RECENT Hollywood films like Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill series have strong female characters who aren't afraid to fight. But do such women exist in real life? JENNY SCOTT met some East Lancashire girls who know how to look after themselves. . . FROM
THE other day I came across a photograph of a gamekeepers gibbet. It was used in Gisburn Hall Estate in 1903, an area now occupied by Gisburn Park Hospital. We can never be sure whether to spell it Gisburne or to leave off the 'e' as folklore suggests
A DRUG dealer almost bumped into police officers as he was on his way to deliver cocaine and heroin to a customer. Blackburn magistrates heard that as Paul Lewis walked round the corner into Sandon Street, he was confronted by police officers who had
I AM sure that many readers of this newspaper will have seen the recent release of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." Whatever their views on the merits of the film, I am sure they will have been startled by the brutality of the torturing of Jesus
MR Sabir Esa (LET, April 21) states that "Labour promised much but has delivered very little." If Mr Esa actually examines the record of the Labour Government his statement is obviously flawed. We currently have the lowest unemployment since 1975, 1.7
FLYING to West Ham seven months ago, a supporter elected to have a whinge. "How come everything reported about Burnley is doom and gloom?" he boomed in my direction. Naturally, his comments came on the back of the dismal 6-1 hammering at Ipswich, which
RAISE a glass to Graeme Souness! That's what the fans should be doing at Ewood Park this Saturday. Okay, we're not mathematically safe yet and still need another point from our last three games to be sure, but when we are, all credit has to go to Souness
SHEFFIELD United manager Neil Warnock is ready to step up his bid to sign veteran defender Craig Short. The ambitious Blades boss wants to take the 35-year-old to Bramall Lane next season for one last swan-song. And although Warnock has admitted his efforts
A DRUG addict who made a woman walk the streets to fund his habit has been put behind bars for two years. Burnley Crown Court heard Imran Saddique frightened his victim into becoming a prostitute - and was said to have told her not to return home until
RESIDENTS in Burnley Wood are celebrating after being told that their homes have been saved from demolition. The last minute reprieve for numbers 185 to 195 Oxford Road was announced at a meeting of Burnley Council's executive committee last night. The
BURNLEY'S own community TV network has been switched on with the aim of cutting crime and making the borough a better place to live. The hi-tech scheme was launched by BBC Crimewatch UK presenter Nick Ross at a ceremony at Turf Moor yesterday. The service
A THREATENING passenger tried to strangle a taxi driver during an early hours terror journey, a jury was told. Burnley Crown Court heard Mohammed Ramzan, who had picked up two fares in Burnley town centre, was told he was going to be killed - and believed
PENDLE is aiming to become a more friendly borough following the publication of the Community Cohesion Action Plan at a meeting of Pendle Partnership. Members of the Local Strategic Partnership approved an Action Plan which commits Pendle Council and
RESIDENTS in Brierfield are being invited to get 'web wise' and discover new interests at the town's first cyber cafe. People of all ages from the humblest beginner to more advanced computer whizz-kids are welcome at the cafe at the corner of Colne Road
THE jury in the Sean Whyte murder trial has heard statements from prosecution and defence lawyers about what happened the night the 17-year-old was stabbed. Hasan Mumtaz, 18, of North Street, Colne, denies murder, wounding and violent disorder. His brother
THE former girlfriend of a man involved in a drugs plot may lose her £95,000 home in Colne, a court was told. Victoria White is the former partner of Glen Liversidge, 44, who is currently behind bars for three years after he was said to have been the
THERE must be at least a dozen theatre and dance companies touring with interpretations of Shakespeare's original love story. So to find Romeo and Juliet as a high-class ballet set to the renowned orchestral score by Prokofiev is a real treat. Artistic
A TEN-YEAR battle to secure funding for a new athletics track in Hyndburn is finally over - thanks to money made from burying rubbish in the ground. Hyndburn Council will today be told that the trust which runs leisure facilities in the borough has finally
A MAN was left with a black eye after a mugger head-butted him and fled with his mobile phone early on Wednesday morning. The victim was approached on Kingswood Road, Prestwich, at around 12.10am by a white male in his early 20s, approximately five feet
A RIBBLE Valley bus scheme launched by Prince Charles is celebrating its first anniversary after carrying 20,000 passengers. The subsidised Bowland Transit scheme has four buses, named after moorland birds, is designed to link with commercial bus and
A 38-YEAR-OLD assaulted a man who had an affair with his wife seven years earlier. Blackburn magistrates heard the affair had ended Ian David Brown's marriage and he had not seen his children since. His attack on Phillip Chadwick had come when he was
MANY supporters believe that Colin McDonald was the greatest goalkeeper in the history of Burnley Football Club. But it was only by chance that he first took up his position between the sticks. Hawkshaw St Mary's, a Bury Sunday School League side, were
LANCASHIRE'S cricket manager coach Mike Watkinson has no complaints about the points his side were docked for a slow over rate against Sussex. The team were deducted two points for not keeping up with their requirements. "We have no complaints with the
DANNY Law admits he had never heard of Read before being approached to be the paid man at Whalley Road this summer. But after a quick bit of homework the former Durham, Essex and Sussex all-rounder had no hesitation in taking up the challenge offered
VICTORIES for a trio of East Lancashire golfers helped the Rest of Lancashire to a 10-8 victory over Southport last Sunday. Accrington's Trevor Foster teamed up with Simon Walsh of Bolton to beat Matthew Cox and Paul Bagshaw 2 and 1 in their foursomes
NOT many clubs celebrate a 7-2 defeat in the way Rossendale United did last night. But the scoreline was incidental as the club welcomed a strong Manchester United side and a crowd of more than 1,000 to Dark Lane for an end-of-season friendly. "It was
DELIGHTED Darwen manager Steve Wilkes has hailed his committed band of players for securing a return to the North West Counties Division One. The Reds' fate was confirmed last night as rivals Ashton were thrashed 6-1 at home by Division Two champions
HAVING dedicated half his life to tackling the world's most treacherous peaks, Andy MacNae is no stranger to tall orders. Now the 38-year-old former full-time mountaineer and entrepreneur is scaling a new challenge as he aims to ensure Rossendale is one
A YOUTH has appeared in court at Rochdale accused of dealing in £7,000 worth of cannabis resin. Craig Alan Bougen, 18, of St Andrew's Close, Ramsbottom, faces charges of possessing 40 bars of cannabis resin and with supplying seven bars of the Class C
HE USED to be the World's Strongest Man but Dave Gauder also revealed a sensitive side when he visited East Lancashire yesterday. He taught youngsters at Fearns High School, in Stacksteads, how to stand up to bullies after being tormented himself at school
A POPULAR bowling club has been saved from closure after it agreed to share the upkeep with the council. Officials at Bacup Bowling Club collected a 750-signature petition when it was announced that Rossendale Council planned to close the green to save
A CHARITY football match between a Manchester United side and Rossendale United attracted more than 1,000 spectators in memory of tragic David Taylor. Manchester United and England ace Phil Neville dedicated a plaque in David's memory before the match
A FATHER and son allegedly beat up a man in revenge attack in a Haslingden pub after a schoolboy was put behind bars, a jury was told. Burnley Crown Court heard the alleged victim Jason Peel, 30, had earlier been attacked by the boy and had given evidence
A BLACKBURN mum has been given three months to get her daughter to school - for the first time in two years. The 40-year-old mum told Blackburn magistrates she thought her daughter was being reintroduced to school life by an education action team. But
BOSSES at East Lancashire's only lap-dancing club are set to appeal against a council decision to ban its girls revealing all. Club manager Georgia Elliott said she was disappointed by the decision to prevent full frontal nudity at the club and now plans
CUTTING-EDGE design will be at the heart of plans to regenerate East Lancashire. A new team of experts has been set up to oversee the £103million area revamping. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) has set up the team - called
THE grieving father of a 12-year-old girl who died after being knocked down by a failed asylum seeker today said her "accidental" death should have been treated as manslaughter. And he hit out at Blackburn's coroner who failed to back his campaign for
TWO early Melvyn Bentham goals set Eagley up for a 3-1 win over Prestwich Heys in the Hospital Cup quarter-finals. Bentham struck in the eighth and 12th minutes, before Carl Grimshaw added a third midway through the second half. Oliver McGee scored a
METROLINK passengers are suffering because the tram system is a victim of its own success. The National Audit Office (NAO) says standards of comfort have got worse over the last ten years because carriages are so overcrowded at peak times. These findings
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Star Night, Royal British Legion Club, Towneley Road, Longridge, 7.45pm. Jack Straw MP Advice Surgery, Mill Hill Community Centre, 3.30pm-4.30pm; Bank Top Community Centre
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Nelson and District Semi Snooker League Delegates meeting, Carlton, Burnley, 8pm. Quiz Night, Haslingden Cricket Club, 7.30pm. "Superfly," Isabar, Hammerton Street, Burnley
DELIGHTED Lancashire selector Brian Craig said he was 'well pleased' following the county's success in the Inter Counties Half Marathon Championships at Ackworth near Wakefield. The women's team took the silver medal behind hosts Yorkshire while the men
CHANGING hearts and minds about the need for householders to recycle rubbish is not an easy task. We cannot go on forever emptying the contents of our dustbins into disused quarries or burying them in holes in the ground without the risk of drowning in
BLACKBURN Hawks saw their hopes of play-off glory cut to pieces as Sheffield Scimitars carved through their resistance to win the final group game 5-0. The much-anticipated Sheffield clash turned out to be a one-sided affair, with the Scimitars firing
STUDENTS have ditched the rivers and fields of East Lancashire for a far more adventurous field trip to France. More than 20 Year 9 pupils from Queen's Park High School in Shadsworth, Blackburn, have headed off to the southern Tarn region for a week-long
A BLACKBURN hospital worker is to be ordained as a minister with the Corinthian Church and Healing Association, a Christian group that believes spiritual energy can be used to heal people. Margaret Almond-Birtwistle, a health promotions worker at Queen's
MENTAL health services for people in Blackburn with Darwen are set to improve when a new centre opens in Darwen this Friday. The Darwen Resource Centre, which is being opened by Janet Anderson MP, brings together the work of three community-based mental
THE Editorial Comment in the LET, April 23 'hinted at' ongoing problems between Chiefs and Indians! in the Royal Mail. Perhaps after the Channel 4 documentary on Wednesday, April 28, with employees 'inside' sorting offices of the post office recording
ON a visit to friends living in Germany my husband and I were astounded by the cleanliness of streets, roads and every town visited. Homes are provided with small wheelie bins in different colours for recycling of garden, household, plastic and glass
RE your article (April 20) regarding a "relic" used for envelope making. This MG cylinder was used for making envelope paper and as in use at the Waterside Paper Mill owned by Mr H Guest of Bolton. Chapman of Balham, London bought the mill in 1937 and
MORE than 220 homes in Burnley will be bulldozed at a cost of £9.4million and a further 240 will be refurbished as part of plans to rejuvenate some of the borough's most deprived areas. Burnley Council's executive committee last night approved proposals
THE grieving father of a 12-year-old girl who died after being knocked down by a failed asylum seeker today said her "accidental" death should have been treated as manslaughter. And he hit out at Blackburn's coroner who failed to back his campaign for
DOUBLE strikes from Matt Jansen and Jemal Johnson ensured Rovers' season ended on a high note at Billingham last night. It took just five minutes for Rovers to open their account when Johnson capitalised on a defensive lapse and beat former Clitheroe
WHEN Blackburn Rovers finally secure their place in the Premiership for a further 12 months, they'll owe a huge debt of gratitude to the United States international Brian McBride. Back in January, Graeme Souness tried to lure McBride to Ewood in a £600,000
POLICE cordoned off a road in Burnley for half an hour yesterday after an explosion. The blast happened at around 2pm in the cellar of the award-winning Bellfields Fish and Chip Shop, in Parliament Street. An electrical intake box exploded and caused
AGE Concern is holding an open day at its Burnley office next month for people to find out the work it does for older people. There will be staff on hand from the various services run by the charity, including information and advice and the caring neighbourhood
SCHOOLCHILDREN had an unexpected extra day's holiday when they were sent home for the day after a power cut in Padiham. And thousands of people were left without electricity after the lights went out in the town early today. Around 2,000 homes were affected
THE auditor for the Parish Council has just reported on the Council's Accounts for the year ended March 31, 2003. The Auditor reported that all relevant legislation and regulatory requirements had been met and there was no cause for concern. But the Auditor
MORE than 220 homes in Burnley will be bulldozed at a cost of £9.4million and a further 240 will be refurbished as part of plans to rejuvenate some of the borough's most deprived areas. Burnley Council's executive committee last night approved proposals
PLANS to build a block of apartments on the site of a former Nelson care home look set to fail after concerns were raised about its impact. The proposal, on behalf of Sammon Estates, is to demolish the existing building, formerly the Parrock House care
BARNOLDSWICK roads could close while workmen relay the town's water mains. An application for temporary closures is due to be heard when the West Craven Committee meets on May 4. If successful several roads will shut during the work carried out by Balfour
PEOPLE had to dodge a hail of slates which were hurled from the roof of a row of terraced houses in Accrington. Police were called and sealed off the area around Cedar Street to protect members of the public from the aerial bombardment. Police arrested
BURNLEY was one of the districts chosen for an experimental scheme aimed at caring for old people in their own homes. Lancashire County Council were asked to approve the scheme after a survey in Nelson showed nearly 6,000 people over the age of 65 in
MORE than 200 Lancashire teachers staged a shock walkout in support of their pay row with the government. In an unprecedented move in their 100 year history members of the Assistant Masters and Mistresses Association ordered their traditionally moderate
TWO men have admitted carrying out a robbery at a snooker club. Terry Hogan, 22, of Richmond Terrace, Accrington, and Kieron Lewis, 29, of Queen Street, Clayton-le-Moors, pleaded guilty to robbing Robert Hayle of cash and keys on November 25 last year
TWO teenagers appeared in court yesterday charged with attacking a 47-year-old man found with head injuries in a pool of blood. The pair, aged 15 and 17, were charged after Martin Mayor was found in an alleyway off Mercer Street in Accrington early on
THREE housing groups are vying to take over council housing stock in Hyndburn, it was revealed today. Contour Housing Group, Muir Group Housing and Twin Valley Homes will battle it out to take over and run 3,000 homes in the borough. The bodies will be
A TEACHER at an Accrington school has been voted one of the UK's coolest tutors after modelling his teaching style on spoof rapper Ali G. French teacher John Hope said "keepin' it real" - the hip motto of the TV star, played by Sasha Baron Cohen - is
HORSE saddles worth more than £5,000 have been stolen from a Rimington stable building. Police have now issued a warning fearing the equipment could turn up at a forthcoming equestrian sale. The saddles, in adult and children's sizes, and either black
A BUSINESSMAN who fractured a policeman's nose during a serious public order incident at Longridge has been sentenced to "weekend prison". Francis Greaves threw a punch which left a police constable needing an operation. He was sentenced to sixty days
BURNLEY'S young guns are being encouraged to follow in the footsteps of Richard Chaplow next season. Cash-strapped Clarets boss Stan Ternent knows life could be tough in the transfer market again this summer as the club looks to stabilise financially.
A WINTER golf break in Portugal paid dividends for Clitheroe Golf Club's Eddie McGarry. A fine musician, Eddie had been unable to hit the right notes with his golf until Sunday, when his dedication to the game paid off. His 42 points was way ahead of
BACUP Borough made it a hat-trick of wins over Warrington as they followed up their two-legged Challenge Cup semi-final success with a league victory last night. With Town needing three points to secure a promotion spot, this game was fiercely contested
CHAMPIONS Colne showed no sign of fatigue as, with several players missing, they took apart sixth-placed Ashton with a first half power display that could have led to the scoreline going into double figures. The Reds now sit 10 points clear at the top
SHEFFIELD United manager Neil Warnock is ready to step up his bid to sign veteran defender Craig Short. The ambitious Blades boss wants to take the 35-year-old to Bramall Lane next season for one last swan-song. And although Warnock has admitted his efforts
BURNLEY'S young guns are being encouraged to follow in the footsteps of Richard Chaplow next season. Cash-strapped Clarets boss Stan Ternent knows life could be tough in the transfer market again this summer as the club looks to stabilise financially.
BUSINESSES in Rossendale could be conned out of money by "health and safety" firms, trading standards have warned. The Health and Safety Executive has received hundreds of complaints from companies in Rossendale and across the country who have receved
PLUCKY Phil Brierley is to raise money in memory of his wife by tackling deep gorges and high passes in deepest Mexico. Phil, whose wife Sue, 44, died of skin cancer two years ago, recently walked from Land's End to John O' Groats for charity. Now he
WHEN a group of pupils from Darwen Vale High School formed the Blooming Marvellous Environment Group a year ago, their aim was to improve the school environment. Yesterday their hard work paid off when a Four Seasons Garden they designed and built themselves
RESIDENTS in Tockholes were today celebrating as work got under way to amend traffic-calming measures dubbed "crazy golf for motorists". The original scheme included 11 sets of speed cushions, one flat-top hump and six chicanes. The amendments do not
LANDLORDS in Rossendale are being encouraged to sign up to a scheme set up to improve conditions in the private sector. Rossendale Council is helping to promote the voluntary Landlord Accreditation Scheme, which sets out minimum design, safety and contractual
A FATHER of two almost four times the drink-drive limit in the middle of the afternoon has been jailed for six months. Burnley Crown Court heard how Douglas Groves, 38, who has a previous excess alcohol conviction, was said to have hit a car twice and
Whitby 2 Radcliffe 2 (Radcliffe won 8-7 on pens): GOALKEEPER Danny Hurst was Radcliffe Borough's hero as they won a nerve-wracking Unibond Premier Division play-off penalty shoot-out at Whitby to keep alive their promotion hopes. Hurst saved Graham Robinson's
A BLACKBURN school boy found the right formula to be crowned overall top performing pupil at a national competition. Fourteen-year-old James France was the top performing student in the national final of a schools' chemistry competition. One of a team
THREE men were arrested today on suspicion of laundering the profits of drug dealing, following the biggest ever heroin seizure in Blackburn. The Blackburn homes of those arrested, one of whom is aged 77, were swooped on by 24 officers from the town's
BLACKBURN education bosses today said more than ever was being done to help teachers know what was required of them to pass Ofsted inspections. Since a new framework was introduced in September, concern has been growing that teachers are ill-prepared
EAST Lancs Tory MEPs claim the European funding system to help businesses and organisations is "overly-bureaucratic" and "inefficient". The group of Conservative MEPs said research they commissioned shows millions of pounds worth of funding to help regenerate
FIVE people have lost their jobs following an arson attack on a mill - prompting police and the business's owner to slam the teenagers responsible. Kevin Shanley, 60, has decided to close JS Shanley Motor Engineers and Recovery after 17 years in business
A BLACKBURN man today claimed a mobile phone dish was destroying his family's health. Now Neil Harrington, of Ramsgreave Road, is leading the fight to stop a new mobile phone mast being put up just metres from his home and has written to his MP to intervene
BLACKBURN Hawks saw their hopes of play-off glory cut to pieces as Sheffield Scimitars carved through their resistance to win the final group game 5-0. The much-anticipated Sheffield clash turned out to be a one-sided affair, with the Scimitars firing
WARREN Hegg has one burning ambition before he retires - to win a County Championship. The Whitefield-born Lancashire captain has just begun his 19th season at Old Trafford, with the county hot favourites to take the title outright for the first time
