WITH it coming fast behind his pledge to hold asylum seekers in detention centres, Tory leader William Hague was today accused of "vote-seeking populism" as he promised to change the laws on self defence in the wake of the case of farmer Tony Martin who
Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy AS April gives way to May I always begin to turn my attention to seabirds. For many years I researched the history and natural history of seabirds, some of which are almost totally isolated from the land. However much these
THE Pokmon craze is sweeping playgrounds across East Lancashire as children become obsessed with watching cartoons and collecting cards featuring creatures like Pikachu. Cleverly marketed -- without a single advert -- cards, sticker books, toys and computer
REGARDING the Tenorissimo Three Tenors Concert at St Gabriel's Church, Blackburn, on April 14, may we thank the following. The Lancashire Evening Telegraph for sponsorship of advertisements for the event; Alf Wright, who volunteered to compere the show
I WONDER if any thought was given by the residents, Groundwork and the New Deal group that the 'eyesore' site at Chatburn Street/Bank Top, Blackburn, which you pictured (LET, April 15), must have been a godsend to birds and butterflies and all sorts of
IT seems a fact of life now that young thugs can go around causing whatever mayhem they like without fear of being hauled into court and made responsible for their anti-social actions. The worst part is, it seems, the elderly and the most vulnerable who
I HAVE been following with interest the on-going correspondence regarding the proposed traffic-free Church Street/Darwen Street shopping area in Blackburn. Up to now, it has been a straight contest between the council and the Chamber of Trade. And as
RECENT coverage about the "strength of Sterling" and the effect that this is having on some sectors of British manufacturing misses an important truth -- the pound is not strong; it is the euro that is weak. The pound has been relatively stable against
SABOTEURS buried "bed of nail" booby traps in picturesque East Lancashire woodland in an attempt to spike the tyres of mountain bikes. But now they have been warned: "Somebody could be seriously injured." The alarm was raised by a walker from Broken Stone
ROVERS manager Graeme Souness and his players will be available for autographs and photographs tomorrow at an open day at Ewood Park. The Ewood chief will hold a full training session on the pitch, where there's a chance to watch the players practise,
CALLUM Davidson's season is over and it looks as though Nathan Blake is also going to be forced to sit out Blackburn Rovers' final two matches against Crystal Palace and Manchester City. Both players, injured in the Easter weekend fixtures, have been
GOOD Samaritan Frederick Bielocerkowicz needed a hospital check-up after putting out a fire at an elderly woman's home. Mr Bielocerkowicz, 50, of Edgeworth Grove, Burnley, dashed into a flat opposite his home when he saw smoke. He took the smoking frying
JOHN Whitford (pictured) has been busy raising and selling hundreds of plants for Pendleside Hospice Care. Mr Whitford held his first garden party in May 1994 at his then home in Rosemount Avenue, Burnley. It was to be a celebration of the 40th anniversary
BIRDS of prey expert Andrew Rushton is training his children to handle his collection of falcons, hawks and owls. He was delighted when nine-year-old Emily and 13-year-old Gareth took an interest in his aviary in Trawden. Andrew, 34, a picture framer
A PLEA has gone out for prams from the organisers of a charity race. The fancy dress pram race is being staged from the fire station to the Duke of Wellington pub, stopping at around 12 pubs en route. But organisers of the May 21 event have discovered
CHILDREN are putting their lives at risk by starting fires inside a disused pub, firefighters warned today. Youngsters are believed to have set fire to the Commercial Hotel in Blackburn Road, Church, at 3am today, causing parts of the ceiling to collapse
A CAMPAIGN to bring back a cinema to Accrington has moved a step closer . It is believed the council has been negotiating with Arrow Cinemas -- which has a multiplex just outside Glasgow -- to develop a site at Moreton Street. Hyndburn Council leader
A GOVERNMENT minister should come to East Lancashire to explain the benefits shake-up which might close more than 130 of the area's post offices. That's the call from the leader of Hyndburn Council, amid fears that around 134 East Lancashire post offices
GISBURN will be turned into a racecourse this weekend for the annual Pendle Forest and Craven Hunt Point-to-Point. Up to 10,000 visitors are expected at attend this family day out at Westby Hall Farm in Gisburn. Gates open at noon on Saturday for spectators
A fan's-eye view from Turf Moor, with Stephen Cummings RICHARD Littlejohn, the Radio 5 Live phone-in host, was pondering the Bank Holiday results. "I can't help wondering," he mused, "whether Ian Wright is going to end his career with a Wembley play-off
IAN Cox has been ruled out for the rest of the season to hand Burnley's promotion hopes a major blow. Cox damaged his wrist in Monday's 3-2 win at Brentford, which lifted the Clarets to third place in the table. And the club's worst fears were realised
CALLUM Davidson's season is over and it looks as though Nathan Blake is also going to be forced to sit out Blackburn Rovers' final two matches against Crystal Palace and Manchester City. Both players, injured in the Easter weekend fixtures, have been
A FILTER factory is under a new name following a £51million buyout. The management team who bought Scapa's Filter Media site, which employs around 100 at Haslingden, has relaunched the business as Madison Filter. Scapa Filter Media was previously known
CHILDREN are suspected of going on a wrecking spree in Darwen. The rear window of a black cab was smashed in Sudellside Street. In Queen Street, a Daewoo Nexia had its windscreen and door damaged and the paintwork of a Vauxhall Astra was scratched. A
WORLD class mountain bikers will bid for glory when part of Manchester's 2002 Commonwealth Games is staged at Rivington. North West Water's Rivington estate, which has 10 miles of tracks, has been chosen for the mountain biking event because of its demanding
A BLACKBURN society has entered the BT Reading Challenge, with a chance to win a share of £100,000. The Eastern Sangeet Society's project targets disadvantaged older and younger Asian communities who have had unhappy reading experiences or have poor reading
COMEDIAN Roy Walker put the smile on the faces of patients after he took time out to open a new coffee shop at Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn. The former host of ITV quiz show Catchphrase -- famous for his quip "Just say what you see" -- gave patients
SUFFERERS of the chronic tiredness condition ME are continuing their campaign to restore a specialist service to patients across East Lancashire. Members of the East Lancashire ME (Myalgic Encephalitis)/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) Support Group have
OBVIOUSLY Derek Power (Sports Letters, April 18) has not looked at the league tables this season. Rovers are not a premier side and we Burnley fans know exactly what they are -- a mediocre, mid-table, average First Division team. Regardless of Jack Walker's
TOURISTS spent more than £100 million in East Lancashire last year, according to a new survey. The survey, produced by the North West Tourist Board, showed that tourism is one of the region's success stories, creating new employment opportunities with
I HAVE just returned home to Somerset after witnessing one of the worst Blackburn Rovers performances in a long time against Portsmouth! If the board of Directors have not woken up to the fact by now they never will, that is the current squad of players
TWO teenagers who splashed out on the latest motoring craze have been forced off the road -- because they cannot find anybody to insure their gopeds. Damien Short, 18, and his brother, Adrian,17, bought a £450 goped each at Christmas, thinking they would
PAKISTAN Test player Aamir Sohail will deputise as professional for Rishton when they meet reigning Transco Lancashire League champions Nelson at Blackburn Road on Saturday. A left-hand bat and left-arm spinner, Sohail stands in for Jason Gillespie, who
CARL Fogarty is targeting an amazing return to racing within a month of his dramatic crash in Australia. In his first interview since the 140mph fall, which knocked him out for 15 minutes and broke his left arm in three places, Fogarty revealed he had
Evening Telegraph journalist Andy Turner reflects on the last two decades as a Preston North End fan IT was a night match, a Tuesday I think. Some of the details haven't stuck in my mind but what I do remember is that I was 13, it was Derby County away
HOW sickeningly farcical it is that, as proof of its supposedly family-friendly credentials, New Labour is toying with saddling taxpayers with a £500million bill for parents to take 13 paid weeks off work while, at the same time, planning to make it easier
Junior Club Coffee Morning, in aid of East Lancs Hospice, Community Centre, Darwen, 10am-noon. Blackburn Citizens Advice and information sessions, Roman Road Community Centre, 10am-noon. Afternoon Music Hall, Blakeys Cafe Bar, Blackburn, 4-7pm. Bric a
Easter Walks, with Ron Freethy: Around Grasmere WE ALL know how crowded the Lake District gets over Easter and in high summer, yet in spring it can be at its most beautiful. Take Grasmere for example, where I spent a lot of my youth during the 1950s.
I WOULD like to thank all your readers who nominated people for our Life After Stroke Awards. This year we received the most ever nominations. Judging will take place later this month and the winners will be presented with their awards in London on July
HOSPITAL bosses face prosecution if they continue to flout a series of fire regulations, a safety officer has warned. Broken rules including blocking escape routes, wedging open doors and failing to train staff have been identified by Burnley Health Trust
BROOKSIDE'S Max Farnham, alias actor Steven Pinder, had a guided tour of Pendleside Hospice. Lottery manager Harry Grayson invited Whalley-born Steven via his father, a regular supporter of the hospice and secretary of Burnley Rotary Club. Steven was
FURIOUS Liberal Democrats are calling on the district auditor to investigate Pendle council's standards committee. The angry councillors have accused it of acting as a kangaroo court to pillory two of their members. The committee last week called in police
BURGLARS stole leather jackets and trousers worth more than £4,000 after breaking into Burtons store in the Accrington Arndale Centre. The raiders stole eight ID brown leather jackets, eight black and eight grey Nico leather jackets and 30 pairs of grey
A COUPLE who have collected up to £30,000 to send their brain-injured son for overseas treatment have agreed to change the way they ask for money. Evonne and Paul Taylforth have admitting there are inaccuracies in their fund-raising letters. During the
IAN Cox has been ruled out for the rest of the season to hand Burnley's promotion hopes a major blow. Cox damaged his wrist in Monday's 3-2 win at Brentford, which lifted the Clarets to third place in the table. And the club's worst fears were realised
A PUBLIC relations firm has won a new contract. Capricorn MCS, of Bentley Wood, Burnley, has been appointed by Cox Building Products of Tring. For the past two years the agency has handled advertising for the building firm.
A STAFF training and development standard has been relaunched to make it more accessible to employers. More than 700 East Lancashire organisations have already achieved or are working towards the Investors in People standard. Now training bosses hope
AN open day at Cronkshaw Fold Farm, Helmshore, included two Easter egg trails for children. The National Trust organised the trails, one for the young and a second for older children, and both took place within the farm and nearby countryside. Everyone
CHILD of Achievement winner Jenny Hill of Bacup is looking forward to visiting Buckingham Palace. Jenny, 15, who had a leg amputated, has been chosen as one of ten ambassadors to represent the charity at the Variety Club International Convention Lifeline
THREE teenagers are looking forward to reaching new heights after winning first prize in a national geography quiz -- a hot air balloon ride over their school. Ufaq Qazi, Adam Shakir and Lewis O'Dea, all aged 15, beat 1,200 competitors to the top prize
THE district's biggest ever cribbage tournament has had to be postponed after fire destroyed Daneshouse Working Men's Club, Burnley. The 30th anniversary contest of the George Gregory pairs knockout competition was scheduled to be held at the club at
A GROUP of teddy bears brought smiles to the faces of youngsters spending Easter in hospital. Children at Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn have 30 teddy bears to cuddle up to, thanks to a donation from Darren Tomlins, manager of Portakabin's Blackburn
I WAS shocked by the minute's silence at Oxford that everyone all over the country had observed to pay our respects to the 94 football fans who tragically died 11 years ago at Hillsbourgh. Not because there was any disturbance of any kind -- we Burnley
PLENTY of horsing around is promised when an East Lancashire brewery marks the ruby anniversary of one of its most "stable" business relationships. It is four decades since the world-famous shire horses returned to the Daniel Thwaites fold. The horses
SABOTEURS buried "bed of nail" booby traps in picturesque East Lancashire woodland in an attempt to spike the tyres of mountain bikes. But now they have been warned: "Somebody could be seriously injured." The alarm was raised by a walker from Broken Stone
I MUST respond to Phil Lloyd's negative piece (LET, April 11) concerning Rovers' match at Molineux. I and the rest of my family who attended the match thought that both Egil Ostenstad and Ashley Ward had reasonably good games. Yes, both missed chances
I HAVE no doubt the professionals, players and supporters of Darwen CC and Chorley CC enjoyed Peter Oliver's preview of the season for both clubs (Let, April 21). Unfortunately, that enjoyment ended after the penultimate paragraph when, for some reason
CHRIS Schofield is just two good performances away from a Test debut. The 21-year-old Lancashire leg-spinner can cap a meteoric rise into the England side by impressing the selectors in the first two championship games against Kent and Leicester. "I'm
NORTH West motorsport has been dealt a blow this week with the news that one of its most popular venues has been sold. Flookburgh airfield in Cumbria looks set to be re-developed as a caravan site following its sale to the adjacent leisure park. The deal
CHERRY Tree skipper David Hayes wants professional Naeem Ashraf to lead from the front as the Preston Old Road club begin a season of 'transition'. The 1997 champions may have started the new campaign with a bang thanks to Ashraf's heroics with the bat
Dany Robson reports from Old Trafford IT was probably appropriate that Manchester United's financial director read the statement about the no-show of Ruud van Nistelrooy. As United plan to invest £18.5m -- a British record -- in the Dutch striker, David
The opinions of John Blunt are not necessarily those of this newspaper EASTER Week would not be the same without militant delegates ranting about strike action at the annual conference of 200,000-strong National Union of Teachers. Bolshie with it, too
HERE we go again -- bash the motorist. The government is proposing that drivers caught doing more than 30 mph over the speed limit can be jailed -- to reduce the estimated 2,000 road deaths a year caused by excessive speeding. Yet, the government's own
IS this unusual? I thought it was a strange kind of bird on our nut container hanging from the tree in the back garden. On closer examination, I saw it was a grey mouse, clinging to the wire and having a feast. Does this mean I've missed seeing it before
HOSPITAL bosses face prosecution if they continue to flout a series of fire regulations, a safety officer has warned. Broken rules including blocking escape routes, wedging open doors and failing to train staff have been identified by Burnley Health Trust
SATURDAY'S opponents Crystal Palace went down 1-0 at Ipswich last night, which means that they are still not mathematically safe from relegation. It is unlikely they will go down, with Swindon and Port Vale already condemned to the drop, but will still
Blackburn Rovers Reserves 3, Newcastle United Reserves 0 ANOTHER sparkling performance saw Rovers Reserves rip Newcastle to shreds at Ewood last night and they would not have been flattered if they had at least doubled the score. It was the younger players
A fan's-eye view from Ewood Park, with Phil Lloyd HE'S got 54 international caps. My playing experience amounts to three games for Rovers 'B'. He has managed major football clubs here and abroad. My soccer management never progressed beyond Subbuteo level
THE Briercliffe Society held its millennium dinner at the Rose 'n' Bowl, Stacksteads. The society is comprised of people who are interested in the history, heritage or anything to do with Briercliffe and has 300 members worldwide. Among the 62 members
SIX patients waited more than four hours for a bed after being admitted to Burnley General Hospital from the accident and emergency unit. A hospital spokesman said the circumstances were exceptional, in an extremely busy period, and no-one waited more
VISITORS travelled from as far as Manchester and Ripon to attend the 29th Higham Arts and Craft Exhibition. And, despite attendance not being as high as last year, organisers hope to have raised about £4,000 over five days. Treasurer Heather Swindlehurst
LABOUR MP Robert Sheldon today thanked swimmer Duncan Goodhew for saving his life after a heart attack, and said: "If it wasn't for him I would be in some crematorium." Burnley-born Mr Sheldon, 76, chairman of the Commons standards and privileges committee
TRADE Minister Richard Caborn has insisted that the Government is aware of the needs of East Lancashire's manufacturing industry in wake of the loss of 'vital' cash. In a letter to Burnley MP Peter Pike, the Minister said he welcomed the opportunity to
THE parent company of Colne aerospace firm Cleveland Guest today reported soaring profits. L Gardner Group saw operating profits more than double to £9.7million in the six months to March 5, compared with the same period last year And the group's chairman
CONSERVATIVES in Hyndburn called for a say in a major town centre development scheme. The Tories were unhappy because they had not been given a voting place on a company being set up by town hall bosses and a construction firm. The joint venture company
AN emergency meeting is to be called to end the parking stalemate in Whalley. Brewery bosses issued an ultimatum to Ribble Valley Council -- open a new public car park or we will ban people from ours -- but a new site has yet to be agreed by the borough
SPECULATION regarding a move to bring Grimsby striker Lee Ashcroft to Turf Moor appears to be wide of the mark. A Sunday paper reported that the Clarets had made a £650,000 bid for the former Preston front man. But there has been no approach to the Mariners
BEING made redundant after 25 years as a machinist gave Julie Irvine (pictured) the spur to find a new career. After taking a training course she has landed a job as an accounts assistant at Accrington-based greeting card firm Hallmark. Julie, from Burnley
THERE has been much contention over the jailing for life of Norfolk farmer Tony Martin for the shooting to death of teenage burglar and serial scally Fred Barras. But whether or not you believe -- as many people do -- that Mr Martin was hard done to,
