Craft Fair, Higherford Methodist Church, Barrowford, 11.30am-7.30pm. WRVS Hospital Shop Open House with free tea/coffee, Queen's Park Psychiatric Unit, Haslingden Road, Blackburn, 10am-noon. Burnley Ladies Speakers' Club, Pendleside Hospice, 7.30pm. St
DESPITE not mentioning petrol in the leaflets it has distributed, the East Lancashire firm offering 20-litre jerry cans to householders evidently hopes that memories of the recent fuel crisis and the threat of more refinery blockades next month will tempt
OCTOBER was first designated Breast Cancer Awareness month in 1994 and since then, pink ribbons have been worn throughout October to symbolise awareness of the disease, which affects one in eleven women and kills 1,000 women every month in the UK. Each
INSTEAD of on-the-spot fines for illegal drug users, I feel education of the real effect of drugs would be more effective. The chemicals of the brain are very finely balanced and drugs -- even cannabis -- upset this balance. The long term effects won't
LEST we forget (and the Olympics was less than a fortnight ago) the Brits are good at something and a fantastic weekend's golf was testimony to that. Well done the ladies, albeit with a bit of Continental help, in beating America in the Solheim Cup. And
THOSE canny folk in the North-East knew what they were doing when they stuck to their guns and kept Hartlepool's derby clash with Darlington as a three o'clock kick-off on Saturday. Why watch England capitulate against Germany when there's local rivalry
FIRE chiefs and trading standards bosses today accused an East Lancashire firm of putting lives at risk by encouraging people to illegally hoard petrol. Billington-based firm Transworld Initiatives Ltd has distributed leaflets throughout the Ribble Valley
TWO men made so much money from supplying heroin that they bought a local post office as a way of disposing of large sums of illicitly generated cash, a jury has been told. Both Azizul Wahab and Asad Khan appeared to be ordinary local lads who were on
THE furore about the McDonalds food outlets is entirely useless. The proposals will be approved. It is well-known that in St Helens anything second rate is perfectly acceptable. A. G. (name and address supplied).
DAVID Dunn scored for England's Under 21s in their 2-2 draw with Poland last night. Gary Hamilton was also on the scoresheet for Northern Ireland Under 21s in their 5-2 win over Iceland.
HAS any reader ever seen a tornado, waterspout or other whirlwind in Britain? I am collecting records for the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation, which was founded in 1974 to monitor the occurrence of whirlwinds in Britain. I would be especially
AS a ratepayer travelling to the Shearing Interchange just outside Lymm, I, and others were picked up at the bus stop by Holy Cross Church Hall in St Helens. Other people were on the coach, having been picked up at other destinations. I was ashamed of
I WOULD like to express my thanks, through your columns, to the person (known only to me as Sandra from Toll Bar) who found and returned my wallet after I had lost it. I did not even realise it was missing until a friend contacted me to tell me he had
AFTER watching the most exciting finale to a rugby match for many a year, I was feeling thoroughly proud to live in St Helens with the opportunity to support the best and most honest team in Super League (just look at our defence's idea of 10 yards compared
I WOULD like to take the opportunity, through your letters page, to thank the kind person or persons who recently carried out a malicious, spiteful attack on our car which was parked on the car park of the Haydock No. 1 club in West End Road. Thank you
A FRAIL pensioner has been forced out of his home after a flood left him knee-deep in foul water and stinking sewage. George Baines (70) of Enford Drive, Sutton, has been having problems since the weekend when heavy rains caused a blocked drain to overflow
TWO men made so much money from supplying heroin that they bought a local post office as a way of disposing of large sums of illicitly generated cash, a jury has been told. Both Azizul Wahab and Asad Khan appeared to be ordinary local lads who were on
COUNCILLORS have been accused of breaking the law by voting to ban archers from practising in a local park. But David Burrows and Margaret Rawlinson say they will defy a council ruling banning them from Walverden Park, Nelson, because they claim a Royal
GRAND Final Trophy holders Saints will be totally focused for a unique double in the eyeball-to-eyeball clash with Wigan Warriors at Old Trafford's 'Theatre of Dreams' on Saturday (6.30pm). For although they first lifted the coveted silverware as Super
Service with a smile HAPPY to be of service! That's the obvious message behind these delightful smiles which beam back over more than four decades. They're the staff of the Co-op butchery department (circa 1958) at Helena House, St Helens, that magnificent
WHEN an American plane force-landed onto agricultural land at Moss Bank, the pilot got little sympathy from the local farmer. He was enraged at having part of his fence flattened and his crop ploughed up by the Lockheed Lightning. John Forster of Shoots
OUR trusty readers have zoomed in with useful info about aviation incidents experienced around St Helens and district. And local plane buff Keith Atherton has now expressed his thanks to one and all. He writes: "In March, you kindly printed my appeal
OUR regular 'blast from the past' photographs invariably hit the spot with our more mature readers. And the 32-year-old picture( September 21) featuring a St Helens school outing to London proved no exception. Reader K. J. Plumpton, from Brynn Street,
FOOTBALL fans were delighted after Granada television company stepped in to show the Rovers v Legia Warsaw match. Fans faced missing the game in the comfort of their own homes after Blackburn were dropped from the ITV viewing programme in favour of Glasgow
A LEAGUE of footballers showed the red card to a council that refused to let them play a tournament because they were too heavy. The Ribble Valley Football League had planned its annual pre-season seven-a-side tournament on Clitheroe Castle field but
STUDENTS are taking part in a national competition set by the Bank of England and The Times newspaper. Teams from Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School and Stonyhurst College have to decide what level of interest rates they
AFTER the crisis triggered by last month's petrol price protests, firms in East Lancashire are being surveyed for ideas of how to avoid a repeat of the chaos -- which had many on the brink of going out of business. The region's Chamber of Commerce is
HOW would you like a government grant of more than £28,000 -- just for going to work? All you need to qualify is to rent a bit of godforsaken moorland, let loose on it a load of sheep that no-one wants -- and then start pleading poverty, Yet, such a sum
I KNOW it says on Jack Straw's CV that he went to Leeds University in the Sixties, but I didn't know it was a monastery. For amid the debate fired by Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe's call for on-the-spot fines for cannabis users, our Jack admits
A CALL has gone out for drivers to be more courteous to the borough's 70 lollipop men and women following an accident involving a child and a number of near misses involving school crossing patrols. Councillor Terry Hanley, Cabinet member for Environmental
Could you be a tower of strength for local folk who have suffered as a result of criminal actions? St Helens East Victim Support Scheme is recruiting volunteers to visit local victims of crime and offer practical help with such things as applying for
A NATIONAL scheme designed to encourage children to start reading at an early age has been expanded locally to reach even more youngsters. Bookstart was launched in Rainford Library last October and the initiative is now operating at Central, Newtown
POLICE believe there may be a link between two incidents in which elderly women were targeted by a bag-snatcher. In the second incident the 72-year-old victim was walking along Windleshaw Road, Dentons Green, in the direction of Hard Lane, at about 9.45am
MP DAVE Watts has called for former miners' claims for compensation for silicosis and vibration white finger to be speeded up. The St Helens North representative says delays are causing unnecessary distress to many claimants and their families. And he
BIG-hearted bachelor Paul Tunstall couldn't believe his luck when, just days after landing his first job in 18 years, he doubled his good fortune by scooping a top pay-out on a new lottery game! The 38-year-old, who lives with his mum, Lily, in Sutton
A DRUNKEN man punched a 16-year-old girl in the face because she refused to leave his brother's house, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that the girl, who wears glasses, suffered a cut forehead in the attack. Gareth Patrick Crosgrove, 25,
SOARING Saints could have upwards of 20,000 fans rooting for them when they tackle old enemy Wigan in Saturday's awesome Grand Final showdown at Old Trafford. That's the confident prediction of vice-chairman Malcolm Kay who told the Star: "Response from
THE crowds flocked in to Blackburn Brookhouse Primary School autumn fair. Face painting and candy floss were just some of the attractions at the event which raised around £500 towards refurbishment of the school library. "The painting cost will come out
IT was all the fun of the fair for shoppers at a fun day organised by the Blackburn and Darwen community development team in Victoria Shopping Centre, Blackburn. Children enjoyed fun with the clowns and characters, and adults were free to surf the net
A BOY of 14 was propositioned by a man when he visited the public toilets in Market Way, Blackburn. The town's magistrates heard that William Tomlinson, 54, pushed a note into the boy's cubicle asking if he wanted to go for a walk. He then followed the
OLD soldiers will return to the parade ground when they visit the Queen's Lancashire Regiment at Alma Barracks, Catterick Garrison on Thursday, October 19. Men from the Regimental Association, based at Somme Barracks, Blackburn, together with men from
FORGET a champagne celebration -- all 100-year-old Elizabeth Reed (pictured) wanted to toast her special birthday was a nice cup of tea. And a piece of cake to go with her cuppa of course! Mrs Reed celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends
BOGUS callers have stolen cash from three pensioners after gaining their confidence. DC Marshall Seddon, of Blackburn CID, has warned elderly people to be on their guard after the latest incident on Monday, in which a pair of thieves targeted an 85-year-old
A MASSIVE £8.67 million is to be pumped into the most deprived areas of Blackburn and Darwen. Council chiefs have welcomed the news and now they are asking the people of the borough to tell them how the money should be spent. Council leader Malcolm Doherty
LANCASHIRE today slammed reports that Mike Atherton had rejected a new contract offer and was set to retire. "It is just not true," said Old Trafford cricket secretary Dave Edmundson. "His current contract runs until the end of next year and when all
PENDLE teenager Joel Kirkbride amazed his fellow fishermen when he beat his personal record by catching a pike weighing 30lbs 4oz. But the 16-year-old did not become complacent -- he went straight back to his fishing and nine hours later caught another
Chorley 1 Workington 2 THE remarkable condition of the Victory Park pitch, despite hours of heavy rain, spoke volumes for the hard work of groundsman Frank Wilde. But he must have wondered if the effort was worthwhile as Chorley wasted a superb start
LANCASHIRE run-machine Keith Barker Junior will take part in a special training camp with England's Under 15s following his record-breaking exploits over the summer. The 13-year-old Enfield ace has been rewarded with the call-up following a phenomenal
Spennymoor utd 1 Accrington Stanley 6 THE Stanley goal machine slipped into top gear at the Brewery Field Spennymoor last night giving the watching Bedlington management team a lot to ponder ahead of Saturday's FA Cup tie in the North East. Big-money
ST HELENS outfit Owens Corning grabbed top spot in the Warrington League on Saturday with a 5-2 victory over Halebank. RESULTS Premier Division: Owens Corning 5 Halebank 2. Reserve Division Two: Grappenhall Sports Reserves 1 Blackbrook Reserves 2, Irlam
THE North West Counties Rounders Association in St Helens is running coaching sessions for local players. Year 5 - 11 pupils, who enjoy playing rounders, are encouraged to register for the sessions, with a view to promoting rounders in schools and throughout
JUST one game in the St Helens McDonald's JOL survived the bad weather. It saw Pilkington under 13s defeat Bleak Hill Rovers 3-0. FIXTURES Under 16s: Blackbrook v St Annes Rovers, Cronton v Whiston, Bleak Hill Rovers v Knwosley South, Penlake v Blackleyhurst
YOUNG Gate under 15s were one of only two teams with something to smile about in the Rainhill Junior League at the weekend. They defeated Eccleston United 9-0. And in the only other game played Pilkington under 13s beat Haydock 5-1. FIXTURES Under 15s
Prescot Cables 1 Kidsgrove Athletic 1 A GOAL 10 minutes from time earned Cables a share of the spoils in this midweek top-five clash. A gale force wind made controlled football difficult and Prescot had the wind behind their backs in the first half. It
ONLY one game got off the ground in the St Helens Combination at the weekend. This was a St Helens Star Premier Division game that was switched to Billinge, where Billinge's opponents were College St Helens, a team in great form. Billinge, too, are on
ST HELENS wheelchair basketball player Dan Highcock has jetted off to Sydney in pursuit of gold and glory at the 2000 Parlaympic Games, which take place between October 18 and 29. Dan (19) won a silver medal at last year's European Under-23 Championships
WHISTON Hospital's Intensive care Unit has been given a massive boost, courtesy of a man whose fiance received treatment there after suffering a violent asthma attack. Sadly, despite the best efforts of staff at the unit, 26-year-old Adrianne Michaels
POLICE officers from St Helens CID raised about £2,000 for Children In Need by taking part in a 180-mile, three-day bike ride from St Helens to Skegness. The ride was sponsored by Costco, Millets and Asda, while Thatto Heath Cycles of Leslie Road provided
POLICE are seeking witnesses to a road accident which resulted in the death of a 33-year-old motorcyclist. The accident happened at 1.45pm on Friday, September 29, when the motorcyclist, who was riding along Newton Road towards Newton-le-Willows, was
ST HELENS Council has received a £1 million Government boost to help improve housing, raise school standards, reduce crime and improve health in deprived areas. The money is a share of £800 million awarded nationally and £27 across the North West, under
BURY bus commuters who have been hit by a series of strikes are set to breath a sigh of relief. For the industrial action by 1,750 First Manchester drivers, which has crippled services, could soon be over. A ballot is being held tomorrow (Thurs Oct 12
Nature watch, with Ron Freethy THIS week I had to go into the south west of Scotland and as I read the weather forecast I looked forward to a bit of an Indian summer. Wrong! The wind blew and the rain lashed down. In future I'll stick to predicting weather
YOUR report (LET, October 5) brought into the open the underground and, in my opinion, badly-written publication, 'Bleakburn Bugle' criticising the Council's plans for Church Street. As an executive member of the Chamber of Trade, I am sure that most
I THINK Eric Leaver's criticisms on pensioners' pay (LET, October 4), were unjustified, when he said that the government would be unable to fund the earnings-related award in years to come because of the increase in pensioners and decrease in tax payers
REGARDING the remarks in "Jobs for the boys" (Letters, October 5), the author was quite right in stating that Blackburn with Darwen Council has recently advertised the job of crime and disorder manager and the job of Best Value manager. However, this
THE GOVERNMENT is to scrap an organisation that has fought patients' battles for nearly three decades. Leigh members of the independent Community Health Council (CHC) - which will become a thing of the past in March 2002 - are now seriously worried about
ANY fears Leigh Centurions fans might have had that the mouth-watering clash with South Sydney next month would be a low key affair have been dispelled by tour manager Keith McGraw. McGraw reveals that Souths' four-match tour will be a high-profile trip
I WISH to thank everyone who donated to my sponsored tandem skydive on July 8. The final total of donations raised for the Cancer Research Campaign to fight against cancer is £2,484.32. My thanks to you all, the honour is all to you. I only collected
BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness is facing a striker crisis ahead of Rovers' crucial First Division clash with top-of-the-table Fulham at the weekend. Young forward James Thomas could be out of action for several weeks after suffering a serious hamstring
ATTENDING the St Helens v Wigan match, I was disgusted to hear the verbal abuse by St Helens supporters given to Mr Terry Wynn and his family. Due to the voting reforms of the last European election, he now represents the North West of England. In all
A DRIVER suffered serious injuries when a red Vauxhall Astra saloon skidded out of control and collided with a dry stone wall. Firefighters from Burnley cut him free after the accident at 3.35pm yesterday, which closed Burnley Road, Hapton, for two hours
ST HELENS Schoolboys notched up a great double success against their Hull counterparts, winning at under 13s and under 11s level. St Helens under 13s 32 Hull 6 Outstanding defence paved the way for this victory with St Helens racing away to a 22-nil half-time
Haresfinch 20 Bold Miners 26 THE goalkicking of Darren Anders proved crucial in this hard-fought local derby win for Bold. Player-coach Anders contributed 14 of his side's points with a try and five goals as Finch, despite matching the visitors' four-try
Thatto Heath Crusaders A 21 Folly Lane A 6 CRUSADERS were worthy winners as both sides gave the ball air - despite the weekend's heavy downpours. After an opening 10 minutes, when the two teams tested each other out, the Swinton men took the lead courtesy
PEACE has broken out in a row that had threatened to disrupt Saints' Grand Final preparations. For the club was adamant England World Cup stars Sean Long and Paul Sculthorpe, plus Welsh duo Anthony Sullivan and Keiron Cunningham attended Saints' win-or-lose
THE final battle to stop the closure of a Pendle primary school will be fought at County Hall tomorrow. Education bosses decided last month that Rainhall Road Community School, Barnoldswick, will close next summer despite a lengthy campaign by parents
IT happened more than half a century ago, but Gwendoline Wilson still feels the pain of losing her father to a freak wartime incident. Edward Goodwin, a Pilkington glassworks mixer, was serving as a member of the Home Guard when he was accidentally shot
THE true Romany, wandering free in his horse-drawn barrel-shaped caravan, has vanished from the local scene. In modern times he's been replaced by the modern breed of 'traveller', descending univited on any available scap of land. Arriving in a convoy
A SHOPKEEPER has made a written complaint to bureaucrats who refused his Nigerian wife entry into Britain because they think the marriage is a sham. Robin Haworth, 53, who lives at his shop in Elmfield Street, Church, married Justina in Nigeria 20 months
YACHTSMAN Andrew Hindley has vowed to carry on with the Team Philips dream -- just days after saying: "I never want to see this boat again." The Accrington-born sailor, who was brought up in Manchester Road, made his shock announcement in the early hours
THANK goodness the North West's air ambulance helicopter won't be grounded a couple of days a week. Health chiefs have found extra funding -- so that the life-saving paramedic service can keep flying seven days a week -- at least, until the end of March
BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness is facing a striker crisis ahead of Rovers' crucial First Division clash with top-of-the-table Fulham at the weekend. Young forward James Thomas could be out of action for several weeks after suffering a serious hamstring
A LEADING animal feed manufacturer claims farmers are missing out on properly marketing their produce while the rest of the "food chain" reaps the benefits. Howard Blackburn, marketing manager of Clitheroe-based Dugdale Nutrition, claimed that while the
LEADING Blackburn accountants Pierce has launched a new business arm. Pierce Financial Services will complement the Richmond Terrace firm's existing specialised tax and business advisory services. It was set up in association with national independent
PREVIOUS signs of recovery in the manufacturing sector in the North West appear to have been put on hold. Improvements in export sales also reversed in the third quarter of the year and demand for future orders remains weak, according to the latest quarterly
MERSEYSIDE Police launched their latest Operation Streetsafe campaign, a high-profile blitz on crime throughout St Helens and Knowsley, this week. The seven-day campaign is targeting criminal offences which affect the local community including drug offences
IAN WOOD and Eric Whalley have both been ruled out as speculation mounts over the identities of the parties interested in the purchase of Radcliffe Borough Football Club. The matter has now been put in the hands of estate agents Roger Hannah, who are
ST HELENS Council has won additional Government funding of £110,000 for road safety improvements across the borough. Anti-skid surfacing will be provided at pelican crossings at Marshalls Cross Road, Sutton, Warrington Road, Rainhill and Church Road,
A GROUP of local singers are set to raise the roof of St Helens Town Hall this weekend to raise money for Willowbrook Hospice. The BT Voices for Hospices 2000 is an international event which will see choirs from all over the world taking part in a simultaneous
CYCLISTS making the most of new paths for their bikes will also be treated to a piece of art created especially for them. Blackburn with Darwen Council and the Darwen River Valley Initiative commissioned the steel sculpture "Flow" which now forms part
EAST Lancashire MP Janet Anderson has joined the cannabis debate which has engulfed Parliament but stressed that she has never taken drugs - because she would much rather have a bottle of wine. As the row over Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe's plan
HEALTH boss David Peat held his mum's hand while she gritted her teeth for her flu jab - and insisted their were no shortages of the vaccine in East Lancashire. David, chief executive of the East Lancashire Health Authority, urged every eligible person
LANCASHIRE is one of 64 local authorities invited to bid for £130million to improve sports and arts facilities. Part of the government scheme, Space for Sport and the Arts, the money aims to improve access to sport and arts for those in deprived areas
SCHOOLGIRL Rachel Cotton got an unusual delivery at her door this week -- a giant cardboard computer. The 13-year-old is among 17 winners of a national competition run by the Disney Channel where pupils from more than 4,000 school across the UK were asked
FIRE chiefs and trading standards bosses today accused an East Lancashire firm of putting lives at risk by encouraging people to illegally hoard petrol. Billington-based firm Transworld Initiatives Ltd has distributed leaflets throughout the Ribble Valley
Furness 11 Ruskin Park 5 RUSKIN were just edged out of the Tetley Vase on a pitch resembling a swamp, and with heavy rain falling throughout. Soon behind after conceding an early penalty, the visitors took the game to the opposition, and were unlucky
A ST HELENS Territorial Army soldier has just returned from the Shotokan Karate Championships in Tokyo with a silver medal. Current European and British Champion, Gunner Collette Glynn was the top competitor in the three-woman team which took the silver
Darlington Mowden Park 21 West Park 3 AFTER an unbeaten run of 20 games since their quarter-final exit at the hands of Darlington in the NPI cup last season, West Park bowed out of the Tetley Bitter Cup with this honourable defeat. Darlington Mowden Park
St Helens Town 1 Woodley Sports 2 AS members of Sporting Club St Helens, Town get an historic weekend under way at Knowsley Road on Friday, when Great Harwood Town provide the opposition in a NWCL Division One game. Kick off is at7.45pm. Last week the
MRS M. Gillan of Rainford was this week's lucky winner of the £2,000 jackpot prize in the Willowbrook Hospice weely lottery draw. Second prize of £200 was won by a person from St Helens who requested no publicity. Other major prize winners were Walter
ST HELENS Council's environmental health chiefs are reminding local butchers that their shops need to be licensed by November 1. So far 32 applications have been received but a small number of premises still need to apply. The requirement to licence was
THIS week is National Adoption Week and despite a marketing campaign to attract carers in St Helens there are still many children who need the love and security of a permanent home. To further the local campaign a new drive is being organised alongside
