IN replying to Coun J Hirst (Letters, September 15), recent popularity polls have shown that support for the monarchy has been on the decline for some time. The tragic death of Princess Diana and the reports of her shameful treatment at their hands has
A SOLDIER was plucked from the peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Croatia to give a life-saving bone marrow donation to a dying baby. Corporal Bryan Joseph O'Neill, known as BJ, was flown back from the former war zone to offer the possible gift of life.
AN EMERGENCY aid package has been put together for the 40 refugees arriving in Blackburn from the volcano-ravaged island of Montserrat. Voluntary groups and council officials are joining forces to help the islanders who have been forced to flee from their
Leicester City v Blackburn Rovers - Peter White's big match preview ROY Hodgson will be rooting for Martin O'Neill to inspire his Leicester City side to another famous Filbert Street victory - but not just yet. The Blackburn Rovers boss wants to put a
Mark Templeton Surfs The Net IT had to happen. Pictures claiming to be of the Princess of Wales lying injured in Dodi Fayed's crashed car appeared at several points on the Net during the week. Doubts about their authenticity cropped up straight, away
THOUSANDS of Tories travelling to Blackpool for the annual party conference were given an unprecedented list of "do's and don'ts" by police to ensure their safety amid fears of another IRA assassination bid on Mrs Thatcher and the Cabinet. But Lancashire
IT IS a terrible punishment that Lucille McLaughlan is facing in Saudi Arabia - a public flogging of 500 lashes and eight years in jail. So, too, is the possibility that her colleague Deborah Parry could be beheaded for her part in the murder of Australian
A PUBLICITY campaign has been launched this week in a bid to raise public awareness about meningitis. A special mobile display was parked outside Blackburn town hall as part of National Meningitis Awareness Week. The event has been organised by the National
triggersANGRY residents have hit out after a Blackburn machinist had a brush with death when a two-ton tree branch fell on to his car. Developers will send in tree experts after Arshad Mahmood's car suffered extensive damage. The 26-year-old had gone
AUSTRALIAN youth international Mark Robertson has signed for Burnley, writes TONY DEWHURST. The 20-year-old Aussie has spent the last fortnight on trial at Turf Moor and today agreed a two-year deal with player-manager Chris Waddle. The deal will be based
LOYALTY is the most vital ingredient for a successful team, Scotland manager Craig Brown told businesses. Just days after leading his team to victory over Belarus, Craig came to Ewood Park to give East Lancashire firms tips on how to win in business.
Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy RECENTLY I travelled into North Wales around Wrexham. Only a few years ago Wrexham would not have been on anyone's list as a holiday area but how things have changed. The tributary streams making up the catchment area of
ELDERLY folk will be able to relax in comfort at a social centre thanks to a cash boost from Help the Aged. The charity has awarded £6,600 to St Joseph's Community Centre, Barnoldswick, as part of its Home Truths campaign to combat the isolation many
A TOWN hall leader's wife and former mayoress has told of how she nearly died after being struck down by meningitis. Joan Doherty has spoken about her brush with death in the same week that a national campaign highlighting the dangers of the disease was
The John Blunt column TONY BLAIR tells us the values of a decent society are in many ways the value of the family unit. And I am sure that the vast majority of the country agrees with that. But are not their moral standards being once again ignored by
A DEVASTATED son whose father hanged himself in prison, today demanded a full-scale inquiry into why he was put in a cell on his own. Former bus driver Accrington-born Alan Ratcliffe, 53, who had been described as a danger to himself, was found hanging
HOW to encourage employees to play a greater part in protecting the environment is on the agenda at a seminar next month. The event, organised by the Business Environment Association, is aimed at showing firms how to make use of their greatest resource
A FIRM is celebrating its 10th birthday with a facelift. Beta Industrial Ltd, of Bacup, which supplies products such as filters to spraybooth users, is introducing a new corporate identity. The firm is also creating two separate division covering its
I DO not wish to knock the talents of artists or the efforts of the people who approve and commission their work, but I would like their skills channelled into producing something the public would like to see rather than what they want the public to see
GENEROUS pub-goers are raising funds for charity after a 25-year-old mum collapsed and died in a Clitheroe town centre pub. Regulars at the Victoria Hotel, Market Place, are collecting cash in memory of former Ribblesdale High School pupil Jill Procter
HEALTH experts say cases of suspected of the killer bug meningitis are on the increase in East Lancashire. Last year doctors dealt with 45 suspected cases of the disease in the area and the signs are that numbers are set to rise yet again. Dr Roberta
CONTROVERSIAL plans for Burnley's proposed £12.5 million centre shopping scheme are getting the seal of approval from the public, say council property bosses. The design of the Curzon Street stores and car park plan was savaged by the Mayor, Enid Tate
ANTI-MOTORWAY protesters were celebrating after Government experts ruled out an eastward extension to the M65. A Department of Transport report ignored the proposed motorway route which would have cut through Colne, Winewall and Laneshawbridge. Instead
CHRIS Sutton hopes to celebrate in style at Filbert Street tonight, as he plays his 100th full game for Blackburn Rovers against Leicester City. And the £5 million striker won't need any reminding that it was against Leicester at Ewood in the early days
I THOUGHT money was tight just now so what is the purpose of these costly metal objects erected in Blackburn? If this is all the council can come up with in the name of modernisation; it would be better to save the money for a better reason than endangering
LET'S light up Darwen Tower, says Coun Paul Browne. But despite formally recognising Darwen's heritage and character by having put its name alongside Blackburn's in the council's title, the town hall is cool on the £40,000 idea. So, it's up to Coun Browne
PLANS for a flood defence scheme go on display tomorrow as a campaign against part of the project involving a nature sanctuary hots up. Most of the 80 residents of Lomeshaye village, Nelson, have signed a petition opposing Environment Agency plans to
I AGREE with Mr Spence (Letters, September 15) that maybe we should do away with the people who monitor the street cleansing and use the money to put more actual workers on sweeping. I agree more so, because having studied the agendas of the council committees
A MEMBER of Bacup Cricket Club died suddenly in Birch Hill Hospital, Littleborough, on his 60th birthday. Kenneth Jones of New Line, Bacup, had worked as a footwear operative at Sutton's in Bacup for more than 40 years and had been working as usual the
JOHN Blunt (LET, September 17) informs us that Kenneth Clarke, the ex Chancellor of the Exchequer, the man with the engaging chuckle and the Hush Puppies, earns his beer money by devoting two days a week to a part time boardroom job which pays him £120,000
I REFER to the police concern about many corner shops applying for off-licences (LET, September 12). In your report, a shopkeeper was refused an application despite a 324-signature petition in favour of this application in the Barnfield area of Accrington
DETECTIVES were today hunting robbers who plundered £50,000 worth of jewellery from the wife of multi-millionaire Dave Whelan. The former Blackburn Rovers player managed to fight off the three masked men who had entered his palatial home and tied up his
TWO serious accidents at a weekend motocross meeting in Billington have prompted calls for tough new rules to control access to the site. But today Rossendale Motocross Club secretary Andrew Peacock said effective safety precautions were already in place
Coca-Cola Cup (2nd rnd 2nd leg): Stoke City v Burnley - Tony Dewhurst's big match preview GERRY Creaney will end his 18 months of torment at the Britannia Stadium tonight. If Creaney is named in Burnley's team for the Coca-Cola Cup tie, it will bring
