Archive
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EVENTS taking place in East Lancashire on Wednesday, Date: February 27
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Blackburn Gilbert and Sullivan Society present "The Merry Widow," Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre, 7.15pm. West Accrington and Church Area Watch Committee, Ernest Street
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I'm hooked now says Shakers' latest convert
BURY...2, BOURNEMOUTH...1 BURY mum Gina Garvey paid her first visit to Gigg Lane on Saturday. This is her report . . . SOME months ago, my 11-year-old son Alexander and my husband, returned from the match at Gigg Lane and my son, who is of a lyrical turn
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Elderly should have a choice
THERE are reports in the media yet again of elderly people blocking hospital beds because they can't be discharged home -- or have nowhere to go. At some hospitals, six per cent of patients are involved. So Lancashire County Council's proposal to close
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Claim asylum to get a home
REGARDING your report (LET, February 14) about County Council leader Hazel Harding being grilled by MPs about the closing of some old people's homes, there she is wringing her hands in sympathy for them, yet she has got an 18 per cent pay increase along
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Cash should come from government
HOMES for the elderly in Lancashire are being closed down because £14.5 million can't be found to bring them up to new government standards. If the Government wants these standards to be met then why aren't they themselves funding these homes for the
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£370,000 M&S revamp opened
BURY'S Marks and Spencer store has had an official "re-opening" after a £370,000 revamp. And long-serving staff shared the limelight during the ceremony to mark the completion of the new-look store. Helping to cut the ribbon at the shop in The Haymarket
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Mixed review for local health Trust
BURY'S health chiefs have admitted there is room for improvement following the publication of the latest NHS performance indicators. Bury Health Care NHS Trust gained a mixed review against a range of clinical and public health markers. Figures showed
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Council rents set to rise
BURY Council is set to formally approve a 3.3 per cent rise in council house rents from April. This is the maximum rise the council can impose before it loses subsidy, and will mean larger increases for smaller properties. The rise equates to £1.50 a
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Minister steps in over homes
SOCIAL Care Minister Jackie Smith today promised to personally monitor the progress of controversial plans to close 35 of Lancashire County Council's homes for the elderly. It came as East Lancashire MPs united in Parliament to call on the county council
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A cup final saviour
A DOCTOR today spoke of the moment he helped save a rival fan's life on the way to the Cup Final and said: "It was the best result of the day!" Lifelong Blackburn Rovers fan Dr Jonathan Dewhurst dashed to the aid of a Spurs supporter who was suffering
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Residents invited to contribute to culture
RESIDENTS are invited to play their part in drawing up a cultural strategy for the borough. The blueprint will cover everything from the arts and libraries to sport and leisure, parks and countryside to conservation, tourism and heritage. All are welcome
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Tip battle goes to Euro Parliament
A GROUP campaigning against the siting of a tip in Shuttleworth has taken its protest to the Europe. Ramsbottom Against Landfill (RALF) has enlisted the support of MEP David Sumberg in its fight to throw out plans to turn Fletcher Bank Quarry into a landfill
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Local police join reform protest
BURY police have given the thumbs-down to police reforms. They have joined police officers in England and Wales voting 10-1 against the proposals, sending a stinging rebuke to Home Secretary David Blunkett over his plans for pay reform. Prestwich Police
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RMI hope for third time lucky
LEIGH RMI will have to stave off the persistent threat of the weather if their Conference clash at Stalybridge is to eventually go ahead tonight, kick off 7.45pm. Bower Fold was hit by the 'big freeze' to thwart the New Years Day clash on Thameside and
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Mixed results for youth sides
THE Academy sides had mixed results over the weekend with the Under 19s getting only a point but the Under 17s claiming all three. The Under 19s drew 1-1 at home against Wrexham. Andy Bell put Rovers ahead but the side squandered numerous chances to score
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Souness may appeal
GRAEME Souness will decide whether to appeal against his charge of misconduct by the Football Association - but he doesn't take anything back. The Rovers boss was in hot water over his behaviour towards referee Graham Barber during his side's FA Cup loss
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Don't give up on us Sparky!
WELSH dragon Mark Hughes has been urged by Andy Cole to postpone any retirement plans and carry on playing for Blackburn. Cole felt Hughes was outstanding as an emergency central midfielder for Blackburn in their 2-1 Worthington Cup Final triumph over
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The head is just starting to clear
WHAT a weekend! Arrived at our hotel to find our room consisted of an ingeniously converted fire escape. Not a good omen. But there was no fire, we didn't get hordes of residents scrambling over our bed in the middle of the night and things just got better
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Pets hurled as courier attacked partner
A FATHER of five slung a cage with two hamsters across the room and attacked his partner after a half-day drinking session. Burnley Magistrates heard courier Craig Atkinson, 34, punched his partner of 14 years in the face, splitting her lip, but later
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Pike enters row over apes jibe
BURNLEY MP and Clarets fan Peter Pike today entered the row over Foreign Secretary Jack's Straw's ape jibes and warned his colleague to beware of upsetting his own constituents. The move came as Burnley FC manager Stan Ternent added: "I think a man in
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Parents are warned over school holidays
EVERY parent of school-age children is being warned not to take them out of class to go on holiday. Education bosses are next week sending a letter to 28,000 parents saying that missed lessons can cost a child dear. They say the problem is getting worse
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Hospital unit lying empty
A NEW £700,000 mental health unit at Burnley General Hospital has remained unused for nearly three months because health bosses can't recruit the staff to run it. The psychiatric intensive care unit was officially opened on December 17 by Professor Rob
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Beds firm in ads blitz
SILENTNIGHT's popular Hippo and Duck characters are again set to hit the small screen as part of a further advertising campaign. The Barnoldswick bed manufacturer will use its characters in a £6million blitz over three weeks which will see the ads popping
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Meeting will put the views of rail workers
PENDLE Socialist Alliance group will tomorrow stage a public meeting in support of the rail workers' fight for better pay. The meeting at Nelson Library will be addressed by rail union representatives from Skipton and Manchester who will explain why they
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Hazel proves her worth
RAIN did not deter one ten-year-old from fundraising for a TV appeal. Hazel Johnson raised £110 for the Blue Peter's Help the Aged Appeal by holding a bring and buy sale and a cake stall at Cannon Street Baptist Church, Accrington, in the pouring rain
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Day of prayer
THE Women's World Day of Prayer annual service takes place at 7.30pm on Friday in St James Church. A coffee morning, in aid of the National Childbirth Trust, takes place in the United Reformed Church at 10am on Saturday March 2.
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King-sized party for ton-up Dorothy
FORMER weaver Dorothy Fletcher is celebrating her 100th birthday today by opening up her home for a king-sized party. Dorothy was due to open the doors to her Little Lane, Longridge, home so family and friends could pop in and help her celebrate her extra
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Home games are crucial in the run-in
STAN Ternent believes Saturday's win at Crewe could be a key result as he targets a first home win in more than two months. Promotion chasing rivals Birmingham City are the visitors to Turf Moor tonight and Ternent claimed: "We deserved the victory at
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Schools' expert praise
REMARKABLE improvements have been highlighted as Leigh schools celebrate their fourth year as part of a pioneering project. Children at 26 primary and secondary schools across the town have been on action stations since January 1999, when the government
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Souness may appeal
GRAEME Souness will decide whether to appeal against his charge of misconduct by the Football Association - but he doesn't take anything back. The Rovers boss was in hot water over his behaviour towards referee Graham Barber during his side's FA Cup loss
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Clarets eyes on main prize
BURNLEY'S players are not ready to settle for a place in the top six, their eyes are still firmly focused on automatic promotion. "We have got 12 cup finals to go and we have got to believe if we can win the majority of them we will go straight up," claimed
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Lawson injury blow for Shakers
IAN Lawson's injury jinx has struck again and the Bury forward could be out of action for two or three weeks writes Phil Thorp Last Saturday's goal hero injured his ankle during the crucial victory over AFC Bournemouth and that leaves a striking vacancy
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Footpath battle
A SEVEN-year battle over the routing of a public footpath is set to be heard by planning inspectors this week. A public inquiry will start on Thursday over the controversial footpath which runs through the grounds of the Charles Turner factory in Belmont
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Club plans could be hit
PLANS to create a new nightclub in Darwen could be scrapped after planning permission was granted for bedsits at a neighbouring property. Blackburn with Darwen planning committee gave permission for the conversion of the old Conservative Club offices
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People should do the same, says Rev Price
A VICAR who stopped by the roadside to help a lone police officer coax a man down from a motorway bridge today said: "It is time the public did more to help the police." The Rev Norman Price spoke out after receiving praise for his part in the rescue
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Jail for addict over knife raid plot
THE getaway driver in an attempted knifepoint raid on a sub-post office was today starting a four-year jail term. Peter Bortoft, 23, had been honest and hard-working until he fell victim to heroin and a judge said it must have been dreadful for his family
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DNA tests proved man's paternity
A MAN has been jailed for eight months after a DNA test proved he was the father of a 14-year-old girl's unborn child. John Bainbridge, 33, of High Street, Rishton, admitted having unlawful sex with the teenager on two occasions during a holiday in the
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Bloody cleaver attack brothers jailed
A MAN who launched a violent attack in a Blackburn pub while on bail for slashing a young father's throat has been sent to jail. Peter Furness, 34, and brother Geoffrey Wadley, 30, set upon Anthony Roake with a meat cleaver and a carving knife in front
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Storms cause motorway chaos
GALE force winds battered the area today causing storm damage and bringing local motorway networks to a virtual standstill. Gusts reaching 90 miles per hour were recorded in the region. Lanes on the clockwise M60 between Junction 10 and 11 were subject
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Like lambs to the slaughter
WAKEY, wakey! All you people concerned about our old folk being taken out of their accommodation and taken heaven knows where. Slobodan Milosovich is on trial right now for doing just that. He deliberately killed them. We have far more subtle means of
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Traffic lights car-jack terror for BMW driver
A DRIVER was car-jacked after he pulled up at traffic lights in his BMW at Astley last night. The man had dropped off a friend in Peel Lane at about 9.40pm and was waiting at the junction of Higher Green Lane. A robber wearing a balaclava opened the passenger
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Our old folk deserve better than this
REGARDING the proposed closure of old people's homes, I feel sick, angry, and bitter. How can this country treat its old folk in this way? Doesn't the Government, Lancashire County Council, and Blackburn with Darwen Council realise that this is the age
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Car thefts gang steal keys from homes
THREE cars were stolen in Leigh today after thieves broke into houses to steal car keys. Police are urging people to be extra vigilant after the gang broke in and took keys which had been left next to the doors. DS Bill Nelson from Leigh Operational Policing
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Communities compete for cash
THE ambitions of community groups will be clear to all at this week's annual meeting of Bury housing forum. Seven groups from across the borough have entered videos showing how they plan to improve their neighbourhood. These will be viewed by a judging
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London bound
TEN Tory councillors are heading for London to demand more police and a new road to Fairfield Hospital. They travel down on Thursday (Feb 28) to talk to Oliver Letwin, shadow home secretary, and Dr Liam Fox, shadow health secretary. One of the delegation
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Fans take to pitch as "final whistle" blows
THE final whistle at Gigg Lane on Saturday (Feb 23) sparked a "friendly" pitch invasion and signified the club was still alive and kicking. More than 4,200 spectators, 700 above the season's average, showed the town DID care about its football team, although
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Decision time on Unsal
ROVERS face D-day tomorrow when they launch their appeal for a work permit for Turkish international Hakan Unsal after he was initially denied one. The appeal will take place in Sheffield tomorrow morning. He was initially denied his move from Galatasaray
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Brazil death probe opens
AN inquest into the death of a former businessman who died in Brazil was opened yesterday. . At the inquest in Burnley, acting East Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor said a post mortem examination was carried out in Brazil and gave Geoff Pike's cause
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Drugs arrest is first of many
A COMMUNITY beat officer today renewed his appeal for information about drugs in a neighbourhood, after arresting a woman and the seizure of a quantity of what is believed to be cocaine and heroin. PC Justin Brown said he would continue with a zero tolerance
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£65,993 for extra childcare
BUSY parents and bored youngsters could be in luck, with new National Lottery funding for childcare places in Bury. Four projects in the borough have been successful with a total bid for £65,993 from the New Opportunities Fund. The cash is aimed at allowing
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Heated exchanges at special budget meeting
COUNCILLORS voted on a 5.75 per cent rise in council tax for Pendle after two meetings and a lengthy, heated debate. In an unprecedented move last week, the special council meeting to set the budget was abandoned after the Liberal Democrats did not table
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Beating the weather to get to Crewe
SATURDAY does not get off to the best possible start. This is due to a combination of payback from the previous night's merriment, coupled with the view from my front window, which suggests Burnley could rival Salt Lake City as a Winter Olympics venue
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Young thieves raid house
THIEVES broke into a Preston house while the owners were sleeping and stole their car. The three young thieves smashed a front window at the Squires Wood house in Fulwood, at around 5am on Tuesday, February 26. They reached in to take a set of car keys
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Residents to air views
RESIDENTS will be given the opportunity to have their say on a new traffic scheme at an Accrington Area Council meeting tonight. The proposed scheme for Avenue Parade, which will include the addition of yellow lines around junctions with side streets,
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Highland tour
A HUMOROUS journey visiting Glencoe, Glen Sheil, Glen Torridon, the Isle of Skye and Sutherland, will be described in The Highlands of Scotland, a talk by Don Austin. The show will take place in the library on Tuesday March 5 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £1
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Farming money scheme wins top award
THE Ribble Valley's Bowland Initiative has been awarded a top planning accolade. The project, which tests ways of restructuring upland farming, has won the award for planning for business in the Royal Town Planning Institute National Awards for Planning
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Irishmen are set to clash
JEFF KENNA'S former Blackburn team mates may be celebrating a Worthington Cup win but the full back has a more pressing concern - stopping fellow Republic of Ireland international Alan Moore. All eight of the Burnley winger's caps were won alongside Kenna
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Bruce's Blues bounce back
AFTER a miserable run in January when they failed to win a game, Steve Bruce's Blues have bounced back this month winning the only two games they have played. But with the clock ticking in the race for the top six, the much travelled manager knows that
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Tranmere teach kids another lesson
BURNLEY'S young players learned a couple of harsh lessons as they lost 4-1 to Tranmere Rovers at the weekend, the fourth time this season that they have been beaten by them. Boss Terry Pashley explained: "If you miss chances at one end and make mistakes
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Clarets eyes on main prize
BURNLEY'S players are not ready to settle for a place in the top six, their eyes are still firmly focused on automatic promotion. "We have got 12 cup finals to go and we have got to believe if we can win the majority of them we will go straight up," claimed
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Pupils brush up on their art skills
AN artistic aura is drifting through the classrooms of a Leigh school. Artist Margaret Jackson has been working with seven year olds in Y2 at the XII Apostles RC School on a peace and harmony theme. Margaret has also helped 11 year old Y6 students brush
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Lions crushed
SWINTON Lions problems deepened when they suffered a humiliating 75-12 home defeat to Dewsbury Rams at Gigg Lane. After the game coach Tony Humphries was stuck for words. He described his teams performance as devastating and heartbreaking. He said: "We
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Canaries on song
PRESTON went from wonderland to blunderland in the space of six days. And for keeper Tepi Moilanen, it was case of going from hero to zero as a 'what happened next' error effectively put North End out of the game. With 10 minutes to go and 1-0 down, Graham
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Gentle sex goes global
I always thought I'd want to be around when mankind conquered the stars - but now I'm not so sure. For more than a decade, scientists have been discussing the possibility of inter-stellar travel and a meeting of the world's top scientific brains has revealed
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Jazzmen plan live recording
THE popular Pendle Jazzmen will be recording part of their second album live at the Whitchaff Inn in Bury Road, Rawtenstall, on March 8. The group play each month at the pub on the second and fourth Fridays and on alternate Fridays they can also be heard
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Chartists opt to target election hopefuls
ROSSENDALE Chartists launched their public charter petition and are now asking candidates to sign up to good practice in Rossendale Council. Chartists secretary Brenda Wilkinson said: "The local political parties are currently selecting candidates and
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Care home plan see Minister step in
SOCIAL Care Minister Jackie Smith today promised to personally monitor the progress of controversial plans to close 35 of Lancashire County Council's homes for the elderly. It came as East Lancashire MPs united in Parliament to call on the county council
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Minister steps in over homes
SOCIAL Care Minister Jackie Smith today promised to personally monitor the progress of controversial plans to close 35 of Lancashire County Council's homes for the elderly. It came as East Lancashire MPs united in Parliament to call on the county council
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Belly dancers woo bus pass brigade
PENSIONERS across Lancashire are set for an eyeful of Eastern promise after a charity announced it was to swap tea dances for belly dances. Age Concern in the county is to introduce lessons in the ancient art of oriental hip-swaying as part of a health
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Father: I'll never know Paul's fate
THE father of kidnapped Blackburn student Paul Wells has said he does not hold out any hope of ever finding out what happened to his son. It followed news Paul's disappearance is being linked with the man accused of the murder of American journalist Daniel
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Non-League action
LAST night's North West Counties Division One game between Maine Road and Great Harwood was postponed. Weather permitting, Ramsbottom travel to Woodley Sports tonight in Division One and Bacup play Darwen at West View, Bacup, and Stand play Padiham at
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Gunmen strike at busy pub
DRINKERS were forced to the floor at gunpoint during a terrifying raid on a pub. And the landlord of Prestwich's Park Hotel, Tony Frain, had a knife held to his head as he was frogmarched to his office and forced to open the safe. A total of £3,000 in
