Archive

  • EVENTS taking place in East Lancashire on Thursday, October 24

    A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Psychic evening, Whalley Arms, Whalley featuring tarot readings, clairvoyants and palmists from 7pm. Halloween Party, Darwen Community Centre, for ages 5-11, 1pm to 3pm

  • Survival of the fittest

    I RECENTLY walked from Brierfield Woods alongside the river and then through Barrowford to Roughlee. During my day out I counted eight herons plus two others which were dead. It is quite normal during autumn to find lots of herons, some looking a bit

  • Blind woman flees flames

    A BLIND, elderly woman was evacuated from her house in Mosley Street, Blackburn, after a fire in an empty property next door. Blackburn firefighters were called tat 7pm yesterday. Vandals are believed to have started the fire in the living room. The house

  • Money to grow greener

    VOLUNTARY and community groups in East Lancs who are keen to improve their environment have support through charity group Whitbread Action Earth. Their campaign challenges local communities to identify worthwhile projects within their own neighbourhood

  • Fault lies with town's residents

    I WAS interested to read S Patel's comments (Letters, September 27) about my earlier comments on Whalley Range in Blackburn and I agree that there are other grot spots -- I live in one of those she listed. I have lived in the area all my life -- in the

  • Mass medication is illegal

    THE silent majority is once again under threat of being poisoned by the very people entrusted to provide them with clean, safe drinking water, by being forced when drinking water to ingest toxic waste collected from the scrubbers of factory chimneys,

  • County council has got its priorities wrong

    THE County Council can afford to demolish Rosehill Junior School, which seemed to me perfectly all right, in order to build another one somewhere else, which must be costing a fortune. But it cannot afford to keep the care homes for the old open, which

  • Blake's no old banger!

    FOR the first few months at Turf Moor, Clarets fans thought that Stan Ternent had paid £1million for a Reliant Robin in the shape of striker Robbie Blake. Now they are increasingly sure they have got a Rolls Royce! There can be no sweeter sound for a

  • Homes battle 'needs more resources'

    TACKLING unfit and vacant housing in Burnley will be impossible without more resources and radical action, councillors have been told. Burnley Council has failed to meet targets both for reducing the unfitness of properties and returning vacant properties

  • Centurions stars are suspended

    LEIGH Grand Final stars Andrew Isherwood and John Roper have been banned for a total of eight matches after being found guilty of foul play in the defeat by Huddersfield. Second row forward Isherwood, now with Widnes, was suspended for five matches and

  • Taylor signs new contract

    MARTIN Taylor has rounded off a memorable week by agreeing a new deal to stay with Blackburn Rovers. The defender, who scored twice against Newcastle on Saturday, has signed a contract which will keep him at Ewood Park until the summer of 2006. Manager

  • Tiny backs Tommo to star

    MARTIN Taylor may have been a two goal hero at the weekend but he was quick to salute the impact made by his team mate David Thompson, the man he hailed as Rovers answer to David Beckham. And the big defender, nicknamed Tiny, is hoping that he will be

  • Five-star show - and top men didn't score!

    THE safest bet in terms of Rovers at the start of the season appeared to be that they would score a hatful of goals. With Dwight Yorke joining Andy Cole, Matt Jansen, Damien Duff, Egil Ostenstad and Ciccio Grabbi, the potency potential was great. They

  • Spooky 'filmathon' fundraiser

    YOUNG film fans who fancy their chances at braving the dark are being invited to take a seat for a 12-hour Hallowe'en movie marathon. Burnley 'Beat Bobby' PC Linda Haywood, who looks after the Rosegrove area, has organised the sponsored 'filmathon' in

  • Motorbikes are wrecked in blaze

    THE owner of a motorbike showroom in Burnley is today counting the cost of a fire which destroyed 20 bikes and caused thousands of pounds of damage. Firefighters were called to the 2Wheel Supermarket in Accrington Road at 9pm yesterday after receiving

  • Massive move on better health care

    UP to £65m is set to be invested in health care schemes in East Lancashire as part of a massive new project aimed at improving facilities. The LIFT scheme will see new health care centres in Bacup, Nelson and Burnley as well as projects in Darwen and

  • Bouncing cheques woman spared prison

    A CONWOMAN who tricked her way to more than £120 worth of goods from service stations has kept her freedom. Burnley Magistrates heard ex-convict and drug addict Joanne Bowden, 30, was using cocaine and heroin when she wrote out cheques, knowing there

  • Homes battle 'needs more resources'

    TACKLING unfit and vacant housing in Burnley will be impossible without more resources and radical action, councillors have been told. Burnley Council has failed to meet targets both for reducing the unfitness of properties and returning vacant properties

  • Council leader pledges support

    TWO more community leaders have pledged their support for a major anti-racism rally to be held in Burnley tomorrow. Council leader Stuart Caddy and former mayor Rafique Malik have both called on people in the town to back the Unite to Stop the BNP event

  • Young aces stake a claim

    Rochdale 0 Bury 1 by Chris Hall: SHAKERS boss Andy Preece was left purring at Bury's bright future after watching his fringe fledglings clinch a brave derby win and a place in the LDV Vans Trophy second round. A spectacular strike from veteran defender

  • He's the boy who wants to be mayor!

    A TEN-YEAR OLD Nelson schoolboy who has already set his sights set on becoming mayor of the borough tried the role out for size during a visit to the council chamber yesterday. Samuel Lord, of Hollins Road, visited the Mayor of Pendle at Nelson Town Hall

  • Ten years ago

    ROUND the World yachtsman Andrew Hindley completed four weeks of his eight month journey that took him to Rio de Janeiro, Tasmania and South Africa. Andrew, 25, a former Accrington schoolboy, passed Cape Verde and saw a large shoal of flying fish.

  • Royal approval

    ACCRINGTON rolled out the red carpet yesterday when Princess Anne travelled to the town for a two hour visit. Crowds lined the streets to watch as the Princess Royal arrived in a dark blue Daimler to officially open two new charity run buildings. During

  • Patient felt 'used and abused' by male nurse

    A DISCIPLINARY hearing has heard how a staff nurse from Clayton-le-Moors had a sexual relationship with a hospital patient. Stephen Clegg, 42, of Clayton-le-Moors, worked in an adult cystic fibrosis unit on Pearce Ward at Wythenshawe Hospital, South Manchester

  • There's a hall lotta haunting going on

    GHOSTBUSTERS are to descend on Samlesbury Hall for a Hallowe'en spook hunt. Simon Entwistle, who conducts ghost tours across the country, is to host the fright night at the 14th century Tudor Manor on Saturday. And the Clitheroe-based historian wants

  • 'Battling show was for Stan'

    CLARETS skipper Steve Davis reflected on another game without Stan Ternent on the touchline and he admitted: "I think he would have been proud of us." The manager was laid low back home in Burnley with mouth ulcers as his side produced another fine display

  • 'Won't tell' attic man is fined

    POLICE who forced their way into a Darwen house which had been barricaded from the inside found Jonathan Irlam hiding in the attic. Blackburn magistrates heard that Irlam told police he did not know where the man they were looking for was, even though

  • Sports facility takes shape

    BUDDING David Beckhams will be able to make use of a new £15,000 community sports facility. The 28m by 20m "cage" at Fearns High School, Booth Road, Stacksteads, has been funded through European money through a community grant from the single regeneration

  • Fire strike bombshell

    LANCASHIRE was hit with a fire-strike bombshell today after it was revealed that part-time crews across the county are to join the protest. The area is now facing up to the prospect of being covered by just nine Green Goddess engines and military fire

  • Staff need race relations training - report

    HEALTH staff could soon be given race relations training in a bid to prevent misunderstandings between Asian and white workers. The move is expected to be recommended in a report into allegations of institutionalised racism at Queen's Park Hospital in

  • Give warning of a bonfire

    COMMUNITIES are being urged to warn firefighters if they are planning to celebrate bonfire night by lighting a fire, because of forthcoming strikes. The National Campaign for Firework Safety said residents should meet firefighters, go through their plans

  • We're not all cloth caps and clogs

    TELL some people you hail from Accrington, Burnley or Blackburn and you can bet the reply will encompass cloth caps, whippets and a patronising rendition of the accent. When that happened to photographer Reg Whittam, rather than reacting with indignation

  • Rams fail to win for fifth straight game

    RAMSBOTTOM'S new managerial partnership of Andy Grimshaw and Jimmy Clarke are still searching for their first win since taking over from Mike Kelly, who resigned three games ago. Grimshaw - a former player at Ramsbottom and ex-coach at Rossendale United

  • Pride dented by Vale of Lune

    ROSSENDALE's pride was dented but not crushed as they suffered a heavy Powergen Intermediate Cup defeat at Vale of Lune. Despite turning out a depleted team, Dale dominated the opening 40 minutes against a team from a league above. Two tries from back

  • Panthers women come through

    PENDLE'S first competitive home match got off to the worst possible start when York took an early six-point lead. However, the home side soon got back on level terms through Sarah Dixon. Midway through the first half York posted another four pointer but

  • Mixed pickings for Hawks on the road

    BLACKBURN HAWKS spent more time on the road than the ice last weekend, experiencing mixed fortunes in back-to-back cup and league games. Peterborough Phantoms away in a re-arranged Premier Cup tie was always going to be tough, but sandwiched between a

  • St Paul's closure riddle

    An independent school adjudicator has been brought in for the first time in Bury to decide whether St Paul's CE Primary should close. St Paul's CE Primary was thrown a lifeline by the Schools Organisation Committee which failed to reach a unanimous decision

  • How do diving dippers do it?

    WHENEVER I sit by a waterfall and watch a dipper diving into the rapid current I wonder just how the bird manages to dive beneath the water. I found an old Victorian text book which stated that dippers grabbed hold of a stone and then used this as a weight

  • Netto's lost my custom

    AS a customer of Netto I was shocked and disgusted by the sacking of Kimberley Fielding from this supermarket chain for giving away carrier bags that should have been charged for (LET, September 26). It has always been an objection of mine that customers

  • Open verdict on 'unhappy' father

    THE body of a man found in a house in Argyle Street, Heywood, was that of Bury-born Harry Chadwick, aged 46. An inquest was told how the life of the "happy-go-lucky, clean-living man" turned into unhappiness after his children left home. Mr Chadwick's

  • Rovers to look at ticket plans

    ROVERS allocation of tickets for the UEFA Cup clash at Celtic sold out in double quick time on Monday leaving lots of fans disappointed. And among those to miss out were fans who had made the trip to Sofia in the previous round and club secretary Tom

  • Addict mum jailed for stolen credit card fraud

    A MOTHER of two who used a stolen credit card to get petrol, oil and a phone card was today starting a six-week jail term. Burnley Magistrates heard how drug addict Nadine Joanne Harrison, 29, would not have committed the offences without her accomplice

  • Social services director is going

    THE director of Lancashire's social services is to take early retirement, county council bosses have announced. Pauline Oliver, director of the social services department at County Hall, was praised by leader Hazel Harding for removing the department

  • 'We're spoiled in this country'

    A BRIERFIELD teenager added to her knowledge of other cultures when she represented Lancashire at a cultural seminar in Germany. Hamara Arif, 17, of Sackville Street, was chosen to take part in the Community Arts Exposing Europe project, a cultural youth

  • Rescue bid on to save care homes

    PENDLE Council has begun discussions with a national housing provider to put together a rescue package to save the care homes in the borough from closure. This move has been agreed with Lancashire County Council following a strong campaign by the borough

  • Rallying cry for groups to dive into pot of cash

    A LEADING councillor has called on the people of Hyndburn to join forces to access thousands of pounds of funding for community projects. Borough council cabinet member Coun David Myles said that by forming residents associations neighbourhoods could

  • Clarets at heart of league revamp

    REPORTS today suggest that the Premier League is looking at ways of revamping the whole of football but Burnley Football Club insists that is just one of many solutions currently being examined. Clarets chief executive Andrew Watson, who is on a three-man

  • Youngsters on trial!

    THE ongoing process of planning for Burnley's future will continue this week as youngsters gather for a trial match. The half term break offers youth team coach Terry Pashley a good chance to gather youngsters from all over the country. He explained:

  • Bolshie fire crews can to go to blazes

    WITH fire-bug idiots already chucking fireworks around out there, the bolshie firemen set to strike 36 times before Christmas over their 40 per cent pay claim can be sure of one outcome right now -- that any public sympathy for them has gone up in smoke

  • Rovers to look at ticket plans

    ROVERS allocation of tickets for the UEFA Cup clash at Celtic sold out in double quick time on Monday leaving lots of fans disappointed. And among those to miss out were fans who had made the trip to Sofia in the previous round and club secretary Tom

  • Energy saving issues

    A FORUM on energy efficiency and conservation will be held next week. The Sustainability Action Partnership will stage the event at the East Lancashire Voluntary Resource Centre, Burnley, on Thursday, October 31. Ruth Soulsby, a project worker for the

  • Childbirth charity in plea for sale goods

    PARENTS are being asked to donate their baby goods for a nearly-new sale in aid of a childbirth charity. The East Lancashire branch of the National Childbirth Trust is holding the sale on Saturday, November 2, from 2 to 3.30pm at the Accrington Road Community

  • Sacked drink-drive care worker's ban

    A CARE worker employed by the National Institute for the Deaf was dismissed from his job after being found driving four residents home while more than three times the drink drive limit. Alan Wilkinson, 47, of Ferguson Street, Blackburn, was stopped by

  • Criminal quiz before cash

    GROUPS which allow adults to supervise children at community events without checking their criminal records have been banned from receiving council grants. And groups looking for funds to cover entertainment, travelling and catering will also be told

  • Kyran welcomed back

    ENGLAND scrum-half and former Stonyhurst pupil Kyran Bracken went back to his old stomping ground to meet up with some of the players who have been in stunning form this season. Stonyhurst College is celebrating an outstanding start to the rugby season

  • Dale dump Premier side out of cup

    ROSSENDALE produced a superb second half display to overcome the odds and dump Premier Division Droylsden out of the UniBond League Cup. Trailing at the break, first division Dale lost keeper Mark Andrews just 60 seconds into the second half with a badly

  • Burnley coach blasts his 'prima donnas'

    BURNLEY ran in a hatful of tries but it still did not stop them from receiving a blasting from coach Tony Finnan for acting like prima donnas. He said: "We played the worst game of the season with players believing they could ignore calls at will and

  • Martin's farewell money raiser

    TOTTINGTON High School proved itself to be a cut above the rest when it raised £884 for Christie Hospital. Earlier this year teacher Martin Barnes had his head shaved for charity before he left to teach in the Peak District. The staggering amount of money

  • No bikes on our trams

    IT could soon be bikes on board, but not on the Bury Metrolink. There are plans to allow cyclists to put their bikes on trams but not on the Bury-Manchester line. They are too overcrowded already. Instead, cycles will only be welcomed aboard the yet to

  • Stop fire strikes to avert disaster

    THE disclosure that the whole of East Lancashire will be covered by just nine old 'Green Goddess' fire engines during the firefighters' strikes has already come as a great shock. But the grim revelation today that this is all we can depend on is absolutely

  • Why you need to beware of the bats

    BATS in Britain may be carrying a strain of rabies which can affect humans, the government have warned. In September a bat handler from Lancashire was bitten in the hand and the bat was later proved to have the rabies strain only the second time that

  • Grant for groups to fight crime

    VOLUNTARY and community groups in East Lancashire working with young people at risk from criminal involvement can benefit from grants to support their efforts. The Weavers Company Benevolent Fund are offering grants of up to £15,000 for innovative projects

  • Fire strike bombshell

    LANCASHIRE was hit with a fire-strike bombshell today after it was revealed that part-time crews across the county are to join the protest. The area is now facing up to the prospect of being covered by just nine Green Goddess engines and military fire

  • MP backs the new post office payments

    AN East Lancashire MP has moved to reassure people over the changes at the Post Office. Pendle MP Gordon Prentice said customers would still be able to collect benefit or pensions from their local post office despite changes being made from April next

  • Five years ago

    FORMER teenage sweethearts Diane Law and Philip Cooper tied the knot 25 years after their first meeting at a youth club. Diane, of Warmden Avenue, Baxenden, married Philip, of Devon, after they met at the club's reunion in Oldham.

  • Drive ban man lied for job

    PHILIP John King lied his way into jobs as a taxi driver and a bus driver despite having a string of convictions and not being entitled to hold a licence. King, 48, of Shuttle Close, Accrington, pleaded guilty to three charges of obtaining a pecuniary

  • Construction industry event

    A MEET the Buyer event for the construction sector is to be held at Wigan's JJB Stadium on Tuesday, November 26, organised by Bolton and Bury Chamber's Business Advantage division. The event will be combined with the launch of the new Construction Best

  • Fact file...

    A LOOK at the key moments from the game against Ipswich Town. BURNLEY MARLON BERESFORD: Made a rare error for the first goal but had no chance with the second and made a vital save from Clapham... 7 DEAN WEST: His runs down the right should have been

  • Super Sub to to the rescue

    DAVID Fairclough never really lived down his title of 'Super Sub' in the great Liverpool sides of the late 1970s. Greece Under-21 star Dimitri Papadopoulos has a long way to go before he can say he has matched the Scouse striker's feats but there is no

  • 'Family' is getting too big

    REBUFFING opposition to Blackburn with Darwen forming a partnership with a Polish town, the council's ruling Labour group insists the tie-up with some place called Tarnow is essential if BwD is to continue to receive high levels of EU money for regeneration

  • 'Battling show was for Stan'

    CLARETS skipper Steve Davis reflected on another game without Stan Ternent on the touchline and he admitted: "I think he would have been proud of us." The manager was laid low back home in Burnley with mouth ulcers as his side produced another fine display

  • Park to get pride back

    VANDALS who have tarnished a 'green oasis' in Darwen are to be forced out as part of a new plan to restore it to its natural glory. Residents who use Ashton Park can look forward to a new activity area, extra footpaths and a playing field, as well as

  • Benefit cheats pair netted cash

    HUSBAND and wife Dennis and June Smith were overpaid more than £7,000 in benefits during a 14-month period when she was working as a packer. Blackburn magistrates heard that Smith was earning up to £143 a week while her husband was claiming income support

  • Danger alert over morning sickness remedy

    PREGNANT women were today warned about the dangers of a morning sickness remedy found to contain high levels of lead. Lancashire Trading Standards bosses issued the alert after the Food Standards Agency advised people not to eat a product commonly known

  • Staff need race relations training - report

    QUEENS Park Hospital in Blackburn has been rocked by allegations of racism and conspiracy theories involving top health bosses, a report has revealed. Despite finding trust managers had not acted in a racist manner, the investigation into claims of institutionalised

  • Foggy backs the Brits

    FOUR-TIMES World Superbike champion and Blackburn Rovers fan Carl Fogarty visited Ewood Park to wish the Great Britain rugby league team all the best ahead of their Test Match there against New Zealand on Saturday November 9 (kick off 6.15pm). Carl wore