Archive

  • Full marks for

    schools cash EDUCATION, education, education was the politicians' cry and today's news that Lancashire is getting £41million worth of cash for new school building projects is an all-too-rare piece of good news. More than £5million of the money is to go

  • Lancashire Hot Spots

    This week, DANIEL DONNELLY, 27, waves goodbye to bricks and mortar COMPANY director Daniel Donnelly has a different perspective on life to many homeowners -- he looks out on to towpaths and has ducklings paddling past within inches of his door. Daniel

  • My First. . .

    This week, with DONNA HALL, 38, Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive director (corporate resources) MEMORY: Aged three. sitting on a swing in the back garden on a blazing hot summer day and being overcome by a feeling of perfect happiness. We were

  • The Saturday Message

    This week, with the Rev Kevin Logan, Vicar of Christ Church, Accrington WE'VE been praying for our patron saint. He slayed the dragon of Germany, polished off Greece with one last-minute blow, and was then martyred in battle. The day after he was stretchered

  • We eat points not meals these days

    One Fort in the Grave, with KEITH FORT SEEING as we're all supposed to be standing shoulder to shoulder with America, I'm wondering why Gordon Brown failed to follow the US model in one important aspect of his budget. He could have saved us pounds by

  • Beauty team honoured for polished performance

    TECHNICIANS at Blackburn's Contours nail and beauty salon in Revidge Road are celebrating success in a national contest. Manageress Debbie Smith and her team of beauticians worked on a tribal nail design to scoop the creative illusions award in the creative

  • Town's ghostly tales to be shown on screen

    SPINE-CHILLING tales of Blackburn's history will feature in a new daytime television show to be launched this autumn. Simon Entwhistle, of Clith- eroe, who hosts the regular 'ghost walks' around Blackburn town centre, will appear on the 'Lunchtime Live

  • Masked raiders hit guard with hammer

    A SECURITY guard was hit over the head with a hammer as he was delivering cash to an Atherton bank. Four men wearing balaclavas attacked the guard outside the Royal Bank of Scotland. The raiders stole a large quantity of cash and escaped in a maroon Volvo

  • Survival key to Yorke move

    GRAEME Souness claims any move for Manchester United outcast Dwight Yorke hinges on Blackburn staying in the Premiership. Yorke is being linked with a move to Rovers, where he would be reunited with his former United strike partner Andy Cole. Souness

  • Friedel is the top man

    Ewood Beat ROVERS keeper Brad Friedel was voted the Disabled Supporters Club player of the year at their annual awards evening last week. Friedel has been a huge fans favourite since he signed from Liverpool on a free trasnfer 18 months ago. And his man-of-the-match

  • Academy starlets aim to be flying high

    RESERVE team chief Alan Murray believes Rovers could save themselves a fortune in the transfer market in the not-too-distant future if some of the club's Academy starlets continue to develop at their current rate. A conveyor belt of talent from the club's

  • Blackburn striker eager to help Brentford's play-off bid

    BLACKBURN striker Ben Burgess is ready to finish the season with a flourish as Brentford prepare for tomorrow's Second Division play-off clash with Huddersfield at the McAlpine Stadium. The on-loan Rovers marksman is currently battling to be fit for the

  • Boss angry that Rovers are still battling against drop

    BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness today admitted he is angry at the fact Rovers' Premiership future is still in doubt going into tomorrow's game against Everton. Rovers can dispel any lingering relegation worries if they beat the Toffees at Goodison, although

  • Bad health saved drink driver from jail

    PAUL Wilkinson's chronic health problems saved him from a prison sentence when he appeared before Blackburn magistrates on a drink driving charge. The court heard that sentencing had been delayed after Wilkinson was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal

  • Royal contract win is rubber sealed

    A PADIHAM company has gained the royal seal of approval after recycling more than five million tyres to create surfaces for equestrian events. And staff from Equestrian Services Ltd in Station Road, Padiham, are now working around the clock by appointment

  • Road repair call after woman falls

    ANGRY residents today called for an unmade and pot-holed road in Burnley to be adopted after 25 years and said: "We have struggled for long enough." The call for David Street in the Burnley Wood area to be adopted by Burnley Borough Council came after

  • War hero who won VC is honoured

    A BURNLEY war hero who died to save the lives of his comrades is one of many to be honoured in a special parade and church service tomorrow. The event organised by the Burnley and Pendle branch of the Queen's East Lancashire Regiment Association will

  • Graduate in line for honour

    A LAW graduate from Nelson has been selected as one of the finalists in the Asian Women of Achievement Awards -- at the age of jus 25. Shysta Habib, of Bankhouse Road, has won several prizes during her studies at Staffordshire University and is currently

  • Mobility making travel easier

    A MOBILITY Open Day was held at Millercare, Oswaldtwistle. Gowrings Mobility, the UK's leading manufacturer and conversion specialist of vehicles for wheelchair access exhibited at the event. The company converts vehicles so that wheelchair passengers

  • Forged money charge trio face court

    THREE men were remanded in custody charged with conspiring to make counterfeit banknotes when they appeared before Hyndburn magistrates in Accrington. They were arrested following a swoop by specialist police officers as part of an eight-month investigation

  • Planespotter spy verdict 'a farce'

    A SHOCKED brother of one of the Greek planespotters jailed for three years today insisted: "My brother is no spy." Andrew Jenkins was one of six planespotters found guilty of spying charges by a court in the southern town of Kalamata and sentenced to

  • Chemists on Duty

    Tuesday, April 30 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst Road; Geloo Bros, Cleaver

  • Chemists on Duty

    Friday, May 3 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Moss Pharmacy, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst

  • Requiem for hostel man

    ARRANGEMENTS have been made for the funeral of a 29-year-old man who died at the Police Street hostel in Darwen a week ago. A requiem mass has been organised for Simon Peter Hitchen, of Clitheroe, on Friday, May 3, at 2pm at St Michael and St John's Catholic

  • Political row over castle

    A POLITICAL row has erupted over plans to press ahead with a £246,000 scheme to turn Clitheroe's historic castle into a focal point for the Ribble Valley. A group of councillors were concerned that the "sketchy" plans were given the go-ahead by Ribble

  • Players' union to check on boots

    THE Football Association is set to launch a major investigation into the safety of boots with blades following the horrific injury to Clarets striker Andy Payton earlier this year. Payton had to have 35 stitches in a leg wound after a tackle in the first

  • Ticket office ready for rush

    THE season may be over as far as the footballers at Turf Moor are concerned but it is expected to be a busy few days for the staff in the ticket office. On Tuesday the deadline for buying discounted season tickets runs out and ticket office manager Graham

  • It's too chilly for 'Chinaman' Adams

    WHEN Rishton pro Paul Adams gets used to the English weather the Transco Lancashire League had better watch out! The South African 'Chinaman' bowler - his unique bowling style is set to draw the crowds to Blackburn Road this summer - took four wickets

  • Boss angry that Rovers are still battling against drop

    BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness today admitted he is angry at the fact Rovers' Premiership future is still in doubt going into tomorrow's game against Everton. Rovers can dispel any lingering relegation worries if they beat the Toffees at Goodison, although

  • Addict kicked in mother's door

    A MAN kicked in the door of his mother's home after she refused to give him money to buy drugs. Blackburn magistrates heard that Gerard Burns had phoned her and said he was coming for money. He did, despite her warning that she would call police. Burns

  • Axe killer 'thought lover was stuff of dreams'

    A FORMER escort girl who hacked her businessman lover to death told a friend she believed she had met the "man of her dreams," a court heard. Jan Charlton told her friend, identified to a jury at Leeds Crown Court only as Mrs E, that she had met a "fantastic

  • Sewage pipe work causes a stink for motorists

    TRAFFIC chaos was caused yesterday when a sewage pipe burst causing delays of up to an hour for motorists. Routine repairs were being carried out by United Utilities on Bacup Road, Waterfoot, to re-line the sewers as part of work in waste water management

  • Holiday meeting led to 60 happy years

    WHEN Doris and Charlie Bradley got married they were together for only 48 hours before soldier Charlie went to war for the next three years. That was 60 years ago and the couple from Whitehead Street, Rawtenstall, have just celebrated their diamond wedding

  • Lily's 'House' is a writer's winner

    'A HOUSE Named Rossendale' was the winning article in a competition organised by Rossendale Writers. The author, chairman Lily Driver, detailed a trip to New Zealand when she and her husband visited a House Named Rossendale. An article on Sir Michael

  • RSPCA needs 140 homes for animals

    THE RSPCA is seeking good homes for 140 animals as part of a pet-adoption campaign. The East Lancashire branch of the charity is looking to find new owners for 75 dogs, 33 cats, 24 rabbits, six rats, one mouse and a cockatiel as part of RSPCA Week, running

  • RSPCA needs 140 homes for animals

    THE RSPCA is seeking good homes for 140 animals as part of a pet-adoption campaign. The East Lancashire branch of the charity is looking to find new owners for 75 dogs, 33 cats, 24 rabbits, six rats, one mouse and a cockatiel as part of RSPCA Week, running

  • Peru trip is matter of pride for pupils

    A GROUP of adventure seekers are preparing themselves for a trip of a lifetime after raising nearly £25,000 for the journey. The ten strong team of two teachers and eight pupils, all from St Wilfrids High School in Blackburn, are to take on the 22 day

  • Police given leave to hold punter's £6,610

    A PUNTER has launched a legal action to retrieve more than £6,000 in cash held by police investigating an alleged gambling debt fraud. But a district judge has refused to deal with his claim for the return of the cash until after May 8, when the man,

  • We need to make sure that this doesn't happen again

    BOSSES at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council have claimed they are back on track with benefits claims after shaking up their partnership with private firm Capita. In January, people claiming housing benefits said they were being threatened with eviction

  • £5m boost for East Lancashire schools

    EAST Lancashire schools are to share in a £41million county-wide boost for new building projects. The schools will benefit from more than £18million this year followed by £23million next year. And more than £5million of that will be pumped into East Lancashire

  • Golf course ball dredger lands in jail

    A MAN who claimed dredging golf course ponds for lost balls was a fair way to make a living has begun a six month jail sentence. John Collinson, 36, of Chorley, spent 10 years donning a wet suit and scouring water hazards for the sad remains of thousands

  • Fight men escape jail

    AN argument over a drink spilled inside a Bury nightclub erupted in violence onto the streets outside, a court was told. Security cameras showed Lee Thornton and Ricky Appleton fighting a group of men who had climbed into a taxi outside the Sol Viva nightclub

  • Extra letter would make things better

    Drive & Stroll, with RON FREETHY - this week, around Gisburn GISBURN has always been one of my favourite places to stroll in the Ribble Valley, but I have been disappointed with it in recent years. Thankfully, however, it is coming back from the dead

  • Penny for your thoughts...

    SHE modestly contends that her husband was so much better at inventing bedtime stories for their children. But Penny Vincenzi's imagination has helped sell more than 3.5 million novels around the world, as PAULINE HAWKINS discovered. A MERE glance at

  • School summer reunion

    THE eighties will be back with a vengeance when classmates from Edmund Arrowsmith School - now St Bede's RC High School - get together for a reunion this summer. Former school friends who left in 1980 will be able to get together at the Borough Arms in

  • Forged money charge trio face court

    THREE men were remanded in custody charged with conspiring to make counterfeit banknotes when they appeared before Hyndburn magistrates in Accrington. They were arrested following a swoop by specialist police officers as part of an eight-month investigation

  • Scott's gaming instinct pays off

    A BLACKBURN teenager is set for a starring role in the Commonwealth Games this summer after landing a job as a volunteer. Scott Bowkley, 18, will be at most of the major events during the games, in Manchester, after undergoing a series of 'pre-volunteer

  • Gun raid at town centre shop

    TWO men armed with a handgun and a knife threatened staff and customers at a Leigh travel agents. The robbers escaped from the town centre premises on Friday at 3.10pm with a quantity of cash in various currencies. The gun man was described as black,

  • Robber tackled to ground by rugby player

    A RUGBY player was hailed a hero today for tackling a man after a pensioner was robbed in a town centre subway. Steve Kerry, former player manager at Blackburn Rugby Club, sprang into action after hearing cries for help at around 1.30pm yesterday. Today

  • Carsley v Dunn

    TOMORROW'S game between Blackburn and Everton at Goodison brings together two midfielders who once competed for the same Rovers shirt. Republic of Ireland international Lee Carsley used to be one of the first names on the team-sheet at Ewood following

  • I'm fighting 'four' our lives

    CRAIG Short knows all about relegation scraps after he spent the best part of four years fighting fires at Everton. Tomorrow, he returns to the scene of some of his closest scrapes as a professional for the first time in three years. But this time it's

  • Comittee place for candidate

    A BURNLEY council candidate has been awarded a place on a board which selects magistrates for the town. Rafique Malik, Labour candidate for Daneshouse, has been given a place on the Magistrates Advisory Committee for Burnley and Pendle. Coun Malik said

  • 'Violent' man sprayed with CS gas

    A MAN who was said to have threatened police with violence ended up being CS gassed, a court was told. Burnley Magistrates heard how Stephen Bateman, 40, swore, lunged at one officer and wouldn't calm down. He was eventually sprayed with gas after urging

  • Blair praises new learning schemes

    STUDENTS at a training centre praised Prime Minister Tony Blair for his government's efforts to widen education -- and then warned him not to forget about universities. The comments came as Mr Blair visited Northern Technologies in Nelson, where he chatted

  • Voters warned of changes

    PENDLE people are urged to vote by the returning officer for next week's Pendle Borough Council elections, Stephen Barnes. They are also being warned to double check where they vote and who they can vote for. Mr Barnes said: "All the seats on the council

  • Protests set to foil homes plan

    PLANS for a new development of 12 houses off Rising Bridge Road, Haslingden, are set to be turned down. The application site has already been subject to two previous applications in 1990 for 13 dwellings and in 1997 for 15 houses both of which were also

  • Chemists on Duty

    Sunday, April 28 BLACKBURN: noon-1pm: Boots Chemists, 2 Cobden Court. DARWEN: noon-1pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 103 Blackburn Road. ACCRINGTON: noon-1pm: Boots Chemists, Broadway; noon-1pm: Rishton Pharmacy, 42 High Street. CLITHEROE: noon-1pm: Lloyds Pharmacy

  • Chemists on Duty

    Thursday, May 2 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohens Chemist, 63 Whalley Range; To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 6.30pm: Donald Wood Ltd, 53 Fishmoor Drive; Healthbook

  • lChemists on Duty

    Wednesday, May 1 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; The Surgery (Chiropody), 132 Lammack Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The Pharmacy

  • Chemists on Duty

    Monday, April 29 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Moss Pharmacy, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst

  • Over-55s club in members drive

    A CLITHEROE club for over-55s will send out 6,000 questionnaires in early May to attract more members and obtain views on new social activities. The Pendle Club on Lowergate aims to double its 300-strong membership and increase its range of indoor sports

  • Historic hall is back to its best

    A 14th century Ribble Valley hall is to re-open to the public later this month following a £200,000 refurbishment. Samlesbury Hall has undergone renovations to its chapel, parlour and entrance area thanks to £100,000 raised from visitor donations and

  • Isle of Man trip

    WITH the disappointingly early end to the Clarets season fans have got an even longer wait than normal for the return to action. But those who feel lost without their regular dose of Claret will already be planning their trip across the Irish Sea for

  • West headache

    Turf Beat THE award of 11 player of the season awards to Clarets full-back Dean West could give him a DIY headache this summer. West and his wife Samantha have a lively 17-month-old son Charlie who, as most children that age, is now into everything. "

  • Welsh hope for Gareth

    THE season may have ended disappointingly early for Burnley but top scorer Gareth Taylor is still hoping that he has one more match to play. "Wales take on Germany at home on May 14 and I would love to be involved again," said Taylor who won his ninth

  • Former favourites are in hunt for promotion spots

    IT may be a painful experience for Burnley fans to watch this weekends play-offs action but a number of former favourites will be in action across the country. Three of the sides that edged out Burnley in the race for the first division play-offs have

  • Tod forced to call on sub-pros

    JERRY Cassell is still not ready for his Transco Lancashire League debut so Todmorden have looked to the Central Lancashire League for sub-pro's this weekend. The Australian is struggling with a hand injury but the Centre Vale side are hoping to have

  • 'Bingo' has the winning numbers

    IF David Byas has any doubts about his move from Yorkshire to Lancashire, he only needs to look at today's Championship table. Lancashire are second, with 34 points from two matches after Byas's unbeaten 83 steered them to a six-wicket victory over Warwickshire

  • Welsh hope for Gareth

    THE season may have ended disappointingly early for Burnley but top scorer Gareth Taylor is still hoping that he has one more match to play. "Wales take on Germany at home on May 14 and I would love to be involved again," said Taylor who won his ninth

  • Vandals wreck ambulance

    PARAMEDICS in Darwen have slammed vandals who trashed the town's only ambulance -- leaving the area without emergency cover for nearly two hours. And a spokesman for the Ambulance Service, based in George Street, said it was lucky there were no serious

  • Driver cut from crash car

    A MAN in his 30s had to be cut free from his car last night after a collision with a bus. All of the emergency services attended the accident in Burnley Road East, Waterfoot, last night at 6.40pm. The driver of the bus and one passenger were treated for

  • Brothers hope for a World Cup hit

    SHOWBIZ brothers Guy and Aaron Lomax are hoping they have come up with a hit record to help England to a World Cup victory in Japan. And they reckon their 'Red, White and Blue Army' CD is not only a rival to Ant and Dec's official 'We're On The Ball'

  • Youth's frenzied attack killed sex offender

    A COURT heard how a chance meeting on a Chorley street led a teenager to carry out a frenzied attack on a convicted sex offender. Stephen Rothwell punched, kicked and stamped on his 42-year-old victim, who never regained consciousness before dying four

  • Blair can have his cake and eat it any time

    A FATHER left holding the tea and biscuits after Tony Blair cancelled plans to pop in for a cuppa told the Prime Minister today: "You're welcome back any time!" Mr Blair was on a whistle-stop tour of East Lancashire yesterday to highlight a government

  • Budding Bransons battle for top title

    YOUNG entrepreneurs from across Blackburn and Darwen showed just what it takes to become the next Richard Branson in the area's annual Young Enterprise finals. Competition on the night was fierce, with presentations, business reports and exhibition stands