Archive
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News team is up to the challenge
THE challenge had been accepted, but as deadline approached the front page was incomplete. News teams were working flat out to finish assignments and reach their readers by lunchtime - would they make it? This was all part of a busy NIE event for year
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Wreckers in school rampage
A HEADTEACHER today revealed that vandals are wreaking havoc at her school -- but a shortage of cash is hampering efforts to improve security. Elaine Grimshaw, head of St Mary and St Joseph's RC Primary School in Bennington Street, Blackburn, was disgusted
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'Devastating' blow as towns lose job creation cash
BURNLEY and Rossendale will miss out on millions of pounds of job creation cash following a European Union decision to wipe the area off the map for special help. Furious council chiefs in Burnley today described the decision not to allow the towns Assisted
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Cups of coffee for day trips
AN Easter coffee morning will help residents of Pembroke Court in Darwen get out and about. Proceeds from the event will go to social funds. Annie Brooks, 85, who has knitted more than a 1,000 blankets for charity during the past 20 years, was among the
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Church will miss gentle Canon Jim
A POPULAR vicar who was affectionately known as Canon Jim has died of pneumonia, aged 90. Canon Jim O'Brien (pictured) was vicar of St Cuthbert's in Darwen and also the town's rural dean. He lost his battle for life on Thursday afternoon. He is best known
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Up, up and away
SEVEN hundred balloons were launched at a money raising event at Stubbins County Primary School. They were let free by former head teacher Stan Johnson who was invited from his home in Salford to take part. Top prize for the balloon completing the furthest
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Post office crusade goes to capital
A COACHLOAD of campaigners from East Lancashire will travel to London tomorrow to join a national protest over plans to switch benefit payments from post offices to banks. Sub-postmasters and their supporters claim the move will be a "death blow" to thousands
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Closure home deaths in TV spotlight
BBC TV's Watchdog will this week look into the case of three elderly residents who died shortly after being moved from a closed Rossendale nursing home. Sixteen residents and staff at Rowell Grange Nursing Home in Woodlea Road, Waterfoot, were given just
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Talent simmering in our schools
MASTER chefs Andrew Nutter and Paul Heathcote watch out -- there are plenty of young pretenders waiting to steal your crowns. In the cookery classes of East Lancashire's schools the celebrity chefs of the future are preparing dishes to wow even the most
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Child benefit boost welcome
THE rise in child benefit to a record high has been welcomed by Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle. Payments for the eldest or only child will rise to a record £15 a week and from April next year, it will rise again to £15.50. For subsequent children it will rise
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David's long light wait over
A MAN who waited half a century to see the Northern Lights got a real spectacle of a show. Former art teacher David Coggins (pictured), 56, of Lammack Road, Blackburn, was six years old when he last had the chance of witnessing them. He said: "I remember
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Down by the Riverside
A fan's-eye view from Ewood Park, with Phil Lloyd DO YOU think the Scots celebrate April Fool's Day a week later than the rest of us? Before the Wolves game, fans and players are told it is a 'must win' game, if our faint play-off hopes are to be kept
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Duff dismisses Ewood quit fears
DAMIEN Duff today dispelled any suggestions that he will be looking to leave Ewood this summer, stressing he is more than ready to tackle another season of First Division football with Blackburn Rovers. There are no guarantees in the game -- as Rovers
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Events in East Lancashire on Wednesday, April 12th
"Silhouette," Arts Club Theatre, Gibraltar Street, Blackburn, 7.30pm. "Oliver," Pendle Hippodrome, Colne, 7.15pm. Fun Quiz, Baxenden Conservative Club, 8.30pm. Craftsmen At Work, Samlesbury Hall, 11am-4.30pm. Dried and silk flowers; China tableware. Blackburn
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Bond night pulls in high rollers
DRINKS were shaken not stirred and revellers were dressed to kill for a tribute to James Bond theme night at Mitton Hall. The event featured cocktails and canapes followed by a five-course meal. And in honour of 007, party-goers had the chance to win
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Freedom bid costs owl its leg
A YOUNG barn owl which tore herself free from captivity had to have a leg amputated -- and now needs a home. The three-month-old bird, christened Olive by veterinary staff, was found on a road in the Wellgate area of Clitheroe. She was taken to Graham
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Long search in cemetery
ON a recent visit to Pleasington Cemetery, Blackburn, it took me 40 minutes to find a grave of a friend, as none of the sections -- such as A, B and so on -- are indicated. Surely, it's not too difficult for the council to provide appropriate markings
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Boot on the other foot
THOUSANDS take to the streets to fight for Rover jobs. Union leaders are pleading for help to fight BMW's decision to dump Rover. Bill Morris, TGWU leader, makes sure he gets plenty of TV coverage, but I haven't much sympathy for Rover workers. Did they
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Reward for hard work
REGARDING the complaint by Benjamin Davies (Letters, March 18) that more than 95 per cent of pupils were not allowed to see Jack Straw on his visit to Moorland High School, Darwen. The previous year the high school Grimewatch award was won by Moorland's
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Questions will be answered
REGARDING the proposed transfer of Blackburn with Darwen's council homes to a new not-for-profit housing organisation. Jim Buckley (Letters, March 27) suggests tenants are being 'railroaded.' This is not so. It is a government requirement that the council
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FIVE YEARS AGO: Butterfly volunteers
PRINCE'S Trust volunteers came to the aid of an environmentally-friendly Ribble Valley school to help pupils create a butterfly garden. The project was just one of a series of environmental enhancement schemes which young people from the Prince's Trust
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MARATHON: Capital clash for Rovers and Burnley!
THE football rivalry between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley will this Sunday spill over into the London Marathon. A representative from each English League team -- whether on the staff or a supporter -- will don their club strip and compete in the "Football
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Ian's magic carpets
BUSINESSMAN Ian Olerenshaw (pictured) is enjoying a fairytale success -- making hand-made carpets based on nursery rhymes. His business, Reedley Carpets, based at Friendship Mill, Read, has branched out into creating personalised carpets which include
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Duff dismisses Ewood quit fears
DAMIEN Duff today dispelled any suggestions that he will be looking to leave Ewood this summer, stressing he is more than ready to tackle another season of First Division football with Blackburn Rovers. There are no guarantees in the game -- as Rovers
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Huge pay rises rises slammed
MASSIVE pay rises awarded to newly-appointed bosses of Burnley and Padiham Housing were today slammed as "a betrayal of the tenants" by a top housing manager. Pendle housing boss John Kirk said Pendle would strongly resist any move to transfer its 4,000
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Sweet treats for rainbows
RAINBOWS enjoyed arts and crafts and songs and games with a millennium bug theme. About 60 members of the youngest branch of the Guide movement took part in the millennium bug theme party at Accrington town hall. They made ladybird biscuits, fished for
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Primary school a shining example
A PRIMARY school has been praised for its good quality teaching and the positive attitudes of its pupils. The team of Ofsted inspectors said that Benjamin Hargreaves Primary, Barnfield Street, Accrington, identified that pupils' behaviour, personal development
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Let's party
A PARTY time theme gave pupils in Nelson chance to turn entrepreneur for the day when they joined the world of business. Teams of pupils in year nine at Walton High School, led by visitors from local companies including NIE co-ordinator Rita Shaw, were
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Inquiry aim to shape town's future
A PUBLIC inquiry has opened into a major plan that looks at development in Blackburn and Darwen over the next six years. The council's local plan aims to boost the borough as an attractive place to live, conserve and enhance the character and commercial
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School puts sun back into Sunday
A SUNDAY school which started out with just five youngsters has grown from strength to strength and now has 50 members. Youth Leader Steven Parker runs St George's Sunday School in Mill Hill and says the youth group, for 12 to 16-year-olds, has become
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Meningitis victim's final rest
THE body of a Blackburn mother who died of a rare strain of meningitis has been flown home to Pakistan. Kausar Ali, 29, died of meningitis W135 just days after returning from the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Mrs Ali helped to run a
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Volunteers nominated for awards
VOLUNTEERS who have made an outstanding contribution to their community are in line for top awards. Rossendale Hospice fund-raisers Sheila Townson and Susan Troughton have been nominated for the Whitbread Volunteer Action Awards 2000. Sheila, 57, of Milton
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Race incident reports have doubled
RACIST incidents reported to Lancashire police look set to top the 1,000 mark by the end of the year. The staggering total for the last 12 months is more than double the 1998/1999 figure, but police chiefs say it only proves the success of their strategy
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Primary school 'not value for money'
A team of Government inspectors has told a primary school it is not offering its pupils value for money. The Ofsted inspectors reached the conclusion after visiting St Saviour's Community Primary School in Lane End Road, Bacup. The school was praised
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Safety message secures prizes
TINY tots from playgroups across Pendle have been rewarded for spreading a road safety message. The youngsters took part in a poster competition received prizes from the Mayor of Pendle Councillor Edwina Sargeant at North Valley Community Centre, Colne
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£1m fraud uncovered
INVESTIGATORS checking up on benefit fraudsters saved Blackburn and Darwen council taxpayers more than £1million in the last 12 months. The council's benefits investigations unit discovered and corrected wrongly paid benefits of £938,236 up to February
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Millennium bug magic
ARTS, crafts and a magic show entertained 140 little Rainbows at their millennium bug party. The youngest members of the Guide movement descended on Pleckgate High School for a celebration with a millennium bug theme. A children's entertainer wowed the
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Cummings and Goings
A fan's-eye view from Turf Moor, with Stephen Cummings THERE was no one else on the pitch who could have done that. There was no one else in the division who could have done that. And you could probably count on one hand the number of Premiership forwards
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Spooner pay-out after Turf injury
NICKY Spooner has won his fight for compensation against Burnley Football Club and ex-Claret John Gayle -- almost five and a half years after a horror tackle nearly ended his career. The 28-year-old former Bolton defender has agreed a "substantial" damages
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Wheel raises £600
BLACKBURN Inner Wheel have handed over two cheques from the proceeds of their shop in Lord Street West. Marion Williamson, president, presented £500 to the RNLI and £100 to Life Education, the Inner Wheel's current charity, chosen by district chairman
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'Flat' Jack joins old school pals
FORMER Lancashire cricketer and chairman of Lancashire Cricket Club Jack Simmons was among those who gathered for an emotional school reunion. Ex-pupils of All Saints' Primary School and Mount Pleasant County School, Clayton-le-Moors, attended the event
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Riverbanks given spring clean
EVERYTHING including the kitchen sink was cleared away from Witton Park's riverbanks by environmentalists and Blackburn's Community Service team. The Tidy Britain Group teamed up with the offenders doing community service on Friday and Saturday to tidy
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School venture scoops award
A RIBBLE Valley high school has made almost £12,000 with a business venture started with just £250. Pupils at Ribblesdale High School, Clitheroe, set up Phoenix in September as their entry in this year's Young Enterprise competition. Neil Ashworth, who
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Foreign firms milk system
WITH all the media furore over the alleged 'problems' of asylum seekers, it is interesting to look at the behaviour of rich foreign businessmen and women who visit our shores, in the light of the Rover fiasco. They make misleading and untruthful statements
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Fight to save ours rights
WE live in an age of increasing taxes, growing regulation and threats to our remaining rights, such as trial by jury. But on Easter Sunday, April 23, ordinary people will have a chance to stand up for their endangered freedom. At 2pm, a march sets off
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Critics off the mark
JOHN Eddleston, David Rogers and others are way off the mark when criticising the Labour councillors of Blackburn with Darwen regarding the new political structures (Letters, April 4). For example, Mr Rogers states that a "small cabal of councillors"
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NON LEAGUE SOCCER: Harwood still struggle
Great Harwood Town 0 Newcastle Town 3 ANOTHER punchless performance from struggling Harwood saw them comfortably turned over by a Newcastle side still chasing promotion. A goal down in the opening minutes following a freak bounce of the ball, Harwood
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NON LEAGUE SOCCER: Bridge boss slams LFA
BAMBER Bridge manager Tony Greenwood has slammed the LFA's decision to stage tonight's Marsden Lancashire Trophy final at Chorley's Victory Park. Bridge face fellow UniBond Premier Division outfit Marine but Greenwood feels the whole competition has been
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TEN YEARS AGO: Strikers back at work
PRODUCTION work was back to normal at Crown Wallcoverings in Darwen after hundreds of workers walked out on strike. The day-long strike came after a disagreement over absenteeism, and workers and management talked late into the night to reach a settlement
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Depressing state of school vandalism
VANDALISM at a Blackburn primary school is so frequent that staff don't know what to expect when they turn up on Mondays. In the latest attack, seven windows were broken and paint was spattered all over the children's work. Yet, depressingly, we are told
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Robbing the poor to pay the rich
ACCORDING to the government's spin, half the North West's population will benefit from job-boosting EU regional aid. That aid would be worth more than £250million a year if its proposals to raise spending on Britain's needy areas get the go-ahead from
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Drink-drive security officer may lose job
A SECURITY and first aid officer who was caught over twice the drink drive limit may end up losing his job, Burnley magistrates heard. The court was told how Gary Philip Higson, 37, needed his driving licence to take anybody who was injured at Baxi Heating
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'Devastating' blow as towns lose job creation cash
BURNLEY and Rossendale will miss out on millions of pounds of job creation cash following a European Union decision to wipe the area off the map for special help. Furious council chiefs in Burnley today described the decision not to allow the towns Assisted
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Kiddies' benefit
COMEDIAN Johnny Casson and Stacey Grant from Stars in Your Eyes performed at a charity event at the Poplar Working Mens Club, Wellington Street, Accrington. Some £1,000 was raised for the NSPCC. Johnny is pictured signing his autograph for Carol Lee.
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Jobs cash lifeline blow
BUSINESSES in Hyndburn -- which have used millions of pounds in European money to secure jobs during the past decade -- have had another cash lifeline cut. The Government has reversed its decision to offer Hyndburn assisted area status, which gives businesses
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Seven kids and mum flee house blaze
A MUM and her seven children escaped when fire badly damaged the bedroom of their home in Nelson. Firefighters were called to the house in Smith Street at 7.30pm yesterday to find the bedroom well alight. The family managed to get out safely. The fire
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Window firm's clear future
A LOSS-making window company, saved by takeover two years ago, has returned to profit -- and is to create up to 35 new jobs. The Nelson-based Sovereign Group was bought from parent Nelson Glass Ltd for a nominal amount by its largest supplier Veka plc
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Together again
FORMER pupils of Darwen Secondary Technical School travelled from all corners of the country for a reunion. Almost 200 pupils and teachers from years 1946-1972 attended the party at the County Hotel, Blackburn, to find out what has happened since they
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Putting the record right
ORGANISERS of Darwen Gala 2000 says they are still getting inquiries about a mistake published in a council millennium brochure months after it was made. Darwen Gala Committee has confirmed the event will take place on Saturday, August 19, at Borough
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Campaign to raise cash to Timothy's memory
YOUNG classmates of a three-year-old who died of meningitis have raised money for research into the deadly disease. And Timothy Haworth's parents have decided to launch a campaign to raise more cash for the National Meningitis Trust in his memory. Timothy
