ONE of the most popular cricketers of his day in the Lancashire League has died suddenly at the age of 54. George Croisdale, a left arm opening bowler and hard-hitting batsman for Rawtenstall for many seasons collapsed and died of a heart attack on Sunday
THE body of Lisa Jordan, pulled from Guide reservoir on Sunday, had been in the water for several weeks. Identification has only been possible because of the clothing she was wearing when she went missing from the psychiatric unit at Queen's Park Hospital
A NEW dial-a-job hotline which will give out of work people in East Lancashire access to 4,000 local jobs has been launched by the Employment Service. The nationwide scheme began on Monday and allows jobseekers to access a database of more than 300,000
A NEW road safety initiative is being launched in East Lancashire after it was revealed that the area is among the worst in the country for road accident deaths. Young drivers are to be targeted by East Lancashire Health Authority, Lancashire Constabulary
THE head of a Blackburn primary school appeared to be incoherent when she was stopped because of her erratic driving on New Year's Eve, a court heard. And Blackburn magistrates heard that a subsequent breath test showed Barbera Elizabeth Fisher to be
BLACKBURN Rovers have slashed admission charges for their FA Cup fourth round tie against Sunderland. Clearly responding to recent criticism from season-ticket holders, the club are offering their supporters a cut-price bonanza. Season ticket holders
MARSEILLE are playing for time before following up their initial interest in Blackburn Rovers' former French under-21 star Sebastien Perez. And there are suggestions in France that the delay on Marseille's part might be aimed at trying to secure a cut-price
Cafe in the Crypt, Blackburn Cathedral, 12 noon to 2.30pm. "Mother Goose" pantomime, Empire Theatre, Rochdale Road, Bacup, 7.30pm. Darwen British Legion meet in the Catholic Club, Wellington Fold, 7.30pm. "Aladdin On Ice" pantomime, King George's Hall
ONE of East Lancashire's last remaining independent cinemas, threatened with closure, has been saved by a chairman's casting vote. Members of Ribble Valley Council's community committee were asked last night to close Clitheroe Civic Hall Cinema after
A YOUNG mum faced double trouble after giving birth to her second set of twins. Tracey Lawson, of Rothesay Road, Blackburn, needed an extra pair of hands when she gave birth to twin boys to join her 19-month-old twin girls and three-year-old daughter.
ONE of East Lancashire's first speed cameras was accidentally hit by a car and put out of action before it could even be switched on. The speed spy on the ring road at Brownhill, Blackburn, was one of several at accident blackspots through the town and
IS IT not disingenuous of Lancashire Police to hail their Christmas and New Year campaign against drink-driving as a huge success and yet fail to prove it with the full figures? All we are told is that of 960 breath tests following accidents, 31 were
ONCE again, the crib which used to stand in front of Blackburn Town Hall each Christmas has been conspicuous by its absence. However, the Council has seen fit to erect a millennium clock which is counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds to the Year
WITH reference to the celebrating of the arrival of the New Year, I must inform people that not everybody is awake at that time. My mother, who is in her seventies, was shocked at being awakened by what can only be described as small bombs going off and
BUDDING entrepreneurs will be doing battle next week. School pupils taking part in the Pendle Young Enterprise contest will be giving their interim report on the first six months of their ventures to judges on January 13. The event, at Pendle Business
FIRMS in East Lancashire are being warned to be on their guard against bogus advisers cashing in on the confusion over the euro. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants believes small firms in particular are at risk from unqualified advisers
A LONG established freight firm has joined a national network. Prestons Fuel and Haulage of Earby has become the latest company to link up with the Palletways network and will cover the BB postcode area. Palletways currently delivers around 2,750 pallets
Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy THERE have been many gloomy predictions in 1998 about the falling populations of some of our bird species. I am always glad when I have some good news to report. For some years there has been in operation a survey of kingfishers
TWO new free guides to help firms get to grips with the electronic revolution have been launched. The guides are available from the East Lancashire branch of the Information Society Initiative, a government-backed programme to help firms capitalise on
THE first anti-crime security cameras in Pendle will keep watch on Brierfield, one of the borough's smaller townships. They will be installed on top of columns under an agreement between Brierfield Town Council, which will pay for the system, and the
THE idea, being considered by the government, of paying state benefits to grandparents who look after the children of their unwed teenage daughters is, surely, a mad way of trying to get these single mums out to work. For a start, why should taxpayers
THE NEW school term has begun with a staffing crisis as we are told that 10,000 empty teaching posts mean many children are being taught by temporary supply teachers or ones without proper training in the subjects they are teaching. But much as this may
The views expressed by John Blunt are not necessarily those of this newspaper IT may be that, without a fixed abode, homeless Blackburn beggar Michael Herrington is severely handicapped in realising the dream of which he spoke to readers of this newspaper
A FAMILY of five today vowed never to return home after a fire at their council house. Nicola and Geoffrey Pickup say they have suffered a catalogue of problems with Rossendale Council since the blaze last month. The couple and their children, Blake,
GLEN Little is poised to give the Clarets' campaign a timely shot in the arm by returning to front-line action. Burnley's ace-in-the-pack has set his sights on a comeback against Chesterfield at Turf Moor a week on Saturday. Little has been sidelined
CHURCH ministers are urging people not to allow Twelfth Night to be forgotten as people wind down from Christmas and New Year festivities. Todayis Epiphany - the festival of shining light - which marks the arrival of the three wise men at Jesus' birthplace
RESTORATION work on a church organ described as the "Rolls Royce of instruments" is nearing completion but parishioners still have to find £10,000 to pay for the work. The Willis organ at St Paul's Church, Longridge, had been deteriorating for years until
THE Internet has opened up a world of possibilities for bands hoping to hit the big time. There are several websites dedicated to giving unsigned acts an airing. Area 51 (http://www.area51records.com/hpage.htm) is one such site, run in conjunction with
HERE we go again - with the usual winter wail coming from County Hall over the Council Tax. Early forecasts from the County Council are of a shocking 15 per cent increase in April for most of East Lancashire. But contrast this with breakaway Blackburn
I WAS surprised to read (LET, December 30) details of the 'Prime Minister's' honours list. I was under the impression that the honours list was the prerogative of the Queen. Neil Bramwell is obviously under the same impression, according to his column
ON Boxing Day, our central heating broke down and, despite ringing around, only British Gas was willing to come out. So full marks to them, but where is the Christian charity - at Christmas of all times. You would have thought the others would have made
IT is 10 years since the horror of Lockerbie and we are no nearer a trial of the two Libyan suspects. And that is what they are, suspects, according to a recent Dispatches report on Channel 4. It revealed several key evidences that would put the Libyan
IN reply to Councillor Sue Reid's comments (Letters, December 30), on the closure of two homes for the elderly, Shadsworth House and Laneside, Mill Hill, she talks about saving £648,000, but at a meeting in Shadsworth House councillors were asked if closure
TWENTY fire crews were today battling to prevent toxic fumes spreading over Simonstone during a massive blaze. Dozens of firefighters from Burnley, Padiham, Accrington and Blackburn surrounded a blazing storage building at Philips Components' Simonstone
A NEW directory for the care and nursing home industry is to be produced in the Ribble Valley. Former Surrey publisher Sarah Hemming has set up Turnkey Publishing Ltd in an office at the Whalley home of her husband's parents. She aims to produce the UK's
A RACIAL equality chief is to remain suspended from his post following an auditors' report. Hyndburn and Rossendale Racial Equality Council director Mohammed Hanif was suspended from duty last month after claims he did not follow correct procedures when
Ron Freethy's Winter Walks - The Fylde Coast and Morecambe Bay MY first "serious" countryside walk of 1999 took me to Morecambe Bay and this enjoyable day out was inspired by a recently published booklet. It is called Birdwatching On The Fylde and is
A TRIPLE triumph is helping boost East Lancashire's economy, according to a training chief. In the recently published national league tables, the XTEND programme for young people in the area came out top for the third year running for the number of NVQs
FIRMS in East Lancashire are being invited to find out how a choir of angels can help their business grow. Private investors - known as 'business angels' - offer finance and advice to small firms which often struggle to get help from venture capitalists
THE 'bite' has been put on the owner of an unauthorised sandwich bar in Nelson to either put in a planning application or face action by Pendle Council. A former newsagents shop in Brunswick Street has been operating as a sandwich bar since October, selling
PENDLE is to become one of the few areas in the North West to offer families the chance to bury their loved ones on a Sunday. For the first time the council will provide a seven-days-a-week burial service during a six-month trial period beginning on January
THE area around Gisburn war memorial has been smartened up by Ribble Valley Council. The council rebuilt the stone wall and replaced the railings behind the memorial after requests from the villagers for improvements to the area. The council worked with
TWENTY fire crews were today battling to prevent toxic fumes spreading over Simonstone during a massive blaze. Dozens of firefighters from Burnley, Padiham, Accrington and Blackburn surrounded a blazing storage building at Philips Components' Simonstone
