Archive

BIKING Mayor of Rossendale Coun Alan Neal will be getting on his motorbike and riding nearly 4,500 miles to raise money for a children's charity. Coun Neal, 46, is appealing for people in the Valley to back his mammoth effort for the National Society

HUNDREDS of firefighters from across the country packed a church yesterday to pay tribute to a colleague who died trying to rescue a teenager from a lake. Sub-officer Paul Metcalf, 40, a part-time fireman from Whalley Road, Shuttleworth, drowned after

A SCHOOL had to turn away its 210 pupils yesterday after burglars vandalised a classroom in a mindless weekend wrecking spree. Almost every window was smashed at St Stephen's Infant School, Little Harwood, when the caretaker arrived to open up the school

BURNLEY Reserves fielded a strong side but still went down at Molineux last night. And, while the scoreline flattered the home side a little, Burnley were indebted to goalkeeper Craig Mawson for saving a second-half penalty. Wolves opened the scoring

SOMEBODY once told me that Preston boasts the highest number of pubs per square mile in the country. Following last Saturday's visit to the town, I can confirm that it holds another, less palatable record - namely the highest number of potentially violent

SOLUTION to the England football fiasco? Sign up Carl Fogarty. Mind you, that's if he has the time. He is busy winning all over the place. K WALTON, Monmouth Road, Blackburn. Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may

BRIAN Kidd might be forced to turn to the transfer market again, unless there is a rapid transformation in his midfield crisis. While the Blackburn Rovers boss has players to spare in most other areas - with speculation denied at Ewood today that Celtic

HOTSHOT Chris Clarkson found the net an amazing TWELVE times in one match to start the season with a bang for his club Clayton Villa, writes NORMAN LAWTON. But 13-year-old Chris, a pupil at Norden High School, Rishton, is no stranger to goalscoring .

READSTONE United U16s were beaten 4-2 by Padiham Town Colts, goal scorer was Andy Bennett. They also drew 1-1 with Colne Clarets, Matt Mercer scored the goal with Jordan Wright man of the match. The U15s gave a much improved performance, but they were

RESULTS - September 7 - U10s: Junior Clarets 7, West End 0. U10s - September 8: Borrowdale Utd 6, Brunshaw Park 0. U16s - September 9: Padiham Town Colts 4, Readstone Utd 2. U10s - September 10: Salterforth 2, Brierfield Celtic 4. September 12 - U10s:

WITH tragedy, terror and poverty all around us in our human lives, it is so easy to forget the hardship and sufferings of the animal kingdom. For any reader who can feel and understand this pain and is willing to make a donation, please send yours to

I HOPE to throw some light on what went wrong with Saffizz at Doncaster last Wednesday during racing Ayr this week. Tony Culhane, who also was his jockey at York in May when he ran a shocker as well, said he completely lost his action after two furlongs

THE PROFESSIONAL is a key figure at any successful cricket club. But Richard Petrie has set a new benchmark at Darwen, who face an almighty task in trying fill the Kiwi's boots when they try and retain the Vaux Northern League title next summer. Petrie

YOUR report on the proposed Blackburn with Darwen Council 'cabinet' (LET, September 1) shows that it is costing the council taxpayer more than £1,000 per day in allowances for councillors. Now, we are told that there could be only two full council meetings

THERE was a double first for Jubilee in their Blackburn Sunday League fixture last weekend. They not only gained their first victory of the season but also their first ever win against Darwen Alexandra. Jubilee's emphatic 4-0 success included two goals

THE debacle on the Anchor estate in Darwen, which residents claim is being 'torn apart by tenage yobs' (LET, September 8), illustrates the situation on our estates and where Jack Straw and the estate councillors have failed. Mr Straw has had it within

THE season got off to an exciting start with a total of 234 goals being scored in the 38 matches. In the Under-Nines section, Feniscowles Juniors and St Joseph's were the only teams to secure home victories, helped by a hat trick by Tom Walsh. In the

I SEE that council chiefs are bidding for Blackburn to become a city, and that Brighton and Hove is the other town with a double barrelled name also submitting a bid (LET, September 1). Well, I visited Brighton and Hove in June and I can say it is a whole

BURNLEY is now presenting a united front in its bid to secure additional funding from the Government to further regenerate the town. Rival bids had been proposed by the Daneshouse Calder Partnership and Burnley Regeneration Forum to secure £25million

DISPUTES between Hackney cab drivers and private hire vehicle operators could escalate into violence, police have been warned. Chairman of the newly-formed Burnley Hackney Association, Iftar Hussain, said he had been told that his cab would be smashed

A man was found dead today after being struck by a train near Church. Police found the body near Church and Oswaldtwistle station after receiving a report at 7.50am. They are now trying to establish his identity. Inspector Stephen Lee, of Blackburn Police

RESULTS: Premier Division: Bacup Cricket Club 1, Padiham 0; Flying Dutchman 4, Michelin AC 4; Trinity BL 6, Stacksteads SJ 2; Weir 3, Royal Butterfly 8. First Division: Decopart 1, Burnley Wood CC 2; Michelin AC Res 0, Burnley BC 7; Ultra Finishing 0,

COLIN Todd is easing former Rover Paul Warhurst back into the first team scene after four months on the treatment table, but he will only make the bench in the Worthington Cup at Gillingham tomorrow. The injury-prone player forced his way back into the

THE defensive coaching manual was thrown out of the window at The Showground last night, leaving fans to enjoy a goal feast. Sloppy work by both sides contributed to several goals but Harwood eventually finished comfortable winners against a team struggling

SOCCER: Huncoat United U16s reversed an unlucky 2-1 defeat away at Rishton in midweek with a nail-biting win in the U16s cup. lan Heys was the scorer at Rishton. On Sunday Robert Addison and John Cunliffe levelled the score after Blackburn Academy went

A DRINK driver was 'devastated' at the prospect of losing his licence, a court heard. Burnley magistrates was told how Stephen Hargreaves, 22, who had one-and-a-half pints of strong lager, needed his licence to work. Hargreaves, of River Street, Trawden

MENTION Alan McLoughlin and cup ties and you can almost guarantee feelings of uneasiness spreading among Blackburn Rovers supporters. Such are the wide-ranging options available to Portsmouth manager Alan Ball, he might even feel he can afford to ponder

TELEVISION bosses today defended their lack of coverage of World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty's fourth title success. Foggy clinched the record-breaking title in Germany at the weekend and is set for a glorious homecoming at a civic reception in Blackburn

THERE it was, tucked away among the small ads under 'Holidays'. "Delightful North West retreat", it said, "in peaceful surroundings, with lush grass surrounded by mostly modern buildings. Present occupants go out of their way to be hospitable and give

THE heartbroken wife of a truck driver who died in an accident at the weekend has told how the couple planned to move to France when he retired. Jack Leach, 56, of Tintern Crescent, Blackburn, suffered fatal injuries when his wagon overturned as he drove

THE Pompey chimes sounded something of a disappointing note among the Blackburn Rovers players and fans when the Worthington Cup draw was made on the afternoon of the win at Norwich. A long midweek trek to the South coast, awkward opposition, who are

FIT-AGAIN midfielder John Mullin is planning to make up for lost time by helping bring some overdue success back to Turf Moor this season. Mullin has endured something of a false start to phase two of his Burnley career since returning to the club from

FURIOUS company bosses have reported a printing company to trading standards chiefs after claiming it has vanished with thousands of pounds of their money. Seven companies from East Lancashire signed up to a deal with Preston-based Advantage Image and

I AGREED with every word of Neil Bramwell about England against Poland (LET, September 9). It was just like watching an end of season match when there was nothing much to play for. We hear so much about wearing the three lions with pride, but apart from

EAST Lancashire's villages were marvellous places to grow up despite the hardships of the early years of the century, according to two of the oldest residents. As the 20th century closes, reporter AMY BINNS looks back with ex-weaver Florrie Birtwell and

I WRITE as a totally independent individual who has supported Blackburn Hawks since the Arena opened. We have suffered a long decline in our team's status culminating this season with the Hawks being in the lowest league in English ice hockey with no

A NEW political party set up to represent Britain's two million Muslims was "doomed to failure", according to Burnley Labour councillor Rafique Malik. He said the Islamic Party of Britain would not get the support of the area's massive Muslim population

WHEN biker Janet Fitton took her test she took a passenger with her. Although she wasn't allowed to carry passengers until she passed her test, as Janet was just six weeks off giving birth to her first child she had no choice! Janet, 31, of Cleaver Street

I WISH to express my grateful thanks to the personnel of Morrison's Store, in Blackburn, who attended to my sister, took her to Casualty at the Infirmary in her own car, stayed with her until she was attended to and phoned to inform me what had happened

CARL Fogarty has launched an immediate rearguard action in a bid to make it three World Superbikes titles in a row, writes NEIL BRAMWELL. "I have told Ducati that if they make the rear of the bike better for next year, I'll win it again," he said on returning

I THINK, following the unbelievably inept performance of the England football team against Poland, that even the wearer of the rosiest tinted glasses will concede the time for drastic thinking and action is upon us. Since Hill and Co got the maximum wage

THE ESTRANGEMENT that Tony Blair's reforms brought to Labour's relationship with the trade unions moved closer towards divorce today. The Left-wing secretary of the Fire Brigades' Union called at the TUC conference for the movement to break its 100-year-old

WHILE having no wish to engage in any acrimonious correspondence with Mr K Sowerbutts (Letters, September 8), I cannot but reply to him accusing me of a slur. I have long thought, reading his multifarious letters to you, that he takes himself a bit too

AMID the scandal of British spies working for the Russians for years with impunity even while the intelligence services knew of them, and valid and crucial though the questions are about how many there were of them and what harm they did, a fundamental

WHATEVER happened to Blackburn with Darwen Borough's share of Lancashire County Council investment in the formerly-named Lancashire Enterprise plc? Estimates suggest £1.5 million value in shares or cash was due to Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool boroughs

THE proposal for the controlling Labour group on Blackburn with Darwen Council to form a special 'cabinet,' similar to that of the government at Westminster, with nine top councillors in charge of making decisions is a bureaucratic system gone mad. What

THERE is another aspect to the problem of growing old, of which I hope that Mrs Michelle Pickering is aware (Letters, September 7). It concerns costs. Our beloved government has put it about, and everyone I have spoken to on the subject believes it, that

THE sister of a man who died in police custody was expected in court today to see five officers face criminal charges in connection with his death. A sergeant and four constables from Humberside Police were due to be charged with misconduct in a public

BRIAN Kidd might be forced to turn to the transfer market again, unless there is a rapid transformation in his midfield crisis. While the Blackburn Rovers boss has players to spare in most other areas - with speculation denied at Ewood today that Celtic

A man accused of murdering his brother-in-law has been committed to crown court for trial. Mohammed Meherban, 25, of Higher Antley Street, Accrington, made no bail application at a hearing at Hyndburn Magistrates' Court. Meherban is alleged to have murdered

PRESTON take a depleted squad over the Pennines tonight, hampering their hopes of pulling off a cup upset. North End, struggling to find their form of late, travel to tackle First Division Sheffield United in the Worthington Cup second round first leg

LANCASHIRE have made an informal approach to Wasim Akram to be their coach next season. But while the Pakistan star, just cleared of match fixing allegations, would love to return to Old Trafford, his new career as a TV commentator could make it impossible

POLICE are searching for a 45-year-old man from Darwen who went missing after banging his head at work. Christopher Michael Horan, who lives in the Anchor area with his girlfriend, was last seen leaving Blackburn Royal Infirmary at 4pm on September 7.