Archive
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Model weeps in court
A FORMER model, who claims to have been raped by Owen Oyston on a four-poster bed at his home when she was a teenager, yesterday (Wednesday) admitted accepting money totalling £1,300 from him in the months immediately after the alleged assault. The 25
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Little master Eliot's amazing triumph
LITTLE Eliot Foy's artwork could earn him and his family a trip to Atlanta for this year's Olympic Games - and £5,000 for his school. The five-year-old pupil of St Bernadette's Primary School, in Blackpool, has won a place as one of 25 finalists in the
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Cable orders joy
ORDERS worth £140,000 have been won by Blackburn-based Thorsman. The firm, which specialises in cable management systems, is supplying more than 1,000 metres of its new cable system for the Exchange Plaza development in Edinburgh. The Stancliffe Street-based
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Red card on racism
A CAMPAIGN to rid racism from Fylde schools is being set up with the help of Blackpool Football Club. Inspired by a similar programme in Newcastle, organiser Councillor Royston Jones intends to finally put racism to rest. And although he is aiming the
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Centurions at festival fever pitch
FESTIVAL fever hits Leigh's Hilton Park later this month. A four-day festival, called the 'Hilton Park Gala Weekend' is being jointly organised by Leigh RMI and Leigh Centurions RLC. The festival takes place from May 24-27, and the centre piece of the
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Lifting the Iron Curtain
WOLSTENHOLME International is venturing behind the 'iron curtain'. The Darwen firm has appointed GKS International as agent/distributor in Russia to supply the firm's metallic pigments and inks. "The prospects for the Russian market are good and we are
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Prayer and praise for school
A PRIMARY school in Culcheth has been given the praise of a Government inspector they could only have prayed for. But the praise for Newchurch Primary in Glebeland, which is on church land, fell short when it came to religious education. The 199 pupil
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Tracy is nuts about Brazil!
STUDENT Tracy Harris is preparing to jet off for the trip of a lifetime to Brazil. The 18-year-old is one of just nine Lancashire teenagers to win the chance to make the trip this summer through the Daniel Thwaites Travel Scholarship scheme. Tracy, who
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School used to impress the Duke
WHILE I am very pleased that the Duke of Westminster visited and praised 'Bank Top's Wensley Fold School' (LET, April 19), he has been seriously misled. The school is not in Blackburn's Bank Top; it is well within the boundaries of Billinge Ward. To my
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High-fliers have heads in clouds
PROJECT worker Leah Jemson and Stephen Atherton, a resident of Rathbone Community Industry in Imperial Drive, Leigh, have their heads in the clouds. But the pair are hoping kind hearted Journal readers will be prepared to back them in order to bring them
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We need you!
CALLING all Citizen readers - dig deep and help us raise cash for young trauma victims. Your priceless weekly is answering a call from Blackpool's Child Psychology Department to help provide a computer system through which young clients can communicate
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Artist dies after cancer fight
TYLDESLEY born Roger Hampson, who went on to become principal of Bolton Art College, and a well respected caricaturist, has died after a long fight against leukaemia. Mr. Hampson, a one-time pupil of Leigh Grammar School, where he gained a reputation
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Hospice boss quits
DISGRACED County Palatine housing boss Barry Neill has quit his high-profile Wigan Hospice role. Just a week after The Journal exclusively revealed that he had been sacked as chief executive of the Leigh-based County Palatine Housing Society, Mr Neill
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Ex-journalist steps up at county
FORMER Lancashire Evening Telegraph journalist, and Rossendale Labour councillor Hazel Harding has been appointed vice-chairman of Lancashire County Council - amid claims from Conservatives that the party is hogging the posts of chairman and vice-chairman
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Soccer club signs up vandals
A FOOTBALL club plagued by teeny vandals has decided: If you can't beat them, get 'em in! North West Counties League club Darwen FC plans to form junior soccer teams for troublesome youngsters - who are causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to the
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Rachel's cup of sorrow
A PENALTY shoot-out wrecked the dreams of a teenage goalkeeper who put one record straight but couldn't save her team from defeat last weekend (April 28). Accrington schoolgirl, Rachel Brown, 15, made history as the youngest ever player in an FA Cup Final
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'Slap in the face' for tragic mum
PARENTS of a Leigh toddler who died in the canal were fuming when council workers erected a six foot high fence outside their neighbour's house. Sandra Openshaw and her boy friend Paul O'Neill were left stunned by the decision to leave exposed the rear
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Wind farms warning
HOMES could be dramatically de-valued or rendered "unsaleable" if plans for wind farms are ever given the go-ahead, a Ribble Valley estate agent has claimed. Mr Ian Lloyd, a partner in the Clitheroe firm of Mortimer, Gorse and Ross, said he has no specific
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Heritage group polish up £1 million mansion plan
A MILLION pound scheme has been tabled to turn an empty mansion into a community centrepiece. Morts Astley Heritage Group has waged a relentless campaign to save Dam House on the Church Road hospital site which the NHS Executive wants to sell for housing
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Bohinen set to stake Chelsea claim
LARS Bohinen is ready to stake his claim for a place in the final countdown for Europe when Blackburn Rovers visit Stamford Bridge for their last Premiership game of the season on Sunday. The Norwegian international, who returned to first team duty as
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Water cards are 'health danger'
A CONTROVERSIAL pre-payment water-card scheme has been outlawed in Wigan council property. At the recent full council meeting, councillors voted unanimously to refuse North West Water permission to fit any of the devices in their 29,000 homes. Council
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Princess drops-in for work cheque
DOZENS of police and security men were on duty when Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, dropped into work at Golborne to visit a local factory and collect a £2,000 cheque for the Save the Children Fund. The Princess spent an hour at Angelica International
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Letter: Greetings from Seattle...
IT'S so nice to have the opportunity to visit your lovely web site on the internet. My wife and I live in America but spent some time in and around Blackburn and Clitheroe last September (1995). Our family came from there in the 1800s and Iwanted to let
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Hart and goal!
PROUD Preston's rollercoaster ride to glory is complete. Gary Peters' battlers clinched promotion and the Third Division title on Saturday with a gutsy 2-0 win at Hartlepool. The travelling thousands, who kept faith with North End through thin and even
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Chris signs on for Blackburn Rovers
BUDDING soccer star star Chris Whittle has been hand picked to join Blackburn Rovers FC as an apprentice. Chris, 15, knows the selection could lead to a career as a soccer star but he is keeping his options open. "I'm studying for ten GCSEs at the moment
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Tennis talents to the fore
THE tennis talents of youngsters from South Ribble Indoor Tennis Centre came to the fore as they qualified for the national final of the Girobank Junior Indoor Tennis Initiative (ITI) Challenge. The initiative is a partnership between the LTA and local
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Wheelie holiday cash back call
I WOULD like to bring to the attention of all householders in the Wigan Metropolitan area, whose wheelie bins are scheduled for collection on Monday next week, that there is an anomaly under which we are all suffering. The problem is that we are all being
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Fans dig deep for victory
PNE supporters in Bamber Bridge are planning to resurrect a coffin that has laid in a pub cellar for three years. Regulars at the Withy Trees in Station Road will be holding a mock resurrection ceremony for the coffin which has been used to symbolise
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Civic society blasts spending plan
A CIVIC society has hit out at a council's decision not to spend money on three dilapidated listed buildings following an award from the English Heritage Society. Blackburn Civic Society is angry the borough council has no plans to spend English Heritage
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Preston's very own birdman
NEIGHBOURS have nicknamed him the Birdman of Ribbleton - but Brian Fox won't hold that title for much longer. Brian, of Ipswich Road, is having to say a sad farewell to his small aviary - he has 62 budgies and when he moves house soon there will be no
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Rat-run: here's another solution
AFTER reading a letter in The Journal regarding the proposed closure of Taylor Road, Hindley Green, I would like to say that the Taylor Road estate can only be separated properly from Edinburgh Drive estate by closing the top of Stuart Avenue. This could
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Clare's brave golfing effort
CLARE Blackshaw of Blackburn Golf Club was runner-up in the Lancashire Ladies County Championship at Bolton's Lostock course at the weekend (April 28). Claire, 27, agonisingly lost out by just one hole in the final to Andrea Murray from Lancaster, having
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Mum's gas bill is slashed
THE Penwortham, Preston, woman who received a staggering £1,308 gas bill has had a double windfall this week thanks to the Preston Citizen. Since we reported that single mum-of-two Jackie Hall had been struggling to pay her bills, British Gas agreed to
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Double top as teams bring home the silver
PNE and Bamber Bridge FC - a winning double. Only a soccer sensation of a scale never before been seen will stop PNE being handed over the Division 3 trophy on Saturday at the last home match of their sizzling season. And Bamber Bridge made sure they
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The great baked bean war!
LOCAL supermarkets are locked in a price battle over one of the nation's favourite foods - baked beans! Kwik Save slashed the price of their standard size tin to 3p, a month (April) ago. Now Asda and Tesco have followed suit. Only Morrisons are refusing
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Pop-gun addicts
MUCH has been said in reaction to the Dunblane massacre on March 13 and the Home Office ponders possible gun law reforms. But there is still no action to prevent the indiscriminate use of air guns, which are popular with irresponsible adolescents. These
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Day a government minister was God
WHEN government minister Lord Henley took time out of his busy schedule to meet local school children, he left them feeling somewhat perplexed. "Is he a God?" asked one youngster, six-year-old Andrew MacDonald (pictured) of Mrs Barnes' Year One class
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Hendry's fan-tastic accolade!
COLIN Hendry is Blackburn Rovers' greatest player in the last 25 years. You the readers put him up there alongside legends Bryan Douglas (pictured) and Ronnie Clayton in our search to find Rovers best player since the war. And it is an accolade the big
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Residents in fear of children in den
GANGS of children have been terrorising a housing estate from their den built inside a rubbish tip. The youngsters have buried deep into sand underneath a pile of garbage at the entrance to the estate in Ashton, Preston, to build a cave from which they
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Drivers go for free parking
FREE car parking is back in Bury and hundreds of drivers have been taking advantage of it Temporary parking for 500 cars at Castlecroft has been arranged by Bury Council to counter the loss of town centre spaces up to September. If the scheme proves successful
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"Christies' a reality
HEALTH bosses received the perfect tonic today after moving a step closer to bringing the fight against cancer right into the heart of East Lancashire. We can reveal that a plan to develop a special cancer unit across hospitals in Blackburn and Burnley
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Busmen set to strike
BUSMEN were set to stage a lightning strike if Blackburn's transport department tried to 'pick them off.' They had been told to stop work immediately if transport bosses issued letters offering them jobs with new pay and conditions under deregulation
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BOXING: Bulldog to face star in TV showdown
BURNLEY Bulldog Warren Stowe has been drawn in as a last-minute substitute for British super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe in a televised bout in Dagenham on Saturday night. The eight-round non-title fight, chief support to Adrian Dodson's defence
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GOLF: Off to a flier!
LORA Fairclough today began her assault on the LPGA Welsh Open at St Pierre with a birdie on the third hole. And despite another on the seventh, Lora was one off the pace set by Caroline Hall on one under, after bogeying the 10th and 12th. The Chorley
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SNOOKER: Just perfect
STEPHEN Hendry may be a five-times world champion but that did not stop Justin Smalley beating him off the table when they met recently at the Hyndburn Leisure Centre. The 17-year-old from Preston's victory over the world number one was in an exhibition
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Wretched and ill-favoured
COMING home on a recent afternoon, I found that someone had tied a small wire-haired terrier to a post at the bottom of Coldstream Place, in Blackburn. The dog had been waiting for its owner for two hours when I arrived. Being a dog owner myself, I took
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It's not too late to vote
PERHAPS it is the sober British disdain for ballyhoo that makes today's fight for town hall seats across the country - and the incidental crucial opinion poll on the outcome of the looming general election - seem such a low-key affair. But there are other
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Federation in health care is smart move
SO-CALLED "federation" of services and specialities between neighbouring and ostensibly competing NHS hospital trusts is evidently the coming thing in health care. The trend has been sparked by the need to pool resources for greater efficiency and economy
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Eurocash for cottage industries
STAFF at Nelson and Colne College have got their hands on more than £350,000 in Eurocash to help turn crafts into cottage industries. They intend to use the money to give budding semi-rural entrepreneurs the ability to find their way through the business
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Award for world-beating robot
A MACHINE which makes three million complex computer parts a year at a rate of one every 15 seconds has earned a Pendle electrical firm a top award. World-beating Weston, Station Road, Foulridge, took the 1996 Machinery award for innovation in production
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Smoke bomb terror
THUGS launched a late night smoke bomb attack on the home of a couple who live in a troubled area of Accrington. The man and woman, who are both in their 50s and live in the Woodnook district, have been subjected to a series of frightening attacks. Woodnook
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Radiation-free zone
SPECIALISTS monitoring radiation levels confirmed Pendle's clean bill of health on the tenth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power station disaster. Tests are carried out every month by Brian Smith, of Pendle's environmental services to examine background
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Last-gasp drama for Leigh
LAST-GASP drama, some lusty blows and an afternoon of exciting sport! That's cricket for you! And Leigh beat the Old Enemy - Wigan - in sensational style in the weekend's National Cup showdown. It all came down to the last over. Leigh had posted a healthy
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Hughes vows to get tough
ERIC HUGHES this week promised blood, sweat and tears at Hilton Park. And he warned his new side to Get Stuck In! Blasting Leigh's training methods, the new coach admitted he was shocked by what he had found. "People keep telling me Leigh are in a false
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Pat's the way to do it
PAT JACKSON has seen it all. She is Atherton SC's most senior swimmer - and the medals keep on coming. As the youngsters did their stuff in the Central Lancashire Age Groups, Pat was herself back on the winner's rostrum. The Crown Pools at Ipswich staged
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Leader seeks police support on gipsy problem
COUNCIL chiefs are considering employing private investigators to help tackle the town's growing traveller problem. The bid is being spearheaded by council leader Dave Watts, who has written to St Helens Superintendent Anne Moore to ask for police support
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Eric's new life in the slow lane
LEIGH'S new coach is suggesting no miracles as he settles into the hot seat. "It's unlikely we'll get up this season," admitted Eric Hughes. "But, long-term, we have to be making progress in the First Division and then challenge for Super League status
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Hi-tech helping hand for jobless
A COMPUTER firm is helping long term unemployed people get back to work with a new scheme. Thripplewoods Computer Store - part of the P&P group - has joined forces with Castle Training which offers information technology training to more than 300
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Rescue meeting fails to avert closure
A MEETING held last Friday to try and save the doomed Coats Viyella factory proved unproductive and union bosses are now awaiting a second chance to argue the case for the Rainhill base which is due to close on July 12 with the loss of 386 jobs. GMB regional
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Looking back with Alan Whalley
MEMORY man Joe Seddon remembers it well - the day when the folk from around his old Parr neighbourhood were eating free onions for weeks. And it was all courtesy of a German bomber which dropped a stick of explosives on to a large allotment off Morgan
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Gun claim gets robber cash
POSING as a customer a man went into Nuttall Lane Newsagents on Bolton Street, Ramsbottom, last Saturday and demanded goods and cash, claiming he had a gun. He entered the shop at 5.50pm, selected some items and asked a 33 year old male assistant to put
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Student guide to low-cost meals
EATING well on a tight budget isn't always easy - but it is not a problem for health conscious pupils at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.l+2l-2All the ingredients were bought at local stores and each meal costs less than £5 to make. Now they have put together
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Domino girl knocks spots off sales targets
WHILE Tracey Williams's success at an annual sales award evening was being announced in Haydock, she was in Bury winning her way to the semi-finals of a pubs league dominoes competition! A sales consultant at the Co-op's United Norwest Travel branch at
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Welcome to Dodge City!
SOCIAL unrest and disorder is contagious - especially among the young. So the outbreak of juvenile malevolence on local council estates was entirely predictable. And no doubt there will be plenty more where that came from during the long, hot summer promised
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Farmers throw open the gates
FARMERS in the Ribble Valley will be opening their gates to the public as part of the annual "Welcome to the Countryside" campaign across England and Wales. Over a thousand farm open days and farm events will take place on a national scale to encourage
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Milestone birthday for old bus company
DRIVING up from Lincoln to celebrate a 90th birthday during the May 18-19 weekend will be a 1930s Leyland Lion double-deck bus fully dressed in Lancashire United Transport livery. The big occasion is the Boyle Street, Manchester, Museum of Transport's
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It's BGS v QEGS!
ONE of the biggest football matches in Bury Grammar School's history will take place later this month when they take on Blackburn's Queen Elizabeth Grammar School - better known as QEGS. The big event is the northern final of the Boodle & Dunthorne
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It's 'black gold'
THERE might not be many Beverley Hillbillies in Leigh, but there's plenty of black gold, thanks to a council initiative! For just 16 months after the council installed oil recycling banks at four centres across the borough, over 13,000 gallons of waste
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On track for bike youngsters
THE next meeting of Westleigh Community Partnership will discuss ways of providing a motorbike track for local youngsters. They are hoping to get hold of a piece of land next to the Asda store and talks are under way. Members are also keen to raise funds
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Ball games no good
REGARDING your article (LET, April 18) on the call for the removal of the 'No ball games' sign at Spring Vale Garden Village, Darwen. I am not a resident of that area, but I only wish I was. It is an idyllic, picturesque, peaceful and friendly community
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Welcome rain at Lowerhouse
LOWERHOUSE are the early leaders of the Marsden Lancashire League after their rain-affected win against Church. The home team set Lowerhouse 106 to win, with Hope and Flegler finishing with good figures, but after the weather intervened, Lowerhouse's
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Pop-gun addicts
WHY are animal rights groups not raising hell and blockading abattoirs in defence of the tens of thousands of health beats due to be slaughtered in the name of political expediency? K ELLELL (Mr), Westwood Avenue, Rishton. Converted for the new archive
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Student Paul on Brazil trip
A BURNLEY student has won a once-in-a-lifetime trip to learn about the way people live in far-off countries. Paul Berry, 18, sets off this summer for a two-week stay with a family in Brazil. He's one of nine winners of the Daniel Thwaites Travel Scholarship
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Key to safety
SAFETY-conscious firefighters are calling on people to keep a spare key to protect their lives. The call came after Burnley firemen were unable to get into a house because the occupier could not find the key for the mortice lock on the front door. Station
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Buyers' market
TRADERS and shoppers in Morecambe beat a path to the town's new Festival Market this week after years of bartering and haggling finally came to an end at Poulton Square. The new trading place, along with 400 car park spaces, off Central Drive, was launched
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200 meat jobs in jeopardy
A MEAT firm rocked by the mad cow disease scare today warned it could be forced to close after 100 years in business. And bosses at Great Harwood Food Products blasted the Government as they said: We can't carry on much longer. The Ministry of Agriculture
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Michelle's memory lives on
WHEN her seven-year-old daughter, Michelle, died last year, Barbara Szarko asked for people to make donations to the hospital instead of sending flowers. Michelle was mentally and physically handicapped and spent most of the last two years of her life
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Girls on top
GIRLS at Walshaw High School, Burnley, have come out tops in a scheme to link schools and the world of business. A group of year 11 pupils beat competition from across East Lancashire to take the club of the year title in the Compact awards. The scheme
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MP backs right to choose
PARENTS fighting to get their children into secondary schools of their choice have received the backing of Burnley MP Peter Pike. He says parents are right to appeal if they are unsatisfied with the school chosen for them by the county council. And the
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Bonney time down under
THE rugby mad pupils at Lancaster's Royal Grammar School are hoping to do what Will Carling and Co couldn't, beat the Australians at our own game. An ambitious, three-week rugby tour of Australia is being planned at the famous Lancaster school for next
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Shrimps are cup heroes
Morecambe 1 Bamber Bridge 0 ONE goal was enough to secure Morecambe's Lancashire ATS Trophy victory, and it was quite a strike from new hero Justin Jackson. More than 2,000 fans, the majority of them behind the Shrimps, packed into Deepdale for the final
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Seminar about grants
BUSINESSES can find out what help is available to improve their environmental performance at a seminar later this month. The event, being staged at the Burnley Business Centre, will highlight grants and schemes available for firms. Further details about
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The end of the line
IT'S the end of the line for a Blackpool family who have signalled a halt to one of the resort's most popular attractions. Ron and Jill Whiteside have put their Blackpool Miniature Railway Company Ltd up for sale after 13 years. The Wild West-themed train
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Anna's a class act
NETBALL ace Anna Newell was jumping for joy this week when she moved a step nearer to fulfilling her Australian dream. The captain of the under-16 England netball team has been selected for a tour of Australia this summer. Anna, from Rishton, will be
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Council's bank closure fury
HYNDBURN Council is threatening to withdraw its business from the National Westminster bank following the high street giant's decision to shut its Oswaldtwistle branch. The council signed a three-year deal with the bank on April 1, just days before it
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Residents buzzing over flies
A PETITION signed by 524 angry Leigh residents - protesting about swarms of flies and repulsive smells coming from the Hope Carr sewerage plant - has been handed to representatives of North West Water. The residents say they have been plagued by the flies
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Harwood safe from relegation
GREAT HARWOOD Town completed Mission Impossible... without kicking a ball! Fleetwood's 2-1 defeat against Curzon Ashton on Saturday (April 27) means they are relegated from Unibond League Division One. It ends an amazing first month's reign for new boss
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Job is only half done says Peters
GARY PETERS is an astute boss. He knows better than anyone that the job is only half-done. Guiding Preston into Division Two is merely Part One of a three-pronged challenge. Part Two is avoiding a quickfire drop in twelve months time, Part Three is mounting
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Grasshoppers 58 Wigan 5
PRESTON Grasshoppers rounded off their season with a swashbuckling display of running rugby to whack Wigan 58-5. Tries by Nick Bell, Neil Ashton and Barrie Greenwood, two of which were converted by Bell who also kicked a penalty, gave Hoppers a 22-0 half-time
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Letter: Tories blasted over child register
HAVING never contributed to your letters page before, I felt sufficiently outraged by the rejection of the bill of local Darwen and Rossendale MP, Janet Anderson, to write and say how very low certain Tory members have sunk in their responsibilities to
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Search for musicians
KEEN musicians are being sought to accompany a group of traditional Lancashire morris and clog dancers. The Lancashire Rose Morris Dancers in Leyland are asking anyone who can play a portable instrument - brass, woodwind, strings, percussion, accordions
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Letter: Thanks for the memories
I FOUND the supplement Bygone Days in last week's Citizen (25/04) very interesting. I am sorry to see that the splendid Northern Daily Telegraph building had such a short life - I hope they managed to get out the last Pinks, perhaps someone knew they
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Robot worker saves Council's cash
WORKING around the clock every day of the year including Christmas Bury Council's latest employee doesn't even need to stop for a cuppa! He - or rather it - is the robot helper that is now ensuring the local authority's operations run smoother than ever
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Fun and frolics
DURING May a non-stop 31 days of fun for sports and leisure lovers in Bury are on offer from the Borough's Leisure Services. From the first day to the last staff are promising an action-packed programme right around the Borough. Their Thirty One Days
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Iron and steel
BAMBER BRIDGE are champions of the UniBond Premier Division. The Irongate heroes got through by the skin of their teeth - and thanks to neighbours Chorley - to clinch the title on Tuesday. Bridge lost 2-4 away at Spennymoor, but Chorley's 1-1 draw with
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Nuns' fond farewells to town
A DEVOUT order of Catholic nuns who have quietly followed their religious vocation for the last 40 years are to return to their native Holland. The Carmelite Sisters, who are all past retirement age, will leave their convent on the outskirts of Blackburn
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Shaker leap-frogged in promotion race
INSTEAD of celebrating Bury were left to ponder what might have been after Darlington leap-frogged into the coveted last automatic promotion spot. At half time on Saturday everything was running to plan for Bury. They were winning 1-0 courtesy of a Mark
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Letter: Greetings from New York...
I HAVE been trying to contact an old friend who lives in Shear Brow, Blackburn. Her name is Els and she was formerly married to Joe Hamilton. She was widowed some years ago and remarried a fellow named Tom. I have lost their telephone number and have
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Memories are made of this
ONE of Preston North End's longest serving supporters has been honoured by his club after he wrote to them describing the time he risked being blown up to see his favourite team. Ken Heller, (top) 72, of Brighton Crescent, Ingol in Preston sent a string
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Bernard's still young at heart
KEEN gardener Bernard Dunleavy sees everything coming up roses this weekend when he celebrates the third anniversary of his lifesaving heart transplant at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester. Bernard, from Bury, will be dining out in style with his wife
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Whipping boys aim to fight back
ACCRINGTON celebrate their 150th anniversary this season and vow not to prop up the league for the second year running. The men from Thorneyholme are sick of being the Lancashire League's whipping boys and aim to make this a year to remember - in more
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Mum's the word!
JOBS for the girls was the theme of the day when staff at the Royal Preston Hospital took their daughters to work with them. Around 35 girls spent the day 'shadowing' hospital bosses in a scheme aimed at giving them an insight into traditionally male
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Borough take Challenge Trophy
RADCLIFFE Borough are the inaugural winners of the Wells Challenge Trophy after defeating Mossley 3-0 in a rain-soaked final at Curzon Ashton. Goals from the inspirational Luke Hardman (2) and skipper Andy Matthews clinched the victory for the Radcliffe
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A fitting anniversary
A DOUBLE 50th anniversary celebration for the Broughton Players and Preston Playhouse is set to be marked with a special production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Their joint history stretches back to 1978 when the Players started performing regularly
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Residents demand changes in planning row
RESIDENTS claiming they have been caged in by a seven foot high fence are demanding council action to make life bearable for their community. Dozens of people living in Stopes Brow, Lower Darwen, say they their views were not taken into consideration
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Yellow lines painted under student's car!
OUTRAGED student Antony Weller has vowed never to pay a parking ticket stuck on his car after workmen tried to paint yellow lines underneath the parked vehicle. Before leaving for the Easter holidays, the University of Central Lancashire first year student
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Sleep keeps game awake
RAMSBOTTOM's opponents Accrington couldn't get the sleep out of their eyes on Sunday ... Peter Sleep that is! The Aussie Test player, standing in for New Zealand professional Chris Harris who is currently on international duty, scored a superb, unbeaten
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Health Authority narrow hospitals options
LOOKING towards a better and brighter future Bury and Rochdale Health Authority chiefs have narrowed down the options that will affect hospital patients throughout the two Boroughs. Following a multi-agency meeting at Bury Football Club last Wednesday
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Stepping out to tune of £2,000
STEPPING out for charity - superfit fund-raisers tested their stamina in a four-hour Stepathon for the SuperScan Appeal. The successful event was held in memory of Margaret Stewert, close friend of the organiser Barbara Murray, who died of cancer in March
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Residents meet to oppose lodge in-fill
BETWEEN 150 and 200 angry residents opposed to in-fill work being carried out on a disused lodge near their homes in Bury discussed ways of attempting to "block" the planning application submitted to the Council by the owner. They labelling him as being
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Cyclone victims prayers
BANGLADESH communities throughout East Lancashire were offering prayers in mosques today after a devastating cyclone claimed up to 50,000 lives. Leaders of Burnley's 2,000-strong Bangladesh community were seeking details of the cyclone. And community
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Call me a Philistine
YOU can call me a Philistine as long and as often as you want, but when an artist can get work teaching students how to make full-size Paper People from cardboard boxes, newspapers, colour magazines and paper bags - I give up! Whatever forlorn hope I
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RUGBY LEAGUE: Join the Cougars
SUMMER rugby league has arrived and the ambitious Keighley Cougars are going for promotion in a big way, having won all four of their opening League Division One fixtures. Thanks to Rupert Murdoch's £87 million injection into the game, and the subsequent
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ATHLETICS: Grindley joins Modahl Witton field
BRITISH record holder Dave Grindley and Diane Modahl's training partner is to compete in the 400 metres in a spectacular Witton Park event. His opponents are all current internationals including Guy Bullock, Nick Budden, Ken Ulyatt, Paramjit Singh of
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CRICKET: Lancs in Kent grudge clash
LANCASHIRE moved from one grudge match to another today as they launched their Championship campaign at Canterbury. After another controversial clash with old rivals Derbyshire ended in victory in the Benson and Hedges Cup yesterday, they took on a Kent
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Let's tag them now
ELECTRONIC tagging and curfews for young louts, we are told, are on John Major's agenda. And there are many people who would like to see this plan off an agenda and put urgently into action instead - particularly those decent families whose lives are
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Home help crusade
A CAMPAIGN group to restore home help services to older people has notched up its first success. An 80-year-old woman from Loveclough, Rossendale, who lost her home help as a result of Lancashire County Council's social services cutbacks, was reassessed
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MPs in salute to Wembley warriors
ST HELENS MPs' John Evans and Gerry Bermingham have commended both rugby teams and their supporters on their conduct in the wake of this year's Rugby League Challenge Cup Final last weekend. A House of Commons Early Day Motion from both MPs said: "This
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Clarets agree fee for defender Bishop
BURNLEY today agreed an £80,000 fee with First Division Barnsley for defender Charlie Bishop. But Bishop's move to Turf Moor now hinges on him agreeing personal terms with the Clarets. "We have agreed the transfer with Barnsley, but at the moment we are
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War of words over bus passes
FURIOUS council leader, Dave Watts, has hit out at "rumours" that pensioners' bus passes are to be scrapped and says that the matter is definitely not under consideration. His fierce denial follows a report by Liberal Democrat councillors Sue Derbyshire
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New mission for Chernobyl victims
A CARING dental assistant touched by the plight of kiddies orphaned by the world's worst nuclear disaster, is urging local folk to rally round to bring a little bit of sunshine into their lives. Ten years on from Chernobyl the suffering goes on, but Amanda
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Also making the news at Wembley
An informal ceremony took place on the eve of the big match when, on behalf of the board, Saints director Eric Latham presented Eric Ashton with a commemorative rose bowl to mark his captaincy, coaching and chairmanship of teams at Wembley. Saints' suffered
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From the horse's mouth
WE are desperately trying to raise £200,000 in order to buy our sanctuary instead of renting. It is important for us to be able to stay here as so many people have put so much time and effort in making our lives better and we would hate to be unsettled
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Club team raise cash for charities
RAISING cash for Bury Portage - the organisation which helps children with learning difficulties and supports families too - enthusiastic footballers turned out last Sunday to take part in a special match. Players from Elton Fold Workingmen's Club played
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Gallery painting for Washington exhibition
ONE of Bury Art Gallery's most popular pictures, Spring Morning Haverstock Hill by Sir George Clausen, is bound for stardom in America. It is expected to form one of the centrepieces of a major exhibition on Victorian Art to be held in Washington DC next
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Fund-raiser for new church
STILL serving a useful purpose to its community after 29 years Saint Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Whitefield now wants to build a permanent structure. It will include a hall for social functions, and several meeting rooms for groups from tiny tots
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Housing milestone
TWO landmark buildings have been transformed into flats in a bid to inject life into a town centre. Norway House, the former Co-op building in Albert Road, Colne, and neighbouring Princess House have been refurbished as part of a £2.1 million housing
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Accountants plan help for new businesses
TO HELP local businesses on the road to success a new initiative has been launched by chartered accountants in Bury. Chartered Accountants for Enterprise aims to ensure that those who are already running businesses, or who are about to start out in business
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Alan's tourist business is rock solid
BURY'S tourist industry is sweet, and rock-ing all over the world according to The Town Crier newsagents on Market Street at the top of the the town's main street - The Rock! Owner of the family business Alan Phillips, who runs his shop with the help
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Schools target for anti-drug drive
HEADTEACHERS and senior governors will join the Council, Police and Health Authority representatives next week to launch Bury's pioneering anti-drugs drive, aimed at the Borough's high schools. The event on May 9 will mark the handing over of £25,000
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Terrier Zara goes missing
A LEIGH family are appealing for the public to keep an eye open after the disappearance of their daughter's Staffordshire bull terrier. The terrier, a bitch, is 18 months old and answers to Zara. She has a small white patch on her chest with very thin
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Denis Whittle talks rugby with Saints' coach
A WONDERFUL spectacle and silverware success as a bonus. So said Saints boss Shaun McRae after his high-flying squad had narrowly outpointed Bradford Bulls in a real cliffhanger at Wembley. WHITTLE: A trophy at last! That was the mood of ecstatic Saints
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Bobbie's bombs win it for Saints
Bradford Bulls 32, Saints 40 SAINTS brought the Silk Cut Challenge Cup back to town for the first time in 20 years after arguably the best of the 61 finals fought out at Wembley Stadium as both teams gave their all. It was an absolutely heart-stopping
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Top racers turn out for Thwaites GP
THE Thwaites Grand Prix - one of the country's top cycle races - starts today (May 2) and comes to Burnley on Sunday. More than 100 riders from Britain and abroad will compete in the five-day, 350-mile race through Lancashire. The 62-mile fifth stage,
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Continental Claret
BURNLEY are set to become one of the Endsleigh League's most cosmopolitan clubs. Having secured second division safety, manager Adrian Heath is starting his rebuilding process by tracking several players from the continent. A Dutch striker whose identity
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Cameras giving a sense of security
SPY CAMERAS in Blackburn town centre are already creating a sense of security for shoppers and visitors, say security bosses. Planners hope a closed-circuit television system scanning the streets 24 hours a day will make the centre safer and more secure
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No bandits here
THE sound of tokens clinking on metal won't be getting any louder thanks to a decision by the area's planning chiefs to reject two new amusement arcades in Lancaster and Morecambe. Two separate developers applied for permission to create the slot-machine
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Rock's about to roll
IT'S the question we all want to know the answer to. How do you take that first step towards rock and roll superstardom? Now the days of standing in front of the bathroom mirror playing your air guitar with the strains of Deep Purple or Van Halen blasting
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Blues are champions
Lancaster City 3 Radcliffe 1 THE champagne flowed freely at Giant Axe on Saturday as Lancaster City finally clinched the championship and promotion. The players paraded both the Unibond First Division trophy and the Unifilla First Divisional Cup in front
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Lost and found
A MORECAMBE pensioner has hailed the speedy response of the police after his bike was recovered only minutes after it was stolen. Morland Maychell, aged 64, applauded the the police's quick work after his bike disappeared from a family friend's home in
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Taxman warning over windfalls
INVESTORS looking forward to windfalls from building societies have been warned the taxman may want a slice. Several building societies are due to convert to a bank or merge with members receiving shares or cash bonuses. "Such bonuses can be chargeable
