Archive

I sit in amazement wondering why Mr David Christley's name was released to the press and television last October saying he had been suspended for misconduct. I always thought one was innocent until proven guilty. It would appear this is not so. Surely

JUST one week after Pool boss Nigel Worthington lambasted his players for a terrible first half performance against Southend, they did it again on Saturday (Feb 28) when Fulham visited Bloomfield Road. But this week Worthy can forgive them, due to a superb

THE Lions go hunting for glory across the Pennines on Sunday as they bid to win a place in the quarter-finals of Rugby League's Silk Cut Challenge Cup. Les Holliday's men, who suffered a shock defeat at Dewsbury in the league at the weekend, are looking

Nemesis (Letters February 19) prides herself on her accuracy, but gets easily verifiable facts and dates about City Council wrong. In her last letter she says the Tories lost control because of the resignation of Roy Cunningham in March 1990 and that

A PROMENADE eyesore's days could be numbered as Blackpool Council decides whether to demolish it. The large shelter on the lower promenade at North Shore has been a blight on the seafront for years, covered in graffiti, paint peeling and doors and glass

ST HELENS will be well represented when county junior Rugby League championship games are played at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday. Blackbrook's Colin Anderton has been named as manager of the Lancashire squads, with Steve Peters and Anthony Hatton coaching

TACKLING the evils of poverty in the poorest parts of Blackpool will be the number one priority when the new unitary authority takes control in April. That's the message which came out of a seminar to set up a strategy combating severe social problems

Northwich Victoria 3 Morecambe 1 (agg 3-4) If ever a team was up for the cup it's Morecambe. This was their second victory in a cup semi-final in less than a week. Last week saw them book a place in the ATS trophy and now the Shrimps can look forward

THE first lady of Blackpool tourism has been honoured for her outstanding efforts to keep the town tidy. A cycling litter buster, a wildlife campaigner, a hospice gardener and green-fingered nurses were among other recipients at the annual awards of the

UNCERTAINTY surrounding the future of Lancaster's Dukes Theatre was heightened this week when a leading light at the theare said she didn't not know if they could survive the current financial crisis. The Administrative Director of the Dukes, Mary Caws

AN amateur Rugby League club have announced ambitious plans for expansion. Haresfinch, who are currently preparing a joint bid for lottery funding with their hosts Haresfinch Social Club, are eventually hoping to field junior sides from under 12s right

A MOSSLAND wildlife haven is one of eight regional nature reserves to benefit from a £330,000 Lottery fund boost. The Lancashire Wildlife Trust's 59 acre site on Astley Moss attracts a variety of intriguing visitors. Breeding curlew, tree pipits and whinchats

West Sutton 14 Trafford SMOB 4 WEST Sutton had to battle against the elements and a stubborn Trafford side before they finally clinched their place in the quarter-final of the North West Counties Cup. Indeed, Trafford grabbed a four-point lead after they

DAVID BURNS makes chocolates for the aristocracy. Even Prince Charles is said to be a finger-licking fan. And now the former Astley lad has scooped a rare honour. His company have been made honorary members of the Guild of Master Craftsmen - as a tribute

PIGS might not fly, not even in Ireland. But they're racing them there - to be sure, to be sure! And a Tyldesley company is inviting the brothers Malone and all to the world's first pig race being staged next month in County Tyrone. Nite Out Promotions

SPEAKING in tongues is second nature to a Blackpool man - still learning new languages at the age of 84. Stanley Bradley, not content with conversing in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Hungarian, Russian, Dutch, Afrikaans, Portuguese and Welsh

AIRCRAFT workers have helped equal a high-flying record. British Aerospace's site at Samlesbury has helped the Airbus site at Chester match the record for weekly shipment of completed wings to Toulouse in France. The wings are sent in pairs in a Beluga

CHALLENGE Cup holders Saints are now the first Rugby League club to launch a licenced product, teaming up with Merseyside-based Mortons Dairies for a branded range of orange juice. Saints have registered two official trademarks and the new style club

WIGAN'S first lady has given her backing to the borough's biggest ever programme of events for International Women's Week. The Mayoress of Wigan, Mrs Joan Pye, praised organisers of the special week which is aimed at giving hundreds of local women the

REPRESENTATIVES from two Darwen firms rubbed shoulders with the Queen and the Prime Minister at Buckingham Palace this week after being honoured for their exporting skills. Borden Decorative Products Wallcoverings Division, and Wolstenholme International

A XANADU site visit turned into a no-dome demo when antis beseiged Leigh councillors. The result was a stormy confrontation between locals, Green Party supporters and Hope Carr trio Kevin Anderson, Brian Jarvis and Mark Hale in Marshall Street. "We were

COMMITTED North End deserved this win and more performances like this should ensure their safety. They battled in a way they should have done more this season - but there's no room for complacency. The victory gave Moyes' men some breathing space - they

PRESTON Drama Club put on a truly professional production at the Playhouse. Ira Levin's Deathtrap - a comedy thriller - had more twists than Blackpool's Big One, and the surprises made the audience gasp out loud. The story centres on a once successful

A MAN snapped and strangled his lover when she compared him to his father - a convicted child killer - a jury heard at Manchester Crown Court. Stuart Thorpe said he regarded Rhonda Melling's baby as his own son and grabbed her round the neck because she

DAVID Moyes sampled the sweet taste of victory for the first time as Preston manager with a result that delighted the fans. But the committed gaffer is under no illusions that the good results have to continue if North End are to drag themselves away

THE former lover of murder victim Rhonda Melling has told how their son has helped him overcome the tragedy. Little Joshua Melling has lived with his grandmother Anne Melling since his mother was strangled to death. But every Saturday the smiling tot

A CHURCH is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its rebirth...in a former supermarket. St Barnabas Church in Johnston Street, Blackburn, has gone from strength to strength since its unusual conversion, and is now planning how to fulfil its next "vision

MRS Newman's letter whingeing about the exclusion of unruly kids from school reminds me of the motorist who blamed the police camera because he was caught speeding (Journal Mailbox February 26). As a mum of three kids at schools in Leigh, I am sick and

CAROL HENDEY is a woman with a mission. Her aim is to make Blackburn and Darwen a safer place to live and promote social harmony in the community - and so far she is not doing a bad job, thanks to your help. For since being appointed community crime prevention

A MAN walking through a nature reserve was threatened with a large piece of wood by a thug who demanded cash. The victim handed over £3 to the attack who struck in Factory Lane, Penwortham , Preston, on February 15 at 2pm. The culprit was in his early

AH! Now we know where you're coming from, Mr Julian Donnelly (Letters, February 27), a lackey of Powergen, believing all their figures and forgetting that their only priority is the shareholder. Time to use your head and forget your pocket, as I have

AFTER the euphoria of picking up their first win in 21 matches, Lancashire Hawks were brought back to earth with a bump at Fife Flyers on Tuesday. After beating Cardiff Rage 13-4 in front of an ecstatic home crowd on Sunday, a depleted Hawks side were

EAST Ward residents are being given a historic opportunity next week to shape their neighbourhood for the next millennium. Council leaders are inviting locals to five open days to talk about setting up a regeneration project for the area. Everything from

APART from his family, football and history are ambitious Kevin Moore's two main loves. So when the 37-year-old saw the Football Museum director role advertised last year he knew it was the ideal job. After moving from Leicestershire the dad-of-two has

CHURCHES in Blackburn are to tap into the emotion surrounding the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in a bid to swell dwindling congregations. Throughout the diocese, churches are to be offered billboard posters depicting a sea of flowers interspersed

HEALTH chiefs in the county have sent an emergency squad of experts to boost standards at a Preston school which was slated by Ofsted inspectors. Her Majesty's Inspectors slammed St Matthews Primary on New Hall Lane for poor attendance, weak management

I HAVE recently returned from Nepal, an independent kingdom, which has been a friend of Britain for almost 200 years. Many thousands of its young men have and are serving in the armed forces of this country, the bravest of the brave - the Gurkhas. Nepal

ACCRINGTON Stanley go to high-flying Altrincham on Saturday with renewed confidence after recording their best win of the season last weekend. Joint boss David Hamilton reckons his side have lost the fear factor and the 3-1 win at second-placed Boston

ROYTON TIGERS U9s 36 LEYLAND WARRIORS 28 This was an excellent game between two well matches sides and could have gone either way. Warriors tries were by Michael Wallbank (2), Craig Hewlett (2), Jamie McMillan and top tackler Lee Connick. Man of the match

A MOURNING family turned down gifts of flowers from well-wishers to raise money for charity, after father-of-three Kanu Patel died of a heart attack. The 46-year-old from Ashton, Preston, suffered a string of heart problems and underwent complex surgery

A TOP Blackburn councillor this week told Citizen readers to ignore rumours that local leisure facilities are set to close. Councillor Eileen Entwistle, chairman of the council's leisure committee, said claims that Daisyfield Pools and Shadsworth Leisure

ARSONISTS are blamed for starting a £50,000 blaze which destroyed an accommodation block at Radcliffe's popular Giant's Seat Scout Camp. At the height of the fire, which ripped through the 15m x 8m Oakum Hut, flames shot 40ft into the air and could be

A LICENSING justices chairman has criticised policing of pubs and clubs after figures showed that arrests for drunkenness in Blackburn, Darwen and the Ribble Valley doubled over the last two years. David Dunderdale, chairman of the licensing justices,

THOUSANDS will bid to break the British line dancing record when country and western comes to Burnley in a big way in the summer. Rockabilly Burnley aims to feature a top band and many local groups in the biggest event of its kind in the North West. Exhibitions

DEVELOPERS are determined to forge ahead with plans for a golf course in Radcliffe despite fears that the site is a radioactive "time bomb". The Stockport design company, Anthony Construction, wants to build a nine-hole pay-as-you-play golf course on

"PRAISE the Lord" is not the sort of thing you expect to hear shouted out in asmall urban Anglican church. Neither do you expect to see a grown woman screaming violently, laughing hysterically, and collapsing to the ground in convulsions. But that's what

EAST Lancashire adventurer Lesley Monk made history as the first British woman to take part in a gruelling 1,155 mile race across the icy wastes of Alaska. Lesley, 37, and her husband Roy, spent five years training husky dogs on their farm at Worsthorne

A HORRIFIED mother today told how she feared her young daughter was being abducted when a stranger climbed into the family car. Wendy Smith, 36, had left two-year-old Amanda strapped in the back seat for only a few minutes just yards away from their home

LABOUR councillors accused of helping people queue-jump a town's house waiting list are due to appear before a special disciplinary panel tomorrow. Burnley's new Standards Panel of council peers and a £400-a-day independent chairman has been specially

COUNCIL taxpayers in Rossendale face a rise of 7.5 per cent, taking the charge for an average Band D property up from £812.37 to £873.74. Extra grant from the government plus a raid on council reserves has allowed the Labour-controlled council to bring

I WRITE to issue a gentle reminder to war widows that this is the last full year that anyone who wants to visit their husband's grave or memorial may be eligible for official financial help towards the cost of the trip. One of the most well received government

A PILE of prattle pours forth from the pundits over the disclosure that Anglican Prime Minister Tony Blair, who regularly joins his wife and children in Roman Catholic worship, has attended Mass on his own. For amid speculation that he might convert to

WINGER Jim Bridge swooped for a hat-trick of tries as Leigh RU beat Rochdale 17-12. In difficult conditions the sides were even matched at the break. But Leigh took control after the break, Bridge adding to his first-half effort and Chris Lee banging

ATHERTON COLLS were literally just two inches away from a precious victory against Warrington Town. With the score standing at 1-1 and just seconds remaining full-back Gary Crompton intercepted and let fly from fully 25 yards. Agonisingly the ball hit

RUNNER David Greenhalgh is hot footing it to the race of a lifetime. Later this month he will fly to Morocco for the Marathon De Sables. That's 150 hot and gruelling miles through the Sahara Desert. And 16-stone David has never before run any kind of

Raven wings in with oldest pub claim WELL now, I'm still waiting for solid evidence concerning the name of the oldest pub still in business within the St Helens borough boundaries. It springs from a yedscratter posed by a customer of this column a week

LEIGH RMI can't claw their way out of a dismal run. It got no better at Guiseley on Saturday when they stumbled 2-1 - their second loss to the Yorkshire side in four days. This Saturday RMI are Guiseley are again matched, this time in the reverse league

IT looks like being a long, hard season for Leigh. After another unequal struggle, a 36-12 thumping at Hunslet, they are fast earning themselves a reputation as the Division One easybeats. And who can blame the opposition for thinking there are points

POLICE have issued a double warning to residents this week following a spate of burglaries and conmen callers. Detective Sergeant Tommy Wright warned members of the public to beware of bogus callers to their homes and stressed that callers should always

A HIGH school teacher and her son, charged with possessing and supplying cannabis, have been committed to Crown Court for trial. Veronica Rigby, currently suspended from her post at St Joseph's High in Heywood, appeared in the dock alongside her son,

YOUNGSTERS at Bury's Springside CP School are looking forward to a greener future - in fact, they can bank on it! The school is one of four in Bury to benefit from a grant from the local branch of the Yorkshire Bank. The bank operates the grant schemes

BURNLEY and Pendle are to receive more than £428,000 for schemes to tackle long term unemployment. The grants are part of a £9 million Objective 3 European package for the North West. It will focus on young people, disadvantaged groups and the promotion

DETECTIVES are hunting three armed raiders who struck at a Whitefield supermarket. The men, brandishing a sawn-off shotgun, machete and lump hammer, stole £4,000 from Kwik Save in Elms Square after ordering staff and shoppers to lie on the floor. A dark-coloured

MAYOR and Mayoress of St Helens, Councillor John and Mrs Doreen Mealor, were among the guests at a very special birthday party. The get-together at Eccleston Community Centre, was organised by St Helens Council to celebrate the 100th birthday of Sarah

RODENT rage got the better of a fed-up resident who dumped a dead rat in front of shocked council staff. Mr John Knowles, of Dorset Drive, Bury, said he was so angry at the lack of council action to clear up rubbish near his house, that he had no choice

Halton Simms Cross 20 Haydock 18 HAYDOCK lost this match in a disastrous first 15 minutes, when they found themselves 14 points down. They were guilty of dropping the ball too often and Simmies capitalised after three minutes with a converted try. Haydock

A NEW Residents Action Committee has vowed to fight a planning application submitted by Linpac Plastics Ltd. The proposals for the company's site at Reginald Road, Sutton, include the introduction of 24 40ft silos, 2 60ft silos and a 13 tonne butane gas

CULTURE vultures should have plenty to get their teeth into during the coming year. The development of the Culture Quarter within the town centre, support for artists in schools projects, the further development of a Sculpture Trail and a marketing plan

THE first session of the Liverpool and District age group swimming competition saw success for swimmers from St Helens Swimming Club. Sarah Healey took the Norman Laird Trophy, winning the 200 metres butterfly championship in addition to wins in the 16

WOMEN still get a raw deal in the workplace according to St Helens TUC. And a special event entitled 'Women Deserve Better' is being staged in Church Square on Tuesday, March 10 as part of International Women's Week. Glen Voris, secretary of St Helens

THERE'S nothing queer about Ginger Beer, not when it's the Coachhouse Brewery's 5% alcohol stuff. It took joint Beer of the Festival award at January's money-spinning Bent and Bongs charity beer bash. Sharing top honour was Burtonwood's experimental dark

BURY Council yesterday lost the latest round of the Battle of the Bins - but has vowed not to stop give up the fight. The Appeal Court yesterday rejected the council's appeal over the row which began when they awarded the contract to empty the borough's

West Park Bramhope 15 West Park St Helens 7 PARK bowed out of the National Provincial Insurance Cup at the quarter final stage at the hands of their Yorkshire namesakes after a below par display just when they needed to be on top form. The home side relied

ST HELENS North MP Dave Watts has challenged one of his political rivals to a public debate. Rainford Tory Tony Brown, who is standing for a seat on St Helens Council had asked the Labour man to "live up to his rhetoric" during a recent feature in the

A TRANSSEXUAL who saved £5,000 for a sex-change operation is claiming a victory in a battle over bank charges. Catrina Day - who was born a man - will travel to Brussels for the four-hour "gender reassignment" operation in May. But when she discovered

Thatto Heath 18 Waterhead 6 HEATH turned up the heat to defeat the North West Counties League leaders. With hailstone and gale force winds it was difficult to play open rugby. But Heath went ahead in the 10th minute when centre Lee Gannon crashed over

AN elderly couple were terrorised by a brutal intruder who broke into their Newton home while they were in bed. He got in through a back window of the house in Collingwood Road at 7am on Saturday after the elderly man, who slept downstairs, awoke to discover

XANADU has been branded a white elephant. Pennington resident Jim Bamford - one of Friday's protesters who buttonholed councillors - declared:"The local authority can't repair the roads or empty the bins properly. How can they possibly cope with something

DESPITE having just one trophy to parade as opposed to four the previous year, cautious optimism was the keynote at Saints' annual meeting of shareholders on Friday. Reporting a profit of £293,314 chairman Tom Ellard said: "During a period of great change

A CASH injection of £6,500 has been awarded to Wyre Borough Council as a major boost for the arts in Fleetwood. Residents have the National Heritage Arts Sponsorship Scheme - known more simply as the Arts Pairing Scheme - to thank for the help. The cash

ST HELENS Council is to retain its elderly persons homes after having fully investigated the options available within the 'not for profit' sector. Last year the authority agreed to look at the option of transferring five homes into the 'not for profit

UNREPENTANT! That was the mood of Shaun McRae following criticism of his comments on the Saints' Cup victory over Warrington on Sunday, WHITTLE: Some fans and Wolves' coach Daryl Van De Velde, thought you over-reacted in your condemnation of Wolves' physical

A FORMER Allanson Street Junior School pupil has just had his seventh physics text book published. Brian Arnold (48) who lived in Parr and Billinge before moving to Northampton, writes science study guides aimed at helping GCSE students to pass their

TWO teenagers waiting at a town centre bus stop were attacked by three youths demanding money. The victims, both aged 16, were on their way home from St Helens College at about 4pm on Friday, February 20, when they were approached by the youths as they

MANCHESTER United trialist Graeme Tomlinson bagged a hat-trick as the Clarets Reserves were in action last night in an eight goal thriller played in dreadful conditions at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham. A young Clarets defence went two goals down after

THE Burnley Football Club Board of Directors are in no rush to make takeover funds available in time for transfer deadline day. Negotiations with the three interested parties have reached a crucial and delicate stage. And an extraordinary general meeting

MR HENIG is lucky to live on a peaceful avenue undisturbed by excess traffic where, if he were at home, the only people disturbing him would have been us quietly walking down the street with a piece of cardboard, posing for a photograph for a couple of

CHRIS Waddle is set for talks tomorrow with on-trial striker Graeme Tomlinson who smashed a hat-trick for Burnley Reserves at Wrexham last night. But the Turf Moor player-manager is taking nothing for granted over the 22-year-old Manchester United forward

THE law of the land could change forever if Lancaster shop keeper Mal Hussain wins his case against the council later this month. Mal won his first case against the council for not protecting him properly against what he claims were violent attacks last

BURY boxing star Ady Lewis is set for a return to the ring in April. The Mighty Atom has been back in training for three weeks and details of his first bout since his European Flyweight defeat in November will be announced by his team shortly. But it

Shevington Sharks 10 Portico Panthers 24 PANTHERS maintained their promotion push in appalling conditions. Missing five regulars because of injury, they grabbed tries through K. Walker (2), Gary Scott and C. Peel, who added four goals. Man of the match

THIS is a terrifying time for Morecambe women. Last weekend was standard for police. Among other abusive crimes against females they dealt with a sexual assault, a woman punched in the face by a robber and indecent exposure. But the main cause for fear

A YOUNG swimmer has landed a major award. Ten-year-old Rachael Pile has won the St Helens Centenary Shield. It was the reward for her success in the Liverpool and District Age Group Championships, staged over two weeks at the Everton Park Sports Centre

Hilton Dawson attended The Countryside March in London organised to highlight concerns of people from the countryside. There were many locals among the estimated 300,000 who attended. One of the main forces behind the campaign, Robin Hanbury-Tenison (

Birmingham CityM-I1, BuryM-I3 IF you hadn't seen this game with your own eyes, you would never have believed it. Promotion-chasing Birmingham, thrashed in their own back yard by lowly Bury? Dream on! Yet three sensational strikes, right out of the top

A MORECAMBE magician and his six-foot side-kick 'Woody Rabbit' have pulled a top entertainment prize out of the hat. Harvey Rush and his lovely assistant, Kathryn Russell, who dresses up as Woody the Rabbit, won the UK Children's Entertainer of the Year

St Helens Crusaders 34 Grappenhall 4 THIS North West Counties Division Six fixture was played in treacherous conditions which produced errors on both sides. But Crusaders settled first and opened the scoring with a try from Briggs and conversion from

BIG JR may be 5,000 miles from Southfork - but he's having a hard time adapting to his new-found fame on TV. Each week, BBC1's fly-on-the-wall documentary Pleasure Beach homes in on the booming Cornish twang of director and general manager Jim Rowlands

I WOULD like to put on record my thanks and the thanks of others for the high standards of independent journalism that we have seen from your newspaper in the last two years. Lancaster is currently troubled by a number of controversial events which revolve

SOCIAL security minister Frank Field has agreed to come to the Fylde to meet civil servants whose jobs are under threat. And he has revealed that the proposed number of job losses would not be as high as first thought. His pledges came at a meeting with

DARWEN Leisure Centre was evacuated on Monday when four members of staff were taken to hospital after being overcome by gas fumes. Five fire crews and an incident support unit attended the incident which happened at 10.15am when a chemical reaction occurred

AGE is one figure that doesn't matter for accountants Haworths. The firm have just taken on two new trainess with an age difference of almost 30 years. Moira Reed, 45, and Sarah Canavan, 17, have been recruited as trainee accountants at the Accringon

Parr Hare & Hounds 12 Blackbrook A 21 HOUNDS went down to a second successive home defeat in this hard-fought local derby but can count themselves unlucky in coming up against a strong Brook side. With no first team game, the visitors took the opportunity

AN entrepreneur has carved a niche for himself by setting up his own pallet and packaging business. Damian Cowell set up Cowell Enterprises Ltd in Darwen just over a year ago, with help from ELTEC's FirmBase start-up programme. He already employs five

A GROUP of clog dancers are heading for Disneyland to show off their talents. Hyndburn St Mary's Clog and Country Dancers have the chance of a lifetime to dance in Orlando, Florida. The group has always been keen to dance abroad and had been trying for

A personal view from Brian Gomm BOARDING a Manchester bound rush-hour train at Atherton is an experience. Standing on the Central Station platform counting how many travellers are trying to get into the two carriages, which have been filling-up en route

A DARWEN church has challenged the town's biggest supermarket to ensure that its shelves are not stocked with goods produced by Third World 'slave workers'. Members of St Edward's Church have asked Kwik Save in Church Street to check that workers in the

HYNDBURN Council's planning department has been branded a 'slow-coach' in Government performance tables. Now planning chiefs are hoping two new recruits will help produce a quicker service to save the council's blushes. The statistics, released this week

A DEPUTY headteacher has enlisted the help of the Citizen in making sure pupils hand over school reports to their parents! David Smith, of Moorhead High School in Accrington, has asked the Citizen to publicise the release of Year Seven reports today (

A VICIOUS killer who strangled his girlfriend with one of her own shoelaces has been jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court. There were loud cheers from Rhonda Melling's friends and relations as Stuart Thorpe was found guilty of murder. And as their

ONE of Journal-land's major companies is closing with the loss of 180 jobs. Townsend Cycles is making 180 redundant at its Leigh factory because of the strength of the pound. The move to shut the plant comes just months after staff were put on a three

Bamber Bridge Bulldogs 30 Folly Lane 18 DESPITE the absence of several regular players, Bulldogs turned in a fine team display to overcome Folly Lane in an entertaining encounter at Bamber Bridge Leisure Centre. Both teams deserved congratulations for

DEDICATED doormen could be the key to keeping local parish churches open all hours. That is the suggestion put forward by Blackburn Cathedral Provost, the Very Reverend David Frayne, who enlists a team of dedicated vergers to care for the religious landmark

MORE readers than ever are visiting the Newsquest Lancashire web site with virtually every category recording record-breaking figures. Overall our site saw a 32 per cent increase from Christmas into the new year with page impressions now totalling 5,347,690

PRESTON schoolchildren are queuing today (Thursday March 5) for a mass meningitis immunisation scheme after two pupils were struck down with the deadly bug. More than 800 children and staff at Kirkham Grammar School have been invited to take part in the

IT was all systems go when Lancashire's Ambulance Service launched a 24-hour help-line at its Preston headquarters. The service is one of only three UK organisations chosen to test run NHS Direct, based at the call centre on Garstang Road, Broughton.

UNIQUE paintings from the 1990 World Cup are set to score with the crowds at an exciting Preston football exhibition. Colourful prints depicting greats from soccer's history have been lent to organisers by the Professional Football Association. The rare

SO the new plans for Xanadu are about to be thrust upon us but the only apparent alteration is at present to the size of the snow dome and the car park. But what other aspects of the opposition to Xanadu have the development consortium tried to deal with

A PAIR of eager entrepreneurs plan to bring a taste of the Caribbean to Preston after a chance conversation led them to become business partners. Former taxi driver Donald Graham-Smith who lives in Preston, answered the call to take Richard Riordan to

A WOMAN who saved a Chinese baby from 'the dying rooms' has set up a charity to ensure a better future for those left behind. Preston mother Jacqui Shurr and her husband Jeff spent two years wading through red tape before they could adopt their little

ENVIRONMENTALIST Michael Wellcock is hopping mad over the number of frogs being killed on a busy road. Now Mr Wellock, of Newington Drive, Bury, is coming to the rescue of frogs who face being run over while travelling from neighbouring gardens to a nearby

HAVE the councillors for the Hope Carr ward lost their grip on reality? They claim they are responsible for the changes to the Xanadu project after taking residents' views in to consideration. Are these the same people who said that Xanadu would go ahead

YOUNGSTERS in Leyland are set to benefit from a much needed modern creche after councillors agreed a £20,000 cash boost. In a move that should be welcomed by parents, children who attend a nursery at the town's leisure centre will soon be able to use

ANGRY bookworms have launched a petition to save their local library from closure. Readers who use the public library at Queen's Park High School, Shadsworth, were furious to discover that the facility would be closing this summer, to make way for two

PNE 1 LUTON 0 FOR the second time in four days North End earned three vital points but once again, they owed much to the excellent goalkeeping of Tepi Moilanen. Three times in the first half he made brilliant saves to keep out goalbound shots from Oldfield

I HAVE read articles in the Journal over the past couple of months concerning the proposed crematorium at Howe Bridge, off Lovers Lane, Atherton. People reading those articles have been left in no doubt that the plan is indeed a great idea and needed

BLACKBURN Cathedral is welcoming a fresh face this week, in the shape of the diocese's new director of education. The Reverend Peter Ballard, Vicar of Christ Church with St John and St Anne, in Lancaster since 1991 succeeds Canon John Hall who is now

AN ARMY of angry students took to the streets of Preston to demonstrate their disgust at plans to make them pay their own University fees. Around 100 undergraduates from the University of Central Lancashire as well as college pupils turned their back

A HOME for children with learning disabilities faces the axe. Parkside is threatened with closure as part of a radical shake-up of social services. Bosses say they want to provide users, especially children, with a better service based on their long-term

A CONTROVERSIAL plan to re-site Bolton Road Sports Club has won the backing of Bury Council. It has agreed to release land off Ainsworth Road and allow developers to apply for planning permission to build a new club. But residents living nearby are divided

THE last game PNE played in February 1938 was at Deepdale against local rivals Bolton Wanderers. North End recalled George Mutch after being rested for the Stoke game. Bolton included Harry Hobbick at full back, who was to be the PNE trainer 30-odd years

RIGHT now, have-a-go teenager Anna McNeela will be on her hands and knees exploring ancient ruins and tombs in the jungle in Belize. Anna, of Fulwood is currently on the trip of a lifetime, living for 12 weeks in South America. The 18-year-old is one

SAL Southard is hopping mad about frogs - so much so that she shares her home with hundreds of them! But there is never so much as a croak in the night as all the frogs are ornaments which occupy every room in her Primrose Court, Blackburn, flat which

BOURNEMOUTH 0 PNE 2 NO, your eyes are not playing tricks, that was the scoreline and it was a victory that was richly deserved for a battling performance, in particular, from the flying Finn, Tepi Moilanen. On the back of the Carlisle disaster in midweek

PETER Jefferies, head teacher at Broad Oak High School, is leaving at the end of the term after five years in charge. Since his appointment in 1993, the school has seen a transformation and is now the fastest-growing secondary school in the borough. Mr

NEW signing Callum Davidson has started training and is raring to go! The Scottish Under 21 international joined up with his teammates on the training pitch for the first time on Thursday - and now has dreams of stepping out in the famous blue and white

THIS is the house of horror where Preston nurse Helen Cummings shot dead her wayward husband in a crime that has shocked the nation. This week her distraught family breathed a sigh of some relief when they heard the news she is to escape the death penalty

ONE step ahead of the Government, that's Bury Council. The local authority has, for some time, been looking at ways to protect green field sites in the borough and recycle land for new housing. The issue hit the headlines a few days ago when Deputy Prime

COUNCIL tax bills in Bury are going up by 5.9 per cent from April while another £2.2 million is cut from services. This means people living in the lowest rated Band A houses will see their bills rise by £28 a year, while those in the most expensive Band

WORK on creating a controversial in-line skating park for youngsters in a quiet park is set to start later this month despite continued protests from local residents. A suggestion to postpone the start date was rejected by councillors last night after

TWENTY four shopfloor workers were made redundant at Platt Saco Lowell as the firm continued its fight for survival. The move followed the loss of eight office jobs which went when the Accrington-based company was put into the hands of administrators.

A VOLUNTARY mediation service is being set up to help people battling against neighbours from hell to resolve their disputes without involving courts and the police. In the first scheme of its kind in East Lancashire, volunteers in Burnley are being recruited

MASKED raiders threatened a bystander with a gun as they escaped from a village opticians with £66,000 worth of designer spectacles. Four men wearing full-face balaclavas staged the attack on the Robin Standen Opticians in King Street, Whalley, at 8.30pm

THERE were tough words and a warning of hard decisions ahead as Burnley Council handed out £11-a-week council tax demands to most households - an 11.2 per cent rise. Finance chairman Peter Kenyon said the council had slashed budgets by £1 million to meet

MY thanks to everyone who attended the Accrington Pals memorial service on February 22. The display in their memory was absolutely tremendous. I am sure that we will never forget those brave men of the 11th (Service) Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment

IT Joseph's Convent School in Laindon Road, Victoria Park, Manchester, which was the first Central School for Girls in Manchester when it opened in 1923, has held an annual mass and reunion every year since the school closed in 1985. This year, it will

COUNCIL taxpayers in Rossendale face a rise of 7.5 per cent, taking the charge for an average Band D property up from £812.37 to £873.74. Extra grant from the Government plus a raid on council reserves has allowed the Labour-controlled council to bring

MOST people know of rheumatoid arthritis, the most common auto-immune rheumatic disorder. But who has ever heard of the second most common - SjM- gren's Syndrome. The disease, named after the Swedish opthamologist who first described it back in the 1930s

"I BELIEVE we should be judged at the end of negotiations not during them." Chairman Frank Teasdale has publicly said agonisingly and damagingly little since the prospect of a Turf Moor takeover became reality. But the above statement at least should

AS a former journalist I support a newspaper's right to expose injustice and reveal truth. However, in your recent coverage of Jack Straw's assault on Freemasonry, you are somewhat economical with the truth. The Lancashire Evening Telegraph, along with

RON Freethy's article on clog dancing and canals (LET, February 27) was most interesting. For those who would like more information on the subject, over the May Day bank holiday weekend, May 2 to 4, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society will be holding

THE PUBLIC does not need telling that it got a bad deal out of rail privatisation - as late trains, higher fares, subsidy drains on their pockets and, now, even risky tracks all spell out the opposite of improvement. But salt is really rubbed in the wound

MY Dad was diagnosed as having leukaemia in May, 1997 - which was a severe shock to me, mother and him. I am an only child and live with my parents, both of whom are seriously ill. My father, as I have already said, suffers from leukaemia and my mother

A VULNERABLE pensioner who suffers from a bad heart was duped by a clever conman who stole the old man's life savings after claiming to be from the water board. The 76 year old, from Redgate Drive in Parr, had just got up on Friday, February 27 and had

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a teenage boy was indecently assaulted after being threatened with a knife. The 17-year-old victim was approached at about 5.45pm on Tuesday, February 24, by a man asking directions. The man then tried to engage

FAMILY ties were never stronger than with local woman, Vicky Neserajah who scooped almost £100,000 on the National Bingo Game but has already given more than half of it away to her beloved family. Vicky Neserajah, is a regular face at the Mecca Bingo

ANGRY Leigh reckon they have been fed to the rugby wolves. And this week they revealed some of the evidence that their Division One prospects are being undermined by a massive shortfall in Murdoch cash. Instead of receiving a handout of £390,000, in common

THE big guns will be firing from the hip on Showdown Saturday. There will no room for the faint-hearted in the Leigh & District Amateur Football League with BIG matches in both divisions. Higher Fold Village Inn are going for the Division One title

ADVENTUROUS teenager Stephen Deslandes is aiming to take a walk on the wild side... with a little help from generous benefactors. For the 16-year-old from Andrew Avenue in Billinge, has been selected for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the jungles of Malaysia

BENEFIT cheats beware! That's the message from St Helens Council's anti-fraud squad whose mission is to save £1 million by the end of March in a major crackdown on housing benefit scams. Since the team was set up in the council's Benefit Section in 1993

WE'RE well ahead of you! That's the message from St Helens as the rest of the country awakens to the menace of under-age gambling. National Lottery operators Camelot have been ordered to clamp down on under age ticket sales after research revealed that

PRINCESS ANNE gave a royal salute to the team at Grosvenor Housing Association when she opened the Ravenhead Foyer yesterday afternoon (Wednesday). The crowds came out to welcome the Princess Royal - and so did the bright sun after days of high winds

A great pick-me-up SWITCH off the telly - ignoring such soapy sagas as Casualty, ER and Peak Practice. Instead, settle into a comfy armchair, put up your feet and enjoy a dose of the genuine 'within-wards' thing! For Joyce Owen, former St Helens teacher

A SEASON of sell-out successes is being celebrated at Burnley Mechanics. The first three months of 1998 are turning out to be among the best-ever for Burnley Arts and Entertainment Centre, with six separate sell-out performances. From the Christmas show

A FULL inquest will be held in Burnley next week to try to solve the body in the river mystery. The hearing into the death of Maurice Charles Sorbie will be held by East Lancashire Coroner David Smith at the magistrates' court building in Parker Lane

DISABLED people in Bury could be given much greater control over the care they receive. Social services bosses want to introduce a system of direct payments to those assessed as eligible for care. Residents would be able to pick and choose what services

HUNDREDS of thousands of pounds of European cash has been won to help East Lancashire's long term unemployed get back to work. The region has won more than £500,000 to support a range of projects out of a £9 million package across the North West. The

A PENSIONER was mugged as she waited at the bus stop outside the Eccleston Arms, Prescot Road, St Helens, at about 6.50pm on Monday. The robber escaped with the bag and headed towards Downs Road. The 70-year-old woman was not harmed, but a police spokesman

COMPLAINTS about bills top the list of grievances against Bury social services. Gripes have grown over the past year, and not just from people complaining about the quality of service they receive. Others grumble that they cannot get any services at all

TELEPHONE hotlines could be set up across Pendle to allow worried parents to speak to education staff. The move follows Lancashire County Council's decision to close existing education offices in Burnley and Nelson and combine services at central offices

TWO drug smugglers from Blackburn were due to be sentenced today for trying to bring £400,000 worth of heroin into the country through Gatwick Airport. Saeed Mahmood, 34, of Revidge Road, Blackburn, was convicted yesterday of being concerned in smuggling

ST HELENS Council has 'signed up'a Saints star. For the Knowsley Roaders' powerhouse packman Apollo Perelini is throwing his weight behind a council-backed energy efficency campaign. St Helens Council and the four other Merseyside local authorities have

SOCIAL workers are suffering under a tremendous workload as draconian budget cuts bite. Staff are paying the price as cash-strapped bosses celebrate getting the books out of the red. Harsh and unpopular measures including service cuts, higher charges

A CONVERSION plan to rescue a canal warehouse at Church from dereliction has won the support of borough councillors. But the proposal to convert the boarded-up Blackburn Road building into offices could go to a public inquiry. The Health and Safety Executive

GREEN top milk should be given the green light before fags and beer. Local MP David Chaytor is battling to save unpasteurised milk which he and his voters have drunk for generations. Before Christmas, scientific advisers said such milk should be banned

Collegiate 13 Ruskin Park 36 RUSKIN gained their biggest away win of the season thanks to a marvellous all round team performance. Defending stoutly when needing to, and attacking at every opportunity when in possession, they finally overwhelmed a youthful

DUTCH guests will be 'dropping in' for an awards ceremony at Accrington and Rossendale College next week without leaving Holland ... They will join the international presentation via a big-screen video conferencing link, the first event of its type at

LIBYAN oil magnates are impressed with Wigan and Leigh College. So much so they have enrolled 10 engineers from the WAHA Oil Company on engineering courses at the College. They will study instrumentation, power utilisation and electrical and electronics

WHEN puppy rescuer Carol West asked for a good home for Tomy, the abandoned wire-haired fox terrier, she was expecting only one or two calls. But since the heart-melting photograph of the pedigree puppy appeared inside last week's Bury Times she has been

SILK Cut Cup holders Saints landed the tie nobody wanted when Monday's quarter-final draw pitched them against arch-rivals and hot favourites Wigan. The terrace-packing clash, in which both coaches have a 100 per cent record in the competition, will be

Surf shock for Pam WE'VE not clapped eyes on each other for more than a quarter of a century. So Pam White almost fell off her swivel chair while surfing the Internet in Kansas City. For there, on her computer screen, was an image of the thumb-nail picture

A HEAD for heights will be required when Howard Farrar takes to the skies at the end of the month. After wife Lauraine had given him the unusual present of a helicopter lesson at Christmas, he decided to use it to raise money for charity. So, on March

GREEN Party agent Chris Maile and sympathisers challenged councillors over Xanadu issues. After the meeting Mr Maile said:"It appears Cllr Jarvis will not even speak to me, refusing to answer my questions. "Cllr Hale was also unable to throw any new light

A WELL-loved place of worship nestling in the heart of a St Helens suburb has launched an ambitious project to build a new community centre. St John's Church, Ravenhead, is hoping to raise £400,000 to extend its premises in Crossley Road following an

AN ASTLEY traffic conflict won't be solved easily. But Tyldesley East councillor and Wigan highways committee member Cllr Steve Hellier believes the Cross Hillock issue would be helped by a roundabout further up the road. Last week traffic lights and

Saints 35 Warrington Wolves 22 REVAMPED Saints took another step towards a third successive Cup Final appearance after this bruising battle. But the outcome of this Silk Cut Trophy 5th round pairing hung in the balance until the closing stages. On a day

A BLACKPOOL MP finds school meals of junk food too hard to swallow. Blackpool South Labour MP Gordon Marsden hit out at Conservative attempts to weaken nutritional controls over school meals. In a House of Commons speech Mr Marsden said: "I do not want

MENINGITIS victim Chloe Jackson will be remembered with a grave headstone - thanks to a gift from a local firm of undertakers. The Atherton toddler died shortly before her first birthday after being rushed to Royal Bolton Hospital. Immediately local shopkeepers

Blackpool Rovers 1 St Helens Town 1 TOP of the agenda in a busy week for St Helens Town was qualification for the Floodlit Trophy final and in mid-week they did just that under the Hoghton Road lights as the second leg semi-final ended 0-0. Already 4-

POLICE at St Helens have saluted gun owners who surrendered their weapons after a change in the law. From February 28 it became illegal to own a .22 handgun. And owners were given four weeks from February 1 hand them over. Constable Andy Whittle, who

BLACKPOOL'S next mayor has pledged to promote the resort nationwide during his mayoral year. Councillor Henry Mitchell, who was unanimously voted in as mayor-elect by the full council, said: "I want to be a PR man for Blackpool, to promote it as a tourism

A LOCAL cat lover has created the 'purrfect' home for tearaway tabbies and strutting siamese. A new sanctuary called 'Cats Cradle' has been set up by the cat woman of Yealand Redmayne, Gabrielle Oldfield, who has been caring for her feline friends for

Hoddle stays silent Previous sport story Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.

FREEHOLD residents have failed in their bid to take Lancaster City Council to court over its decision to allow tallow burning at Nightingale Hall Farm. Discussions with a leading environmental law firm have revealed that any legal challenge is likely

When is Lancaster City going to improve Giant Axe? A couple of years ago, there were plans for a 6,000 seater stadium. Have these plans been lost? Morecambe now have a Football League standard ground, but we are stuck with Giant Axe, and it is an embarrassment

LANCASTER residents have expressed fears that plans for a conference centre near Aldcliffe Road would create a traffic accident blackspot. British Waterways have applied to turn their offices by the side of Lancaster Canal into a conference centre, bar

COUNCILLORS voting for the ill-fated Crinkley Bottom Theme Park may not have been in possession of the full facts, the Citizen can reveal. Council members have said that, had they known that Noel Edmond's Unique Group had expressed no intention to underwrite

ROY Hodgson is continuing his Europe-wide search for new players this week, but Blackburn Rovers fans are going to have to be patient as the manager admitted he was looking for "a rare animal". And, surprisingly, there has not been any movement so far

COUNCIL Leader Stanley Henig has welcomed Prime Minister Blair's new initiative to make local government more democratic and accountable. Ways to increase voter turn out, the possibility of annual elections, streamlining the committee structure and using

ONE victory out of three was nowhere near enough for Lancaster to win the British Deep Water championships last weekend at Salt Ayre. Lancaster's hopes were sunk on the opening day when, despite being led at the front by Burgess and Hartley, the home

BLACKPOOL is all set to get an insight into the life of legendary cabaret entertainer Marlene Dietrich, at the Grand Theatre. SiM- n Phillips plays the title role in Marlene and brings her back to life in this revealing view of the woman and her shows

AMNESTY International USA is considering adopting an inmate at Lancaster Castle as a 'prisoner of conscience.' The human rights organisation is looking at the case of Stephen Booth, a Lancaster man serving three years for 'conspiracy to incite others

Colwyn Bay 5 Lancaster City 2 IT all began so well. City were 2-0 up after 16 minutes and looked to be cruising. But then disaster struck: they lost both centre half defenders and the game just slipped away. Alex Jones sustained a nasty calf injury which

PARKING, road safety and fire fears have sparked a protest over plans for a Blackpool mosque. Residents have collected a 350-name petition against the proposal to convert the old Cartmell Signs factory behind Revoe Library into a mosque. The Islamic community

THE letter from Edmond Hubbard of Carnforth suggests that the City Council is increasing its Council Tax by £9 per month. This is inaccurate. The annual Council Tax imposed by Lancaster City Council for a Band C property in Carnforth will be £73.88. This

BOSSES at a successful Lancaster-based clothing company dropped a bombshell on its workers this week by announcing that the factory is to close. More than 100 employees at Career Apparel were left reeling by an announcement from Chief Executive Peter

THE Chadwick looked more like the Antiques Roadshow than a hotel when auction house Sotheby's came to visit on Tuesday (March 3). And there were surprises for some Fylde folk - notably a silver bracelet worth up to £3,000 and a painting which could fetch

BIRMINGHAM City boss Trevor Francis was gracious in defeat and took time out to congratulate Bury on their inspirational performance on Wednesday night. He had special praise for 'keeper Dean Kiely, whose heroics denied the Midlands' side on a host of