AROUND 500 people are expected to take part in the annual Whitsuntide procession organised by Colne Council of Churches. Marchers will meet at Nelson Street car park in the town at 2.15pm on May 31 before following a route via Church Street, Market Street
TWO of East Lancashire biggest employers have been showing off their latest acquisitions to staff! Travel giant Airtours and conservatory roofing firm Ultraframe both won categories at the Duke of Westminster's North West business and industry awards.
A TOWN hall has undergone a revamp in a bid to offer easier access to advice. Changes at Blackburn town hall have been opened up the trading standards, environmental health and licensing sections. A new reception area has been built at the back of the
BURNLEY fans went on the rampage at a crucial top-of-the-table non-league game. Fans wearing Burnley colours clashed with rival supporters, believed to be Blackpool fans, at the game between Accrington Stanley and Fleetwood. Stanley secretary Joe Daly
JOBS joy has been brought to Burnley thanks to council cash backing, say economic development chiefs. Unemployment fell to 3.1 per cent - its lowest level for years - as town hall initiatives helped 53 firms, leading to the creation of 615 jobs and the
FEARS that Burnley is suffering a "brain drain" of talent have been dismissed as unfounded. Concern has been expressed for some time that graduates and other newly-qualified young people are choosing to leave their home town and work elsewhere for higher
PARENTS have been swapping places with their children and teachers, thanks to ground-breaking projects at a Blackburn school. Witton Park High is keen to get the community more involved with the school and has set up a series of pioneering initiatives
WASIM Akram believes Mike Atherton will become an integral part of a new-look England. The Lancashire captain backed his team mate as the Red Rose county began their bid to reclaim Benson & Hedges Cup glory with a mouth-watering group clash with Warwickshire
A TOP amateur cricketer has been banned for life by his club and another told to stay away for 12 months after a rumpus at a pre-season party. Disciplinary action has been taken by Colne Cricket Club against openers Darrell Halstead, who was made vice-captain
Ribblesdale League BLACKBURN Northern's new South African professional Ryan Maron may not have set the Ribblesdale League alight yet in his side's opening two games. But the 23-year-old left arm batsman has confidently predicted fireworks when everything
Born in 1807, the Blackburn brewer Matthew Brown is finished off today. No matter that the name was part of East Lancashire's heritage, the beer part of our proud tradition, and the jobs that went with making it were once numerous little cogs in our region's
MANY things 'bug' me regarding animal welfare. And in the case of the elephant released in the wild (Letters, April 24) by the Born Free Foundation, whose intention was to introduce her to a herd known in the area, but failed, this was obviously the fault
IMAGINE the heartbreak of young Bilal Patel, excluded from a school trip to Alton Towers because he is disabled. But though it is this 13-year-old's unfortunate lot to suffer the handicap of having one leg shorter than the other, should it ever be the
THE long-delayed government move to honour their manifesto commitment on trade union recognition could prove a watershed in the historical Labour Party/trade union link. The TUC's proposal of a 50 per cent plus one 'yes' vote on a ballot for recognition
Valerie Cowan Surfs the Net THE tension is mounting. The 43rd annual Eurovision Song Contest is just days away. Will it be Norway, nil points, yet again? And which country will have the silliest song title? And will soul singer Imaani bring the contest
The John Blunt column WE are knee-deep already in the political commentators' end-of-their-first-year reports on Tony Blair's government And the general verdict so far is: Not bad. I note, however, the instances of sleaze, scandal and arrogant excess
FORMER Burnley star Billy Rodaway has been named as Accrington Stanley's new manager. And chairman Eric Whalley said today: "I believe we have got the right man." Rodaway, who played nearly 250 League games for Burnley, takes over with immediate effect
CHRIS Brass hailed the Burnley fans who turned Boundary Park claret and blue last night and is planning to repay their faith with a last-day escape from the drop. Burnley supporters comfortably outnumbered the home fans in a crowd of 9,781 but were left
CHRIS Waddle today pleaded with his under-pressure players: "Stand up and be counted on Saturday." The Clarets boss accused his side of lacking leaders on the field at Oldham last night. Burnley surrendered a two-goal lead to a 10-man Oldham side inside
FITTER Phil Taylor is celebrating his birthday today with more than 4,000 colleagues! British Aerospace is marking the 21st anniversary of its creation from British Aircraft Corporation, Hawker Siddeley Aviation, Hawker Siddeley Dynamics and Scottish
BLACKBURN Rovers made the first move to develop a new training complex in the grounds of Brockhall Hospital. Ribble Valley councillors approved an application to build a pavilion, store and car parking on the site. Rovers chairman Robert Coar said: "We
A FRESH plan to build houses on the site of a former mental hospital in Whalley has been lodged with Ribble Valley Council. The NHS North West Executive wants to build 350 houses, a primary school and business units on the site of Calderstones Hospital
THE famous Matthew Brown name is to disappear in a brewery shake-up that will cost 60 jobs. Scottish Courage said the jobs would be lost at its Matthew Brown headquarters in Chorley where 260 are currently employed. The managerial and administration job
LANCASHIRE Lynx face a difficult first away fixture tonight at Headingley to take on in-form Bramley. Bramley currently lead the table after winning their opening three fixtures by narrow margins, defeating Oldham 12-10 last week. Poor away form cost
SICK thieves stole a flag raised at half-mast to honour a factory employee who had just died. And the dead man's shocked relatives, work colleagues and bosses have said they are sickened by the cruel act and branded the thieves 'disgusting.' Staff at
ON Stagecoach Ribble's bus routes 123 and 124 to Chorley and 152 to Preston, intermediate fares have been amended - decreased - probably because of frustrated passengers' comments. Stagecoach should take the initiative and print the amended fares and
REGARDING your Grime Watch report (LET, April 21), while I applaud the efforts, among others, of the Cockermouth Close Action Team in Blackburn, to improve the area surrounding the Higher Croft Woods, I wonder whether the scheme will include removal of
The Entertainers - IAN McSHANE HIS father played on the wing for Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers before being transferred to Manchester United. He starred in Dallas, had a love affair with a porn star whose breasts were insured for £5 million and
Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy APRIL is usually the month to watch bats as they emerge from hibernation. This year started warm and most bats were on the wing early. Like the rest of us, however, the first days of April delivered a nasty cold shock! As
Cheslea v Blackburn Rovers - Peter White's big match preview GIANLUCA Vialli already has one 'pot' on the sideboard - the Coca-Cola Cup, which guarantees him a UEFA Cup place for next season. He is gunning for another in a couple of weeks time, in the
ROY Hodgson today warned his Euro hopefuls - don't expect cup-conscious Chelsea to be a soft touch, writes PETER WHITE. And the Blackburn Rovers boss's words were echoed by Stamford Bridge assistant manager Graham Rix who has told his own players they
Oldham Athletic 3 Burnley 3 - Pete Oliver's big match verdict THIS was the match that had everything - and then some. Critically, though, what it didn't have for Burnley and their remarkable followers was the right result. I reckon the Clarets were 15
