Chorley Cricket Club all-rounder Tom Smith was sensationally named on Monday in the England Academy squad to tour Pakistan this winter. The 19-year-old is one of two Lancashire players selected for the squad, alongside pace bower Sajid Mahmood. Smith
I SHOULD like to thank him and accept Mr David Wiggins's apology about the trouble I had trying to contact NHS Direct. But, Mr Wiggins, not everyone owns a computer nor has Sky TV. NHS Direct was devised to take the workload away from GPs and A&E
A Chorley schoolgirl is being 'broomed' for success after entering an academy for witches. Laura Davies, 13, is to appear in Granada's award-wiinning series, The Worst Witch, to be broadcast next year. Laura, who is currently filming in Manchester for
NEVER mind the quality, feel the relief! Tuesday's Carling Cup win was an absolute must if the lads were to go into the biggest two games of the season so far in high spirits. Recent results have put us down among the dead men and caused a few flutters
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes looks set to revert to a 4-5-1 formation for tomorrow's clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Hughes used a similar system in the corresponding fixture last season, when Rovers picked up a creditable point following
BLACKBURN Rovers defender Zurab Khizanishvili today insisted he's the man to stop Wayne Rooney as Mark Hughes' side prepare for a showdown with Manchester United. The on-loan Rangers centre-back has made a big impression during his short time at Ewood
Choristers from Preston will feature on a double-CD called the Best Gospel Album in the World Ever, released next month. The album, produced by EMI/Virgin features 100 voices singing well-known gospel classics such as Oh Happy Day and Swing Low Sweet
A medical engineer from the Royal Preston Hospital is to compete in one of the country's toughest endurance events to raise money for charities in the area. Dave Edmondson, 41, whose job is to make sure attachments like heart monitors and incubators work
A Leyland florist has helped launch a campaign to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK. Joan Fielding, 68, who was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago helped kick start the initiative that aims to raise cash by selling 'pinkies' -- bands worn
Preston's role as the administrative capital of the county could be under threat as plans to merge yet another public service were revealed. Last month the closure of Lancashire's fire control centre in Garstang Road, Fulwood, was announced, to be replaced
MORECAMBE Town Centre has seen a big drop in violent crime this year, say police. Town centre community beat manager PC Neil Pigott says violent crime has gone down for the first time since crime recording standards were changed. There have been 271 offences
LANCASTER'S MP is calling on the Government to re-think its increased drinking hours policy. The plea follows new figures showing that the number of people collared locally by police for boozed-up troublemaking has trebled in just 10 years. Statistics
A WHITE horse-drawn carriage took hit and run victim Levi Bleasdale to her final resting place as her family said goodbye to their "little angel". The centre of Padiham was brought to a standstill as more than 100 mourners joined a funeral procession
A COMPANY where a worker was crushed to death was found to have a catalogue of errors when investigated by health and safety experts, a court was told. Janesville Products Ltd, of Spring Gardens Mill, Colne, was prosecuted following the death of employee
THE hunt is on to single out new film and television locations in the Lancaster and Morecambe district. Local people are being asked to nominate buildings, groups of buildings, landscapes and areas which could form the backdrop to anything from an epic
British welterweight champion Michael Jennings from Chorley is used to hunting down opponents in the ring and lives up to his nickname of the Lurcher. Jennings now finds himself the hunted after Welsh dangerman Bradley Pryce has promised to stalk the
AS landlady of the Freeholders Arms, I write to express deep concern over the contents of Cllr John Whitelegg's 'Ullswater Road special bulletin'. I am particularly concerned over the implied assertion that my customers are likely to be responsible for
THE renovation of the Midland Hotel, together with its facilities, will not solve Morecambe's problems. And neither will an international architectural competition, the outcome of which will be projects which have nothing for residents. The Midland could
CITIZEN Smith pleaded against the building of a Morecambe Bay bridge in his leading article two weeks ago. But surely, setting aside all other considerations such as power output, ecological effects and so on it can only be a personal preference when
ONCE again we read a front page story about a young woman being raped or sexually assaulted on her way home in the early hours of the morning in Morecambe. Question! What on earth are 14 and 15-year-old women doing walking home at that time in the morning
I WAS happy to read the letter from your correspondent N Bliss demolishing Robert Segal's persistently ludicrous claims about the supposed 'triumph' of capitalism, and credit too for identifying an alternative to capitalism based on co-operation and mutual
THE grandmother of a toddler who drowned while in his childminder's care today backed a campaign to raise awareness of bath-time safety. Cathy Massey backed Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust's drive warning parents of the dangers of leaving
I HAVE read many letters both for and against a link road on these pages and believe it's high time somebody in the area started looking at this realistically. In terms of Morecambe and Heysham, we already have a 'Northern' link road - it's the promenade
MORECAMBE Reserves continued their winning start to the season with a hard fought victory over 'derby' rivals Lancaster City. The mini derby at Christie Park saw thr Shrimps edge the match by a narrow 1-0 scoreline. City included ex-Morecambe players
VALE of Lune swept into the second round of the Powergen Intermediate Cup after an impressive 41-10 victory over Wigton. Lune oozed class to see off the Cumbrians on a day where the locals starred. Full-back Andrew Garnett claimed a personal haul of 21
MORECAMBE marvel John McGuinness survived a practice accident to complete four finishes in five races as Scarborough turned into bike heaven. The International Gold Cup event on the public roads of Oliver's Mount in the East Coast resort saw British Superbike
LANCASTER City are up for the cup this weekend as they travel to Ewen Fields for the FA Cup second qualifying round tie with Hyde. The Dolly Blues travel to Manchester high on confidence after a wonder goal from Ryan Elderton saw them beat Worksop on
STEVE Cotterill believes Burnley are "inches" away from kick-starting a climb up the Championship table. The Clarets face Brighton at Turf Moor tomorrow looking for a second league victory of the season to leapfrog Albion ahead of Ipswich Town's visit
A NEW company offering 'bespoke' training courses to companies across the North West has opened in Morecambe. CBH Training specialises in IT and business courses and says it aims to give businesses an opportunity to train employees at a time and place
STEVE Cotterill believes Burnley are "inches" away from kick-starting a climb up the Championship table. The Clarets face Brighton at Turf Moor tomorrow looking for a second league victory of the season to leapfrog Albion ahead of Ipswich Town's visit
DOZENS of motorists have been illegally issued with tickets after council bosses failed to update old parking laws. Blackburn with Darwen council chiefs are facing the prospect of having to repay £3,180 in fines which have been issued incorrectly since
Some did not survive the crisis and went out of business altogether, while others are still struggling to be financially viable and many have diversified into other ways of earning a living - often with notable success. But while all those involved with
RE 'Policemen in schools,' (LET September 14). This is another cock-eyed idea that will only bring the law into more disrespect. Teachers appear to have lost all control and respect of their pupils. Has this anything to do with the failure of the children
I DO not believe that the smoking ban goes far enough. The rights of people should be considered first and foremost -- the right to breathe clean air! If people do not want to smoke why should they be subjected to it if they want to go out and enjoy themselves
Chorley's new top council officer has been announced. Donna Hall, 41, was named as the next chief executive at a full meeting of Chorley Borough Council last night. She was chosen after a three-day assessment led by council leader Jack Wilson and a panel
An entire school class is set for a fairytale trip to Denmark after scooping a national storytelling prize. Year five children from St Mary's Catholic Primary, Chorley, created a new twist on a Hans Christian Andersen story in a competition organised
A Chorley firm's £10m High Court victory could cost the Government £40m in payments to small firms in claims dating back to the foot and mouth crisis. Harry Ruttle Plant Hire, Common Bank Industrial Estate, Chorley, won a landmark court battle with the
A COMPANY where a worker was crushed to death was found to have a catalogue of errors when investigated by health and safety experts, a court was told. Janesville Products Ltd, of Spring Gardens Mill, Colne, was prosecuted following the death of employee
DOZENS of motorists have been illegally issued with tickets after council bosses failed to update old parking laws. Blackburn with Darwen council chiefs are facing the prospect of having to repay £3,180 in fines which have been issued incorrectly since
MARK Hughes today hit back at claims that Jose Mourinho's all-conquering Chelsea have turned the Premiership title chase into a one horse race. The defending champions' immaculate start to the season has prompted some to say the race for the title is
Army recruits based at a Preston barracks will be enjoying a luxury home-from-home lifestyle as part of a multi-million pound programme to refurbish their living quarters. More than 70 soldiers from the 5 General Support Medical Regiment, based at Fulwood
A young woman has spoken of the terrifying night she came face-to-face with a would-be rapist. The 24-year-old student, from Ashton, said she thought she was going to be raped or even killed when she was viciously assaulted in Aqueduct Street, Preston
Nearly £500,000 is to be spent in the second phase of a programme to regenerate the city thoroughfare of Friargate Brow. The scheme will provide store owners with 50 per cent of the cost of making repairs or renovations to their shop fronts. It comes
A transsexual who has suffered a string of attacks is appealing to people to let her live her life in peace. Rebecca Taylor said she lives in fear of being physically assaulted or verbally abused every time she sets foot outside her front door. The 32
A WOMAN turned into a human fireball after a suspected gas explosion has lost her fight for life. Patricia Heys, 58, of Russell Terrace, Padiham, died at Wythenshawe Hospital yesterday, one week after the fire at her home. The divorced mother-of-two had
THE parents of a youngster who battled to survive meningitis and septicaemia are spreading the word about the deadly disease to help other people. Jane and Ian Ruscoe, from Slyne, thought they were going to lose their daughter Kelly when she contracted
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a man suffered serious injuries in an incident in Morecambe at the weekend. The victim suffered huge blood loss from injuries to his head and neck following a fracas on West End Road at 12.30am on Sunday. The man
A MORECAMBE woman is launching a campaign to save a popular family attraction from being bulldozed. Elms Road resident Irene Sutcliffe wants to form a 'mum's army' to protest about a planned revamp of the Happy Mount Park paddling pool. Lancaster city
HORDES of people are expected to demonstrate outside Lancaster magistrates court next Monday in support of six students facing jail after handing out leaflets on the Lancaster University campus. They will come out to back the students - labelled the George
Preston boss Billy Davies has been handed a massive boost ahead of Saturday's trip to London. Keeper Andrew Lonergan has completed his first full 90 minutes since being ruled out with a knee injury last February. Since then Gavin Ward and new keeper Carlo
PENDLE'S burgeoning tourism industry brings £75million into the area every year, new figures have shown. Day visitors have quadrupled from 630,000 spending £6.1million in 1999 to 2.2million spending £57million in 2004. Meanwhile, cash from tourists staying
After flosing 2-1 against First Division title-chasers Mossley at Victory Park on Tuesday Chorley will be hoping to grab more valuable points when they travel to Spalding in a rearranged UniBond League fixture on Saturday. The match has been brought forward
A HORSE chestnut tree which has supplied generations of children with the best conkers around is to be felled. The huge 20-metre tall tree has stood in Mercer Park, Clayton-le-Moors, for more than 100 years. But it has become diseased after it succumbed
I am a resident of Ullswater Road. Perhaps I can help D. Davis (Letters, last week) to understand why The Brittania pub might legitimately have its plan for extended opening hours opposed. Last New Years Eve I came out of the Gregson's party with my eight
FOR R Segal to assert you are 'more free' under one form of dictatorship than another is pointless. It is like arguing you are better off in Hitler's Germany than Stalin's Russia. The point is that China was and remains a one party state with an appalling
A LANCASTER triathlete is ready to take on the best in the world. Anna Willetts, 22, has been chosen to represent Great Britain in the World Triathlon Age group Championships in Hawaii next month. It is a huge achievement for Anna, who only took up the
A GANGMASTER and four other people have gone on trial charged in connection with the Morecambe Bay cockle disaster when 21 people lost their lives. Lin Liang Ren, 29, from Liverpool is charged with 21 counts of manslaughter. He also faces charges of facilitation
VALE of Lune ladies face the biggest game in their history on Sunday when they kick off the new season at Richmond. Vale romped to the Premiership Two title last season - and now, in the top flight of women's rugby, make the trip south confident of causing
LANCASTER City under-18s moved into the next round of the FA Youth Cup thanks to a 2-1 win over Woodley Sports on Sunday. The game was switched to Giant Axe as Woodley are not allowed to play in FA competitions on their brand new synthetic pitch. And
KEITH Lowe is determined to play a major role in getting Burnley's season up and running. The Wolverhampton Wanderer has slotted into the Clarets defence for the last three games, celebrating his 20th birthday with a first start at Preston and sparking
WELL, we all need something to talk about early in the football season - especially when there's no good games to get us excited! Which brings me nicely to the subject everyone's making too much of at the moment - systems. Or more precisely, the so-called
A LANCASTER and Morecambe College student has come within an ace of winning the 2005 Gordon Ramsey College Scholarship. Andrew Stanwix secured runners up position in the competition open to catering students from colleges all over the country - winning
A TOP fish fryer in Lancaster has set about battering the opposition again - with his chippy shortlisted for the national chip shop of the year award. Hodgson's chip shop, on Prospect Street, Lancaster, is one of two finalists vying for the title of North
COLNE manager Nigel Coates begins rebuilding his team's North West Counties League title bid at Formby tomorrow. The Reds' storming start to the season will be unravelled when they have six points deducted after fielding an unsigned player in the 6-0
WAR Veterans who were guests of honour at Morecambe's 'Victory Weekend' celebration got a special bonus - from local police. After being treated to a meal and show by Poulton Heritage Group, organisers of the festival, they were each given cans and bottles
BLACKBURN Rovers defender Zurab Khizanishvili today insisted he's the man to stop Wayne Rooney as Mark Hughes' side prepare for a showdown with Manchester United. The on-loan Rangers centre-back has made a big impression during his short time at Ewood
A SHOPKEEPER who is selling up after 47 years says the only way to attract more shoppers to her street is to open it up to traffic. Eileen Helliwell and her husband Frank, who own Helliwell Shoe Repairs, today urged the council to listen to established
A NIGHT of musical entertainment has been organised to raise funds for a terminally-ill Bacup youngster. Six-year-old Jack Heath has incurable Hunters Syndrome, which affects only one in 150,000 boys in the country and means he is unlikely to survive
NEWSAGENTS are undermining anti-smoking campaigns by selling cigarettes for 40p each to children. Health bosses hit out after a Blackburn man was caught selling individual cigarettes to teenagers by undercover trading standards officers. Abdul Adam Patel
LANCASHIRE'S biggest eco-friendly cemetery could be built on land opposite one of the Ribble Valley's most famous hotels. The multi-faith woodland burial ground, which would have room for around 1,000 plots, is planned for a 28-acre site over the road
A WOMAN who was subjected to "intolerable pressure" in a volatile relationship stabbed her partner to death after "months of provocation", a court was told. Sonia Clark, 25, of Argyle Street, Darwen, was yesterday jailed for two years for plunging a 19cm
