A GLOWING Ofsted report has topped a high school's year in which it played host to the Prime Minister and two secretaries of state on the same day. A team of 14 inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education visited Our Lady and St John RC High
PETER SWAN could be ready to step into the breach and help the Clarets keep their promotion challenge on course over the crucial Christmas period. With Alan Lee being ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury which required surgery over
PENSIONER James Green died after an ember from his pipe set the inside of his car ablaze. And at the inquest, a senior fire officer warned that cars are potential death traps, filled with highly flammable materials. Station officer Andy Barnes said that
WORKERS at Ultraframe can look forward to a bumper Christmas thanks to the company's stock market performance which has helped turn an investment of a few hundred pounds into more than £65,000. Staff who have held on to the average windfall of £20,000
EDUCATION bosses were today celebrating a government cash boost which will help ease their headache over shortages of secondary school places in the Ribble Valley. But an immediate row blew up as Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans accused the county council
EMPLOYEES at a Padiham firm were given advice on how to enjoy a tipple without it affecting their work. Burnley Health Care NHS Trust's health education department offered a non-alcoholic punch to workers of Potterton Myson. They set up an exhibition
BLACKBURN Hawks boss Bobby Haig today fired a warning to his flailing Hawks squad: "Pull your socks up, or else." Haig watched his side slip to an 11-2 defeat at Whitley Bay on Sunday and despite a comprehensive victory over the Canadian Navy the previous
G&G PLUMBING showed just what they are capable of, with a 6-2 win over a plucky Ladzio side for whom Paul Buckley scored a brace, to take his season's tally to six. John O'Brien was the star of the show for G&G with four goals to his name, Tom
JUST when we thought the race to be Mayor of London could not get any more farcical, Labour chiefs today vie with the turmoiled Tories for producing the greatest absurdity - as now they let their bM-te noire, maverick MP 'Red' Ken Livingstone, steal a
IT is a time to remember and restore our links with people and places that remain warm in our hearts. For those with Darwen associations, the church of St Cuthbert's in Blackburn Road is a landmark well known to residents and those more distant at this
THE two best footballing sides in the Unibond First Division put on an excellent display in difficult weather conditions at the Crown Ground last night. Although the game ended goalless, with both defences performing well, there were chances for both
BROCKHALL and Salesbury A had previously played out an exact draw - a rare occurrence indeed - and spectators were not disappointed when the two first division sides contested the reverse fixture. In a hard-fought match, favourites Brockhall were able
BEARING mind that we are constantly being urged to use public transport as much as possible, I would bring to the notice of readers the following incident. On Tuesday, November 30, the X63 Stagecoach bus left Preston bus station at 4.45pm. Among the passengers
Special report on the rise of Nick Dougherty SHAW Hill starlet Nick Dougherty will be sad to see the back of 1999 after taking the world of junior golf by storm. Former Blackburn QEGS pupil Dougherty has conquered Europe, America and the world during
I WARNED Darweners to ignore the debate on school places allocations at their peril (Letters, May 25). Your report (LET, December 6) bears me out. As a result of the vocal campaigning by parents in some parts of Blackburn, supported by the Lancashire
REGARDING the application for developments to expand Park Garage at Whalley New Road, Brownhill, Blackburn, which comes before the planning committee tomorrow , our homes adjoin the site. There had been free unrestricted right of passage along the whole
I WOULD like to endorse some of Mrs A Hesketh's comments (Letters, November 30) and would like to hear from any of our customers, not just those on the Higher Croft route, if they are experiencing problems with the service we provide. This company is
DETECTIVES hunting the Padiham Road rapist say there has been another attack on a young woman in the same area of Burnley. The latest incident involved an 18-year-old girl walking on Wellfield Drive at around 9.30pm on Friday evening who was attacked
PETER SWAN could be ready to step into the breach and help the Clarets keep their promotion challenge on course over the crucial Christmas period. With Alan Lee being ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury which required surgery over
WATER and electricity group United Utilities has named Simon Batey as its new group finance director. Mr Batey is to join United, parent firm of Norweb and North West Water, on April 1. from construction group Amec. Mr Batey, 46, was appointed Amec's
HYNDBURN'S Labour MP and Tory council leader were at Westminster today to lobby ministers for European aid. Greg Pope and Councillor Peter Britcliffe are trying to get Hyndburn a share of £50million to create thousands of jobs at a business park off the
Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy I AM often asked when is the best time to set up a nest box. The answer is round about now. This gives the birds such as blue tits and great tits time to select their nest site. They may well use the box as a roost during
THE parent company of a pillow firm is back in the black and has unveiled a major new deal. French, owners of Burnley Northern Textiles, made a pre-tax profit of £1.09million in the year to October 2 compared with a £2million loss in the same period last
AN ELDERLY woman who went missing from a hospital ward spent 12 hours wandering on the moors between Burnley and Nelson in freezing conditions before being found safe and well. Lancashire Police's helicopter, dog handlers and uniformed officers, backed
The opinions expressed by John Blunt are not necessarily those of this newspaper IF nothing else, the disclosure that Blackburn with Darwen councillors' expense claims rocketed by some 20 per cent last year to more than £370,000 - up by around ten times
POLICE have won a fight to stop a "high risk" child molester having any contact with his wife's young son in the first case of its kind under new legislation. Burnley magistrates made a sex offenders order on the 37-year-old Burnley ex-prisoner, who recently
PUPILS from Blackburn's Pleckgate High enjoyed a taste of life in the fast lane when the Formula Three Cyclone Racing Team visited the school. The team's main driver, Lance Robson, helped a school project by bringing his car to school after a group of
BLACKBURN Rovers won't keep Brian Kidd waiting to get back into management - if someone else gives him the chance. Kidd, sacked by Rovers at the start of November, insists he wants another managerial post. But he says that before making his next move
Alf Wright's Afternoon Music Hall, Blakey's Cafe Bar, King George's Hall, Blackburn, 4pm. Tea Dance, Chorley Town Hall, 7.30pm. Citizens Advice Bureau Surgery, Audley Community Centre, Blackburn. Rossendale Lions Club Christmas Sleigh, Helmshore 6.30pm
ANGRY nurses hit out at health managers as newly-trained nurses were being laid off in the middle of a staff crisis. Young nurses who had just completed their training were told there were no permanent jobs, even though Blackburn Infirmary was on "Red
BLACKBURN Northern Ladies Hockey Club Ladies bounced back from a 5-0 defeat at Sheffield on Saturday to win 4-2 in the third round of the EHA Plate competition. They hosted North Stafford at Witton Park and were really up for the game as their goal this
BLACKFORD Bridge B slipped to bottom place in the Rossendale Badminton League Division One despite a brave showing at Fearns A. A 14-4 defeat could have been much closer had Bridge had any luck in four 15-14 games - all of which went against them. At
EAST Lancashire pensioner James Green suffered a dreadful death - from burns sustained when a spark from his pipe set his car on fire as he read a newspaper while parked at a beauty spot. But terrible as this was, just as shocking is the disclosure which
THE recent announcement by North West Water of an average £9 reduction in charges next year is a derisory amount in view of the escalation in charges in the last 10 years and is the lowest of any regional water authority. The rebate is evidently a one-off
POLICE have won a fight to stop a "high risk" child molester having any contact with his wife's young son in the first case of its kind under new legislation. Burnley magistrates made a sex offenders order on the 37-year-old Burnley ex-prisoner, who recently
FIRMS are being offered the chance to boost sales through a marketing initiative. The New Horizons programme has been launched with support from the European Regional Development Fund through the East Lancashire Partnership. The project offers subsidised
A TEENAGER from East Lancashire has been helped along the career ladder thanks to a training council. David Mulleary, of Accrington, is aiming to become a quality assurance manager and has completed a national trainee-ship through ELTEC's XTEND programme
COUNCIL house and garage rents in Pendle could rise by 3.9 per cent from April if provisional figures are agreed. The rise is in line with government figures and would go most of the way to meeting a forecast £310,000 shortfall in housing funds next year
