A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. MONDAY Burnley Air Rifle Club, Burnley Cricket Club, 8pm. Indoor Sports Night, The Royal Hotel, Waterfoot, 8pm. Exhibition of Paintings by Daniel Paulo, Pendle Arts Gallery
UP to 1,000 members of the Scout movement took part in celebrations of the patron saint of England in a St George's Day parade in Blackburn. Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts, Venture Scouts and their leaders assembled at the shopping centre car park
TOWN Hall workers across East Lancashire are to be balloted for industrial action in support of a six per cent pay rise. Members of the three local government unions, UNISON, GMB and Transport and General Workers, will be asked to support the demand in
THE controversy surrounding the building of new homes adjacent to Haslingden Cricket Club (LET, April 17) will be hard to resolve. One would have thought the planners and developers would have foreseen the problem of cricket balls being hit over the boundary
REGARDING your report (LET, April 17), about the girl who entered a charity shop and walked out in a fresh set of clothes without paying. She was prosecuted and ordered to pay costs. Theft is a crime. However, I wonder whether anyone has stopped to consider
REGARDING the comments of Mr B Walsh (Letters, April 13) about teenage mums, does he not know the trend today is that they are more or less told: "If you don't want to work, just get pregnant and the state will look after you?" We have more than our share
THE two team managers spoke after the game. David Moyes said: "I'm very disappointed by the way we performed "We were a couple of notches down from where we should have been and that's why we lost the game. "We got ourselves back into it in what was probably
BLACKBURN Rovers are planning a double celebration for the visit of Fulham on the final day of the season. Now that Premiership survival has been achieved, Rovers officials are getting ready to put on a survival party at Ewood on May 11 with the parading
A LOOK at the stats and key moments from the win at Goodison Park. ROVERS: FRIEDEL: Left floundering by a moment of magic from Nick Chadwick but apart from that he was rarely tested...6 TAYLOR: Back in the starting line-up after a two month absence and
JUBILANT Blackburn boss Graeme Souness today saluted his Premiership heroes after they secured their top-flight status over the weekend. And Souness has vowed to bring in the signings necessary to transform Rovers into a top 10 force next year. Manchester
A NEW service has been launched in Burnley to provide advice and support for teenagers. Connexions has taken over from CareerLink and East Lancashire Careers Service to provide support for people from the age of 13 to 19 in their transition into adulthood
A MAN who got behind the wheel for the fourth time while banned has escaped jail, but was told it was only by the skin of his teeth. James Pickles, 21, had been ordered off the road for seven years at the age of 16 - before he was even legally able to
A GRANDMOTHER who has fostered more than 60 children from across East Lancashire has been named as the North West's number one mum. Sam Johnson, 48, of Green Close, Burnley, was nominated for the NSPCC competition sponsored by detergent manufacturer Ariel
REGULARS at Nelson's Bull Hotel held a fun day to raise funds for the Edith Watson ward at Burnley General Hospital. Manageress Lisa Bird, 29, decided to raise money after a customer had a stillborn baby which could have been detected if the hospital
A DISGRUNTLED student set about a shop manager after she refused to give him a refund over a hat. Burnley Magistrates heard how Amanda Isherwood was struck by Kasim Amin and knocked to the floor before he ran from the shop chased by staff members. Miss
A TWO-WEEK crackdown on truancy, the biggest seen in the borough, starts today. Education welfare officers and police will be carrying out patrols in all towns of the borough. They will be stopping all young people they see on the streets who they believe
PLANS to change a bungalow into a nursery will be considered by members of the West Craven Committee at its next meeting on May 7. The proposal by Mr and Mrs J Wallington also includes plans for an extension to the front and rear of the Lodge bungalow
A FORMER eyesore in Accrington has been transformed into a garden. The garden, created on a piece of scrubland which has been derelict for many years, will be officially opened on May 10. The Woodnook Residents' Association got together with the area's
A MODEL may leave his Accrington roots behind for a career on the catwalks of Cairo. Nadeem Ahmed, of Lister Street, returned this week from a whistle-stop fortnight of interviews and photo-shoots for leading fashion magazines in the Egyptian capital.
POLICE are hunting a team of audacious burglars who walk in through people's front doors and help themselves. They have struck four times in less than a week in Church. The latest raid took place last night between 10.30pm and 3.30am in Riding Barn Street
A MEMBER of a gang who tried to raid a designer clothes shop in Oswaldtwistle last October is awaiting sentence. Jason Richardson, 32, was caught by a police dog handler after officers from two forces and a helicopter had chased the would-be thieves.
A NEW face at Hyndburn Council headquarters will have the job of keeping residents informed about what is going on in the borough. Cathy Tattersall, who has just been appointed senior marketing and communications officer, is no stranger to the area, as
TWO men who beat up a club licensee have been spared custody but one might yet end up behind bars. Paul Berry, 25, and Tony Savoini, 20, were part of a gang which attacked Paul Hankey when they wanted a drink after closing time. Berry was given 60 hours
A NEW streamlined vehicle has been unveiled by police in the Ribble Valley in a bid to transport offenders more safely and efficiently. The Peugeot van is the first of its kind in Lancashire and has a special secure area in the rear for people detained
A RIBBLE Valley college is to see a record intake this September after a six per cent rise in pupil numbers. Stonyhurst College will then have 410 day and boarding pupils on its roll, which also shows a significant rise in the number of girls. Headmaster
PETER Martin is fighting to shake off an injury which could keep him out of the vital Benson and Hedges Cup game at Durham on Wednesday. It is a tie which Lancashire must win after their opening group match at Derby was washed out yesterday. Only 27 balls
FAROOK Butt led Blackburn to victory over Great Harwood with a big hitting display in the Jennings Ribblesdale League. The century-maker smashed five sixes and 11 fours in his innings of 112 as Northern reached 160, despite Gordon Simpson's four wickets
PRESTON North End have announced that former Scotland boss Craig Brown will be their new manager. Brown signs a three-year-deal at Deepdale and immediately takes charge of first team affairs. He was one of five candidates interviewed by the North End
JUBILANT Blackburn boss Graeme Souness today saluted his Premiership heroes after they secured their top-flight status over the weekend. And Souness has vowed to bring in the signings necessary to transform Rovers into a top 10 force next year. Manchester
NORTH End have announced that former Scotland boss Craig Brown will be the new manager. Brown signs a three-year-deal at Deepdale and immediately takes charge of first team affairs. He was one of five candidates interviewed by the North End Board last
EXCLUSIVE by Chris Hall: THE multi-millionaire owner of Sale Sharks rugby union club says he will know by the end of the week whether to make a bid to save crisis club Bury FC. Shakers were given a seven-day stay of execution by the High Court on Friday
DARWEN super slimmer Beryl Thomas curried favour with her local Indian restaurant - by winning a meal after losing nearly 4st. Beryl and her husband Howard, also a member of Darwen Weight Watchers' Club, have been enjoying weekly low-fat curries at Sukhis
A 25-YEAR-OLD Darwen man who used 'cloned' credit cards to buy high value computers at stores across the North of England was said to be a bit player in the overall offence. Blackburn magistrates heard Mark Barnes was a lowly-paid employee and not the
PARAMEDICS and police today condemned mindless yobs who 'trashed' an ambulance while it was parked outside its station, saying lives could have been put at risk. Darwen was left without on-the-spot ambulance cover for nearly two hours while a replacement
REPRESENTATIVES of different religions got together to learn more about each other at Jan's Conference Centre, Blackburn. Muslim leaders explained more about the Muslim faith to Christian leaders at the Living with Islan event. Abdul Hamid Qureshi, secretary
NURSES in the Health Service have never had it so good, according to a retired worker with 40 years' experience. Blackburn with Darwen councillor Frank Gorton, who worked as a nurse at Blackburn Royal Infirmary and Queen's Park Hospital from 1946 to 1986
WORKMEN building a new gas pipeline across Lancashire have unearthed pottery dating back to medieval times near Samlesbury. Transco, which is building the new 30km pipeline from Samlesbury to Helmshore, unearthed what is believed to be 14th century pottery
A BROTHER and sister were re-united for the first time in 50 years after she travelled half way around the world. Christine Harrison and Michael Brown were separated when Christine was six months old following the death of their thirty-year-old mother
OUTRAGED MP Jack Straw has made a formal complaint about an election leaflet which claims council taxpayers' money was used for party propaganda. The Blackburn MP joined in the local election row and has written a stinging letter to Liberal Democrat party
NELSON lost their final game of the NWCL Division Two season and, after harbouring thoughts of a top six finish, they look likely to finish in eighth place. John Bailey did suffer a setback on Friday night when Rossendale United asked if they could have
PADIHAM found themselves two goals down in the opening three minutes of their NWCL Division Two fixture and found it difficult against the strong wind in the first half to get back into the game. An own goal by Craig Wilkinson after only 40 seconds play
MID-TABLE Ramsbottom suffered their worst defeat of the season in their penultimate game of the NWCL Division One campaign. David Yorke-Robinson had an early 20-yard effort for the Rams which was taken at the second attempt by Flixton keeper Alan Osbourne
YOUNG people in East Lancashire know the cost of computer games and CDs. But they are not sure how to budget for food, rent and bills. The evidence that many of them will find life a struggle when they leave home to go to college or university has been
AN East Lancashire school scarred by playground violence three months ago has won new backing as it fights to improve its image -- from the parents. A mass brawl at Moorhead High School in Accrington in January resulted in the suspension and arrest of
NEWFIELD School is a large special school situated in Blackburn which caters for pupils aged two to 19 with complex learning difficulties and additional physical, sensory and emotional difficulties. We provide: a welcoming, co-operative and supportive
FRED Dibnah marked the start of his birthday celebrations with one almighty bang. The Bolton steeplejack and TV personality visited neighbouring Bury yesterday to do what he does best -- felling a 150ft high chimney in the Kirklees Valley, Brandlesholme
A TWO-WEEK crackdown on truancy, the biggest seen in the borough, starts today. Education welfare officers and police will be carrying out patrols in all towns of the borough. They will be stopping all young people they see on the streets who they believe
Forum Meeting, Methodist Church, Fence, 7.30pm. North Blackburn and District Probus Club, Lammack Methodist Church, Blackburn, 10am, Speaker: Ben Edwards. An Evening with Sdy Little, United Methodist Church, Briercliffe Road, Burnley. Greenmount Women's
HOW richly deserved is Burnley grandmother Sam Johnson's honour of being named the North West's No.1 mother. For though virtually every Mum will be rated as such by their children, Sam's award is truly merited -- for the extraordinary and selfless effort
THE unthinking acts of vandalism carried out all around us every day adversely affect many corners of our lives. Public buildings are daubed with graffiti, bus and railway station shelters have their toughened glass windows shattered and all kinds of
NURSING managers in Blackburn have unveiled plans which will make sure patients get the best service. The nursing and midwifery strategy for the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust, launched at Blackburn Royal Infirmary's education centre,
COMPASSION in World Farming would like to thank the people of Leyland for giving a total of £67.94 to their collection on Saturday, March 23. All proceeds will go towards our campaigning work for farm animal welfare. KAREN MANSELL, Street Collection Co-ordinator
AS a former police driving instructor I am disgusted by the policy of Lancashire Constabulary and the county council in relation to road safety matters, especially the 'zero tolerance' enforcement of speed limits. For the past 70 years or so, the police
THE father of a tragic toddler killed in a road accident today paid tribute to the little boy he called "my diamond geezer". Four-year-old Bradley Louis Turner was knocked down and killed after he ran out in front of a car outside Clitheroe Cricket Club
CORONATION Street idol Vera Duckworth has urged Burnley voters to turn their backs on the BNP and warned "all hell could break loose" if they are elected. Actress Liz Dawn - one half of the country's favourite working class couple Vera and Jack - came
Farnborough 3 Leigh RMI 0 by Martyn Hindley: LEIGH RMI's season ended in dismal style as they saw Ged Kielty red-carded before crashing to a comprehensive defeat at Farnborough. Leigh might have secured their place in next season's Nationwide Conference
BLACKBURN'S game with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday now looks set to be moved after Rovers achieved Premiership safety over the weekend. Reds boss Gerard Houllier wants the game switched to Wednesday May 8 -- the same night as Manchester United take
MISSION accomplished! Those were the words etched on the faces of Graeme Souness and his battle-weary troops as they basked in the sun at Goodison Park yesterday. And who would deny them their moment of smug satisfaction after operation 'Premiership Survival
GROUNDWORK'S Earthlings project is offering people advice as part of National Composting Week. The project is situated at Offshoots, next to the natural history centre at Towneley Hall, Burnley, and is nationally recognised as a centre of excellence.
PEOPLE flocked into Burnley this weekend to honour war heroes in a special parade and church service. The event organised by the Queen's East Lancashire Regiment Association's Burnley and Pendle branch commemorated the soldiers who died fighting in Gallipoli
CARERS for people with learning difficulties will have the chance to get together and share experiences at an event tomorrow. Lancashire County Council's Linking Communities at Meadowbank Resource Centre, Mount Pleasant Street, Burnley, will take place
A COMMUNITY policeman has been assigned to the streets where violence erupted during last summer's Burnley riots as the latest bobby on the beat. PC Richard Collopy will cover the Duke Bar area, where the Duke of York pub was fire bombed during the riots
POLICE today revealed they were following a number of positive new leads after a 15-year-old school girl was raped and threatened with a gun after being approached as she walked home. The victim got into a car with two men in Halifax Road, Briercliffe
BLACKBURN has overtaken Burnley in the battle to be East Lancashire area's number one shopping centre. A survey by business information group Experian caused concern among trade bosses in Blackburn last year when it ranked Burnley higher in terms of vitality
CORONATION Street idol Vera Duckworth has urged Burnley voters to turn their backs on the BNP and warned "all hell could break loose" if they are elected. Actress Liz Dawn - one half of the country's favourite working class couple Vera and Jack - came
IN a bid to fight the number of children dying of meningitis, officials at Brierfield Celtic Football Club arranged a charity football match to help raise funds for experts to carry out research into the killer disease. The event was held at Holt House
SENT by rail buff Richard Mercer this photograph from the 1960s of British Railways steam engine No. 92010 was taken at the Tanhouse Sidings in Widnes. But do you know the crew? For they were all from the long-gone Lower Darwen locomotive shed at Blackburn
AN Asda employee from Colne swapped her uniform for cowboy boots and a stetson before flying out to America for the Wal-Mart shareholders' meeting on June 2. Anne Spencer, who works in the general merchandise department, has been chosen to go to the annual
EAST Lancashire lottery star John Willan has retired as "the man with the white gloves" after eight years. John, 63, from Colne, has appeared on a number of BBC One shows and starred alongside presenters including Anthea Turner and Eammon Holmes since
A CHARITY shop manageress has spoken of her disgust after a young thug stole £100 from her till. Joyce Cooper, of the Burnley and Pendle Hospice Shop, Dockray Street, Colne, labelled him 'a coward'. Police said the thief entered the Colne charity shop
BIDDERS were angling to reel in a bronze Neopolitan beauty. The classical 7ft statue was expected to make £10,000 at auction in Lynwood Road, Blackburn. It was an early work by Albert Carrier-Belleuse.
SOCIAL club punters potted more than £700 for charity after playing pool for 12 hours. Members of Waterside Social Club in Audley Range, Blackburn, organised the sponsored marathon for the mayor's charity.
A POOL challenge between teams from Clitheroe and Southport at the Buck Inn, Lowergate, Clitheroe, will raise money for Lancashire Air Ambulance. The event has been organised by Sue Kemp, who lives in Clitheroe and works at Debenhams in Southport. She
MELLOR businessman Bill Archer will pocket a paper fortune of almost £300million if his DIY chain floats on the Stock Exchange. The Focus Wickes Group is expected to seek a stock market listing this week, which would value the business at £1.4billion.
WORKMEN building a new gas pipeline across Lancashire have unearthed pottery dating back to medieval times near Samlesbury. Transco, which is building the new 30km pipeline from Samlesbury to Helmshore, unearthed what is believed to be 14th century pottery
THE father of a tragic toddler killed in a road accident today paid tribute to the little boy he called "my diamond geezer". Four-year-old Bradley Louis Turner was knocked down and killed after he ran out in front of a car outside Clitheroe Cricket Club
TWO Clarets stars will be having operations next month as they look to get fully fit for the start of pre-season. Ian Moore and Paul Weller were both key figures in Stan Ternent's side this season and, following the disappointment of missing out on a
DARWEN got their Northern Premier League season off to a flying start with an impressive 129 run, 15 point victory over Leyland and Farrington at Fox Lane on Saturday. Leyland asked Darwen to bat and after losing the early wicket of Hadfield, Jackson
RAWTENSTALL needed a four off the last ball to secure a thrilling Transco Lancashire League victory over Church on Saturday. Rawtenstall opener Chris Cook-Martin kept his nerve to do the honours and secure the points for his side in a dramatic finish.
THE man who took Robbie Williams to Blackburn is looking to build on the success of his first season in charge of Darwen Library Theatre. Steve Burch, manager of the Knott Street venue, doubled the amount of acts in the spring and saw many performances
DEVELOPERS converting a former church in Rawtenstall into flats have asked permission to build a further two flats in a second floor extension. The former Springside Furniture Depository, off Newchurch Road, which used to be a chapel, is already in the
FREE Computer training is available in Rossendale to anyone over the age of 19. The Stubbins Bridge Information Technology centre, in Cuba Industrial Estate off Bolton Road North, Ramsbottom will shortly be holding a number of Open Days. All training
PUPILS at Rossendale's largest primary school have said: "Konnichiwa" to their new teacher -- Japanese student Akane Funaki. Akane is at Haslingden Primary School until January on a cultural exchange programme to help the children understand more about
STEVEN Holt ran away from Blackburn magistrates court after justices adjourned to consider sentence on charges of deception and shoplifting. And the bench issued a warrant for his arrest although their original decision had been to remand him on bail
WORK on one of the most spectacular musical instruments in the north of England, costing a third of a million pounds, is nearing completion. The Blackburn Cathedral Organ, originally created in 1969, will be completely re-built by the end of June after
BURGLAR alarms will be fitted to empty houses instead of security screens in a bid to improve the look of a borough's estates. Twin Valley Homes has decided to relaunch a scheme originally pioneered by Blackburn with Darwen Council before it handed over
FRESH street sweeps to track down truants are to be held across East Lancashire in a bid to cut down on street crime. And pupils in Blackburn with Darwen are to take part in a new scheme involving 'authorised absence passes' which will enable them to
A GRANDMOTHER who has fostered more than 60 children from across East Lancashire has been named as the North West's number one mum. Sam Johnson, 48, was nominated for the NSPCC competition sponsored by detergent manufacturer Ariel and Asda by pal Michelle
WITH no sides to be relegated from the NWCL's second division this season there seemed little to play for but Bacup were stalled by an eager Castleton side. With no clubs coming through from the feeder leagues there was no pressure, but Oldham Town will
ROCK bottom Great Harwood gave Clitheroe a real run for their money - only to lose out to a fluke winner from the home side in front of a crowd of 221. Relegated Harwood - it has now been confirmed they will be playing NWCL Division Two football next
STANLEY'S league form continued to stutter - but they will be up for the cup tomorrow night. The Reds are in the hunt for their second piece of silverware as they look to come back from a 1-0 deficit and win the UniBond League Cup against Bradford Park
ROSSENDALE boss Jim McCluskie was gutted as derby rivals Chorley all but ended their UniBond First Division play-off hopes. Dale needed to win their three remaining games to keep in the hunt for a top five spot but three late goals by the resurgent Magpies
