IAN Parkington is going to take some catching in this year's North West Formula Ford Championship. The 40-year-old company director notched up another perfect result in rounds six and seven of the series at Oulton Park. Parkington, who races a Reynard
Youngsters will have a chance to taste athletics during the summer holidays with three days of fun promised at a choice of two different venues. The Star:Track scheme is a national initiative promoted by UK Athletics and the courses at Blackburn's Witton
Alison Leonard is the English School's 800 metres Champion, winning the intermediate girls' title at Gateshead Stadium on Saturday, while Amy Weaver celebrated winning the bronze medal in the senior shot. Leonard's victory has earned her a place in the
IT looks like being another disjointed pre-season campaign for Accrington Stanley after they were defeated in their second warm-up match. Despite starting with six first-teamers, the Reds struggled to gain control in the game, and fell behind to a
Burnley are searching for a new Leisure Centre and Community Manager following Dean Ramsdale's appointment as Director of Youth at Preston North End. Ramsdale, who takes up his Lilywhites role at the end of the month, presided over Clarets' Football
THURSBY is a name steeped in Burnley's history. The Thursby baronetcy was created in 1887 in Queen Victoria's Jubilee honours list, with the elevation of Colonel John Hardy Thursby, Lancashire's High Sheriff. He lived at Ormerod House, Higher Red
A FORMER soldier jailed for life for repeated violent offences had his sentence quashed because one attack was carried out in Germany when he was stationed there. Shaun Peter Saunders, 27, was handed the life term after slashing a man in Burnley with
A BLACKBURN firm was singled out for praise by government officials touring the country to highlight the work of leading businesses. Officials from the Queen's Award for Enterprise visited Promethean, Lower Philips Road. The interactive whiteboard firm
A GROUP of Accrington mothers is demanding to know if paedophiles booted out of a Blackburn bail hostel will be rehoused near them. The concerned parents are meeting Hyndburn MP Greg Pope this week to seek reassurance that ousted child sex offenders
A BANNED driver who got behind the wheel and ended up crashing has been sentenced to "weekend jail". Peter Blyth's girlfriend and a taxi driver were injured in the collision at Blackburn. He had refused to stop for police when required and drove off
A REGULAR networking club for Ribble Valley businesses has kicked off, with members expected to make an extra £26,000 profit by taking part. So far more than 20 firms have committed to joining the breakfast meetings, which will take place every Thursday
A pound back for every £12 you spend. No, it's not a con. There's no competition, no small print. Whether you get the £1 depends on you alone all you, me or anyone else have to do is to SWITCH IT OFF AT THE PLUG. I didn't know this until the Government's
I HAVE read with interest on your letters page, people's observations of the general state of affairs in this area. Placing a large lamp costing £50k when there is a shortage of porters to do essential work at the hospital. Free driving lessons for
I recently went down to Witton Park to watch the Riding Club's monthly show. In the park at the same time there was a football tournament. As I walked past I was appalled to hear the comments from the sidelines from parents and supporters directed
STAFF and students at a Haslingden school have thanked local businesses for providing work experience for students with special needs. Teenagers aged 16-19 in the Further Education Department at Tor View School took part in the work experience.
BLACKBURN Post Office is to be handed over to a franchise, in a move which could see its 21 staff having to re-apply for their own jobs. Post Office Ltd, the firm which runs post offices up and down the country, announced it planned to create a partnership
A TOXIC gas scare prompted Blackburn business units to be evacuated. The owner of Anflex Engraving, unit 11, Carluke Street, Intack, arrived to work at 8am yesterday to find smoke pouring out of the premises. Police evacuated two neighbouring businesses
Residents did not let a bit of rain spoil their fun at the Hurst Green village fete. The event featured stalls, children's activities and the crowning of a fete Queen. The fete was opened by Councillor Peter Ainsworth, Mayor of Ribble Valley.
THE RAMSBOTTOM, Tottington and North Manor area board will have 10 compost bins to give away at its next meeting. Residents attending the meeting will have a chance to win one of the bins and will be entered into a draw. A member of the waste management
A MAN with a 30-year history of mental illness killed himself when he realised he would be readmitted to hospital because of his condition, an inquest heard. The hearing was told Roy Barnes, who had kept his illness secret from many of his family and
HOW many readers remember the night the curtain came down on the Burnley Vic? The final performance at the town's Victoria Theatre took place one Saturday evening in March, 1955, and from early evening queues had formed along St James's Street to see
PADIHAM councillor Marcus Johnstone has pledged to oppose any closure of the town's fire station. Lancashire Fire Authority is currently carrying out a review of fire cover throughout the county including whether the retained station in Padiham should
DRUNKS who cause criminal damage on the way home from a night out are to be barred from Colne pubs. Police have extended their Pubwatch scheme in the town to call time on yobs who carry out anti-social behaviour outside licensed premises. The move is
A PENSIONER killed herself after fearing she would be jailed for claiming too many benefits, an inquest heard. Dorothy Bryan, 79, was found dead at her home in Bank Street, Padiham, surrounded by notes, empty painkiller packets, and a brandy bottle after
THE avenue leading to Burnley's jewel in the crown' Towneley Hall is to be refurbished as part of an ongoing £3.2m restoration programme. The main avenue, one of the oldest features of the park, runs in a straight line between Towneley Hall and the River
PLANS for a multi-million pound shopping complex for Burnley are still not complete just weeks before the proposals are due to go before councillors. The plans for the £55million Oval development are expected to go before councillors in August, but
A Todmorden man who became a father after a botched vasectomy today said £37,000 compensation from the hospital trust responsible was not enough. Steven Wright, 33, took legal action after he had been told he was no longer fertile following surgery at
AS a new dawn for patient care gets under way in Blackburn, we turn the clock back to the pre-war days at Queen's Park Hospital. These photographs belong to Looking Back reader Mrs Irene Richardson, whose father John Foulds was a male nurse there for
BOSSES at Clitheroe conservatory firm Ultraframe have now officially resigned ahead of a planned takeover of the Ribble Valley firm, it has been revealed. Ultraframe's executive and non-executive directors, including company founder John Lancaster and
AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after a study indicated that Lancashire's black population was being unfairly targeted by police. The 3,000 black people in the county are more likely to be stopped and searched, arrested, given fines for disorder and
AN APPLE has become the core attraction after the word Allah' was discovered when it was cut in half. The Arabic inscription, which translates to the word God in English, was found by Tahmina Murtaza, of Oswald Street, Blackburn. Tahmina decided to
DISABLED ramblers will take advantage of Blackburn with Darwen Council's electric buggies, known as Trampers, during a visit to Darwen next week. Up to 15 people from the National Disabled Ramblers' Organisation, along with their able-bodied counterparts
FOUR children who were refused places at a Darwen primary school are celebrating after their families success-fully appealed against the decision. The parents of the four children, who will now start at St Edward's RC Primary School in September, were
THE relationship between the high salaries paid to employees or those employed (ie Jonathan Ross) is self serving. In defending the salary paid to Ross (and others) the BBC director general is in effect justifying his own high salary. It is a cosy mutual
I WONDERED on reading your article if it was not April 1st. It was not the obvious waste of money to be spent on the proposed art work' near to Whitebirk roundabout that took my attention, but the reference to the proposed roadworks at junction 6 to
IT's not every day pupils see their teachers try to throw each other across the room but that was the case at St Augustine's RC High School, Billington. But it was all done in the name of charity with teachers taking part in a fun sumo wrestling contest
A PENSIONER who broke an Anti-Social Behaviour Order six times in a year has been told to seek help over her drinking if she wants to avoid jail. Sandra Dobson, of Whalley Road, Great Harwood, was given the order in January last year to try and curb
TOURISTS in a picturesque Ribble Valley village are being invited to try out East Lancashire's first eco-friendly public toilets. The £100,000 loos at Slaidburn car park are so environmentally thoughtful they even have reclaimed stone from old buildings
SECURITY is not an issue at the site where a boy fell 30ft from a rooftop, according to the construction company managing its redevelopment. The former Broughton Congrove buildings, in Accrington, are to be demolished in two weeks time to make way for
ALMOST 100 town centre shops in Blackburn are now in contact with each other via a special radio system in a bid to cut crime. Blackburn Business Against Crime was recently re-launched at a special event in a bid to attract more members. So far more
FIVE people have been arrested after two pubs and a shop were among addresses raided by police targeting the suspected smuggling, production and supply of drugs. Police from across the county swooped on the Last Orders Pub, Union Road, Oswaldtwistle,
POLICE in Burnley are dealing a blow to the town's criminals after designing a set of playing cards to help bobbies identify the force's top targets. The set of cards features 52 of the most prolific burglars and suspected burglars in the town and will
DEVELOPERS behind two new care homes in Haslingden today said they were looking to take on 70 staff. The jobs boost is the result of a £5million investment in the homes, in Lancaster Avenue. The company confirmed that it is looking to recruit staff
YOU can't deny that Gordon Ramsay knows how to cook. He is undoubtedly one of the country's top chefs. But I get the feeling that Channel 4 don't really know how to get the best out of him. Kitchen Nightmares is unmissable TV as Gordon goes into failing
A MULTI-MILLION pound bid for Clitheroe conservatory maker Ultraframe looks set to be finalised within the next two weeks. The firm, the subject of a bid by a group led by Sale Sharks rugby team owner Brian Kennedy, can be taken over officially once
BURNLEY have managed to tie up two friendly games for their pre-season trip to Italy later this month. During their six-day training stint near Lake Garda from July 23-29, the Clarets will face Spanish second division champions Recreativo Huelva. The
JASON Roberts admits playing for Blackburn Rovers boss Mark Hughes is an inspiration. The 28-year-old striker linked up with Hughes after completing a £2.25million move from Premiership rivals Wigan Athletic. And the Grenadan international - who described
STEVE Morten made it two-out-of-two when he won the CSMA's second autotest at the M65 Blackburn with Darwen Services. Morten, an outright winner at May's inaugural event, completed all eleven tests in a time of 784.1 seconds, well ahead of second-placed
There wasn't a daffodil in sight for this year's Roddlesworth Roller and junior Daffodil Doddle races from Abbey Village School the fixture had been postponed from its usual March date because of the blizzards. Nevertheless over 100 seniors and a whopping
IT doesn't seem two minutes since we were bidding farewell to an amazing season. Now pre-season has kicked off in earnest, and it's great to be back! The lads have had a chance to unwind and reflect on all their achievements over a well-earned summer
CIVILIAN detention officer Rachel Dawson has played her "get out of jail card" and landed a new job as a police community support officer in Burnley. Rachel, who worked as a detention officer in the custody suite at Burnley Police Station for the past
PLANNING chiefs in Rossendale are having to reassess applications passed as much as 10 years ago because of a blunder. Rossendale Council has passed too many planning applications meaning the authority would build 284 more homes then needed by 2016.
A HAPTON dad was today found guilty of murdering Accrington businessman David Guilfoyle, whose body has never been found. Shane Fitzpatrick, of Lyndale Road, was convicted by jury at Preston Crown Court this afternoon by a majority verdict of 11 to
LOOK at the figures: Pirates of the Caribbean sequel has sailed to the top of the UK box office charts. So you do not have to take my word for it when I say Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a true swashbuckler. Drunken captain Jack
There were a lot of happy employers exhibiting at the north west's biggest and most interactive learning and skills event in November 2005. The reason for this was the 27,000 young people, aged 14-25 attending the show. Previously named SkillCity, Skills
Workers are on average about four times more likely to be injured in the first month of work than if they had been working for the same employer for a year or more. So hiring new or temporary staff to meet seasonal demand could significantly dent, rather
The Lancashire County Cricket Club Yearbook remains the best issued by the first-class counties, thanks to the standards maintained by editor Malcolm Lorimer. In this year's issue, there are tributes to Andrew Flintoff, Warren Hegg and Andrew Symonds
Lancastrian soldiers serving in Iraq were involved in a full security alert at their base in Basra on Monday after a suspected vehicle bomb was detected at the main entrance to the camp. Although no explosives were found, the incident coincided with
With the school summer holidays just around the corner, Lancashire Constabulary are planning to take to the sky to keep an eye on schools. Operation Caretaker will involve using the police helicopter to carry out spot checks around the county's schools
Business owners and managers living in fear of going under can arm themselves with a new tool courtesy of Business Link Lancashire. The commercial advice service is offering small business owners an online health check which could help to identify
