CHARITY champ Jimmy Eaton has become the first 'non-lion' to receive a special fellowship honour presented by members of Rossendale Lions. The Melvin Jones Fellowship Award, named after the man who founded Lions International in 1917, can be presented
PRIZEWINNING local author Paul Wilson is heading for another success with his latest novel 'Noah, Noah'. A national Sunday newspaper review called it 'exhilarating' and 'brilliant. The book, based partly on real people and places in East Lancs, chronicles
AN ANGRY pensioner who regularly travels between Blackburn and his East Lancashire home by train today branded a station footpath: "A nasty state of affairs." Edward Dewsnap, 62, lashed out at rail bosses who are spending millions on transforming Blackburn
BRIAN Kidd will welcome what seems to be an international all-clear from the nine Ewood players involved in midweek action. But the Blackburn Rovers boss still has a nagging concern over midfield man Lee Carsley after keeper Alan Kelly admitted many of
TORY MP Nigel Evans has called on education bosses to reprieve a tiny village school from closure. The Ribble Valley MP says Labour-run Lancashire County Council's decision to close Tosside Primary School, Gisburn Forest, is "manifestly unfair" and believes
A MAJOR environmental initiative aimed at improving and preserving the River Ribble has been launched. The Ribble Valley Initiative, a partnership between local authorities, businesses, conservation groups and schools, and backed by the Lancashire Evening
Aid speeds to quake zone NET users are doing their bit to help people in earthquake-hit Turkey. Since the disaster three weeks ago many websites have sprung up to help raise money for those affected. The net has also proved a vital source of information
PIGEON RACING: Brian Tattersall is a man with a mission, his sole aim in life is to promote the sport of pigeon racing, not just to the public at large, but to the sport itself, writes PETER BRAY. The President of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association North
A WELL-LOVED, self-confessed sports fanatic had a dying wish granted by having a bowls tournament named in his honour. Bill Bolton passed away in July and club-mates at Roe Lee Bowling Club paid their respects in the way he would have wanted - by battling
A TINY bat captured the hearts of animal workers who nursed it back to health. The little pipistrelle bat was taken to the wildlife warden at Witton Country Park after it was found hanging in a clump of nettles. Warden Trevor Smith was one of only two
ANDY Payton. Andy Paxton. What's in a name? For, while the Padiham Predator continues to thrill the Turf Moor faithful, Paxton is plotting a similar impact on the senior scene. Payton has already been there and established himself as a quality striker
IT may have been the last open meeting on the race calendar but there was no shortage of effort as athletes looked to finish the season with a flourish. With relegation and promotion issues already settled the open event gave competitors one last chance
THE biggest source of animal suffering in the EU is undoubtedly food production, through abuse of animals in rearing, transport and in slaughter. There has to be international agreement to ban live animal exports within the European Community. The welfare
IT hasn't been a good week for Brunlea. Thumped 12-0 on the opening day of the season by Foulridge and then another 13 hammered past them by Clitheroe. And, in between, four of their players decided to leave and seek pastures new. Newcastle United thought
THE potential merger of East Lancashire's two hospital trusts, mapped out in an NHS discussion document today, may point to patients having to travel between hospital in Blackburn and Burnley in future. But although this departure may bring upheaval,
BURNLEY Ladies capped off a memorable season by winning the knockout trophy to add to their league success. And it was also double delight for Blackburn Northern men who claimed the Open Knockout Cup to add to their Open League Division One crown. The
CLITHEROE'S Kirsty Taylor is hoping to extend her rich vein of form until the end of the season after reaching a new high of 19th place in the WPGA European Tour order of merit. Taylor has been on a five-week roll which has earned her high-ranking finishes
IT should be as easy as . . . riding a bike. For that is effectively all Carl Fogarty has to do to clinch his fourth World Superbike title in four days' time - stay upright at Hockenheim. Simple enough in theory but reality is, and has been, a different
LADIES Stableford for Macmillan Cancer Relief: 1 Mrs L Kent 40 points. Open Mixed Foursomes: 1 C Boyle, Miss J Critchley, Mr and Mrs Kenah (Fishwick) 64, 2 Lady President, M McGlynn, J Simmons and Mrs N McGlynn 65, 3 Mr and Mrs T Hogan, Mr and Mrs J Martin
BLACKBURN has influenced world affairs for centuries, even though it has had the lowly title of 'town.' It was the people of Blackburn who decided, albeit indirectly, the outcome of the American Civil War - no small achievement for a humble 'town.' It
NATIONALLY, one in seven people has a hearing loss and may or may not benefit from wearing a hearing aid. Many people who lose some hearing also lose a degree of self-confidence. This may be due to lack of understanding of either their hearing problem
THE announcement (LET, September 1) that a previous leader of Burnley Council had decided to give up local politics to concentrate on her work on two quangos is worthy of reinterpretation. In the worst kept secret of the year (I predicted this announcement
A DRUG user stole a £4,500 motorcycle and sold it within hours to fund his crack cocaine habit, Burnley magistrates heard. Lee Atkinson, 26, told police he got £300 for the machine taken from outside the owner's home in the early hours. Delivery driver
AN ANGRY dad, who carried out a frenzied attack on a man's car, has started a four month jail term. Edward Fisher, 32, said to have smashed up a Ford Fiesta in retaliation after the owner had allegedly damaged his car, was told by Burnley magistrates
TILE firm Topps has reported a strong start to the financial year. The firm, which has a site in Blackburn, has reported sales growth of 10 per cent over the past 14 weeks. Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may
EAST Lancashire MPs have gone to war over the government's new working families tax credit. Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown launched a £12 million advertising campaign to boost the scheme aimed at ending child poverty. Hyndburn Labour
A FORMER Accrington Stanley player has spoken out about the drug problem in Accrington after the death of his son. An inquest heard that Howard Franks, 31, hanged himself after accusing his partner of having an affair with his brother. But his dad, former
HYNDBURN MP Greg Pope today demanded council chiefs start using their powers under civil law to crack down on nuisance neighbours who are terrorising people in the borough. Frightened residents have pleaded with Mr Pope to help tackle anti-social behaviour
A NEW office development has welcomed one of its first tenants. H W Petty & Co was one of the first tenants to move into Cobham House, the new development at the entrance to Shadsworth Business Park, Blackburn. Cobham House - named in memory of Sir
BUSINESSES in East Lancashire were today warned : "This is your last chance!" The Government's campaign to make sure firms are not plunged into chaos by the Millennium bug is focusing on the county where 35 per cent of small firms are in serious danger
THERE is no lack of parking spaces in Nelson despite drivers' perceptions, according to a Pendle Council report. A survey of long and short stay car parks found up to 100 spare places are always available although not always where motorists would like
SOFT drinks company Macaw will create a "significant" number of jobs if councillors give the go-ahead to a new factory on a greenfield site. Macaw, one of the fastest expanding companies in the area, wants to build a 15,500sq metre factory in a field
THERE was an unusual tie for fastest time in the Wigan Wheelers 25-mile time trial held on Sunday morning on the Garstang course when Dave Ebbrell of the Blackburn and District CTC returned an excellent 55mins 42secs ride to equal exactly the time of
KIERAN Carr celebrated his 21st Ben Nevis Race with a hard-earned victory over fellow Clayton Harrier Jack Holt in the over 50 class. After the 10-mile race which saw the runners climb 4,400ft to the summit and return to Fort William, the two men were
TALENTED Laura White came to the rescue of the North of England Under 23 team when withdrawals reduced the size of the squad for the six cornered Home International. Making her debut at this level, originally she was chosen only for the high jump but
BIRTHDAY boy Ross Holt was on Cloud Nine today - for the youngster is nine - on 9-9-99! His parents Nicholas, 30, and Andrea, 29, realised the significance when their son was born in 1990. Since then they have lived at number NINE Radfield Road, Darwen
A PROBE into the disappearance of a dangerous child sex offender was launched today by the probation service. Paedophile Michael Wilson,38, who has a history of offences against young boys in Lancashire, disappeared after boarding a train at Accrington
WELL, at least Kevin Keegan is only the caretaker manager. Oh no! I forgot. Some bright spark persuaded him to stay on after this doomed Euro 2000 campaign. "I thought the commitment was there," was Keegan's assessment of last night's fiasco. If that's
PRESTON included former Manchester Utd and Wolves midfielder Darren Ferguson in their ranks at Turf Moor last night as Burnley Reserves fought back well to claim a point. There was a shock start for the Clarets when Preston scored in the first minute,
A RADICAL plan to merge hospital services in Blackburn and Burnley to create a single NHS trust for East Lancashire was revealed today. The move could mean more patients across the district being forced to travel between Burnley General and Blackburn
DEVASTATED players have vowed to try and win the league and cup double for their manager who died suddenly of the eve of the new season. Barry Edwards died of a heart attack just four days before Oaklea FC were due to kick off their Accrington Combination
ON SUNDAY, Evan Cook became the British Veteran Marathon Champion. At Wolverhampton, in hot conditions not conducive to marathon running, Cook recorded 2:39.41 to succeed Clayton's Alan Clarkson, last year' winner. Clarkson failed to finish this year
DARWEN captain Andy Walker is hoping it's third time lucky as he leads his side, which includes his father Steve and former Blackburn Rovers footballer Mark Patterson, into the semi-finals of the Manchester and District Golf Association Foursomes. Darwen
DESPERATE Muslim women in East Lancashire were fleeing to secret "safe" houses to escape domestic violence. Many of the terrified girls spoke out against lives locked in domestic despair in a bid to escape the miseries of family tradition. Hostels for
PADIHAM's Mark Harvey has been told that Lancashire will not stand in his way if he is wanted by another county next season. The 25-year-old has not played for the first team since the pre-season friendly at Cambridge University and even though he still
CLITHEROE postman Dave Ebbrell of the Blackburn and District CTC, became the first East Lancashire racing cyclist ever to beat 30 miles per hour in a time trial on the road. He set the mark at the weekend when he clocked a very impressive time of 19mins
A CHAMPIONSHIP decider on the opening day of the season? It might sound bizarre but such has been the dominance of these two sides in recent years that the outcome of any match is sure to have a significance - no matter when it is played. However both
PLEASINGTON Ladies are sweeping all before them this summer. The club's scratch team has already completed a hat-trick of tournament victories. And the handicap team is bidding to bring back a further title by winning the Lancashire Handicap Shield at
M RICHARDSON (Letters, September 3) remarks how easy it was to drive through Darwen Street Bridge traffic lights in Blackburn, when they were out of action. Does he ever pause to consider how difficult it is to cross those road junctions if you are a
ANDY Flintoff handed Lancashire an injury worry at Old Trafford yesterday - although physio Lawrie Brown insisted there is no threat to his place on England's winter tour. Flintoff was forced out of the Lancashire attack on the first day of the Championship
ADOPTED Lancastrian Andy Morgan-Lee won his first county title at a sunny Kirkham last Sunday, writes ANDY McALLISTER. In the Kirkham 10K road race, which this year incorporated the Lancashire 10K Road Race Championship, Morgan-Lee enjoyed a decisive
I READ P Newton's views (Letters, September 1), which only clarifies the mass deterioration in Britain's police forces, particularly Lancashire Constabulary. As far as members of the public are concerned, the police don't give a 'Castlemaine 4x.' We have
I APOLOGISE unreservedly to Mrs Pat Jones, of Hapton (Letters, September 2). I do know the area and were I fortunate enough to live there, I would not want to see it change. I was approached as a member of planning and development control committee only
BURNLEY Ladies capped off a memorable season by winning the knockout trophy to add to their league success. And it was also double delight for Blackburn Northern men who claimed the Open Knockout Cup to add to their Open League Division One crown. The
I WANT to tell you a fairy story. Once upon a time, in Lower Darwen, on a corner, at a road junction, there stood a thriving greengrocer's shop. The traffic used to queue quite a lot at this corner, so along came the wicked ogres from the council. They
HYNDBURN Bridge manager John Beswick still managed a smile after the game despite losing 4-0 against last season's champions Enfield on the opening day of the 1999-2000 season. Hyndburn Bridge finished fourth from bottom of the Second Division last season
ANGELA Thorn was as sick as a parrot when Smoky, her boyfriend's African Grey, flew away as she answered a knock on the door of her home. She was so distressed that Graham Hope eventually proposed to her. She said: "He told me he would rather lose the
A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE who backed a pillow firm is sleeping even more soundly after making a paper profit of more than £1million. Earlier this year, hi-fi shop tycoon Julian Richer bought a stake in French Group, which owns pillow and quilt manufacturer
A NEW 16-bed "men only'' unit at Woodside Home for the Elderly at Padiham will replace Whiteacres at Burnley which will finally close this month. The Whiteacres shut down led to a storm of protest, petitions and marches when it was announced last year
A WOMAN has been fined £150 after failing to ensure her son's regular attendance at school. Shirley Robinson, of Rutland Street, Accrington, who was not in court, was also ordered to pay £60 costs by Hyndburn magistrates. The court heard that 15-year-old
A PROBE into the disappearance of a dangerous child sex offender was launched today by the probation service. Paedophile Michael Wilson,38, who has a history of offences against young boys in Lancashire, disappeared after boarding a train at Accrington
POLICE are hunting a man with a large ring through his eyebrow who they believe is responsible for trying to rob a woman in Oswaldtwistle. The 35-year-old victim was left with suspected broken ribs after the attack early on Saturday, August 28. The woman
A NEW league table of the world's biggest aerospace firms includes three major East Lancashire employers. British Aerospace is fourth in the Aerospace Top 100 compiled by Flight International Magazine, behind Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Rolls-Royce
PROFITS at engineering group Meggitt have continued to motor ahead. The group, which operates two firms in Blackburn, saw pre-tax profits increase from £17.9million to £18.6million in the first six months of the year. Turnover increased from £137.8million
A FRENCH retailer has launched a £84.2 million bid for Allied Carpets, topping venture capital group Wassall's £72.5 million offer. Tapis Saint-Maclou has bid 93p a share for the retail group which has a site in Blackburn. The flurry of offers followed
A TEENAGER who was said to be "on top of the world" after A-level success and getting a full-time job was found dead at his home after an overdose of drugs. The body of Dion Barwell, 19, was found on the floor of his attic bedroom in Rosser Court, Nelson
PRESTON-based Gethin Butler's ambitions to regain the British Best All-Rounder competition - which he last held in 1995 - were put on hold at the weekend when his opportunity to register a qualifying 100-mile performance was foiled when dense fog resulted
A COUPLE who spent most of a weekend break in hospital with their severely handicapped son returned home to find their home had been plundered by raiders. Michael Williams, 20, and his fiance Jane Keating, 22, were horrified to find two video players,
