SANTA'S little helpers are getting very nervous as Father Christmas seems to have disappeared just six weeks before his big day. Every year, Santa visits the Festive Grotto in Blackburn Shopping Centre to find out what all the children want for Christmas
IT WAS like finding a needle in a haystack - just a lot more precious and a good bit smellier! Gardeners have unearthed an irreplaceable family heirloom in a compost heap - 18 months after a boy lost it in a nursing home garden. Now the nuns there are
CANCER campaigners today expressed concern that more than a third of men in the North West had never checked their testicles for lumps or abnormalities. A survey by the Institute of Cancer Research showed that 41 per cent of males in the region had never
TWO major East Lancashire employers have been taken over by venture capital firms in multi-million pound deals. Wardle Storeys, which employs around 500 at its plants at Blackburn and Earby, is being bought out in a £114million takeover backed by venture
FORMER Liverpool legend John Toshack will not be considered as a late runner in the race to become the next manager of Blackburn Rovers. Toshack was sacked as coach of Spanish giants Real Madrid yesterday after refusing to withdraw his criticism of players
A YOUNG mum who did not complete a community service order has been spared from a jail term - but only because she has a baby. Paula Quigley, 18, of Woone Lane, Clitheroe, had earlier been convicted of affray. She was told by a judge she had played "fast
A £15 MILLION investment programme at Castle Cement in Clitheroe has been halved and put on hold for a year. The company last year announced a £55 million investment programme at its UK plants, including the upgrading of its Ribblesdale works and the
FARMERS from throughout East Lancashire were heading for Chorley today to take part in a protest urging people to say "Non" to Beaujolais Nouveau. They have declared today British Beef and Beer Day to encourage consumers to buy home-grown produce. They
Valerie Cowan's Web World TEENAGERS can now log on to the internet to get advice about health issues. The Mind, Body and Soul website has been developed by the Health Education Authority as part of the Government's Healthy Schools programme. It is designed
HUNCOAT United Under 16s played Brunlea with both strikers away and gave a good account of themselves with a lone striker. Goals came from Andy Baker's good run through in the first half and Karim Webb in the second. The Final score was 2-1 to Huncoat
THIS top of the table clash was played on Hodge House pitch, which spoiled the football played and without a referee, Stork assistant manager Andrew Mashiter had to do the honours. Prairie took the lead midway through the first half when the number 10
POLL tax bills could cost East Lancashire people 50 per cent more than government predictions when the new tax replaced the rates, warned Lancashire County Council's Labour Group. Councillors claimed every East Lancashire adult would be hit with charges
KEN Taylor of Rossendale was the winning M50 in the South Pennine Grand Prix, a series of 12 fell races held between January and November. Keith Masser also from Rossendale, was second M40. Neil Holding of West Pennine was the second local ahead of Keith
HONORARY life member and former club president Jack Edmundson, who has been involved with the club since they moved to Cliffe Park 50 years ago this year, handed out the trophies at the annual presentation evening. Prizewinners for 1999 included: Player
THE ladies first team travelled to Liverpool to take on the Northern Premier League's top team. Liverpool took an early lead from a well-orchestrated penalty corner only minutes after Blackburn had a goal controversially disallowed. Later in the half,
I WILL resist the temptation to rise to John Blunt's bait (LET, October 27) as much as I would like to. I will just quote a few lines of poetry instead . . . When your working days are over And your schooldays in the distant past, Your hair has long since
BARNOLDSWICK United and Accrington Stanley shared four goals in a weekend for draws in the Under 18s section of the Red Rose Assurance League. Improving Mill Hill St Peter's drew 4-4 with Whinney Hill and the game between Blackburn Eagles and the Old
ROCHDALE traditionally present strong mini and youth sides and these visiting teams were no exception as Blackburn's squads lacked several players, most were actively involved with Remembrance Day duties. BLACKBURN TIGERS v ROCHDALE Under-10's ROCHDALE
SARAH Willimott is the only East Lancashire athlete to have won each of the first two rounds of the Mid-Lancs Cross Country League. In the second fixture at Lancaster University, the 18-year-old Blackburn Harrier romped away from a strong under 20 field
IN reference to railway history I was interested in the the article about historian Bob Gregson regarding the ornate mirror (LET, November 2). Perhaps some readers can recall the model of the steam ship Viking enclosed in a glass case situated for many
SOME of my colleagues and I attended county hall to discuss with members of the highways and transport committee traffic calming measures in Hyndburn. After the usual pleasantries, I asked a question about public consultation and how county went about
THE management of a night club at the centre of a murder-style inquiry have appealed to customers to co-operate with police. Father-of-two Darren Jay, 32, of Halifax Road, Littleborough, died in Trafford Hospital, Manchester, on Monday night after an
BURNLEY hospitals are losing £1.3million a year because outpatients are simply not turning up for appointments. More than 27,000 people did not attend hospital clinics in the last year, leaving consultants and nursing staff waiting while waiting lists
DEVOTED husband Sidney Meanwell killed himself at 85 because he did not want to be a burden on his wife. An inquest was told that Mr Meanwell was found dead in his fume-filled car with a picture of his wife Lilian on his lap. In a note left inside the
THE jobs of more than 30 workers look set to be saved after being rescued from receivership. Accountants were appointed to Smallshaw Precision Plastics, based at Huncoat, last Friday by the NatWest bank. But managing director Andy Holt, who has been with
A BANK branch is welcoming its first female manager this week. Sarah Hull has taken the helm from Duncan McGrath at NatWest in Darwen. Sarah, who joined the bank after leaving Southlands High School in Chorley, previously worked as assistant manager at
STAFF at uniform firm Simon Jersey flew the flag for one of the world's biggest airlines. A delegation of bosses from American Airlines travelled to the firm's Altham headquarters to sign a major contract. The firm has designed a new range of work clothing
MORE than 70 youngsters found about how to improve their career prospects at a conference. Teenagers from secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen attended the Compact event organised by East Lancashire Education Business Partnerships. The Compact programme
A NEW centre to help East Lancashire firms break into new markets has opened its doors. The Lancashire Centre for Marketing Excellence, based at the Globe centre in Accrington, aims to provide specialist help to small and medium sized companies. The venture
WEST End produced their best performance of the season to beat Blackburn Dynamos 3-0. A blistering start saw West End score three times in the first 10 minutes with goals from Steven Fielding (2) and Dean Jackson. Blackburn Dynamos threw everything at
BLACKBURN Eagles were looking for revenge after a 10-1 defeat last weekend by Blue Star Juniors. The younger Lions side however, were not going to be an easy side to beat and made the Eagles work hard throughout the match. Man of the match for the Eagles
THERE will be no entries accepted on the day for the Tour of Pendle Fell Race on Saturday. Start of the 17-miler which includes 4,250 ft of ascent, is at 10.30am from Barley Village Hall. ROSSENDALE Harriers expect the return of former champion Pete Livesey
EAST Lancashire football fans from both sides of the border all had something to celebrate after last night's Wembley leg of the Battle of Britain match. At the Dog Inn, Belthorn, there was good-natured rivalry as landlord and England fan Kenton Pollard
A CATNAPPING mystery is being investigated in the Rossendale village of Lumb where 15 animals have vanished without trace. The first cats to vanish from Lumb were three rare pedigree Bengals well known in the cat show world and including Emma and Ella
A CRACKDOWN on vans and small lorries in East Lancashire has left police shocked at the number of dangerous vehicles on the area's roads. Traffic police joined forces with customs and excise officers and the Vehicle Inspectorate to stage a series of random
ROTHERHAM United boss Ronnie Moore completed his factfile on FA Cup opponents Burnley and admitted: "They frightened the life out of me." Moore brings his Third Division side to Turf Moor on Saturday for a second-round clash. And after doing his homework
"Children In Need" Talent Contest, King George's Hall, Blackburn, 8pm. Accrington Camera Club meet Primetime Centre, Rishton, 7.45pm. Barnoldswick Gilbert and Sullivan Society present "Pirates of Penzance," Civic Hall, Barnoldswick, 7.30pm. "Friends and
KNUZDEN YOUTH Under-13 11 NORTH VALLEY DYNAMOS 1 KNUZDEN Youth Under-13s entertained North Valley Dynamos on Saturday at Foxhill in the VMI Accrington and District Junior League and maintained their 100 per cent record. After a poor start Knuzden got
ANXIOUS parents besieged East Lancashire shops after claims in a television documentary that cot deaths were linked to chemicals in baby mattresses. Babywise, a Darwen cot mattress manufacturer, was also inundated with calls but said they had stopped
PRINCE Charles has certainly besmirched his already precarious character, when he invited his son, Prince William to the first autumn's meeting of the Beaufort fox hunt and accompany him in this annual traditional royal medieval, barbaric blood shedding
MARK Brown set an Australian All-Comers record when winning the 10,000 metres at the Southern Cross Games in Sydney. His personal best time of 32.28, and his second place in the 5,000m would almost certainly earn him selection for the double in the Great
AS a government purportedly pledged to policies that are in tune with the people, it is bewildering that Labour on the down-slope to the next general election should be setting out to enrage the 26 million of them who are motorists by seeking to price
YOUNG people are frequently indifferent to politics in general and European politics in particular. But they should beware. The Brussels bureaucrats are interfering in every aspect of our lives and now it is the turn of young drivers. Despite not having
AS a southerner, I was always told of the northerners' warmth and generosity. It would appear this is a myth as far as Blackburn is concerned. After spending three days helping the young people of Blackburn Rotaract prepare the bonfire for the Witton
READERS will have seen the terrible images of children suffering in the aftermath of the cyclone which devastated the Indian state of Orissa recently. UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, was one of the first agencies to start distributing emergency
A BUS driver has been sacked amid allegations of unseemly conduct with teenage girls. But Gulum Mayat, 41, of Lambert Street, Blackburn, denied the allegations at a disciplinary hearing earlier this week and plans to seek legal advice over his dismissal
Peake Practice - food news compiled by restaurateur Ray Peake, of Callums Bistro A FEW months ago you may remember me enthusing about an appetiser I enjoyed when invited to a dinner party at a friend's home. It was a salmon mousse of such intense flavour
A 31-YEAR-OLD Nelson man hanged himself in his ex-girlfriend's house when she told him they should just be friends, an inquest heard. Geoffrey Edmonson, of Reedyford Road, Nelson, used a two and a half foot extension lead to hang himself in an upstairs
DO NOT be misled by the apparent high score of this first round defeat in the North West Counties Cup competition. This was a very spirited display against opposition who play five divisions above Accrington and are currently top of their division. Accrington
BOTH teams went into this game undefeated, but it was Rossendale who came out on top of the league after this heated affair. The game took a twist just after half time when Darwen were reduced to 10 men. With both sides tight at the back, chances were
THE Cats Protection League will neuter cats free for owners on some state benefits. Owners should take animals in a secure carrier together with proof of benefits and additional proof of their address to the League's mobile neutering unit at Darwen Tyre
TWO major East Lancashire employers have been taken over by venture capital firms in multi-million pound deals. Wardle Storeys, which employs around 500 at its plants at Blackburn and Earby, is being bought out in a £114million takeover backed by venture
