Egyptian balcony tours, Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Market Square, Preston, 10.30am-11.15am. Celebrate 2000, Haslingden Sports Centre Ground, Helmshore Road, Haslingden. Inner Wheel Club charity shop, Lord Street West, Blackburn, 10am-4pm. Blackburn
THE Blackburn with Darwen education action zone was initially announced in 1998 and began pumping extra resources into schools in September that year. The scheme, which involves 22 primary, secondary and special schools in the borough, has just been extended
BLACKBURN: Police need more witnesses to come forward about the mugging of pensioner Ethel Maney, who was robbed of her purse and pension on Whitebirk estate. Inspector Steve Lee, of Blackburn police, said they were following up leads from video footage
YOUNGSTERS at Cedars Infant School, Blackburn, donned wacky hats to celebrate the end of a very successful year, and to raise money for charity. Staff joined pupils and governors who wore silly hats and put their hair up into funny styles. Everyone who
AFTER spending a short time in hospital recently, I would like to thank the nurses, doctors and all the staff in Casualty, at Blackburn Infirmary and especially all the nurses, doctors and paramedics at the chest clinic, Ward C6 at Queen's Park Hospital
THE prospective Conservative candidate for Blackburn (Letters, July 17) has started his campaign with an inaccuracy. Pressure to set up a Rapid Response Task Group to examine plans for Blackburn town centre came originally from Councillor David Foster
ON July 12, I was lucky enough to be in the audience for a wonderful production of 'South Pacific.' The show was a masterpiece of talent with music, acting and comedy second to none. And which theatreland city hosted this fabulous show -- London, Manchester
A FEW months ago, after the death of my best friend's father, the late Mr Feroze Butt, who was the chairman of the Kashmiri Association, his sons, Javed, Liaqat and Zunaid, approached me and my colleagues, Iqbal Ebrahim and Mohammed Matadar, to organise
THE head of housing and neighbourhood services for Blackburn and Darwen Council, Gwyneth Sarker, should not write about it being inappropriate to criticise the environmental health officer because his action regarding Mrs Mary Stanton's capuchin monkey
A WEALTHY businessman's life-long ambition to build a high quality sports and leisure club in the heart of his home town could offer substantial benefits to a "town with an image problem", a public inquiry heard. And planning consultant Margaret Godfrey
BLACKBURN Rovers today warned First Division rivals Bolton Wanderers that they won't let Per Frandsen go on the cheap. Manager Graeme Souness has revealed Wanderers have sounded out Rovers about taking the Dane back to the Reebok, less than 10 months
A MOTORCYCLIST plunged down a 15ft ravine after hitting a wall on a moorland road. Marcus Howard, 27, of Morse Street, Burnley, broke a leg, his right wrist and a finger after coming off his Kawasaki 750cc bike in Bacup Road, Burnley, near Ford quarry
THE first ten lucky £1,000 jackpot winners of a hospice lottery toasted their good fortune with Champagne as they met to share how they had spent their unexpected winnings. The Hospice Care for Burnley and Pendle lottery was launched in February with
A PAINTING by Burnley artist David Wild has 'come home' after being sold in an auction in Manchester. The picture 'Hambledon viewed from the roof of Burnley College -- twilight' has been purchased by Towneley Hall using money from the Edward Stocks Massey
RUNNER Sue Green jogged into Burnley Youth Theatre to hand over a cheque for £700 to the drama team and Burnley and Pendle Hospice Care. Sue, who works in the post room at Burnley General Hospital, completed her first London Marathon in April and found
ELDERLY and vulnerable people are being warned about a burglar who attacked a 97-year-old woman in her bed and subjected her to a terrifying ordeal. The victim was confronted at her home in Bear Street, Lowerhouse, Burnley, at 7am yesterday. She was physically
A WEALTHY businessman's life-long ambition to build a high quality sports and leisure club in the heart of his home town could offer substantial benefits to a "town with an image problem", a public inquiry heard. And planning consultant Margaret Godfrey
A WEALTHY businessman's life-long ambition to build a high quality sports and leisure club in the heart of his home town could offer substantial benefits to a "town with an image problem", a public inquiry heard. And planning consultant Margaret Godfrey
GOVERNORS at St Thomas' Primary School, Church Street, Barrowford, have submitted a planning application to Pendle Council to build a 120-place replacement school 200 yards along the road on land behind St Thomas' Church. The school would have four classrooms
CHURCH ace Ronnie Baxter takes on Peter Manley in the first round of the Stan James World Matchplay in Blackpool at 8pm on Monday.
Bury faced a tough first pre season test but came out comfortable 3-0 winners against UniBond First Division side Radcliife Borough. The Shakers were 2-0 up at half-time after goals from player-manager Andy Preece and winger Adrian Littlejohn. James Morrow
BATTLING Barbara Castle began her aristocratic career in style -- prompting a fiery row with House of Lords officials over her blazing auburn hair. The former Blackburn MP ignored orders to wear a fuddy-duddy three-cornered hat as she was introduced to
PLANS for a major Asian festival in Accrington were launched in the loudest way possible. The Hyndburn Mela was launched in Accrington town centre, with a stunning 10 piece percussion band on hand to make sure everyone knows about the forthcoming event
A MOTORCYCLIST who plunged 15ft down an embankment after a collision with a van was today discharged from Blackburn Infirmary. Kenneth Wilson, 45, of Sycamore Road, Rishton, suffered multiple injuries last Thursday when he was catapulted from his bike
DETECTIVES investigating a robbery during which a terrified shop assistant had a gun held to her head today released descriptions of two of the masked men they are hunting. It was first believed that five men smashed their way into the office at Aldi
TWO members of 60s hit band The Animals will play a low-key gig in Clitheroe tonight. John Steel and Dave Rowberry will jam with John Williamson and Peter Barton, both members of Creedence Clearwater Revived, at the Key Street Music and Dance Bar in Lowergate
A SPOT check on buses and coaches used to take Ribble Valley pupils to school revealed that eight of the nine vehicles were in good condition. A team of inspectors from Lancashire County Council and the Vehicle Inspectorate descended on Bowland High School
CHILDREN'S lives are being put in danger by vandals who left the bank of the River Ribble with no lifesaving equipment at the spot where a young girl almost drowned. Today as councillors demanded an investigation into safety precautions at Edisford Bridge
NEW boy Phil Gray today insisted Burnley have got what it takes to survive in the First Division next season. The 31-year-old striker, who joined the Clarets earlier this week on a Bosman-style free from Luton, knows all about life in the First Division
FORMER Government minister Sir David Trippier has taken on a new role looking after the north west's reserve forces and cadets. The former Rossendale and Darwen MP is the new chairman of the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association for the north west of
ASIF Mohammed Akram tried to cash a cheque which had been sent to a man buying shares in an internet company. Blackburn magistrates heard that his efforts to pass the lastminute.com cheque failed when he got his date of birth wrong even though it was
FIREFIGHTERS are sporting a new informal uniform made up of bomber jackets, open collar tops and T-shirts - and trendy baseball caps to protect their bald patches! Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service's move to revamp the traditional "duty rig" - which
A CAR owner who was woken by a crash in the early hours of the morning, looked out to see another motor being driven away from his damaged vehicle. Blackburn magistrates heard how he took down the registration details of the car as it was driven away
ROSSENDALE United boss Micky Graham has made former Accrington Stanley midfielder Paul Lynch his first signing of the summer. And now Graham has set his sights on another ex-Stanley man as he closes in on Clitheroe striker Brian Welsh. Lynch has joined
DARREN Barton was back to winning ways at Oulton Park on Sunday in the seventh round of the British 250cc Championship. "Chief," as he is known, sensationally took his Helphire Bike Assist backed Honda RS250 to victory by just 0.16 of a second. He just
BURNLEY'S Neil Hodgson is targetting a return to the World Superbike scene -- as long as he can stay the distance to become MB4U.com British Champion. At just over the half way point of the season, the 26-year-old currently leads the way after an impressive
DAVID Bateson and Daniel Barritt survived a late scare to celebrate their first victory of the season in the sixth round of the Volkswagen Polo Rally Challenge at Grantham. The Lancashire duo had been leading from the third stage of Lincolnshire's MSA
THIS newspaper was accused this week of trivialising the deprivation experienced by the communities in which few people have jobs by allegedly suggesting that all they needed was a haircut -- following the announcement of a £1million Action Team for Jobs
The opinions expressed by John Blunt are not necessarily those of this newspaper HOWEVER serious or slight was the attack on 24-year-old Marlon Rushton, of Accrington, who claimed to have been hit around the head with a metal pole by three men screaming
LITTLE Asah Bibi was on the brink of death when she was dragged unconscious from the River Ribble. The eight-year-old was under water for more than five minutes. She is still in hospital and her life may be shattered after her playing in the water with
Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy IT is quite amazing to see how our wildlife has its ups and downs. On the up at the moment is the magnificent otter, while on the down seems to be the poor old badger. One mammal which seems to be balanced between up and
SAFETY conscious youngsters are top of the class after getting the highest points in a borough-wide quiz. Blackburn with Darwen Council sent the questionnaires to all Year 6 pupils in the borough and the class at St Peter's School in Darwen got top marks
IT'S a digital kind of magic for award winning year 10 pupils at Our Lady and St John RC High School, Blackburn. 'Millennium Magic' is the name of a company set up by the pupils to produce calendars using digital cameras and computer software. The firm
A FORMER eyesore which has been transformed into a green oasis had another make-over at the weekend. The garden at Bank Top, Blackburn, used to be wasteland until a environmental project transformed the area. With help from the local community and support
REGARDING your report (LET, July 15) about the proposed large-scale planting of trees by Andrew Brown at Crow Wood Farm in Burnley, I cannot in my life understand why Burnley and District Civic Trust are objecting. I was a long-serving committee member
FORTY-one per cent of men and 28 per cent of women snore. Sufferers can wake themselves up over 30 times a night, leading to fatigue, tension, lack of concentration and irritability. Many people, however, do not know that their dentist can fit a simple
THE idea behind our Town Regeneration Plan, to attract investment from different sources into Blackburn, must be welcomed. Some of its proposals will please most people: improvements to Darwen Street Bridge, re-development between Lower Audley Street
CHILDREN'S lives are being put in danger by vandals who left the bank of the River Ribble with no lifesaving equipment at the spot where a young girl almost drowned. Today as councillors demanded an investigation into safety precautions at Edisford Bridge
NATHAN'S Blake's agent, Phil Graham, today laughed off suggestions that the out-of-favour Blackburn Rovers striker could be on his way back to Cardiff City. Speculation in the Welsh press linked former Bolton Wanderers striker Blake with a loan move to
ROVERS have arranged to play some of their FA Premier Reserve League matches during the 2000-2001 season at Morecambe FC's Christie Park. But more than half the fixture programme will continue to be staged at Ewood Park. Rovers secretary Tom Finn says
SEVEN people were arrested following a street fight between a group of Iranians and local youths in Burnley. Police received several calls from residents in Branch Road including reports that one of the people involved was brandishing a knife. One man
A 52-YEAR-old man who threatened a steward on a crowded aeroplane has had sentence adjourned by Burnley magistrates. John Michael Handley, who told the flight assistant he might "get a smack," was bailed until August 9, so he can produce driving documents
A DRIVER who got behind the wheel for the third time while disqualified has been given a "last chance" by magistrates. George Fleming, 29, who is training to be a mechanic, drove his sister's car for less than half a mile after he had done some work on
FANS can watch some of the top rally cars and drivers in action at New Brighton's King's Parade this weekend. The first of 90 cars will leave the startline at 8.30am on Saturday to tackle the first of 10 stages around the twists and turns of New Brighton
POLICE in Colne are putting a spoke in the wheel of cycle thieves -- by setting up special cycle-coding sessions and encouraging owners to have their bikes coded for keeps. PC Dave France says cycle thefts increase dramatically at this time of year and
A BUILDING company invested £200,000 in a town centre block of flats in a bid to revitalise Bacup town centre. Construction company B and E Boys, of Waterfoot, bought flats above the Norweb shop and was set to turn them into up-market homes. The flats
PUB regulars went to court to see their former licensee sentenced for stealing £2,500 in charity cash -- then played cricket in their bid to re-raise the money. Customers from the Commercial Hotel, Delph Road, Great Harwood, split into under-21 and over
A DRUNK man who attacked a cerebral palsy sufferer in front of his wheelchair-bound wife, is behind bars. Burnley Crown Court heard how Raymond Mooney's victim, who is also confined to a wheelchair, and is half blind, had to go to hospital after the defendant
HUNDREDS of children paddled and swam as they enjoyed 70 degree sunshine yesterday -- unaware they were just yards from the spot where two little girls almost drowned. Families, children and even a local Brownie pack were at Edisford Bridge near Clitheroe
NEW boy Phil Gray today insisted Burnley have got what it takes to survive in the First Division next season. The 31-year-old striker, who joined the Clarets earlier this week on a Bosman-style free from Luton, knows all about life in the First Division
BLACKBURN Rovers today warned First Division rivals Bolton Wanderers that they won't let Per Frandsen go on the cheap. Manager Graeme Souness has revealed Wanderers have sounded out Rovers about taking the Dane back to the Reebok, less than 10 months
UNIONS in the North West were today urged to tackle stress levels among workers in the fast growing call centre industry. Staff have highlighted the problem of stress in recent surveys and want unions to take up the issue, according to Union Network International
STORE chain Debenhams, which has a major in Blackburn, has seen sales rise. The firm, which has announced it is opening 11 new stores, saw overall sales in the 20 weeks to July 15 were up 3.9 per cent. Neil McShane, retail analyst at stockbrokers Brewer
AEROSPACE firms from East Lancashire are bidding to win a share of a £50million new business bonus. More than 50 firms and coming together under the Nelson-based North West Aerospace Alliance to fly the flag for the industry at next week's Farnborough
A 24-HOUR watch has been launched on Haslingden Moors following the deaths of two peregrine falcons. Volunteer rangers are patrolling the area after it was revealed that the birds had been poisoned by meat laced with a banned insecticide. They were discovered
STAFF past and present got together to hold a presentation ceremony for the retiring head teacher of Roman Road Primary School. Liz Fisher, of Edmonton Drive, Blackburn, joined the school when it opened in 1977, and began teaching infants. She was deputy
AN aerospace worker spoke of his fears for his sons' future during a lobby of MPs over job losses at BAE Systems. Ken Cocker fears his two teenage sons may never get a decent job. The 46-year-old fitter from Rishton was part of a delegation from BAE's
ANSWERING difficult questions is all in a day's work for successful philosophy student Steve Johnson. He regularly has to come up with responses to queries like: "Is there a God", "What is art?" and "Can I get hold of a duty reporter on a Sunday morning
THREE men have appeared before Blackburn magistrates following an incident on Saturday night in which a 23-year-old man was allegedly hit in the face with a spade. John Eastham lost an eye after the incident in Scotland Bank Terrace, Blackburn, and his
LITTER strewn across a peaceful beauty spot has been branded a "disgrace." Sean Plant, of St Mary's Wharf, Blackburn, who walks his dog there, claims that a stone circle, near canal bridge 102 at Grimshaw Park, is being spoilt because of a plague of litter
POLICE did not believe William Carr's explanations when they stopped him at 3.25am and found a cordless drill hanging round his neck and a craft knife strapped to each wrist. Blackburn magistrates heard that Carr claimed he was returning the drill, which
A ROSSENDALE Valley professor has been given the fourth degree -- by the University of Manchester. Peter Ormerod, a consultant chest physician, at Blackburn Royal Infirmary, has received a Doctor of Medical Science degree, the first of its kind awarded
THE Westmorland Rally will take place on Saturday night starting at the Tebay Services at Junction 38 on the M6. This is the next round of the ANCC and SD34 Road Rally championships. The first car, leaving at 11.30pm, will be Paul Schatz and Gerry Hanley
GYMNAST Craig Heap has been selected for the Great Britain Olympic squad. The Burnley star was given the one and only gymnastic place for the trip to Australia in September after an outstanding season. But the 26-year-old faces a race against time to
TURKISH footballer Servet Tasdemir could get his chance to make his mark in England -- playing for Accrington Stanley tonight in the hope of impressing the scouts at Premier Division Manchester City. The midfielder gave up a lucrative career in his native
THE ill-fortune which has dogged Neil Simpson's rallying season returned with a vengeance last Saturday, his bid for victory on the MSA Rally ending just moments after it had begun. Colne's Simpson was hoping for a repeat of his Jim Clark Memorial Rally
JOE Scuderi was missing from Lancashire's Championship game against Durham at Old Trafford today -- away at Euro 2000! The 31-year-old Aussie all-rounder linked up with the Italy squad for their European Championship campaign in Scotland. It was bad timing
PAUL Dwyer has 15 reasons why he wants to make the cut at the first Open Championships of the new millennium at St Andrews. The former double-glazing salesman from Simonstone is set to pit his wits against the likes of Tiger Woods and Colin Montgomerie
PARDON me for wondering whether the new way of running Blackburn with Darwen Council on supposedly more businesslike lines, with an eight-member cabinet instead of a gaggle of 60-odd councillors, is really more efficient or economic. For what are we to
