of Blackpool's new breed of the resort's casinos. Despite objections from local groups, council officials have granted
AN ASYLUM seeker support group today claimed there were "great gaping holes" in the system. Sally Thomas of Building Bridges, based in Burnley, said she could not comment on the case of Mokhliss Mostafa, who was stabbed to death in Blackburn. But she
THE mother of a two-year-old girl who drowned during a family holiday has backed a new campaign to prevent similar tragedies. Linda Wright, whose two-year-old daughter Kirsty drowned in a Greek hotel spa pool in October 2001, said "I would not wish any
EIGHTY new police officers are to hit Lancashire's streets after bosses agreed a budget adding an average of 27p a week to council tax bills. The announcement followed a meeting of the Police Authority resources committee yesterday which set the budget
HOME Secretary David Blunkett is to launch an inquiry into the case of an Iraqi Kurd asylum seeker stabbed to death in Blackburn. The move comes after Blackburn MP and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called for an urgent probe and admitted the system for
BURY'S school system has won praise from the Government. The Department for Education and Skills is to use its website to highlight the work of the town's schools. Bury Local Education Authority has been picked out for including pupils with special educational
KIWI star Bryan Henare must sit and twiddle his thumbs for the next few weeks because of Home Office red tape. Kiwi second rower Henare, signed from Oldham in the off season, has been told he can't play for Leigh Centurions until Adam Bristow's application
JOHN Pendlebury is back on home ground, appointed as Leigh Centurions' assistant coach at the weekend. Leigh-born Pendlebury sat alongside head coach Paul Terzis during Sunday's win over Oldham but only officially took up his duties as number two on Monday
RICHARD Foster won the 14th winter merit at Pennington Park on Sunday by beating Bill Rowson in the final 21-15. The consolation final was won by Cliff Berry who beat John McCaul 21-11.
POLICE who executed a drugs search warrant at Adele Hindle's home discovered 49 large cannabis plants. But Blackburn magistrates were told that officers who had attended at the house two days earlier on another matter had seen the plants and given Hindle
I WOULD like to thank the many people who came to our aid when my husband fell in Northgate, Blackburn, recently. There were so many of them, including a young woman who was a nurse. Thanks also to the gentlemen in the Beneficial Finance building. We
ACCORDING to figures compiled by shooting organisations, compensation handed out to legitimate and law-abiding shooting sportsmen after the Hungerford and Dunblane atrocities was in the region of £450 million. That amount of money could have been spent
WITH the murder of a police officer carrying out his duty, we must surely now be aware that acts of terrorism can easily be carried out against people in Britain, particularly if our vigilance and that of our counter-terrorist organisations are working
MOST of us make some sort of New Year's resolution as we start a new year -- to stop smoking, lose weight, or even just to try to lead a better life. For those who resolve to do something useful in 2003 but can't quite think what to do, why not find out
MYSTERY surrounds an early morning road crash that resulted in the death of a 22-year-old Leigh man. Former dental laboratory worker and St Mary's High pupil Anthony Breeze was the front seat passenger in a car involved in a head-on collision with a mini
ROVERS boss Graeme Souness is confident that his players will be able to put their Worthington Cup disappointment behind them when they return to Cup action on Saturday. "The players can't be too disappointed because we always knew it would be a difficult
MARTIN Taylor described last night's defeat as the biggest disappointment for almost two years. But the Rovers defender believes manager Graeme Souness would rather have picked up the three league points against Manchester United in December than secure
THE key stats and moments from the game against Manchester United. ROVERS: BRAD FRIEDEL Yet again a giant between the posts, made vital stops but did give away the penalty which sealed it for United...9 LUCAS NEILL Had more trouble from Silvestre than
A PENALTY from Ruud Van Nistelrooy secured a 3-1 win for Manchester United in the second leg of the Worthington Cup, read the minute by minute match action here... FULL TIME: Rovers 1-3 Utd. Rovers go out of the Worthington Cup 4-2 on aggregate, which
RUSH hour traffic backed up through Read following two accidents at Devil's Elbow earlier today. A 15-year-old boy was taken to Burnley General Hospital with head injuries in the first incident at 8am. Two cars caught up in the traffic behind the accident
A 42-YEAR-OLD driver stopped by police tried to run away and was then aggressive to officers, a court was told. Burnley Magistrates heard how Dawn Mawhinney could not be read her rights at the police station because she was said to be drunk and incapable
GAWTHORPE High School is once again collecting 'free books for schools' tokens. These are available in The Sun, News of the World and on Walkers crisps packets. You can send them to school with pupils or drop them off at the school office. THERE'LL be
BURNLEY MP Peter Pike has expressed further reservations about military action in Iraq to the Prime Minister. At Question Time in the Commons he raised the issue of the dangers of the new Gulf War with Tony Blair. Earlier this week. the Labour back bencher
A HARD-UP dad sold copy compact discs over the Internet after setting up a 'sophisticated' website, a court heard. Burnley magistrates heard how Ronald Ashworth, 37, was advertising and selling computer, PlayStation and music discs from his Barrowford
THE saga of Nightingale Hall Farm could be nearing a conclusion - thanks to a ruling from plan-ning inspectors. They have decided that the city council should be allowed to stop plant owners Fats and Proteins UK Ltd from emitting smells 'beyond the site's
LANCASTER arts organisation Folly is celebrating the expansion of its premises with a re-launch party. With the opening up of the ground floor the Castle Park building offers many possibilities for a varied programme of events, courses, workshops. There
A RARE turn of the century FA Cup Final programme, when Bury FC won the trophy 6-0, could fetch £5,000 when it goes for auction. Experts at Sotheby's expect the collectors' item to attract much attention when it goes under the hammer next month. It is
NINE people appeared before Burnley Magistrates, charged with supplying hard drugs after police raids on houses in Nelson and Barrowford. Two were bailed after admitting allegations and seven were remanded in custody, six of them until January 29, by
PLANS for a £208,000 re-development of St Philip's Family Support Centre, in Nelson, will be unveiled by Pendle Partnership this weekend. The former church currently provides subsidised childcare and is funded by Pendle Partnership's Community Economic
THE mother of a young Clarets fan found hanging in a house in Nelson today paid a moving tribute to her son and said: "He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten." Danny Kelly, 33, was discovered at the top of the stairs by a friend who called round
TEENAGE cyclist Ian Calderbank nearly died when he was impaled on the handlebar of his BMX bike. Now his mother is warning others to learn by his mistake and make sure their bikes are safe to use. The horrific injury happened last Thursday when Ian (15
RADCLIFFE High School looks certain to be closed in the next three years. The 71-year-old Abden Street school, the worst performing school in the borough according to this week's league tables, is targeted for closure as part of a plan by education chiefs
ONCE again, readers responded rapidly to help East Lancashire coal industry historian Jack Nadin, of Burnley. Last week , he called for the identities of seven miners pictured leaving Reedley Colliery when it closed in May, 1960, so that he could include
MOTORISTS complain of increased traffic and congestion in Railway Road in Blackburn town-centre ever since the closure of adjoining Church Street 20 months ago. Yet, this picture from June, 1952, shows that the gridlock there is nothing new -- and that
WITH famous stargazer Mystic Meg predicting Blackburn Rovers will get to the final of the FA Cup this year -- but staying schtum about the result -- what might guarantee them glory if her prophecy is true? Thanks to 74-year-old Blackburn reader Harry
A FATHER-to-be who set off at speed with police in pursuit after they tried to stop him in Earby in the early hours, kept his freedom. Christopher John Ibbitson, 21, who abandoned his vehicle and ran off, later told officers he didn't stop because he
A RAGING warehouseman attacked his then girlfriend when she left a pub and did not wait to meet him, a court heard. Burnley magistrates heard how Mark Binns, 34, tried to strangle victim Tracey Day and then threw a headboard through a bedroom window,
FLAG wavers who gathered on Leigh Town Hall Square for a filming session, feature in a new exhibition at the Turnpike Gallery. The large scale projection work of commissioned artists Emma Rushton and Derek Tyman show moments of the crowd scene and explores
KNOWLEDGE-hungry children can't get enough of arithmetic. Pupils at St Thomas' in Leigh are even turning-up early for a spot of breakfast schooling in the primitive art of sums. The magnet drawing an ever-increasing number of children to pre-school lessons
A LOCAL authority is to review the future of its public question and answer sessions amid claims they have been a waste of money. When the Labour group came into power in Hyndburn last year, leader Ian Ormerod scrapped the existing leader's question time
A DOZEN dedicated Homewatch leaders have honed their crime-beating skills. The successful co-ordinators, who passed a specially designed NVQ course, received their awards from Leigh sub-division commander Supt Mary Boylan. They are Andy Yarwood, Jean
A LOWTON woman could help others live on following her tragic death at the age of 24. Helen Franzen, who died on Sunday was a donor card carrier who cared about the world around her, and this week her family are trying to come to terms with her loss.
NELSON'S COLUMN By Dt Sgt Bill Nelson THE first intake of police community support officers has hit the streets. The new bobbies on the beat will assist regular police officers in their fight against crime and help to provide high profile patrolling.
ABOUT 200 people were evacuated from their homes in Prestwich at midnight on Wednesday after an acetylene cylinder inside a garage was set alight. The fire was extinguished by firefighters at the domestic garage at the rear of Kings Road, near Sedgeley
IT was love, set and match for a Clitheroe couple who met on a tennis court and will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary next week. Eunice and Jack Hughes, both 89, of Well Court, Well Terrace, met as teenagers and married at St Stephen's Church,
LIBERAL democrats locally and nationally have fought to retain rural post offices. Now the threat of closure is spreading to urban areas. This has undoubtedly been hastened as a result of the change in Government policy which diverted pension and benefit
A RECOVERING heroin addict who was arrested in connection with a brutal stabbing today insisted: "I am innocent." Tyrone Bridges was one of three men detained by police after Darren Leecy, 34, was stabbed in the kitchen of his parents' home in Standen
MOBILE phones and computers are getting closer by the day and the Sidekick is one of a new brand of these gadgets. It has already proved a success in the US having sold tens of thousands, and now it is soon to available in Europe. The model on sale in
WITH regard to the Hilton Dawson gang of five's comments about the BNP (Citizen letters, last week), I ask them to examine why such things are happening. It is true that my parents and others went through a world war to prevent Nazism. How-ever, how are
A RARE FA Cup final programme from the 1903, when Bury FC won the trophy 10-0 on aggregate, could fetch £5,000 when it goes for auction. Experts at Sotheby's expect the collectors' item to attract much attention when it goes under the hammer next month
BURNLEY Football Club today issued 12 more life bans to people convicted of football related offences. Those banned all have convictions for a number of offences, at both home and away matches. They include affray, racial chanting, attempting to enter
A NUMBER of Stan Ternent's first team squad enjoyed a valuable 90 minutes against Rotherham last night but Ronnie Jepson's side crashed to another defeat. Alan Moore, Ian Cox, Andy Payton and Nik Michopoulos all played a full game while Robbie Blake appeared
FOUR months ago Lennie Johnrose was playing football in the first division with Burnley - today he is back on the scrapheap. "I have no idea what the future will hold for me now," confessed the 33-year-old who has been shown the door by third division
YOU never want to go out of a cup competition, at any stage, but it is particularly harsh when you lose a semi-final. It felt like one of those nights when, whoever scored the first goal they would be the ones to go on and win the match. But, unfortunately
CULCHETH Strollers present Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from Thursday, January 30, until Saturday, February 1. Tickets for the panto at Culcheth Parish Hall cost £3.50, available from Mullineaux's Florist or call 01925 811265.
PREPARE to be enchanted by the classic beauty of Swan Lake as it glides into the Manchester Opera House on January 27. The romantic tragedy, featuring Tchaikovsky's haunting music and Marius Petipa's original choreography, will be performed by the Chisinau
A PLAN to cut crime by targeting dimly-lit 'hotspots' across the district has been giv-en the go ahead. Yorkshire Street in Morecambe and Rye-lands footpath and Willow Lane in Lancaster are set to benefit from the £320,000 scheme. The idea is to use lighting
YOU'RE guaranteed a "super smashing" time at Lancaster's Grand Theatre on January 31 with Jim Bowen in concert with the Hot Rhythm Orchestra. Well-known trumpeter Jim has worked with the highly-regarded Hot Rhythm Orchestra for 18 years playing jazz classics
PLAYING their first game for two months, Leigh East Tigers U13s defeated Wigan St Cuthbert's 34-10. Tries from Iain Jolley, Daniel Weaving and Karl Ashall helped them to a 16-10 half time lead. In the second period the Tigers ran riot scoring 18 unanswered
£1000 no 7193 S Dillon, Leigh; £250 no 3192 S Webster, Leigh; £100 no 4139 D Brooks, c/o Barlos; £50 no 6565 D Powell, Leigh; £10 no 5237 A Ashton, Atherton; £10 no 2225 F Eddowes, Lowton; £5 no 679 Mrs Botham, Leigh; £5 no 1519 M Bartley, Leigh; £5 no
CLASSIC World of Fitness first squash team started the second half of the season with an excellent win over previously unbeaten division leaders Moss Side. Mike Howard played first and in a close five setter narrowly lost 3-2 mainly due to uncharacteristic
Tuesday walks: Meet B & Q car park at Crostons Retail Park, Bury Bridge for one of two all day walks. Impromptu at 10am and Rivington at 10.30am. Bring lunch and flask. Thursday walks (max 8 miles). All day walk. Meet B & Q car park, Crostons
CLARETS winger Glen Little is hoping to give manager Stan Ternent a fitness boost ahead of Saturday's FA Cup clash at Brentford. A week ago, he suffered spasms in his back after training, but he was back with the first team squad at Gawthorpe today and
A PENALTY from Ruud Van Nistelrooy secured a 3-1 win for Manchester United in the second leg of the Worthington Cup, read the minute by minute match action here... FULL TIME: Rovers 1-3 Utd. Rovers go out of the Worthington Cup 4-2 on aggregate, which
BOOMING cakes and pastry business Inter Link Foods has bought Britain's leading malt loaf producer in a £8.4million deal. The takeover of Soreen was revealed as Blackburn-based Inter Link announced record sales and profits for the first half of its financial
MEMBERS have taken over the Darwen sports and social club they rescued from closure last year. More than 1,000 members of the Ineos Sports and Social Club, in Bridge Street, took ownership at the beginning of the month and are looking to have the legal
THE Government today confirmed Rossendale will be part of the Pathfinder scheme to regenerate housing across East Lancashire and hinted that hundreds of millions of pounds are on the way to upgrade Valley homes. Social exclusion minister Barbara Roche
BLACKPOOL Zoo is set to become a world-class experience with a £5 million cash injection over the next 10 years. The appointment of private company Grant Leisure Limited who tendered to take over the running of the 32-acre zoo from April, was approved
WHAT is known as Kurdistan has been the scene of conflict throughout the 20th century. The area, which includes parts of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey, was promised autonomy in a treaty in 1920. However, this never materialised and the tensions continued
TRADING Standards officers in Lancashire today warned householders to beware of cold-calling salespeople offering a free damp-proof check Officers at Lancashire County Council said they had received a number of complaints from people who had got calls
TRADING Standards officers today warned consumers about holiday club offers which claim to provide huge discounts off future holidays. The Department of Trade and Industry has recently moved to shut down 14 companies offering holiday club membership,
A NEW code of conduct to protect teachers from false child abuse allegations is being drawn up for staff in Lancashire. Linda Richardson, Lancashire County Council's child protection development officer, is one of five people nationwide who are working
BACUP stormed to the top of the NWCL second division with a 6-0 demolition of Chadderton in what was their first home game of the season. A Paul Fildes hat-trick helped Brent Peters' side to victory and sent them two points clear at the top with four
GOLDLINE TROPHY semi-final (at Atherton Colllieries) Prestwich Heys...2 Atherton LR...1 (Heys win on Golden Goal in extra time) TIM STOKES headed Prestwich Heys into a Reebok Stadium final appearance against Atherton Collieries with a goal that was truly
AS the last traces of Christmas 2002 vanish from my home, lo and behold all around preparations for 2003 are underway. Family Hampers are already seeking agents and customers and a Christmas set of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are on offer. For goodness
THE subject of dog muck makes people's hackles rise. Mine did too when I glanced into a Leigh back yard as I passed. I pity the poor pet that lives in such squalor. There are so many, and I mean so many, piles in the concrete yard the little thing must
MOUTHY Jamie Oliver has hit out at the standard of school dinners. The TV chef has attacked the companies supplying meals to schools saying they are cheap. I suppose he could do better -- for a small fee of course. I have few complaints about the nutritious
YOBS have had a smashing time at the Cook Street phone box. There's not a pane left in the Leigh centre kiosk, but at least the mountain of shattered glass left nearby has been cleared away -- and the handset works . The action of these vandals is mind-boggling
WHY is it that when some electronic item goes wrong it takes a month of Sundays to find someone to fix it? In this throwaway society people cast away hundreds of pounds worth of equipment like an old coat. I haven't the heart. I grow attached to it. In
AROUND half of East Lancashire's 48 schools achieved worse GCSE results than in 2001 but just over half are above the national average of 51.5 per cent of passes between A* to C. In Blackburn with Darwen, four schools have fared better than last year,
THE majority of schools in East Lancashire have failed to meet the grade in Key Stage 3 examination figures out today. League performance tables reveal that all secondary schools under Blackburn with Darwen Council control bar one, and the majority of
EAST Lancashire teachers have welcomed new league table indicators which compare pupils' abilities like-for-like. But parents have been warned that statistics still don't tell the whole story about school achievement. And in Blackburn with Darwen, heralded
Leigh Centurions 22 Oldham 14 by Mike Hulme NEW club, new team, new season. There was barely time to make the introductions before the Centurions were beginning their journey in the Arriva Trains National Cup. A host of new signings, a new assistant coach
A TOP detective has appealed for urgent information to trace two thugs who battered a good neighbour when he interrupted their car wrecking spree. The Radcliffe man, who has not been named, was set upon when he confronted the pair who were responsible
ON Steve Waywell's departure - as with any managerial change - Leigh RMI fans were divided on who they wanted as new boss writes Martyn Hindley Some fancied Dave Felgate for the job, others John McGinlay despite the lack of success he encountered with
