A CELEBRATION party was held for villagers to mark a successful fund-raising campaign to create Lancashire's first community woodland. The Woodland Trust, the UK's largest conservation charity, has bought nine acres of land in Fence, near Burnley, to
YOUNG arsonists are being blamed for a blaze at a derelict former school building plagued by security problems. The latest incident at the old Darwen Moorland Lower School has prompted a neighbour to call for immediate action. The fire was spotted yesterday
COUNCILLORS made a desperate plea to the Government over the decision to put VAT on domestic fuel. Blackburn Council called on the Government to think again after a survey showed people on low incomes could end up £100 a year or more worse off under the
ALMOST 2,000 patients across Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley will be taken off hospital waiting lists thanks to a huge cash windfall, it was revealed today. And the reduction in people waiting for surgery will beat tough targets set by the government
READ have been thwarted in their attempts to register two banned Colne players for this weekend's games, writes NEIL BRAMWELL. Darrell Halstead and Steve Woods have been banned for life and one year respectively by the Lancashire League club after a fracas
"WE'RE backing Burnley"... was the rallying cry from Clarets' fans both at home and abroad as the club faced its most important match for years - the relegation decider against Plymouth. The Turf Moor switchboard has been inundated with good luck calls
IAN HARVEY launches his Lancashire League career with a double header this weekend eager to make up for lost time for both himself and Ramsbottom, writes PETE OLIVER. The Victoria all-rounder missed the first three dates of the season through Sharjah
I HAVE often been called a cynic, so it is no wonder that I have serious doubts about 'educating' young children about drugs. I can't help thinking of the 'success' of 'educating' them about smoking and wondering why I see more under-age smokers than
THERE is much incongruity in Britain having the honour of presiding this weekend over the most important development in the EU's history - and not being part of it. For at last the single European currency, the euro, is being confirmed as a reality at
A VERY serious situation is developing along Duckworth Street, Darwen, as the authorities continue the installation of a potential death trap. We have had a few week's experience with the chalk-marked measures on the stretch between George Street and
I HAVE written many times in this column about our not-too distant ancestors' ability to live off the land. Whenever I stroll along our riversides, hedgerows or into our woodlands and look at trees such as beech, ash, sycamore and especially alder I think
EURO MP Mark Hendrick has called for tougher measures to halt the stream of illegal immigrants pouring into the country. The Lancashire Central MEP claims hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants are smuggled into Britain each year. And he believes
KEITH Brown is set to return for Blackburn Rovers in tonight's FA Youth Cup final first leg against Everton at Ewood. The Scottish defender missed the semi-final at Peterborough through injury. Youth coach Rob Kelly should have a near full-strength squad
ANDY Cooke will look back at his most prolific season with satisfaction tomorrow night - but only if Burnley have beaten the drop, writes PETE OLIVER. Cooke has scored 18 goals so far, despite spending time as the understudy to Gerry Creaney and Paul
BLACKBURN Rovers bid to take another giant step towards a UEFA Cup place against Coventry City at Highfield Road without skipper Tim Sherwood, writes PETE OLIVER. The Ewood skipper limped out of Wednesday's morale-boosting win at Chelsea after twisting
ACCRINGTON STANLEY chairman Eric Whalley will be hoping it is seventh time lucky with the appointment of former Burnley star Billy Rodaway as the club's new manager, writes ANDY NEILD. Rodaway finally made the step up to bride from bridesmaid when he
CHRIS WADDLE today urged his players to hold their nerve on their day of reckoning and win the battle against relegation at a packed Turf Moor, writes PETE OLIVER. The Burnley boss believes only stage fright will stop his side from getting the three points
LINDSAY Mills has been appointed area business manager for Gaskell Carpets tiles division in London. Altham-based Gaskell is now the country's largest tufted carpet tile manufacturer in the country. Previous news story Converted for the new archive on
THE first delivery has been made in a multi-million transatlantic contract. The first fully-equipped fuselage for the T45 Goshawk plane has been handed over at a ceremony held at British Aerospace, Samlesbury. The site will be producing more than 90 of
POLICE may never solve the mystery of the lonely and tragic death of Richard Westhead. Toxicological tests have failed to shed any further light on how the 37-year-old died. His badly decomposed body was discovered by two teenage boys in undergrowth by
AGE Concern has complimented East Lancashire Health Authority for the way it tackled the increase in demand for care and treatment last winter. The extra £660,000 allocated to the Authority was money well spent - especially in view of the lack of notice
THE IRON Curtain finally lifted to allow Nelson man David Grimshaw to be reunited with his Eastern European bride. David, 28, of Kelswick Drive had married 20-year-old Birgit Dehn in East Berlin, but the pair had been separated after a clerical error
HOME Secretary Jack Straw has criticised Blackburn's Youth Panel for being too soft on the thief who stole his car. He revealed his dissatisfaction with their conditional discharge when he lanched the Consumers' Association's "Car Security Guide". He
TOP marks have been awarded to a Pendle high school by inspectors, who praised the care given to pupils. The Ofsted inspectors' report singled out the quality of teaching at Park High, Colne, which was described as a good school which has significant
MORE than 20,000 motorists were breath-tested in Lancashire last year - an average of nearly 55 a day - in a major crackdown on dangerous driving. More than 3,500 of the people tested in the last 12 months were convicted by Lancashire police of drinking
WHILE Duncan McVee's remarks about the Japanese (Letters, April 28) are correct, does he suggest that they have set up factories in this country out of altruism? And are Mr McVee's remarks given as justification for a State visit and the award of the
WASIM Akram returned to the scene of one of his greatest cup triumphs on a win or bust mission for Lancashire today. "We have got to win this game or kiss goodbye to the Benson and Hedges," said the Red Rose skipper as Lancashire faced up to their crucial
Instead he has had to jet back for one final nail-biter at Turf Moor tomorrow when Burnley must beat Plymouth and hope Brentford don't win at Bristol Rovers to keep Chris Waddle's men in the Second Division. Beecroft, treasurer of the Colne Clarets Supporters
LABOUR'S broken promises on the NHS are typical of their record in government over the last year. They came to power promising to cut waiting lists - yet waiting lists have risen. In opposition, they attacked rises in prescription charges, but they have
THE start of the local election campaign proves that only the Conservatives can offer a fresh future for local government in Burnley. For too long, Labour have dominated councils across the country. For too long, they have provided high council taxes
SOME time ago Labour group leader Kath Reade proposed that the people of Burnley should "expect the highest standards of conduct from their elected representatives." Then came all the scandals, including the alleged printing of political tracts at the
A CLUB with the proud history and tradition of Burnley FC does not belong in football's dungeon, the rock-bottom Third Division. The Clarets - and, above all, their faithful fans - deserve much more than that. Yet at the end of a season in which the club
ON THE anniversary of being voted to power a year ago today, Tony Blair and Labour bask in bright May sunshine. Their honeymoon with the voters goes on and on. Mr Blair enjoys unprecedented popularity. He is at nose-bleed height in the opinion polls -
I WAS amazed to read Dr Stephen Dealler's comments on antibiotic resistance (LET, April 24) suggesting that all was well in East Lancashire, that there was no antibiotic resistance problem and that antibiotic prescribing was 'good and responsible.' It
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE hope lightning strikes twice when they look to gatecrash the Turf Moor party tomorrow, writes PETE OLIVER. The Pilgrims have won only twice away from home all season but one of those came in Lancashire following a last-ditch defeat against
DARREN Huckerby can probably book his summer holidays safe in the knowledge that he will not be breaking into the England squad that Glenn Hoddle intends to take to France next month, writes PETER WHITE. But you never know. The 22-year-old Coventry striker's
THE boys who step out in blue and white at Ewood tonight are following in glorious footsteps, writes PETER WHITE. And if only a couple of them eventually grow into men of the calibre of Mike England, Fred Pickering and Keith Newton then Blackburn Rovers
