End of an era for school and chapel

The children of Chowbent school will perform at the Christmas Concert for the last time before they finally move to their new school building.

The Rev Peter Hughes explained: "The school buildings belong to the chapel, it is probably the oldest school in Atherton.

"There has been a long association between the school and the chapel. The new building will be available soon and the school will then move out of our building into the new premises. It will cease to be a voluntary aided school. It will then be a school, like any other local education authority school. The technical link is broken.

"However, it is very much hoped by both chapel and school that the link can continue."

In J J Wright's 'History of Chowbent Chapel' an entry for the year 1735 reads: " The parsonage house and grounds were given by John Mort of Alder House. It (the school) was given at first as a high-class school, and some of Atherton's leading citizens of the time, both church and chapel, including the Selbys, Withingtons, Rigbys, Naylors, and others, had their youthful education in it."

A later entry for the year 1890 reads: "This was the year in which were opened what are known as the 'new schools'. Mr Caleb Wright was, in this case, the benefactor, for he purchased the necessary land, and gave it to the congregation for school purposes.

He was not the only benefactor. There must have been some good giving of money by others, for the schools were well built and of good material."

Though for some, the occasion may be tinged with a touch of sadness, organisers are expecting to enjoy one of their usual fun-filled evenings.

The pupils will be joining in yet another lively fund-raising musical concert when they will be taking on the roles of 'Christmas Cherubs'.

Wigan Youth Brass Band will be playing favourites old and new. The part of Snivellin' Scrooge will be played by Rob Manion, and John Readett takes the role of Creepin' Cratchitt. There will be a surprise soloist and a mysterious one-arm ghost will be putting in an appearance!

The concert takes place from 7.30 - 9.30pm at Chowbent Chapel, Bolton Old Road, Atherton. Admission Adults £3.50 Children £2. Tickets are available from Raymond Shea jewellers, 41 Market Street, Atherton or the Bacca Shop or phone 01942 683306 or 01942 873956. Proceeds will go towards restoring the Grade 2 listed building to preserve it for future generations. STUDENTS from Hollins High School, Accrington, went on a fact-finding mission to a chemical works. The Year 10 GNVQ Business students, accompanied by two teachers, spent half a day at William Blythe Chemical Works, in Church, where they were given an in-depth analysis of how the factory works. The group was also taken on a tour of the premises by human resources manager Ron Campbell which was invaluable to the pupils' studies. KARRIMOR Condor 50 - 65 little rucksack SA7000, back system, purple grey, as new, used for 1 week, £75 o.n.o. Tel. 01254 702521

KRYPTONITE motorbike, lock vinyl covered steel cable, 5ft long, accept £60. Tel. 01254 702521

9CT GOLD dress ring, amethyst and diamonds, as new, boxed, £65 o.n.o. Tel. 01254 602120

MOTOR CYCLE boots, Frank Thomas, unworn, boxed, black, size 8, bargain £55 o.n.o. Tel. 01254 602120

TELEVISION 18" colour Ferguson, remote control, on stand, good working order, £60 o.n.o. Tel. 01254 771563

SILVER CROSS Wayfarer pram, Rochelle, matching sun canopy, rain cover, foot muff, suitable from birth to toddler, excellent condition, £65 o.n.o. Tel. 01254 681588

SILVER CROSS carry cot/transporter come pushchair including canopy cover, mattress with shopping tray, good clean condition, bargain at £70. Tel. 01254 249454

NATIONAL BINGO

NUMBERS

Wednesday Dec 13

SUN BINGO

85, 80, 14, 46, 44, 1, 62, 82, 9, 20.

MIRROR - Bingo: Game 21 Day 3

24, 40, 12, 84, 6, 45, 36, 25, 34, 55, 61, 3. Rail chaos threat to post PEOPLE living in Preston and South Ribble are being urged to post early this Christmas as a result of rail service disruption.

Royal Mail says it is putting into place alternative posting arrangements to ensure Christmas mail arrives on time.

More than 200 million cards were posted in the North West during the four weeks leading up to Christmas last year, revealed Royal Mail.

Lorraine Whitehouse, Royal Mail's head of public relations in the North West, said: "The railways carry more than 20 million letters on an ordinary day and as many as 60 million a day in the run up to Christmas.

"We have brought in unprecedented extra air and road services to counter the rail problems but we need customers to help out as well by posting earlier than usual.

"If people can, they should write their cards during the weekend December 9 and 10 and get them in the post straight away, rather than leaving them to the last minute."

She added: "Although the last recommended posting dates remain the same, these are based on the latest information from rail suppliers and they cannot guarantee their services.

"We will obviously update our customers if these dates change."

The latest recommended posting dates for cards and letters are:

Thursday, December 7, for air mail letters to destinations outside Europe.

Thursday, December 14, for letters being sent to Europe.

Monday, December 18, for greetings sent second class in the UK.

Thursday, December 21, for cards and letters sent first class in the UK.

HARLEY DAVIDSON slash cut big-bore silencers for 883/1200 sportster, part nos. 80102-97, only 50m use, bargain, £99. Tel. 01254 201667.

FISH TANK specially made cube, 18 x 18 x 18, with glass covers, £30. 3 stage tap water filter for tropicals, £60. Tel. 01254 707132.

CHEST OF 5 drawers, gold handles and trim, £90. Two bedside lamps, £6 pair. Tel. 01254 601955.

LEATHER chesterfield, two seater settee, antique brown, in good condition, £100. Tel. 01254 677819.

GOLD DRALON 3 seater suite, good condition, £75. Dog grate, log effect, 3kw electric fire, £25. Tel. 01254 775978.

SONY mini disk player, ideal for club, pub singer or home use, £100 no offers. Tel. 01282 43837.

DELONGHI heater, as new, £30. N.S.A. air filter, £50 o.n.o. Tel. 01254 760451

EXERCISE MACHINE cross between bicycle and walker, only used three times, very good condition, £80. Tel. 01282 869373

PINE single bed with mattress, excellent condition, £40. Glass top dolphins coffee table, as new, £60. Tel. 01254 829786 A KIDNEY patient claims that he is being penalised for taking the pressure off hospital beds by volunteering to be treated at home.

And Raymond Debeney (52), of Massey Street, Bury, stopped his vital dialysis for days as a protest.

He is now appealing against a decision by Benefits Agency staff, who said he was ineligible for help with household chores and supervision of his treatment.

Former textile technician Raymond -- who has also undergone a recent heart operation -- stopped his dialysis but was persuaded to resume his treatment.

Raymond's treatment for polycystic kidneys, means that he spends three hours every day attached to a mobile catheter and drip. He could attend Manchester Royal Infirmary for treatment on a kidney dialysis machine.

The current treatment is considered the best clinical option by doctors treating him at the hospital, allowing him to stay at home and enjoy some freedom of movement. Raymond currently relies on a neighbour to stay with him while he is on the drip to help out and ensure that nothing goes wrong.

Following a recent triple by-pass, Raymond is been unable to lift anything heavy until scarring heals, which could take up to 12 months.

He claims that if he was treated in hospital he would receive more help at home and with his treatment.

He said: "The doctors tell you that they prefer you to have treatment at home. Not everyone can have a machine and they prefer it because it takes the strain off the hospital.

"I understand that and my problem is not with the hospital. What annoys me is that you bend over backwards to help the Government and they penalise you for it."

"I need help with everyday things and with all the medical equipment and need the disability living allowance. The explanations they're giving me about why I'm not getting it aren't satisfactory."

Raymond says that following an examination by a benefits agency doctor he felt sure he would receive the benefit.

But the Benefits Agency say that claimants would not qualify for the benefit purely on the basis of their condition.

A spokeswoman said: "Decisions are not taken by the doctors but by members of staff employed to make decisions. They take into account the effects of a disability on a customer's life."

Bury social services said that while services such as shopping, cooking and cleaning could be provided to a patient in Raymond's situation, medical treatment could not be.

Raymond will now pursue the matter by independent tribunal.

He added: "I'm taking this as far as I can." WITH the amount they're paid, I'm surprised that any of them dare put in anything less than their very best efforts.

But, apparently, footballers are as guilty as the rest of us of at slacking on the job.

Some, like Aston Villa's David Ginola, have supposedly earned a reputation for slowing down during games, while other players have been criticised for not pulling their weight in the second half.

But they won't get away with it for long. Not now sports scientists have invented a system which allows managers to track a player's performance on a laptop computer while he's playing.

The information comes from tiny sensors sewn into the player's boot and goes so far as to log the amount of sweat produced, as well as sprinting and jumping ability.

Now why waste such a great invention on the not-so-beautiful (particularly at this time of year ) game?

Footballers are only human and are paid so much that unless they score a hat-trick every game they can't possibly justify their huge earnings.

Where this device really is needed is in the home.

If the life my husband and I lead is anything to go by, most couples with children spend most of their lives accusing the other of slacking.

If he's cooked and done the washing-up, then I know I can expect a barrage of questions as to what I've done. And I generally end up reminding him as to who irons his shirts and who does the vacuuming.

With the sensors in place, there would be no room for little white lies - or dirty great black ones.

My husband would only have to tap out a few digits to reveal just how many hundreds of toys I'd picked up off the living room floor that day, the dozens of times I'd broken up brawls, and the hours I'd spent on my hands and knees scrubbing the carpet after a mammoth children's potato-painting session.

Obviously, it would also highlight the times I spent idling on the sofa in front of the telly. But that, of course, would be a blink-and-you-miss-it affair.

My husband would score well on the food preparation and washing-up front, but he would not be able to escape the solid evidence of idling - the hours spent fiddling about with geranium cuttings, or the half-days (really), spent in the bath reading magazines.

In theory, the device should go some way towards eliminating arguments over who did what and when.

But, I have a feeling that such close monitoring would make things ten times worse.

My husband already berates me for running the children to nursery in the car.

He'd love some sort of official recognition for the sweat he works up taking them there on foot. In no time he'd have the resulting bar charts printed out and framed. It would also reveal that while I ram home the fact that I do the vacuuming, the emergence of the Hoover tends to coincide with the total eclipse of the sun, and then it's only ever put to use in one or two rooms.

No, I think it's better to stick to bickering, even if much of it is based on lies and exaggeration.

I'm sure my husband will agree when I say I'd prefer my bouts of sluggishness to go unnoticed. Now a device that monitors the children's behaviour - we would be very interested in that. SAM Allardyce won't give a hoot about Wanderers finally ridding themselves of the distraction of the FA Cup, if it helps breathe new life into their flagging fortunes in the League.

The Reebok boss has done his best to put on a show but he hasn't convinced anyone that he's regarded the oldest knockout competition in world football as anything more than a hindrance over the past couple of months.

Now he's got his wish. He and his players can concentrate their minds and bodies on the pursuit of a far greater prize - the idea being that, while Blackburn are busy at Arsenal on Saturday, they can bank some serious promotion points at the expense of Gillingham and recapture the winning form that, just a few weeks ago, looked like posing a serious threat to Fulham's title aspirations.

That's the theory ... whether it works out that way in practice is another matter.

Hammered for the second time in 13 days by one of their main rivals in the promotion race, Wanderers' Premiership ambitions could have suffered untold damage.

For while it would be convenient to dismiss last night's defeat at Ewood Park as being of little consequence in the contest for a top two finish, it cannot be judged in isolation. Winning is a habit and the plain fact is that Wanderers have won only one of their last eight matches.

Significantly, three of those games have been against Blackburn - one of two in-form teams breathing down their necks - and Allardyce is so concerned about the situation that he is now talking of the need to get back to basics while he steps up his search for reinforcements.

After seeing his players capitulate in much the same way that they did when they went down 4-1 in the League meeting at the Reebok, the manager admitted their morale had been dented. "They've got to try and dig deep and get over this confidence lapse," he explained.

"They have to get back to basic football when we haven't got the ball. We've lost that little bit of solidarity as a unit when we don't have it.

"For much of the season away from home we have been very difficult to beat but we weren't very difficult to break down last night. I was extremely disappointed with the second half. Lo and behold, for some reason which we need to sort out, we went chasing the game again when we went a goal down and at the moment we can't buy a goal.

"Having started very well we lost our direction, heaped pressure on ourselves by not passing the ball and the good players Blackburn have started to add to the pressure ... and we cracked.

"At the moment, the size, strength and depth of squad Blackburn have is much better than ours and we couldn't cope with what they threw at us.

"The trouble is that we are having our worst period of the season at the wrong time while Blackburn and Birmingham are winning their games.

"But we can't worry about them. We have to make sure we get up at least into the high 80s or even the 90s - we might need 92 points. If we get that and it's taken from our grasp we'll be the unluckiest side in the whole of the divisions."

However, based on the evidence of three games in 18 days between these old Lancashire rivals, you have to fancy Rovers' chances above Wanderers'.

They showed character to draw the first game of this fifth round tie 1-1, despite playing a man short for 81 minutes; returned to the Reebok six days later to turn in a formidable second half performance; then confirmed their superiority again last night - albeit in a game between two seriously depleted sides.

Whether the FA take the clubs to task for bringing the competition into disrepute remains to be seen but the two managers showed precisely where their priorities lie - Allardyce making six changes to the team that drew at Fulham while Souness made five to the team that beat West Brom.

Souness presented a solid case for their joint defence insisting: "You don't get this far in the FA Cup and not want to win games. Both teams were trying to win the game. Don't be kidded by anyone saying Bolton didn't!"

For 20 minutes the Wanderers Xl looked capable of booking that trip to Highbury then Rovers, as their manager put it, "started knocking on the door".

They'd have led comfortably at half time but for Steve Banks, restored to the side because Tommy Wright was ineligible, making impressive saves from Craig Hignett and Marcus Bent and Bent squandering two gilt-edged chances. But they wouldn't be denied in the second half once Garry Flitcroft made the breakthrough.

The game was a personal triumph for the Bolton-born Blackburn captain, whose over-zealous start to the first meeting at the Reebok resulted in him being sent off after just nine minutes.

This time he was careful as well as committed and his determination was rewarded when he got on the end of the game's best move, featuring Damien Duff's darting run and a gem of a pass by the mercurial Eyal Berkovic.

In essence that was all Rovers needed since Wanderers hardly posed a single serious threat in the entire game. But Hignett struck twice in seven minutes just to make sure - the first from the penalty spot after he'd been nudged off the ball by Kevin Nolan then with what appeared to be a stunning strike from the edge of the box - until it transpired that Banks had the shot covered.

"Craig Hignett struck it first time and it came off the back of my heel as I was closing him down," Simon Charlton confirmed. "It was going straight at Steve but when it hit my heel it went in the corner!"

It wasn't an excuse or a hard luck story, just a statement of fact for the record. The Wanderers' left-back, who has looked comfortable since returning from an extended injury lay-off, gave Rovers the credit they deserved.

"I've got to be honest and say 3-0 didn't flatter them," he conceded. "In the second half we lost our discipline and we didn't get to grips with them in midfield, although you can't put blame on any one unit.

"If we are going to try to find a silver lining in this cloud, at least it hasn't cost us three points!" Promotion ends Saturday 28th April 2001 Promotion ends Saturday 30th April 2001 SAFETY FIRST: Church warden Val

Derwent with warden designate Bernard Parfitt standing next to the trees which threaten the path A ROWENTA COLLECTO WET & DRY VAC NATIONAL BINGONUMBERS

Tuesday, May 22, 2001

SUN BINGO

54, 39, 78, 7, 16, 61, 20, 49, 65, 66.

MIRROR- Bingo: Game 19 Day 2

51, 70, 46, 73, 85, 13, 57, 14, 36, 6, 30. A MAN separated from his wife for more than a year after government officials branded their marriage a sham today began planning to welcome her into Britain.

And he said: "I am over the moon."

Robin Howarth was told yesterday that his wife Justina, whom he married in her native Nigeria on Valentine's Day last year, would be allowed into Britain after an immigration appeals hearing in Manchester ruled she should be given a permit to live in the UK.

The appeal adjudicator's decision ended a year of agony for Robin, who has been forced to spend more than £15,000 to remain in contact with Justina, flying out to see her several times and spending £1 for every minute they spend on the phone to each other.

Their heartache began just a month after they married when officials at the British High Commission in Lagos refused Justina, 37, entry clearance because the officers "were not satisfied that the marriage is subsisting and that each of the parties intend to live permanently with each other as husband and wife."

That ruling was overturned this week in the decision following a appeal hearing held at Manchester's Trafford Magistrates Court on April 10.

Speaking from his Elmfield Road, Church, shop -- which he renamed Robin and Justina's to prove how committed he was to the relationship -- Robin said: "I am over the moon. No-one can understand just how much it means to me to know I can have my wife by my side. Dining table, 5ft 6", 4 chairs and 2 carvers, £300.Mahogany display unit, 3ft in length, £200, both immaculate condition, house move forces sale. Tel. LEC CHEST FREEZER,10 cubic ft, good condition £50 ono Tel 01254 812349MEYRA DERBY Electric Wheelchair Cost £2,495 in 1998, only used once, eletric or push, dismantles for car, will accept £2,000. Tel. ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR & Invalid Scooter. Electric wheelchair with recent new Drycell batteries, excellent condition. £400 ono. BEC Invalid scooter. £150 ono. Tel. CONSERVATORY SUITES. Factory open weekdays 11-4, Sun 12-3. Lakeland Nr B&Q B'burn 661663. RENT-A-WASHER cooker, fridge freezer. 01254 689522. Also sales and repairs.T. HOVER MOWER Sharps 18in cutter with electric lead, good working condition, £30. Makita electric chain saw with 12 in cutter, good condition, £60. Tel. 01772 316036 TOP SOIL, BARK Chippings. Manure, grass seeds etc. Now at Byrom supplies. Tel. 01254 57777. Open 7 days. B &M LANDSCAPES Timber decking specialist, serving the Ribble Valley and surrounding areas. Tel. 01254 248732 or 07966 427731. AN Accrington charity has been put in focus by a local business.

Accrington and District Blind Society has been presented with a digital camera by leading East Lancashire firm P3 Computers.

"It is a real help for us," said the society's Marion Clark. "We offer help to over 800 people in the Accrington and Rossendale area in various ways but we are a self-funded body so gestures like this are very obviously very welcome."

The digital camera donated by P3 was auctioned off in a fund-raising event organised by Accrington and Rossendale College, which raised over £2,000 for the charity.

"We were happy to help out," said P3's Chris Wildeman. "We have worked with them for some time on their IT needs." A DISTRAUGHT father is pleading with heartless grave robbers to let his son rest in peace.

Toddler Reece Jones died tragically in August 1994 in Leigh -- aged just 22 months -- but mindless vandals continue to desecrate his burial place.

Little Reece's heartbroken father, Rob, 38 of Ramsey Close, Atherton, has a simple message to those responsible: "Please stop this heartache."

Speaking at his son's graveside in Tyldesley Cemetery, Rob recalled how the first Christmas Reece's death -- and before Rob could afford a memorial stone -- thieves first took flowers and mementoes.

Since then, Reece's grave has been targeted on three other occasions, the latest happening on Father's Day.

In the latest raid on Reece's burial place, just yards from the cemetery's Hough Lane entrance and a week after the Journal revealed two women had been attacked in the cemetery, an angel and a model motor bike were stolen from a purpose-made glass display case on the headstone plinth. But bike-mad Rob won't be clearing the special, personal memorials from Reece's resting place. The father and son bond is still so strong and Rob admitted whenever he gets a new bike, he sets off for the cemetery to let Reece know what he's riding.

"Can't they see he's just a baby?," asked Rob, looking at the photograph of his young son incorporated in the black marble headstone, along with his favourite Disney characters, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.

"I don't know how they can sleep at night. I know it is probably kids who have done this but it FIRM PREPARES TO CUT ITS WORKFORCE BY HALF Story Page 2, (Col 2) Turn to Page 3, (Col 1) 40 -42 MANCHESTER ROAD HASLINGDEN

ROSSENDLE LANCASHIRE Invite to fun

weekend COLNE: Community groups are invited to join in the fun this weekend during an afternoon of entertainment at the Pendle Leisure Centre.

The free fun day to celebrate the work of voluntary groups in Pendle will be held between noon and 4.30pm, on Sunday.

It will include musical entertainment, children's workshops and advice for community groups.

Nelson and Colne College will also provide lap top computers with free internet access for people to surf the net for information about grants and community projects.

Any groups wanting to take part by providing a display about their work should contact Judy Yacoub on 01282 661909. RESIDENTS staged a mass walk-out at a meeting held to discuss problems in a town's park after claiming they were not being allowed to speak.

Nearly 100 people, some weeping, stormed out of the Oswaldtwistle Area Council when committee vice-chairman Coun Sandra Hayes, refused to let them have their say on the problems they were having with drunken youths in Rhyddings Park.

She said a special area council meeting was to be held to discuss the issue instead.

Some of the residents had waited more than an hour to speak on the subject -- but were told they would not be able to speak by Coun Hayes, who was deputising for absent chairman and council leader Peter Britcliffe.

She told the audience she had a timetable to stick to -- and brought a halt to a discussion about policing of the park to push ahead with an item on street cleansing. Nearly 100 residents walked out. As local residents marched past the row of councillors, one irate man accused Coun Hayes of running a dictatorship by not letting them speak.

"We have waited a long time for this meeting to have our say," said one resident, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals from the youngsters they were complaining about.

"Then we are told we cannot speak.

"Our lives are being ruined by a group of youngsters who roam on that park. None of the residents dare go on there now. They booby trap the bowling green by sticking broken bottles in the ground, the girls squat down in the pavement in full view of people and go to the toilet, and gangs of lads stand there drinking and swearing all night."

Coun Hayes said: "We know the problems they are having and we do want to help but at area councils we have to stick to agendas and timetables.

"I shall be asking for a special area council meeting to be held to discuss just Rhyddings Park.

"We will discuss it then."

A date for the meeting has to be set.

Residents claim the situation has got worse since police launched a crackdown on juvenile nuisance in the area around Union Road -- ordering youngsters to hang out in the park or risk being arrested. Police say it is only a small minority who are winding up other people.

Another resident said: "We have had cars smashed up, houses attacked and facilities wrecked. What can we do?

"The police tell them to go there and they intimidate us. One called me a used tampon when I asked him to quieten down.

"We are here to explain our problems and find a solution but we haven't had chance to have our say."

Ray Mollens, another local resident, said outside the meeting: "The issue is far more important than street cleansing. If they can't break a timetable, then there is no point asking the public to speak. It is a dictatorship."

Sgt Ian Hanson, the officer in charge of policing in Oswaldtwistle, said: "Juvenile nuisance has fallen 71 per cent since we launched our operation. We will never eradicate the problem, but we can manage the issue." TEXTILE technologists from around the world are due to attend a high-profile event in Bolton next week.

Bolton Institute is hosting the 2001 World Textile Congress at the Reebok Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday.

It is to be opened by Lord Sainsbury, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Science and Innovation.

The event is being held in partnership with the North West Textiles Network, an organisation established in 1999 with the support of the North West Development Agency.

Nearly 1,000 delegates are expected at the Congress, which is sponsored by SSL International plc, Lantor and the NWDA. It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Focus will be on new developments which will take the technical and performance textile/fibre industries into the next decade.

Papers will address issues such as novel processes, new technologies, design and manufacture and new products.

Speakers include experts from the USA, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, India, Poland, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Turkey and the Czech Republic.

Roger Tattersall, Technical Consultant for Lantor UK, is the new chairman of the Technical Sector Group of the North West Textiles Network. He said: "We are proud to support Bolton Institute and this Congress, which I am sure will be a showcase for the North-west and the high performance textiles industry."

Bolton Institute, which is one of the main providers of textile education in the UK, has been chosen to manage and develop the North West Textile Network.

It is funded by the Cotton Industries War Memorial Trust, local authorities, the Lancashire Textile Manufacturers' Associaton and the NW Regional Development Agency.

Anyone wishing to register for the Congress can speak to Bilkis Yusuf, World Congress Administrator, on 01204 900600 or e-mail -- World-Congress@bolton.ac.uk "I turned round and saw the car just coming straight at us. Dean turned round and I jumped back on to a small wall near the gate, Dean tried to get out of the way, but obviously he didn't and he was hit.

"I reckon the car was doing 50mph -- it was going as fast as it could. The road was clear and there was no-one in the area."

He said he knew Dean's leg was broken and he lifted him on to the grass outside the nursing home before calling at the home to raise the alarm.

Philip was born in Stoneyholme, although he no longer lives there and he said he can remember there being coloured children in the area when he was three and most of his life he has grown up in Burnley in a multi-cultural society.

He said: "Race is not an issue for me. I just don't know what is going on any more. This has got to stop." People just have to learn to get on and live together."

A warning has been issued that rogue taxis will be on the streets of Burnley this weekend.

Young girls leaving town centre clubs in the early hours will be most at risk, Duncan Allan, secretary of the Burnley Private Hire Association, has warned.

Due to the current unrest in the town, triggered off when an off duty taxi driver was attacked, the Private Hire and Hackney Carriages associations will not be operating their taxis in Burnley over this weekend.

And a number of firms in towns acorss East Lancashire are refusing to take people into the town at night.

Nearly 300 Asian and white people gathered at an anti-Nazi meeting at Burnley Social Club, Abel Street, last night to discuss ways to end racist attitudes.

Zeb Ali, of Berkely Street, Nelson, said: "Racist behaviour has to stop now in Burnley, or else it will tear us apart. This meeting is a step in the right direction, because we have had a mixture of different coloured people at this meeting."

Andrew Holder, Coun for the Brunshaw area of Burnley Socialist Alliance, said: "This meeting has been brilliant, and people have been given the opportunity to unite together without the need for violence." SOME time this week the selectors of the Warburtons Bolton Inter-League side will have considered all their options and come up with the team to face the Northern League a week tomorrow at Bradshaw.

Once again they will have been faced with the problem of having to ignore those clubs with a remaining interest in the Lancs KO Trophy competition, and this time it will be Kearsley and Tonge whose players will be unavailable.

This rules out three of the side which was successful at Greenfield,