AN initiative to help its employees with hearing difficulties has been introduced by a packaging firm. An estimated seven per cent of the workforce at Amalgamated Packaging, part of Remploy, the country's largest employer of disabled people, have hearing
NEW legislation and greater awareness should allow disabled people to play a more active role in the community, an annual report has claimed. Chris Waring, disability services manager for Blackburn Citizens' Advice Bureau, says he hopes that encouragement
MAJOR changes were on the way in Britain's coinage, accused of causing holes in the nation's pockets because of their size and weight. And, for the first time, the people were to be asked to choose the sizes and shapes of the coins they wanted. Chancellor
RAISING the age at which cigarettes can be bought from 16 to 18 is on the agenda as the government hosts a giant anti-smoking seminar in London and concern grows over the rising numbers of teenage smokers. But would it work? For even with much stiffer
FIREFIGHTER Ged Richmond will be put on the hotspot when he blazes a trail to Rwanda today. For The African country is establishing a new fire brigade which Ged, who is based in Accrington, is helping to train. He is one of a group of 10 members of the
NEIL Fairbrother is winning his fitness battle for Lancashire's Championship match against Sussex starting at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Fairbrother missed last week's NatWest defeat at Hove with a thigh strain, but coach Dav Whatmore rates him "probable
HAVING worked for Blackburn Co-op for ten years and then for United Co-op three and a half years, it was with interest that I read "Co-op's assurance" (LET, July 9). When United took over Blackburn Co-op they had little or no respect for customers or
Looking Back, with Eric Leaver THOUGH the sun has had his hat on lately, this summer is likely to go down as one of the wettest. Last month was the soggiest June since 1879. But if you think if think that was damp, how about the time when East Lancashire
A TRAIN operator has apologised to East Lancashire customers who have been left hanging on the telephone when they have tried to purchase train tickets. Virgin Rail bosses say they have been so busy because would-be be air travellers, stranded by the
Tour game: IFK Gothenburg 1 Blackburn Rovers 0 - Peter White reports THE irony was probably lost on the Swedes shoe-horned into the neat and tiny Stadsparksvallen Stadium in Jonkoping on Saturday, but Rovers fans can afford a wry smile. Roy Hodgson's
REGARDING the article (LET, June 30) in which it was claimed that ethnic minorities are discriminated against in schools, what garbage! My opinion and that of many more of the public is that it is our children who are discriminated against. It is the
TWO of the country's fastest-growing companies have been rewarded for their success. Ultraframe and Granville Technology were presented with awards for being in the top 50 most dynamic firms in a league table compiled by Price Waterhouse and a national
THE annual Rossendale Way In A Day 46-mile challenge was full of incident and drama. One totally exhausted walker had to be helped off after completing almost 40 miles, while a seven-year-old boy was stopped from going beyond the 31-mile mark because
REGARDING the pigeon fancier flyers who arranged an event (June 28-29) to celebrate the centenary of their society, but were snookered by treacherous weather conditions, the birds being released at Nantes, France. It was a similar situation in 1897 when
THE OWNER of a riding school today spoke of his heartbreak after thousands of fish he bought were wiped out by a spillage of farm slurry. Mr Les Banner, proprietor of The Stables, Mill Lane, Great Harwood, said he had spent five years clearing the banks
EAST Lancashire towns were labelled as the most run-down and hard-up in the country. Blackburn was number 21 in the list of England's 30 most deprived areas, with Burnley at number 27. A report by the Independent Policy Studies Institute said the North
DRUGS are killing abusers at the rate of two a week in Lancashire, but the claim today by coroner Andre Rebello that almost as many are dying from the legally-prescribed heroin substitute, Methadone, as from heroin itself is truly worrying. He suggests
A BIG thank-you went out to the East Lancashire public today after the SuperScan appeal smashed through the £500,000 barrier. The major milestone in the fund-raising effort comes 20 months after it was launched. And organisers today set their sights on
A CROWD of around 8,000 people converged on Blackburn for the biggest Muslim celebration of the year. Muslims travelled from different parts of Britain and even flew from Pakistan for an impressive march in the town centre to mark the birthday of the
THE revamped tenancy agreement for council tenants (LET, July 9) is not just for new tenants but existing ones as well and is unfair to all the tenants on some points. These have been slipped in on the back of fear of "neighbours from hell." It is right
FORMER England goalkeeper Chris Woods today became Chris Waddle's first Burnley signing in a sensational double swoop. The new Turf Moor supremo wasted no time in claiming his second - the versatile Michael Williams from Sheffield Wednesday also on a
COLIN Hendry made a shock return home last night from Blackburn Rovers' pre-season Scandinavian tour to have an ankle injury checked out by specialists. But Rovers boss Roy Hodgson has not yet given up hope of the central defender making the start of
