From Keith Sowerbutts, Oswald Street, Accrington. Stuck for something to buy for his mother-in-law's birthday He pondered the situation. Well, he'd given her different gifts every year If he missed there'd be confrontation. But being a man of
BURNLEY have announced they will hold an open day on Sunday July 23. There will be an open training session for fans to watch the Clarets at close quarters before they jet off for their pre-season training camp in Lake Garda. There will also be a fayre
MICAH Hyde is unlikely to be joining Leicester City this summer. Speculation had linked the transfer-listed Burnley midfielder with a move to the Walkers Stadium. And Foxes manager Rob Kelly would not comment on the connection at a press conference
Results from the annual Luther Greenwood Dance Festival which was held at Colne Municipal Hall. John Preston Memorial Trophy for A classical Shannan Spry. Anne Duerden Trophy for A cabaret Shannan Spry. Kay Venables Trophy for national Shannan Spry
A MAN was left needing hospital treatment after a gang of thugs launched a vicious attack as he was changing his car wheel in the early hours. The 20-year-old victim was set upon by the gang in Hurtley Street, Burnley, at around 12.40am on Sunday and
A MUM and her three children undertook a mammoth 140-mile charity walk to Nelson, arriving just in time for a meal and hot shower. Helen Lord-Scott and sons Sam, 11, Oliver, eight, and George, three, arrived at her mum and dad David and Vera Crewe's
BURNLEY taxi drivers called off their strike action and went back to work this morning. The deadlock over licensing issues was broken yesterday afternoon after talks between taxi operators, police and council officials and a working group formed to look
RESIDENTS of Nelson and Colne could have more of a voice on issues affecting them, as a review of local government in the area has been launched. Pendle Council is considering setting up town councils and has begun a review of council arrangements.
ELEANOR Markendale is the North of England Champion in the Women's Under 17s 300 metres hurdles, and she took the silver medal in the long jump. In the same age group, Leigh Lennon struck bronze in the 800m. The Northern Championships for the under
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes is investigating the possibility of bringing in a new defender on a season-long loan. The Rovers chief is keen to bolster his numbers at the back and wants to draft in an experienced stopper as cover for Andy Todd, Ryan Nelsen
TWO Blackburn men involved in a "brutal and vicious" street attack have both been ordered to do 200 hours unpaid community work. The victim, John Paul McAlery, suffered a fractured jaw that needed a metal plate and screws inserted. A witness to the
SO FINALLY it's all over Lucy Benjamin is the winner of the first ever X-Factor: Battle of the Stars. Thank goodness for that. It was, to quote Big Brother manc Lisa, "doin' my ead in" trying to flick between X-Factor and Big Brother which were on
THE information centre in Accrington Town Hall will move to the library at the end of September. Lancashire County Council's cabinet looks set to approve a grant of £10,000 help refurbish the library to house the service. This is the second of two pilot
THREE mothers involved in the late-night beating of a young woman out on the town have all kept their freedom. A court heard victim Danielle Hindle was dragged from a taxi by her hair, and knocked to the ground and a judge said why it happened was beyond
A MAN whose memory lasts just 10 hours after he was punched is set to go home this week after almost a year in hospital. John Williams's life was saved by two police officers who got his heart beating again after he was struck in the face and sustained
HOW DO you deal with terrorism, vandalism and violence? Well I don't think it's by being tolerant. Tolerance and understanding have been the buzz words for the past decade, but where has it got us? As I was driving down the main road into Liverpool
THE consultation on East Lancashire hospitals' future today suffered a fresh blow after a third of people who responded thought the options put forward were no good. About 30 per cent of the 850 people who sent back a form delivered to 220,000 homes
DARWEN may produce tennis stars of the future after a centre of excellence was set up in the town. Kidsland Kids Club, which looks after hundreds of children after school, has beaten off competition from clubs across the country for the honour. Lawn
The 14th Ribchester Music Festival will be held from Thursday, June 29, to Sunday, July 2. Steeleye Span star Maddy Prior, international pianist Wayne Marshall, Emma Kirkby and the London Baroque and soprano Amanda Roocroft will all perform. There
A DARWEN school's standards are still "well below average" but some pupils are making "outstanding leaps in learning", inspectors have found. And overall a team from the Office for Standards in Education said St James' CE Primary, St James' Crescent
Lancashire police fail to keep promises about how quickly they will attend incidents to half of people who call the force's control rooms, a study has revealed. Now call centre staff for Lancashire Constabulary are to be re-trained in a bid to ensure
A WEEKEND of puppetry fun for all the family is on offer with four internationally acclaimed puppet theatre companies performing shows. Horse and Bamboo Theatre is running the family-friendly Rossen-dale Puppet Festival at the Horse and Bamboo Centre
PLANS to introduce a booze ban in Barnoldswick will be discussed tonight. Liberal Democrat councillors are proposing to bar drinking alcohol in public places to stop youths hanging around getting drunk and causing anti-social behaviour. Councillors
POLICE said today the death of missing mum Jane Payne was not being treated as suspicious but how she spent her final hours remains a mystery. The body of the some-time prostitute was discovered in the Thursden Valley last month and detectives are probing
A NEW scheme to encourage community sprit and recognise unsung heroes has been launched in Burnley. The Good Neighbour' project, which covers South West Burnley, will offer prizes to people who make a difference to their local area. The scheme has been
WORKERS at one of Burnley's biggest employers are to strike in a dispute over pay. Staff at aircraft parts makers Aircelle will walk out after the company failed to improve an offer of a below-inflation 2.5 per cent rise. Negotiations have been ongoing
REHEARSALS are now in full swing for Rossendale Players' greatest challenge in its 70-year history. For the company are closing their season by staging their first-ever Shakespeare play. Much Ado About Nothing opens at the New Millennium Theatre, in
TECHNICAL whizz-kids are needed to work on Stage Door Theatre Company's production of Love's Labour's Lost, showing at Thwaites Empire Theatre, Blackburn, from August 30 to September 2. Graduates or students of stage management are welcome to apply.
Conference champions Accrington Stanley have confirmed two away friendlies at fellow promoted sides. The first match is at the new Victoria Stadium home of Conference North Champions Northwich Victoria - on Tuesday July 25 (7.45pm kick-off). Then
PLAYER of the season Ian Craney is close to securing a contract extension at Accrington Stanley after being crowned Nationwide Conference player of the season. The midfielder got the majority vote from all the Conference managers to become the league's
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez insists Florent Sinama-Pongolle could still have a future at Anfield. The 21-year-old striker spent the final months of last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers and manager Mark Hughes has still not ruled out the possibility
A Lithuanian working at a car wash earning just £20 a day was caught stealing a Brazilian football shirt from JJB in Blackburn. Blackburn magistrates heard that Andrius Bartkeviltos would have had to work for more than three days to pay for the shirt
A FORMER Oswaldtwistle care home which was damaged in a suspected arson attack could soon be demolished. Peel Court, Union Road, was one of 32 county council homes closed and sold off. Despite being sold at auction to property speculator Andrew Booth
A FAMILY have reached their fund-raising target to help a five-year-old girl struck down by a muscle-wasting disease. Taylor Rayson, of Allan Critchlow Way, Rishton, could be in a wheelchair by the time she is 13, a side effect of her spastic diplegia
A Lancashire Euro-MP has been nominated for a prestigious award by the Worldwide Fund for Nature. The organisation says that over the past year Chris Davies has been the most important individual MEP for building parliamentary majorities in favour
A SENIOR Old Chorister at Blackburn Cathedral has struck the right note with fundraisers after walking the Three Peaks for charity. Stuart Hopkinson, 43, from Blackburn, took to the Yorkshire hills and covered 28 miles and 4,500 feet of ascent to raise
Puzzled firefighters searched the Low Moor area on Saturday night for a fire after receiving reports of smoke. However after checking the entire area they realised the smoke callers had seen was just that from the dozens of barbecues that were being
CHILDREN from an Accrington nursery have been creating works of art to decorate their building. Professional artists from Lancashire arts group Arteach have been working with the youngsters, aged from 17 months to four, from Fairfield Children's Centre
REGARDING the floral displays that disappeared from Darwen (LET, May 27), I saw some of the tiered baskets and square containers on the back of a lorry in Gladstone Street, Blackburn on the day before Her Majesty's visit. They were full of fresh blooms
IF one mentions Mullards in Blackburn many eyes will light up. Valves, tubes and radio components were produced by this company for a number of years. However, times change and as some long-standing components of the radio and television industry die
THE Royal visit to Blackburn on May 25 gave the town a morning to remember. The sun made a rare appearance, the town centre was buzzing and the police presence, while enough to ensure the safety of the monarch, was still low key enough to allow those
STANDING waiting for a long time and looking forward to seeing the Queen on May 25, I took up my position in Church Street. I was with other people behind a barrier right in front of the canopy where the Queen would stand to unveil a plaque. I was talking
Voluntary groups, schools and artists in Blackburn can benefit from an Aladdin's cave of goodies donated by Lancashire's business community. The Scrap Art Material Store (SAMS) is based at Apollo House on Ordnance Street, Blackburn and offers resources
Some 450 wanted' people were found by police last month, it has been revealed. The total of outstanding arrest warrants executed was the highest monthly total for six years. Inspector John Clucas said: "People wanted on warrant are increasingly
CAMELOT Theme Park is to be demolished and replaced by an indoor water aqua park' as part of a plan to create a new village. The award-winning Chorley attraction will be phased out within about five years, under a scheme by owners Prime Resorts, and
A CRIME victim wrote to a court to make sure a man who went on a drunken orgy of destruction knew the full impact of his actions. Magistrates heard Mark Andrew Hartley smashed a shop window in Langho and then smashed windscreens and windows of 20 parked
A GOLFER raised £120,000 for charity by completing a 6,768-hole round taking in every course in Scotland. Bernard Wood, of Richmond Avenue, Haslingden, completed all 376 18-hole golf courses north of the border in just under 12 months. And the £118,420
A 17-year-old from Baxenden was today still fighting for his life after sustaining critical head injuries in a car crash between Haslingden and Oswaldtwistle. Thomas Maylor, 17, of Whitecroft View, Baxenden, was the front seat passenger when the Seat
MORE than 100 police officers launched one of East Lancashire's biggest ever drugs raids today as part of an operation targeting the area's major dealers. Police said they hoped the raids would cause the supply of heroin to dry up'. Officers struck
A middle-aged mother who had sex with a 15-year-old schoolboy today spoke of her regret and said: "I never meant it to happen." Michelle Bougourd, 41, is facing a possible jail sentence after admitting three charges of sexual activity with a child, last
