Helmshore Textile Museum will close to the public between June 2006 and April 2007 so a massive refurbishment programme can take place. The planned developments will include new displays and galleries, a recommended route round the museum and improved
THOUSANDS of residents in Nelson have demanded better housing, education and healthcare as well as the creation of more jobs. Now Pendle Council has launched its first neighbourhood action plan for the town in a bid to try and answer the residents' calls
The annual 14th Pendle Youth Football Tournament is being held in Barrowford next weekend. The competition will see boys and girls aged from nine to 14 battle it out over two days to be crowned one of the best teams in the borough. Trophies will be
POLICE today warned youths hurling missiles at cars in Colne to "expect a visit" from officers. Following a spate of incidents of yobs throwing objects, at cars and taxis in the town under cover police have being driving around hot spot areas. In the
THE YOUNGEST county councillor in Lancashire today spoke of his drink driving shame - and vowed to prevent others from making the same mistake. Coun Sean Serridge, who was one and a half times the limit when he was stopped by police, said he would start
A LONG-SERVING councillor, Clarence Brown, has died after a short illness. A service took place at St Michael's Church, Todmorden, where he was a stalwart and his wife Sheila was church warden. A former mayor of Todmorden, Coun Brown had served on the
A HERBALIST today defended complementary medicine after leading doctors called for an end to free alternative treatment on the NHS. Herbalist Jane Colbourne from the Heal Well Clinic, Duckworth Street, Darwen, said using organic herbs to treat common
THE funeral of 19-year-old Carl Vause on May 18 at St Gabriel's Church, Brownhill, Blackburn, brought flocks of people from every direction. The pews were full, the aisles were full with scores of people stood at the back and overflowing outside. All
TONY Blair's support for nuclear power is reckless and very short sighted. It is a belated attempt to meet CO2 targets and is storing up massive problems for the future. Decommissioning nuclear power stations and storing nuclear waste over thousands
THE plans for Shuttleworth College (Padiham's new secondary school) have now been published. This school, built in the green belt 30-odd years ago, needs replacing and Friends of the Earth are delighted plans include windturbines and solar panels to
THOUSANDS of fun-seekers will be hoping for clear skies on Bank Holiday Monday when the 139th annual Great Harwood Agricultural Show gets under way. In past years, the farming festival has attracted crowds of up to 7,000 to the showground, in Wood Street
A FORMER cinema building in Accrington town centre is up for sale for £700,000. The property, at the junction of Church Street and Cannon Street, known as "Ritz Corner", was previously occupied by home furnishing retailer, Barnes for 34 years. Before
MPS Nigel Evans and Greg Pope have launched a campaign against a proposed bed tax' on hotels and bed and breakfasts which they fear will hit tourism in East Lancashire. The Ribble Valley Tory MP and Hyndburn Labour backbencher have sponsored a Commons
AN East Lancashire-raised national radio presenter has become a queen of the airwaves after attracting record numbers of listeners to Radio Five's mid-morning show. Victoria Derbyshire, who grew up in Turton, near Darwen, has boosted audience figures
A NEW art gallery has been opened in Ribchester. Artist and entrepreneur Angela Wakefield has spent six months getting the gallery, Ascot Studios, at Bee Mill on Preston Road, off the ground. The facility will act as an outlet for local artists and
ACCRINGTON Cricket Club are expecting Nishit Shetty to be available for their trio of weekend fixtures, despite their professional returning to India this week to see his sick father. The left-handed batsman, who has rocketed to the top of the Lancashire
CLARETS defender Michael Duff is aiming high next season - but he knows it'll be tougher than ever in the Championship. Burnley finished 17th last season but with the addition of Steve Jones and a couple more new faces likely in the summer, anticipation
TOWNELEY Hall is a significant landmark in Burnley and townsfolk can thank Lady Mary O'Hagan for the opportunity to enjoy it. The first female in the line to inherit, she sold the family home, where they had lived for several turbulent centuries, to
ONE of Burnley's top policemen has taken to the streets as part of a move to drive down car crime. Exasperated Chief Inspector Chris Bithell was so fed up with people breaking into cars to get their hands on expensive satellite navigation equipment he
A TESCO baker who smashed a workmate's jaw after he refused to put bread in the oven was given a community order. Philip Greenwood, 31, and the victim went back a long way and his actions had cost him not only a 14-year career but a friend as well, Burnley
A 14-year-old girl was rescued from a 60ft cliff face in Barnoldswick last night. The youngster, who was with her 13-year-old friend, had got her arm stuck on the cliff above the reservoir close to the Silent Night factory in Coates Lane. Police and
A MARRIED father of three has been cleared of sexually assaulting a schoolgirl, after a three-day trial. Geoffrey Kenworthy, 47, was found not guilty of sexual activity with a child by a Burnley Crown Court jury. The defendant, of William Street, Accrington
POLICE investigating a string of armed robberies in Blackburn have arrested two men after a seventh raid. A 43-year-old from Blackburn was arrested yesterday afternoon on suspicion of robbery following a raid at Victoria Wines, Redlam. A 34-year-old
MY OLD man's a dustman... and now he's got qualifications to prove it! Thirty East Lancashire council refuse collectors have celebrated passing an NVQ course in waste management options. The qualification is run by Accrington and Rossendale College
A MAN who got "steaming drunk" on a stag trip got embroiled in violent scenes at an Accrington home, a court was told. Jason Tomlinson, 25, of Spring Street, Accrington, pleaded guilty to offences of assault and affray relating to the incident in Malham
A CLAYTON-LE-MOORS haulage firm has been bought for more than £2million in a business deal, it has been revealed. Gilbraith Tankers Ltd, Atlas Street, has been purchased by Durham-based transport services firm Hargreaves (Bulk Liquid Transport) Ltd (
A PAINTING depicting Blackburn Royal Infirmary as it awaits demolition is to go under the hammer to help raise money for a state-of-the-art heart scanner. The painting has been specially commissioned by the Graham Gardner Intensive Care Fund, a charity
A FAMILY are close to raising the money needed to help a five-year-old girl who was struck down by a muscle-wasting disease. Taylor Rayson, of Allan Critchlow Way, Rishton, suffers from spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy which is expected to
THE MERGER of Lancashire and Cumbria constabularies could be the blueprint for force mergers across England, new Home Secretary John Reid believes. The minister is to reconsider predecessor Charles Clarke's plans for nationwide amalgamations but hopes
YET again I went to work faced with the dilemma of where to park. And before the greens start harping on about public transport, yes, I have considered it, but unfortunately services are not good or reliable enough to enable me to drop my eldest child
I AM sure I am not the only one to have been delighted by the flower beds of hyacinths adjoining Blackburn town hall. The scent as one approaches them is a joy. Many thanks to all those responsible. R KNEWSTUB, Fecitt Road, Revidge, Blackburn.
HOW many people have stopped me in town and said: "Mr Straw, that Audit Commission report on neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour was very interesting wasn't it?" Well, none, to be precise. Blackburn is full of perfectly normal people, not
A WOMAN had her car stolen and was dragged to the floor as she attempted to stop the thief driving off. Kerry Holcroft, 27, a direct delivery manager for the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, had left her car unattended for a less than a minute in Ivinson
PENDLE MP Gordon Prentice says anyone convicted of involvement in selling peerages for cash should go to prison. The Labour back bencher spoke out after the all-party Public Administration Committee, of which he is a member, postponed taking evidence
TWO parishioners climbed towards the heavens, 150 feet up their church spire, to raise funds for an £80,000 restoration. Church warden Cynthia Metcalfe and John Hicks scaled the spire at St Thomas The Apostle Church, Helmshore, and are hoping to bring
CAN you believe that the Great British Menu is still limping along on BBC2? It feels as though the celebrity chefs have been competing to prepare a dish for the Queen since Christmas and there's no sign of it coming to an end for a good while yet.
COUNCIL chiefs have pledged to find a solution in the next month to the row surrounding the running of Longridge Sports Centre. Ribble Valley Council and Longridge High School are currently in dispute over how best to manage the facility, which is run
THE vice-chairman of an Accrington club was duped and fleeced of cash after a criminal turned up claiming to be his long lost niece, a court was told. Burnley Crown Court heard James Blanchfield handed over money and his house keys after Rebecca Duxbury
Season tickets are going well for Conference champions Accrington Stanley. The club have already surpassed the 300-mark as supporters look forward to league football. That represents an improvement on this time last year.
ACCRINGTON Stanley chairman Eric Whalley is desperate for the sun to shine on the Fraser Eagle Stadium to avoid their pre-season preparations being thrown into chaos. Work is currently being carried out to improve the quality of the pitch for the rigours
BLACKBURN Rovers defender Ryan Nelsen is confident he will be fit in time for the start of the new season. The 28-year-old is making a good recovery from the broken leg he sustained during Rovers' 2-0 win at Charlton last month, and he is hoping to get
Police in Lancashire hope to cut down on knife related crime as a nationwide amnesty was launched yesterday. During the five week knife amnesty period from May 24-June 30, people will be urged to hand in their knives and other bladed weapons. Over
The Queen (in green, on the left) with civic leaders on Church Street. Picture by Christine Hunt.
The Queen is greeted by the crowds outside Blackburn train station. Picture by Victoria Singleton.
The crowds wait outside Blackburn train station for the Queen's arrival. Picture by Marcus Chadwick.
Were you among the crowds who greeted the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on their visit to East Lancashire? Let us know what you thought of the Royal visit - and if you took any photos, send them in for the world to see. To send us your photos
