SWINTON LIONS' impressive start to the season faces its toughest test yet when they take on Leigh at Hilton Park on New Year's Day. The Lions have won their opening three fixtures against Chorley, Whitehaven and Barrow in the Northern Ford Premiership
FORMER Blackpool, Cardiff City and Halifax manager Billy Ayre is the new Shakers first team coach. The arrival of the likeable north-easterner has delighted Shakers player-boss Andy Preece who readily admits that he needed help on the coaching side since
Ashton Utd 3 - Radcliffe Boro 0 BORO left themselves a mountain to climb after going two goals down in the first nine minutes at Ashton on Boxing Day. With Mark Dempsey missing, Levi Edwards started in midfield and Ian Callaghan continued to deputise
Ramsbottom United 3 - Rossendale United 0 THREE goals in the space of eight second half minutes gave Ramsbottom an emphatic victory as they turned the tables on Rossendale in this Boxing Day derby. Rossendale opened up positively and were the better side
Bury 1 - Swindon Town 0 IT may have been imagination but I'm certain you could hear the strains of Christmas' number one record Bob The Builder emanating from the Shakers dressing room after this game. "Can we fix it . . . yes we can!" seemed to be the
Stockport Georgians 1 - Elton Fold 1 BOTTOM of the table Georgians, without a point to their name before the game, looked to be heading for their first win of the season, but hadn't counted on the referee having a 'Fergie stopwatch' that enabled Fold
LEIGH Centurions are expecting another festive derby cracker when Mike Gregory's unbeaten Swinton Lions come to town on New Year's Day. Leigh's head coach Paul Terzis is predicting another tough battle with local pride at stake to follow the Centurions
BLACKBURN Rovers lost nearly £20 million last year following their failed attempt to get back into the Premiership. Rovers' determination to regain their place in the top flight at the first attempt resulted in substantial losses as they continued to
FIRE chiefs are hoping to launch a 'housewives shift' in a bid to recruit retained firefighters to man smaller stations during the day. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service is finding it harder to recruit retained firefighters available to respond to emergency
THREE villages could be left isolated when a major £500,000 road repair scheme blocks the main route between Burnley and Todmorden. In November, heavy flooding caused a land slip which blocked the A646 and left the villages of Cliviger, Holme Chapel and
SINGLES BOOM: Falling (London) -- The debut from this new boy/girl outfit is a classy garage track with a cool R and B vibe. With a hint of Craig David in there, Boom have opted for a quality introduction to the teen pop scene, rather than a cheesy throwaway
A THIRD youth was in the car in which teenage soldier Roger Fothergill died, police have revealed. The 16-year-old, who was a back seat passenger, escaped with minor injuries after being thrown through a rear window of the Peugeot 106 when it smashed
POLICE today warned youngsters who saw a man being slashed with a knife: Come to us, before we come to you. The unnamed man received a deep cut to his right hand in the incident with a group of teenagers. Police say the man approached the teenagers after
A STONE angel statue is to be erected in memory of a cancer victim at the school which he loved attending. The tribute is to be placed in the hall at St Mary Magdalen's Primary School, Devonshire Street, Accrington, where five-year-old Glen Kennedy was
Monday, January 1 BLACKBURN: 11am-1pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street; 11am-2pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. DARWEN: 12noon-1pm: Geloo Bros Ltd, 14 Union Street. ACCRINGTON: 11am-1pm: Bentleys Chemist, 42 Avenue Parade; 12noon-1pm: Nash
Sunday, December 31 BLACKBURN: 12noon-1pm: Athertons Chemist, 37 Granville Road; 10.30am-4.30pm: Superdrugs Pharmacy, 3-7 Stonybutts; 11am-2pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road; 11am-1pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. DARWEN: 12noon-1pm:
Thursday, January 4 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Peels, 4 Railway Road. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road; To 6.30pm: Donald Wood Ltd, 53 Fishmoor Drive; Healthbook Ltd, Audley Shopping Centre, Audley
Tuesday, January 2 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Peels, 4 & 6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy. 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst Road; Geloo Bros, Cleaver Street
Pitch battle THE Turf Moor central heating has been on overtime to make sure that Monday's game against Wolves (kick-off 1pm) would definitely go ahead. The underpitch heating system was switched on early on Thursday with the blanket of snow on the playing
BURNLEY vice-chairman Ray Ingleby could be ready to pump more money into the Clarets as they pursue their dream of Premiership football. Ingleby made an initial investment of £500,000 when he joined the Burnley board last year and has since increased
POSH Spice may have been overshadowed in the music stakes by Mel C, but she and Becks remain our favourite celebrity couple, according to a new survey. Even the recent high-profile marriage of Madonna and Guy Ritchie could not shift the pair from the
HARE you the next big thing? Is your next gig the one you want people to see? HIf so, then PULSE is the place to get yourself plugged. HIf you have recorded a demo and want people to know about it, then send it in to us for a review. HLikewise, if you
TRAVIS have a penchant for producing quirky videos for their guitar-driven singles but they admit they are at a loss to explain them to other people. The video for their single Coming Around featured Cybill Shepherd's daughter Clementine and a walking
DUM DUMS are a boy band with a difference - they play their own instruments, sing live and don't do any daft dance routines. In the last year the talented trio have won praise from such diverse sources as Smash Hits and the NME. The band also seems to
AN East Lancashire art teacher is hoping to put the fizz back into the pop scene by releasing her new single early in the new year. Paule Van Wijngarden, a former art teacher from Burnley who now lives in Blackburn, has already tasted chart success alongside
BURY fans are being invited to work up a thirst for New Years Eve by helping clear the snow from the Gigg Lane pitch on Sunday morning. Club officials are keen to make sure that Monday's clash against high-flying Rotherham United goes ahead as the bumper
A NEW trial has been launched to discover if DNA could help make the treatment for melanoma more effective. The project is under way at Manchester's Christie Hospital, which treats patients from East Lancashire. It is hoped DNA, the building blocks of
FATHER Jim McCartney has been given a festive boost by the generosity of people across East Lancashire. The crusading priest was devastated when his church, St Anne's RC in King Street, Blackburn, was gutted by arsonists. Flames ripped through the 74-
A COUPLE today revealed they had turned part of their home into a shrine in memory of their dead son and said: "He is still with us in spirit." Robert Smith and Lynne Bufton spoke on the eve of what would have been Shaun Smith's ninth birthday -- just
THE parents of a toddler who died of meningitis are distraught after being told to remove decorations and a musical Father Christmas from around their daughter's grave. Sharon and Joe Burns have decorated on and around two-year-old Kourtney's grave at
AN East Lancashire woman who has dedicated her life to shaping the careers of tens of thousands of young people has been honoured by the Queen. Dorothy Maskell, of Oak Bank, Newton, near Clitheroe, said she was thrilled to receive an MBE in the New Year's
BOLTON Road Cricket Club ended a six year wait for victory on Boxing Day when they defeated their old friends and rivals Brooksbottoms in the Brian Statham Trophy match. The 38th annual clash, staged at Brooksbottoms' Rowlands Road ground at Summerseat
Whitchurch 14pts - Sedgley Park 39 TWO previous visits to Shropshire had ended in tears for Sedgley Park, but there was to be no mistake this time as Whitchurch were blown away by a brilliant first half performance. Not even the fog could hide the splendour
Stoke City 2 - Bury 1 YOU don't always get what you deserve at Christmastime as Shakers boss Andy Preece will vouch for after this Boxing Day sickener. A third goal in as many games from man-of-the-moment Paul Barnes wasn't enough to bring the Shakers
THREE villages could be left isolated when a major £500,000 road repair scheme blocks the main route between Burnley and Todmorden. In November, heavy flooding caused a land slip which blocked the A646 and left the villages of Cliviger, Holme Chapel and
THE PARENTS of a toddler who died of meningitis are distraught after being told to remove decorations and a musical Father Christmas from around their daughter's grave. Sharon and Joe Burns have decorated on and around two-year-old Kourtney's grave at
IN all the Boxing Day excitement against Birmingham, it wasn't until I got home that I realised I was quids in after having a bet on a correct score of 2-1. It's just a pity that Dunny didn't score the first goal and then I really would have been able
LESS than a week ago a trio of turkeys could well have been Christmas dinner -- yesterday they gobbled down their own. The birds -- christened the Briercliffe Three -- were bred by farmer John Atkinson for this year's festivities, but were found to be
AN EAST Lancashire council today unveiled plans to be at the forefront of a campaign against mobile phone masts. Hyndburn Council is writing to the government to ask for tighter guidelines for the placement of phone masts. The move comes after councillors
Wednesday, January 3 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Peels, 4 & 6 Railway Road; The Surgery (Chiropody), 132 Lammack Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Arthur
Friday, January 5 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Peels, 4 & 6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Arthur Haworth, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst
BURNLEY vice-chairman Ray Ingleby could be ready to pump more money into the Clarets as they pursue their dream of Premiership football. Ingleby made an initial investment of £500,000 when he joined the Burnley board last year and has since increased
BLACKBURN Rovers lost nearly £20 million last year following their failed attempt to get back into the Premiership. Rovers' determination to regain their place in the top flight at the first attempt resulted in substantial losses as they continued to
BOY BAND A1 have launched a blistering attack on Britney Spears, using a variety of four-letter words to describe what they think of her and her music. In an interview with magazine Attitude, they accuse the princess of pop of producing music in terms
FOLLOWING the huge success All Saints enjoyed of last year, the girls return with a new single a details of their May tour. The new single, All Hooked Up, is a sexy and sassy track penned by singer Shaznay Lewis and Karl K-Gee Gordon. It is the third
DETECTIVES trying to discover the identity of a woman found in dead a field have released a picture of a distinctive circular gold earring she was wearing at the time of her death in a bid to trigger someone's memory. The body of the Asian woman was found
LEUKAEMIA sufferer Mick Baines has been readmitted to hospital, just days after being allowed home following a bone-marrow transplant. Mick, 41, of Bolton Road, Abbey Village, was taken back to the Christie Hospital, Manchester, earlier this week after
WHILE most people were dreaming of a white Christmas this year one East Lancashire family were looking forward to a green one! As soon as young Nicola and Andrew Snape tore off the tags and ripped back the wrapping paper to see what Christmas treats were
YOUNGSTERS in parts of East Lancashire could not believe their luck when the first British snow many of them had ever seen fell during their school Christmas holiday. And there was plenty for them to go at. In and around Blackburn there was enough of
PRESTON have smashed their transfer record by signing Manchester United youngster David Healy in a deal worth in excess of £1.5m. Manager David Moyes signed the 21-year-old striker, initially on loan, just ahead of last night's 5pm deadline and he goes
BLACKBURN Hawks face the toughest of games tonight as they make the long journey to Gillingham to face Kent Invicta Dynamos in the English Premier Cup. But having lost only one in nine since the beginning of November can be forgiven for fancying their
FORMER England captain Jimmy Armfield has sent a message of encouragement to Clarets fans and a warning to Rovers supporters: "Anything can happen in the second half of the season." For Burnley fans, Christmas brought nothing but misery, with four defeats
TWO fire chiefs and several charity champions are among the Bolton and Bury citizens celebrating awards in the New Year's Honours List published today. Bolton's top fire chief GEORGE ALMOND MBE received his second royal honour in seven years -- a CBE.
