Archive

Date

Parkies are thriving in the urban jungle

I would like to bring to the attention of readers and non-readers alike the increase in 'Parkies' in our town. Or should I say people who sit in cars outside people's houses like they are on surveillance duty or something. I've noticed them and I'm sure

Date

Call to see sense cures the yobs

YOUNGSTERS who smash, vandalise and destroy take up a lot of time which is valuable to the emergency services. School holidays and half terms are particularly busy as police, fire and ambulance staff find themselves racing around to sort out the havoc

Date

Winter bowls

THE 18th winner of the Pennington Park Winter Bowling competition is John Cooke who beat Alan Williams in the final 21-15. The consolation final was won by Dennis Thorpe who beat Jimmy Prescott 21-16.

Date

U13s lose lead

LEIGH Miners Rangers U13s went down 26-20 at Latchford. Some questionable refereeing decisions in the second half saw the Miners lead slip away after they led 16-14 at half time. Tries came from Williams 2, Marsh and Flannery. Youds converted two.

Date

A funny kind of sadness

KEN DODD tells JENNY SCOTT about his feelings following the death of Bob Monkhouse - and looks forward to a visit to East Lancashire IT'S a case of one comic legend saluting another. For 76-year-old Ken Dodd is in the midst of preparing a heartfelt tribute

Date

New York, London... Ribchester!

NEW YORK, Ibiza, London and now Ribchester. The Ribble Valley village may not sound like the obvious venue for an appearance by a DJ duo who command dancefloors around the world - but it's exactly the place The Slammin Boys are heading for next month.

Date

Who would believe it?

IN the 26 years he was on our TV screens, he duelled with daleks in various different guises. But he has never yet been a she. However Colin Baker, one of the actors who helped make the role of Doctor Who one of the most famous in television history,

Date

Highfield blast back

Air Miles Manchester League Premier Division: HIGHFIELD UTD...4 WILMSLOW ALB...0: HIGHFIELD'S 'four bore' blasted Wilmslow wide apart in their first home game for five weeks. Badly needed remedial work had been carried out on the playing surface earlier

Date

Out-dressed but not out-pointed

BURY RUFC...9 BURNLEY...0: WHILE sartorially outmatched by the opposition, who to a man dressed in club jacket and tie, it was Bury who ultimately showed that substance over appearance is what matters. The home side started at a gallop, and were threatening

Date

Tigers' defeat lets Nottingham leapfrog into the lead

NEWBURY...25 SEDGLEY PARK...18 RFU National League Two: PARK travelled to Berkshire without the injured Jim Naylor, Hugh Thomas and Willie Stockdale and, as if to ingratiate themselves further with their hosts, presented Newbury with a try inside the

Date

Help plea for dissertation

I AM a postgraduate politics student and would like to enlist the help of your readers. For my dissertation I am studying national voting trends. To identify such patterns I have created a brief questionnaire for any reader who would like to assist in

Date

Our fruitless search for the elusive wardens

THE best earner yet is for a council to charge people to park in their own street. This is laughingly known as 'Residents Only' parking. In the area around Blackburn Royal Infirmary there is a constant stream of cars parked without the necessary permit

Date

Council's not perfect, but is much better

STUART Finch is wrong to suggest people in the Ribble Valley or Blackburn with Darwen should not support an elected regional assembly. Yes, is the way to vote in the forthcoming referendum. A yes vote won't, as he says result in bureaucratic madness -

Date

Council's not perfect, but is much better

STUART Finch is wrong to suggest people in the Ribble Valley or Blackburn with Darwen should not support an elected regional assembly. Yes, is the way to vote in the forthcoming referendum. A yes vote won't, as he says result in bureaucratic madness -

Date

World music and dance comes to Thornton

WORLD music and dance comes to Thornton this weekend with belly dancing and African drumming adding to the fun. Thornton Little Theatre, Four Lane Ends, is hosting workshops this Saturday, February 21, with belly dancing for all ages, men and women, 2.15pm

Date

Concerns for missing man (22)

CONCERNS are growing for the safety of a man missing for more than a week. Darren Low (22) was last seen on February 11 while visiting his parents in Southport. He lives in Goldfinch Drive, Bury. He is 5ft 9ins tall, of medium build with brown eyes and

Date

Firebugs hit former school

ARSONISTS are being blamed for a fire at the former Manchester Jewish Grammar School site in Prestwich. Shortly after 4pm on Wednesday (Feb 18), firefighters were called out to the derelict school in Charlton Avenue to deal with a blaze in a second floor

Date

Floor staff stand up to armed raiders

ARMED raiders fled empty-handed when staff at a floor company stood their ground. Two hooded men carrying a hammer and a baton burst into the Floors 2 Go sales showroom in Bolton Street, Bury, and demanded staff open the till. When they refused, the thugs

Date

Raiders snatch £80,000 at Asda

ROBBERS have escaped with around £80,000 in cash from Pilsworth's Asda store. A security guard was struck across the head with a sawn-off shotgun when the gang of four masked men swooped on a Post Office security van outside picking up cash from the supermarket

Date

Cash-boost to help the young

YOUNG people in the borough are to benefit from better advice and support. That is the forecast after Bury Council was awarded the £1.4 million contract to take over the Connexions service. The contract has been awarded by Greater Manchester Connexions

Date

Parks win £3m transformation

CLARENCE Park is set to be transformed as part of a £3 million boost for local parks. Bury has been chosen as a pilot area to receive money from the Government under its "liveability" project to improve people's surroundings and green spaces. The grant

Date

Council goes "shopping" for foster carers

PUT the prospect of fostering on your list! That's the message which will go out to shoppers next week when staff from Bury Council's family placement team visit the Asda store in Pilsworth next week. Staff will be up at the Asda store on Thursday, February

Date

'We fight on' says Starbuck

LEIGH RMI will not slack in their fight to stave off relegation. It looks bleak for the Railwaymen, seven points adrift of safety and with only one win and seven defeats in their last eight games, but manager Phil Starbuck says he will not allow his side

Date

Rape case man in appeal hearing

A PRESTON man found guilty of raping a woman who had turned to him for help was this week granted permission to appeal. Parhibah Patel, 59, of Lark Hill Street, Preston, won the first round of his legal battle to clear his name at the Criminal Court of

Date

Mill's £20m upturn

A £20MILLION luxury housing development will restore Preston's historic Centenary Mill to its former glory. Work has started on the rejuvenation of the 109-year-old building in Newhall Lane and developers believe it will be ready by Christmas. "It is

Date

Toilets not at our convenience

TRADERS claim shoppers and stallholders are being inconvenienced by the early closing of public toilets at Preston market. They claim the toilets have been closing at 4.30pm or even earlier, while most market stalls and city centre shops do not close

Date

Community groups share in cash aid

COMMUNITY groups in areas served by Newsquest titles, including the Preston and Leyland Citizen, will share in a massive cash bonanza this year. A total of £512,653 is available to worthy causes in the UK from the Gannett Foundation which is sponsored

Date

Viewpoint of the world

A PRESTON man is visiting the occupied Palestinian town of Nablus recording a video diary of the plight of its people. Bilal Patel, 34, from Frenchwood Avenue, arrived with his sister Sufia Makkan, 28, on February 14. Before he left, Bilal told the Citizen

Date

Experts prepare for space conference

MARTIAN meteorites and Moon missions will be on the agenda when Lancaster scientists share their space research with experts from around the globe. A Lancaster University team is flying to Houston, Texas, to shed light on their work at the 35th annual

Date

'It's an attempt to come onto our turf'

BRITISH National Party leader Nick Griffin has hit back at Tory leader Michael Howard's attack on the organisation. He said the BNP was a stronger political force in Burnley that the Conservatives, with seven seats on the council, compared to their three

Date

New gateway to win go-ahead

DERELICT swimming baths could soon make way for a brand new gateway into Lancaster. The blueprint for another phase of development for Kingsway baths, on Bulk Road, has been lodged with Lancaster City planners. It is due to be discussed on Monday - and

Date

Tory leader visits disaster scene

FIGURES from the Chinese community met Opposition leader Michael Howard this week during his 'fact-finding mission' to Morecambe in the wake of the drowning disaster. The Conservative Party leader, pictured, came to the area to learn from detectives about

Date

Hundreds will join university walkout

HUNDREDS of lecturers at Lancaster University are going on strike next week to show their disgust at pay proposals. Academics and support staff, who belong to the higher education union AUT, will walk out as part of a national dispute over plans to overhaul

Date

Loanees to leave Gigg

DAVE Challinor and Jon Daly look set to return to Stockport County at the end of their current loan spells. Striker Daly, and central defender Challinor in particular, have both played influential parts in the Shakers' revival in recent weeks. The club

Date

Mum's 'come home' plea to Kirsty

THE mother of a teenage girl missing for almost three weeks today revealed she feared for her daughter's life. Kirsty Haslam, 15, disappeared from her home in Mansfield Crescent, Nelson, on February 1 at 3.30pm. Her mother Lorraine, 39, a care worker,

Date

Worried by Aldi collapse

I WAS concerned to read the report in the Citizen of the wall collapse at the Aldi store on Morecambe promenade. First, I was surprised to learn that all Aldi store telephone numbers are ex-directory and amazed at the comment from the regional office.

Date

Write now to bring back hunting Bill

IT IS pure hypocrisy for hunt supporters to slate the recent rejection by MPs of Lembit Opik's 'Middle Way' Bill on wild animal suffering. It was a desperate, cynical attempt to pre-empt a hunt ban - for which elected MPs have voted six times by massive

Date

We don't fall for it

I SEE from the fledgling England First Party's letter last week that it is learning rule one in politics: only tell them what you want them to hear. The EFP says it has policies like keeping council tax rises below five per cent, shrinking council bureaucracy

Date

I must respond to blatant lies

I WISH to reply to the letter from 'Free Man' published last week. I would not normally answer such a coward but as he makes some of the most vile remarks I have ever read, I feel I must do so. First of all he claims that the England First Party is a

Date

It's an awfully long time to wait to spend a penny

SIR, I do have sympathy with Mr J Corbett who is campaigning about lack of toilet facilities in Leigh (Journal Feb 12). I shop in Leigh and the trouble we ladies did have regarding the bus station toilets was ridiculous. Eventually we got our own way

Date

Village staff achieve NVQs

WHAT do two receptionists, a membership sales adviser, a housekeeper, a barman and conference and banqueting assistant have in common? The answer is they have all just successfully achieved National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) at levels Two and Three

Date

Power-move with a charitable outlook

A START-UP firm in Holcombe Brook has launched an innovative way for big businesses to meet their energy requirements while helping support charities and disadvantaged communities. Community Energy Trading Limited (CETL) has seized the opportunity presented

Date

No old pals acts from Camara

MO Camara is warning there will be no old pals act when he comes face to face with fellow Guinean Drissa Diallo. The two old friends could be in for a series of touchline tussles tomorrow as Burnley's left back faces the Tractor Boys' stand-in right back

Date

QPR fan paid for Gnohere transfer

Arthur Gnohere is set for a TV debut tonight after a mystery fan funded his signing from Burnley. The Clarets defender has agreed a two-and-a-half year deal with the Hoops following the generosity of a supporter, who came to Rangers aid when a deal looked

Date

LOCHHEAD: I'm glad to see the back of Arthur

I KNOW Arthur Gnohere was a fans' favourite, but you only become that by performing on the pitch and in my book, the king's crown slipped a long time ago. When he first came to Burnley, he was enthusiastic, the right age, had confidence on the ball and

Date

Chaplow vow to Clarets

RICHARD Chaplow has vowed to keep his feet on the ground after being brought back to earth with a bump. The Burnley midfielder swaps the dizzy heights of England for a relegation scrap tomorrow as the Clarets look to extend a four-game unbeaten league

Date

Diallo bids to silence 'best man'

DRISSA Diallo only needs to look back to his wedding day to remind him of Burnley. There on the pictures, alongside the bride and groom, is the trademark grin that belongs to 'best man' Mo Camara. The two Guineans have been firm friends for a decade -

Date

OAP dies in blaze

AN ELDERLY disabled man was found dead in his armchair by firefighters at a blaze in a North Shore flat yesterday (Wednesday). George Meighan, 72, was pronounced dead at the scene after the severe fire which began in his ground floor flat at Fielding

Date

Rude awakening for young Miners

AFTER last week's win against Leigh East, Leigh Miners Rangers U11s were brought back down to earth with a 34-4 defeat by Blackbrook. Unfortunately, too many of the Rangers players appeared to be still half asleep and were made to pay against a much bigger

Date

Tyldesley scare leaders

TYLDESLEY RU visited Fleetwood and despite a good showing against the league leaders it was the Fishermen who netted the spoils. Fleetwood started brightly, scoring an unconverted try after just three minutes. However, Tyldesley moved the ball into the

Date

Harrier Tom shocks champ

CROSS country star Tom Boardman stormed to a shock victory in the Greater Manchester Schools' Championships at Middleton. Representing Wigan Schools, the Wigan and Leigh College student lifted the senior boys' gold medal after snatching the title from

Date

First half platform sets up victory

A SOUND first half, in which they scored 15 points, laid the platform for Leigh RU's first XV to carve out an 18-3 win at Birchfield. Leigh took an early lead with a Fisher penalty goal and then extended it shortly afterwards when Wilcock split the defence

Date

Twins share very special birthday.

TWIN girls who spent the first ten weeks of their young lives in hospital after being born prematurely celebrate their first birthdays today (Fri Feb 20). A year has elapsed since Lucy and Grace Mann came into the world 12 weeks early after their mum

Date

It's a Kwik exit for supermarket

A TOWN centre supermarket is to close its doors for the final time next month. After years of speculation, plans have been announced to shut the Kwik Save store, near to the bus station, following an "extensive business review". The decision was announced

Date

Special maternity care under threat?

SPECIALISED maternity care could be axed at Fairfield General Hospital in a shake-up of services. A leaked document obtained by the Bury Times outlines controversial proposals to transfer obstetrics and neo-natal care to other hospitals within The Pennine

Date

One in five council homes go on the net

PEOPLE looking for a council home in Bury can now view accommodation on the Internet. Bury Council is showing 20 per cent of its vacant properties each week under a scheme called choice-based lettings. The council has also unveiled a "virtual estate agent

Date

Two go after review in photo parking scam

AN NCP employee has been sacked and another has resigned following an investigation into how vital photographic evidence was doctored. The inquiry was launched after Bury Council was accused of using "questionable photographic evidence" in a damning indictment

Date

Pride is the key

"I'VE run out of things to say!" was player-coach Tim Fourie's reaction to Sedgley Park's latest defeat. "We missed tackles, our decision making was poor and we continue to do the wrong thing at the wrong time. "Several times we created a 'miss-match,

Date

Work under way on new health centre

WORK has officially started on Darwen's new state-of-the art-health centre. A 90-ton pile driver was on the site, on Police Street, for the first stages of the work which will see a £7.3million facility ready for summer 2005, if things go according to

Date

Influx of 'danger' suites into country

HOUSEHOLDERS are warned to beware of 'bargain' leather three-piece suites. Bury Council's trading standards officers say there has been an influx into Britain of dangerous suites from Poland, the majority of which do not comply with UK safety legislation

Date

Cinema's signs of the times

PARTIALLY sighted or hard of hearing cinema goers will soon be able to get more out of their visits to Blackpool's Odeon multiplex. The Rigby Road cinema will be installing captioning and audio-description equipment to benefit audience members with hearing

Date

Call for action on cameras

'HAVE WE put our speed cameras in the right places?' Blackpool councillors are asking under a wide-ranging review of the town's speed cameras. Scrutiny committee members at Blackpool Borough Council will review the siting of speed cameras to check they

Date

The fight goes on say store critics

THE fight against controversial plans for an office block on a rare patch of green land will go on -- even after councillors were advised to support the scheme by their own officers. Blackpool councillors will discuss Asda's scheme, for a three-storey

Date

Security upgrade for park

A SECURITY clampdown at Blackpool's Stanley Park got under way this week -- in time for the half term holidays. With the park set for a lottery funded £5.1 million makeover, Blackpool Council, the Friends of the Park and the police are keen to address

Date

Residents bidding to stop rat run drivers

A GROUP of Lower Darwen residents have got together to try and stop motorists using their roads as a rat run. And they have been offered a helping hand from a road safety organisation. Villagers say drivers travel down Duchess Street, Greenbank Terrace

Date

Classroom revolution

EVERY high school in Blackburn and Darwen will be refurbished or rebuilt if a council bid for £150million of government cash is successful, it was revealed today. Blackburn with Darwen Council expects to hear in May or June whether its bid for the huge

Date

Teen driver cleared in horror case

A TEENAGE driver who knocked over and seriously injured a mum-of-three has been cleared of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. But 18-year-old Richard Bradley, of Whitby Drive, Blackburn, could still face jail after admitting inflicting grievous

Date

999-men question priorities of mercy service

THE tragic death of three sisters in an East Lancashire blaze has prompted calls for more trained paramedics after it was revealed that only one arrived at the scene. Since the fire, ambulance staff have claimed a lack of paramedics is symptomatic of

Date

Are urban fox numbers on the up?

HAVING driven around Blackpool and its environs for the past thirty years, and never having previously seen a fox, three have crossed the road in front of my car in the past two weeks. One sauntered across the new Faraday Way, the other two dashed across

Date

Getting it right

YET again we are being saddled with extortionate Council Tax increases. Just when will these minions in the Town Hall get their sums right. They spend money like water and again we see them advertising for people to drive this regeneration scheme ahead

Date

Royal Mail is second to none

HAVING read the story headed 'Second to last!' in the January 22 edition of Blackpool Citizen, I should like to make it clear that Royal Mail is combining first and second deliveries into one delivery a day, not scrapping Second Class mail. Conservative

Date

Tories reduced homes choice

CORRESPONDENT Jean Allison asks: "What choices to the elderly have?" Well, they would have more choice but for Thatcher's encouragement of private homes. The Tory Government of the 1980s caused local authorities to close most of their homes by offering

Date

Am-dram show was "brilliant"

MAY I congratulate Seedfield Methodist Players on their recent brilliant performance of Babes in the Wood. I attended on the Friday evening and the audience had a great time. The cast were excellent; in fact everything about it was excellent. It was very

Date

EU doubts? I have no doubts

I AGREE with Steve Fletcher (Letters, January 30) that this newspaper makes a valiant attempt to give a balanced view on the question of the EU. In complete contrast to Mr Fletcher, however, my respect is for its willingness to publish the genuine concerns

Date

Care of day patients is assured, but how?

WHILE the report (February 10) about the day hospital was accurate, I believe that the headline may have inadvertently given a false impression. Pennine Acute Trust is currently reviewing services at the day hospital, which provides patients with a mix

Date

NEW proposals on radioactive waste at BNFL Springfields go on display for the final time next Tu

The proposals, published in December, would see the amount of radioactive discharge the plant released into the river Ribble cut. A drop-in style surgery takes place at Freckleton Village Hall, School Lane, Freckleton, from 4pm to 8pm next Tuesday (February

Date

Pounding

LOSE lbs and raise pounds at a charity 'aerobathon' at Blackpool Tower this March. The two hour event will be held in the Tower Ballroom on Saturday, March 20, and will feature aerobics and salsa, guaranteed to burn off those calories! Anne Blydgen, the

Date

Down Your Street...

CLEVELEYS - CLEVELEYS Spiritualist Church (SNU affiliated) will be holding a coffee morning on Saturday, February 28 at 93 Beach Road, 11am-2.30pm. Readings will be available, plus tombola stall. Everyone welcome. NORTH Fylde Brass Band invites you to

Date

Post offices face the axe

COMMUNITIES across Bury are reeling at the shock news that ONE-THIRD of the borough's post offices could be axed. Post Office Ltd announced on Wednesday that 13 of Bury's 39 urban branches could close within three months, as part of a radical shake-up

Date

Parking row: two go after NCP review

AN NCP employee has been sacked and another has resigned following an investigation into how vital photographic evidence was doctored. The inquiry was launched after Bury Council was accused of using "questionable photographic evidence" in a damning indictment

Date

Goals glut in Trophy

THERE was no shortage of goals in the Leigh and District League when the second round of the Carl Brown Memorial Trophy got underway. Atherton Royal got the better of Leigh Legion by 6-3 with goals from Houghton (2), Skimington, Neil, Smith and Barrington

Date

EVENTS taking place in East Lancashire on Saturday, February 21, 2004

A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Church & Oswaldtwistle NSPCC branch charity event, Poplar Club, Accrington, noon-3pm. Disabled ski sessions, Pendle Ski Club, 9am-noon. Table top sale, St John's

Date

Young dancers keep ballet fresh

HE'S been dancing since he was 14 and has toured countries as varied as Australia, America and Holland, performing with the likes of Rudolf Nureyev. Now the Vienna Festival Ballet's artistic director Peter Mallek is bringing his talented company to Blackburn

Date

Bury Boys edged out

M.E.N LEAGUE: SALFORD BOYS U-15...1, BURY BOYS U-15...0: BURY Boys turned in one of their best performances of the season against a strong Salford team and were unlucky not to gain at least a draw. With six players missing, last minute replacements had

Date

Mad few minutes proved so costly

Air Miles Manchester League Premier Division EAST MANCHESTER...3 ELTON VALE...2: A CRAZY five minutes at the start of the second half, in which Easts scored all their goals, allied to a string of missed chances in the first period, sent Vale crashing

Date

Rams pegged back by ten man Town

North West Counties League Division One: RAMSBOTTOM UNITED...1 WARRINGTON TOWN...1: PLAYING against 10 men can seriously damage your chances of winning, as Rammy boss Vince Overson can testify. Warrington Town's Terry Nestor lasted just five minutes at

Date

'Capping' is not a bad idea

HAVING lived through every Labour administration since 1945, I have long realised that the party has never been good at curtailing public displeasure. I am pleased, therefore that, belatedly and because of public unrest, the Government is warning that

Date

Adoption move blatantly obvious

JUST how predictable was the adoption of Kitty Ussher as the prospective Labour candidate for Burnley? Firstly, we had an all-women shortlist. Just imagine an all-men, all-Catholic, Muslim short list. Heads would have rolled. Then she buys a house in

Date

We'll all pay for these mistakes

THE present councillors have made gross errors in the changes to Accrington. The bus station should have been left as it was. There is far too much congestion, causing frustration to bus drivers and danger to pedestrians. Why did the council not fit traffic

Date

Soccer: Heys have Town in their sights

Air Miles Manchester League Premier Division WYTHENSHAWE AMATEURS...1 PRESTWICH HEYS...3 AFTER two weeks of inactivity, Heys returned to action with a trip to South Manchester. A positive result was necessary, not only to keep pace with leaders Royton

Date

Death of former mayoress

A FORMER mayoress of Radcliffe has died after a short illness. Hilda McCarthy (81), died on Friday (Feb 13) in Fairfield Hospital after being taken ill five weeks ago. Mrs McCarthy was the Mayoress of Radcliffe between 1970 and 1971, when her husband,

Date

BNP 'are just thugs'

BURNLEY was in the national spotlight yesterday as Tory leader Michael Howard visited the town to make a speech slamming the BNP and calling for tighter controls on immigration. A heavy police presence had formed around the Keirby Hotel, in Keirby Walk

Date

Tax rise looks set for 5pc

COUNCIL taxpayers in Bury can expect to pay an extra five per cent on their bill from April. The hike coincides with rising service costs and inflation-busting demands from police and fire services. Bills for people living in Band A homes are set to rise

Date

Classroom revolution

EVERY high school in Blackburn and Darwen will be refurbished or rebuilt if a council bid for £150million of government cash is successful, it was revealed today. Blackburn with Darwen Council expects to hear in May or June whether its bid for the huge

Date

Council rents up by £1.76 a week

COUNCIL house tenants will see rents rise by nearly four per cent which is the maximum hike that can be imposed without a penalty. The 3.78 per cent rise equates to an average weekly rise of £1.76, taking the average weekly rent to £48.44. Individual

Date

Bury Carnival is back!

BURY'S premier gala event is back with a bang this June after a year's absence. And Bury Lions have once again taken up the reins to stage the annual carnival. The event will be held in the town's Mosses car park on Sunday, June 6. An upsurge in membership

Date

"Vote with your feet" path plea to walkers

RESIDENTS living near to a path threatened with closure are urging people to carry on using it. The walkway, leading from Pavilion Walk to Osborne Walk in Radcliffe, has been used as a public footpath since 1965. But now Bury Council's housing department

Date

Safety first for Souness

GRAEME Souness is urging his players to keep up their momentum and secure Premiership safety. The Blackburn Rovers boss issued his call ahead of tomorrow's clash with Charlton Athletic at the Valley, as he looks to build on the form that has yielded four

Date

Gally's a glimmer of hop

PASSIONATE Scot Graeme Souness knows better than anyone that his homeland has little to cheer about these days. The Blackburn Rovers boss was one of the Tartan Army's most potent weapons during a distinguished international career that spanned three World

Date

GARNER: Curbs is example to us all

I'M looking forward to seeing Rovers in action this weekend but I'll also be having a close look at Charlton as well. I have not only been impressed with what Alan Curbishley has done on the pitch but the way the club has conducted itself off it too.

Date

Landlord to keep tab on crimes

A PRESTON man has volunteered to help police crack down on crime. Graham Rouson, landlord at the Plungington Tavern in Plungington Road is collecting information from more than 60 businesses in the area as part of Business Watch, a pilot scheme launched

Date

A city centre haven

SHOPPERS and workers in Preston city centre can now retreat to a new public garden at the minster for some peace and quiet. The £90,000 garden on the previously derelict South Church Yard, behind the Church Street minster, will include seating areas,

Date

End of era for Booths

A PENWORTHAM woman has vowed to boycott Booths after supermarket bosses announced the closure of two of their stores. Booths, which employs 19 staff at Towngate, Leyland, and 25 at the Liverpool Road store in Penwortham, made the decision at a board meeting

Date

Jail for mistress of deceit

SERIAL bride Lynda Selvam has swopped her £850,000 mansion in Preston for a prison cell. The four-times married 44-year-old went a wedding too far when she married her last husband, Dr Karrupiah Selvam, who used to work at the Royal Preston Hospital.

Date

Clean up your act plea

RUBBISH littering the shoreline close to where dozens of cockle pickers gather in Bolton-le-Sands could be tackled with the creation of a byelaw, says the local MP. Geraldine Smith is calling on local authorities to take responsibility for the problem

Date

BNP 'are just thugs'

BURNLEY was in the national spotlight yesterday as Tory leader Michael Howard visited the town to make a speech slamming the BNP and calling for tighter controls on immigration. A heavy police presence had formed around the Keirby Hotel, in Keirby Walk

Date

Get out and vote, urge candidates

HEYSHAM South residents are being urged to turn out in force next week to vote in a crucial city council by-election. The call comes from local politicians angered by the arrival of a candidate for the controversial England First Party in the ward. A

Date

Poetry in motion...

SKATERS could be showing off their turns and half-pikes in Morecambe - if city planners support a bid for a new venue on Central Drive. Lancaster City Council wants to turn part of the bus station adjoining the 'Flock of Words' poetry path into a skateboard

Date

Jewel in the crown?

LANCASTER is to spearhead a £10 million project to transform an eyesore industrial site into a 21st Century urban village. The major regeneration of 'Luneside East', at the far end of St George's Quay, just west of Carlisle Bridge, is the flagship project

Date

MP calls for new powers

EMERGENCY safety measures are being considered to protect cocklers venturing onto Morecambe Bay's sands. New working guidelines are being discussed, which could require cockle pickers to wear lifejackets and carry emergency communication devices. Morecambe

Date

Police hunt missing cocklers

DETECTIVES investigating the deaths of Chinese cockle pickers want to trace people who fled Morecambe that night. As Morecambe Bay gave up another one of its dead, investigators revealed that a vehicle seen at the scene has been recovered in Merseyside

Date

Goals count when all's Seddon done!

TWO goals in his last two games have given Gareth Seddon's season a new lease of life. The 23-year-old Burnley-born front man has recently signed a contract to the end of the season, after being restricted to a short term arrangement for most of the campaign

Date

Unsworth back in frame for Oxford test

BURY attempt to dent the best home record in the Third Division on Saturday when they take on high-flying Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium. The U's are the only team in the basement section unbeaten on their own midden this season, and currently lie

Date

New group is set up

AN anti-racist group for Nelson and Colne will be launched at a public meeting next week. Pendle Trades Council has called the meeting and hopes to bring together people of all political persuasions to campaign against the British National Party ahead

Date

Councillor in shock party swap

A COUNCILLOR has been criticised after switching her party allegiance just days after being selected as a Labour candidate. Councillor Judith Robinson, who has represented Walverden ward in Nelson for five years, was yesterday welcomed into the Liberal

Date

Bury Carnival is back!

BURY'S premier gala event is back with a bang this June after a year's absence. And Bury Lions have once again taken up the reins to stage the annual carnival. The event will be held in the town's Mosses car park on Sunday, June 6. An upsurge in membership

Date

Record entry for car rally

A RECORD 100 cars are set to race in the North West Stages rally in Preston on Saturday. Organised by a consortium of local motor clubs, the rally is recognised as one of the best asphalt rallies in the country, attracting top drivers from around the

Date

25 years ago

BLACKBURN Rovers defender Kevin Hird became the hottest property in English football when three division one clubs battled for his signature. Leeds United led the bidding with a £357,000 offer for the Colne born player. The coldest winter for 16 years

Date

50 years ago

LIVERPOOL-based ICI announced the construction of a 'secret' factory to be built somewhere in Lancashire. The factory was to produce 1,500 tonnes of titanium, the 'wonder metal' used in plane construction, every year. Joseph Lucas Ltd gave £1,250 to Burnley

Date

10 years ago

GUIDES and Brownies in Blackburn linked up with the rest of the world to celebrate Thinking Day weekend. Blackburn division guide association set up a 24 hour radio station at St Silas' Parish Centre and guides talked to people as far afield as Kuwait

Date

New home for the history of famous little town

AN EAST Lancashire heritage society has found a new home to launch a permanent exhibition on the history of its home town. Oswaldtwistle Civic Society moved artefacts and memorabilia for its new display across town from its existing headquarters, off

Date

Gold medal for Cardium

ONE of Lancashire's most cutting-edge companies has landed a top IT award. Cardium Solutions is the first company in the North West to be granted Microsoft Gold Partner for Enterprise Systems accreditation. "The award underlines the high level of expertise

Date

Melanie's at home with foreign deals

WINTER. Cold, wet and miserable. With Christmas already a distant memory, this is the time for dreaming and yearning for days in the sun. Not just holidays either. More and more people are looking to spend longer and longer spells abroad with the numbers

Date

Bank of England Governor visits Bury

THE interest rate among local businesses was extremely high when the Governor of the Bank of England breezed into Bury on Wednesday (Feb 18). Mr Mervyn King's visit to the North West was the latest in a series of regional sojourns to gauge the business

Date

6 post offices face the axe

SIX post offices in Prestwich and Whitefield are facing closure under a radical shake-up of services by Post Office Ltd. The company announced on Wednesday that the urban post offices could close within three months, along with seven others in Bury. Affected

Date

Celebrate our diversity

I FEEL sure that most residents of Heysham will be horrified to learn that the England First Party, which promotes racism and extremism, is putting forward a candidate in the Heysham South by-election. I assume that its candidate Paul Bamford, as a student

Date

Compare the two...

ENGLAND First Party candidate Paul Bamford claims he does not represent a Nazi party (Letters, last week). Let's see how his Party compares with the real Nazis... Hitler's Nazis contested elections. Just like England First they used the apparatus of democracy

Date

Higher fees will not solve traffic problems

I SEE that the Town Hall is turning once more to one of its favourite fund raisers to bring in extra revenue - namely car parking charges. I am lucky enough to live within easy walking distance of the city centre but I am still not happy with this latest

Date

Authority shakeup figures 'fictitious'

RIBBLE VALLEY'S council leader has claimed moves to include rural areas in a new super authority were backed by 'fictitious' figures. And Coun Chris Holtom revealed that the cost of re-organising local government in Lancashire and creating a regional

Date

Swim kids hit new heights

YOUNG swim kids from the Carnforth Otters stacked up a staggering 26 first places at the North Lancashire Age Group competitions held at Salt Ayre. A record entry of 39 Otters, aged between nine and 17, also finished in the top six in another 54 events

Date

Rugby boys close in on cup

YOUNG rugby stars from Lancaster Royal Grammar School are within 80 minutes of reaching a national cup final. The school's first team rugby players have moved into the semi finals of the Daily Mail Under 18 Cup - the most prestigious schools' knockout

Date

Andy Burnham's apology demand

I would like to reply to D T Abbotts Insurance Anger letter in the Journal . If they thought the insurance motion was a waste of time and money then they will be amazed and disappointed to read that Andy Burnham has tabled a motion demanding an apology

Date

Craig wins top novice prizeKIRKBY Lonsdale Motor Club awarded the spoils for competi-tion in 2003 on

In the historic section, Craig Wallace was rewarded for his efforts in keeping father Colin on the right track with prizes for top co-driver and the best performance by a novice. Colin was second driver overall. And among prizewinners in the Proprep Rally

Date

Morecambe win through to final

HARD-WORKING Chorley made Morecambe fight all the way to seal a place in the Lancashire FA's Marsden Cup final on Tuesday night. The Unibond Division One strugglers belied their lowly status with a performance which had the Shrimps on the back foot for

Date

£45,000 to make idea work

SMART Bury firm GK Bio Products has been awarded £45,000 to help turn its bright idea into a marketable product. The cash comes from a feasibility study award made under the Small Business Service's Smart initiative that provides grants for research and

Date

Basking in the glow of success

TWO local couples have brought a touch of Magic to the Manchester area. Partners Mick Mander and Gabrielle Stirling and co-partners Jason Taylor and Nicola Ware plunged their life savings into a nationwide Magic Tan distributorship. They now have their

Date

Life savers!

I KNOW exactly what you're thinking... why on earth would anybody volunteer to give up a lazy Sunday afternoon to put themselves through this kind of torture? Fortunately for the Fylde coast, St Annes RNLI crewmen -- Tom Stuart, Mark Highfield and Gary

Date

St Annes to get a voice

THE GOVERNMENT has said 'yes' to St Annes having its own parish council, a separate voice to Fylde Borough Council. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has given the go ahead for the new body after being petitioned by the St Annes Town Council Steering

Date

Seeing stars of the future

COMPETITION was fierce at auditions for The Citizen supported Search for a Star on Tuesday night. No less then 26 hopefuls turned up at South Ribble Civic Centre, West Paddock, Leyland, for their chance to earn a place in the grand final on March 19.

Date

Double-click to kit yourself out!

BURY FC supporters around the world can now enjoy a new online shopping experience - with the all new Bury FC on-line Club Shop now launched. The new-look online store is now fully up and running - with hundreds of orders already flooding in - and more

Date

Mo leads the way in community regeneration

ROLY POLY Mo Moreland was centrestage yesterday (Wednesday) to officially open a new Blackpool community centre. The cuddly dancer opened Central Drive Community Association's new base at Ibbison House, Ibbison Court off Central Drive. The centre has

Date

Jobs boost as retailer plans new outlet

TOP high street retailer -- Wilkinson -- are set to bring around 80 jobs to the Fylde coast after earmarking Cleveleys as the latest addition to their network of UK stores. The 12,000 sq ft store, based on Nutter Road in the town, is set to open its doors

Date

Layton's new centre of attention

A NEW community centre opens in Layton today (Thursday) to help tackle residents fears of crime and disorder. The Community Contact Centre on Laycock Gate, opening at 10am, will be home to 'surgeries' where Queens Park flats residents will be able to

Date

Leigh RUFC ixtures for Saturday 21st February

1st XV: Wirral at home, meet at 12.30 pm. 2nd XV: Rossendale away, meet at 12.30 pm. 3rd XV: Crewe & Nantwich at home, meet at 1.30 pm. Tofts: Hoylake at home, meet at 1.15pm. Vets: Bolton away, meet at 1.00 pm.

Date

Training sessions

ASTLEY & Tyldesley Cycle Speedway Club began their pre-season training sessions last Sunday at the Gin Pit circuit, starting at 2 pm.The CTA Direct sponsored outfit will be training on track every Sunday until the opening match on March 28. A &

Date

Battle-weary Golborne fall to last minute defeat

Higginshaw 20 Golborne Parkside 18: GOLBORNE Parkside suffered only their second defeat of the season when they went down to a last minute penalty goal at third placed Higgenshaw. With five players from last week's epic victory over Bank Quay Bulls not

Date

Eleni to become social services supremo

ELENI Ioannides, Bury Council's director of social services, health and housing, has been elected chairman of the Greater Manchester Association of Directors of Social Services (GMADSS). GMADSS is the local branch of the national professional body representing

Date

Reading at leisure!

READING is to be done at your leisure . . . centre. Bury Council has been one of the first authorities in the country to consider the idea of installing a library at one of its leisure centres. Now the word is out and a library is to open at Castle Leisure

Date

Bank of England Governor visits Bury

THE interest rate among local businesses was extremely high when the Governor of the Bank of England breezed into Bury on Wednesday (Feb 18). Mr Mervyn King's visit to the North West was the latest in a series of regional sojourns to gauge the business

Date

Mill site gets OK for new school.

THE former East Lancs Paper Mill is to become the site for a £15 million high school. It was celebrations all round at Radcliffe High and Coney Green Technology College when the Department of Education and Skills informed Bury Council that it was "all

Date

Sweet Chariot of triumph!.

THE "Sweet Chariot" roadshow rolled into Sedgley Park this week when the glittering Rugby Union World Cup went on display. And more than 2,500 people passed through the doors of Sedgley Park Rugby Union Club in just three hours to catch a glimpse of the

Date

Safety first for Souness

GRAEME Souness is urging his players to keep up their momentum and secure Premiership safety. The Blackburn Rovers boss issued his call ahead of tomorrow's clash with Charlton Athletic at the Valley, as he looks to build on the form that has yielded four

Date

Chaplow vow to Clarets

RICHARD Chaplow has vowed to keep his feet on the ground after being brought back to earth with a bump. The Burnley midfielder swaps the dizzy heights of England for a relegation scrap tomorrow as the Clarets look to extend a four-game unbeaten league

Date

Punks head North for Noize-y night

PUNK bands spanning the generations will come together at Blackburn's North Bar next Friday night. It's taken seminal punk outfit 27 years to play their debut gig in East Lancashire but they will headline the special punk night promoted by Noize Anoize

Date

Small change!

JENNY SCOTT talks to Ash drummer Rick McMurray and learns why the band prefer playing in small, intimate venues IT'S a long way from Julia Roberts' Hollywood home to a February gig in Preston. But that's the journey punk pop band Ash have found themselves

Date

Horses saved

POLICE are trying to trace the owner of seven horses and a dog which were rescued from blazing stables. Patrol officers spotted the fire, in Pole Lane, Darwen, at 3am today . Firefighters say an aluminium storage container in the middle of two wooden

Date

Posters bid to beat vandals

COMMUNITY workers in the Earcroft area of Darwen are hoping to stamp out crime at a bus stop which has been vandalised and damaged since it was put up. The stop, which was maintained by advertising firm Adshell until it was taken over by Blackburn with

Date

Disabled feel benefit of better services

NEW figures show that disabled people in Ramsbottom have reaped the benefits of an improved council service. Bury Council's disability services team now aims to give urgent cases almost immediate staff attention while other people have to wait only a

Date

By George, they know it off by art

ART at a Blackpool school was given a boost this week as pupils and teachers moved in to a hi-tech new building. The final phase of a new arts block at St George's Church of England high school was officially handed over last Thursday by developers, Parkinson's

Date

Volunteer's top award

A ST ANNES teenager has been named North West Millennium Volunteer of the Year after helping dozens of Fylde youngsters overcome life's obstacles. Phil Bewley, 19, of St David's Grove, was nominated for his work with the Volunteer Children's Right service

Date

Olive left in floods of tears

A DISABLED Fylde pensioner has demanded council action after being plagued by a flooded porch for the last five years. Housebound Olive Rodgers, 71, has lived in her council-owned sheltered accommodation bungalow at Clayton Crescent, South Shore, since

Date

Porter jailed for death of pensioners

A HOTEL porter has been found guilty of manslaughter after starting the tragic blaze which lead to the deaths of an elderly Blackpool couple. Lee Carson, 24, was caught after telling friends he started the fire at the Moat House Hotel in Bolton in the

Date

Do you deserve some cash?

COMMUNITY groups in areas served by Newsquest titles, including the Blackpool Citizen, will share in a near £1 million cash bonanza this year. A total of £970,000 is available to worthy causes in the UK from the Gannett Foundation which is sponsored entirely

Date

Tax rise shocker

BLACKPOOL taxpayers looks set to face an inflation-busting 8.9 per cent council tax hike -- and the council could face action from the Government to keep the figures down. Members of Blackpool Council's executive were expected to agree on the figure at

Date

Sign up for free seminar

BURY businesses are being urged to sign up for a free seminar next week. The briefing will give firms guidance on their new role in the fight against money laundering. Organised by Customs and Excise, the seminar will provide companies with a wealth of

Date

Gran Jan ready to take on the Nile

A WOMEN'S Institute member and grandmother of 10 with arthritis is supporting family medical research by cycling 250 miles along Egypt's River Nile. Jan Hartley, 64, of Bunkers Hill Close, Blackburn, is a member of Livesey WI, which meets at Feniscowles

Date

Resident power wins mosque bid

ASIAN community leaders in Blackburn are celebrating today after councillors approved permission to build a new mosque to replace one of the town's oldest mosques. But they say council guidelines on planning applications discriminate against the Asian

Date

Classroom revolution

EVERY high school in Blackburn and Darwen will be refurbished or rebuilt if a council bid for £150million of government cash is successful, it was revealed today. Blackburn with Darwen Council expects to hear in May or June whether its bid for the huge

Date

Reds seek victory in Vics clash

ACCRINGTON Stanley manager John Coleman has labelled tomorrow's showdown with Northwich Victoria as "vital" for the Reds. Coleman has been frustrated not to claim maximum points from the last two Nationwide Conference outings - the first at home to Dagenham

Date

Wales is the answer!

IN ANSWER to B Ancell's letter about the 'island on the horizon'. I have also noticed this and after looking at a map of the coastline have decided the land which is visible from the Promenade looking south is North Wales and Anglesey -- much to my family's

Date

Blair's smoking

THE road from Morecambe Bay leads to Downing Street! Although warned by one of their own MPs months previously, the Government did nothing whatsoever to prevent the "cockle-pickers" disaster and due to their non-existent Immigration and Border Patrol

Date

Voters need to think very carefully

OUR Government and the EU are keen to see the advent of elected English Regional Assemblies, currently being sold to us as a way of decentralising power. In Brussels in May 1998, John Prescott, the Minister driving this policy said: "Governments must

Date

Please leave this site alone

WE ARE fighting to stop the development by Morris Homes of the greenfield site adjoining the SSSI status Marton Mere. The land is between Lawson Road/Quernmore Ave and the old Pixie House Mushroom site (Mere Farm - Morris Homes). The current development

Date

Midfield placeup for grabs

CRAIG Burley could make his first start for North End against Millwall on Saturday as Paul McKenna is out of action for a fortnight. McKenna damaged ankle ligaments in Saturday's 2-0 defeat away at Watford leaving Craig Brown to contend with a mini injury

Date

Dressed up, it's still the BNP

OUR local BNP member, Mrs Austin is at it again (Letters, January 30). She should remember the famous quotation from Abraham Lincoln who said in a speech in 1858: "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time

Date

Was settlement payment proper?

I HAVE just read on Ceefax that Bury MBC is to conduct an investigation into the nine-year suspension of a teacher at Woodhey High School, Ramsbottom. As usual, it appears to be a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. This attitude

Date

Reading at leisure!

READING is to be done at your leisure . . . centre. Bury Council has been one of the first authorities in the country to consider the idea of installing a library at one of its leisure centres. Now the word is out and a library is to open at Castle Leisure

Date

MYERSCOUGH College near Preston launches its new higher education prospectus at an open morning this

Date

Classroom revolution

EVERY high school in Blackburn and Darwen will be refurbished or rebuilt if a council bid for £150million of government cash is successful, it was revealed today. Blackburn with Darwen Council expects to hear in May or June whether its bid for the huge

Date

Town go second

A FANTASTIC second half display gave Boothstown U12s their first win in the New Year to get their promotion chase back on track and move into second place above the team they beat 4-0, Benchill Celtic. Substitute Tom Potter scored two goals to break the

Date

Academy looks for new blood

A NEW soccer coaching school - the Football Academy - is recruiting new players. The brainchild of Neil Hogg, the Football Academy is centred on Tyldesley and Astley and caters for players aged under 8, 10 and 11. "The club was born six months ago when

Date

Hindsford fight back for win

HINDSFORD came from behind to beat Rochdale Sacred Heart 3-2 in their home game on saturday. Hindsford started well but fell behind when a clearance hit a Rochdale forward and rebounded into the home goal. It soon became two when Rochdale beat the offside

Date

Dino's happy return

Leigh RMI 1 Stevenage 3 by Martyn Hindley: EVEN the debut of one of non-league's most travelled strikers failed to turn the tide for RMI as they crashed to their eighth home defeat of the season. Steve Brodie - a loan signing from Chester City - exuded