BLACKBURN "Playhouse Creatures," Thwaites Empire Theatre, Ewood. "Frozen Music -- Towards Abstraction" Paintings by Robert Porter, Samlesbury Hall, 11am-4.30pm. Until October 31. Islam Drop-in, Islamic Resources Centre, 145 Victoria Street, 3.30pm-4.30pm
CLEARLY radical action is needed to turn around Blackburn's failing Queen's Park High School. A series of depressing Ofsted inspection reports led to the school being put into special measures in February this year and an update visit last month failed
EMMA Scholes is a teenage smoker. And while many might tut with disapproval at what her habit is doing to her body, she's adamant she didn't know the risks when she started. And she's not alone. While nationally 31 per cent of girls and 16 per cent of
I WOULD like to thank all your readers for the amazing fundraising activities of Centrica employees -- who have raised over £650,000 for their chosen charity of the year, Cancer Research UK, in the past 12 months. I attended Centrica's employee awards
EVERYWHERE you are told to recycle. It is advertised on the buses, in the newspapers and on flyers with your council tax. Councils have recycling co-ordinators, Lancashire CC has a recycling web site. However, if you are a business just try recycling
A GUN was held to the head of a postmaster in Leigh during a terrifying raid. Two masked men armed with firearms burst into the Plank Lane Post Office in Firs Lane on Monday shortly before 11am and forced their way behind the counter. While one of the
BLEAKHOLT Animal Sanctuary opened its doors to the two-legged variety on Sunday. Poor weather meant that the shelter's open day did not attract as many people as usual, but organisers said that the crowds who did brave the rain had a fun time. And a local
A BURY pub is at the top of the tree when it comes to beer gardens. The Trafalgar hotel in Manchester Old Road has been awarded Best in Area prize for its garden, beating 18 other Burtonwood pubs for the top gong. Licensee Mr Phil Duffy (38), a keen gardener
A FAILING school is to be shut down in a bid to give its 600 pupils a fresh start. But a brand new school will re-open the following term in the same building under a new name. And today all the staff at Blackburn's Queen's Park High School - including
MARK Hughes today insisted he will quit as the manager of Wales with his head held high - regardless of what happens in Saturday's crunch qualifier against England. Hughes began plotting the 'old enemy's' downfall this morning after linking up with the
VIKINGS, feathered friends and Punch and Judy will be among visitors to Towneley Park, Burnley, on Sunday for a woodland festival. The annual Forest of Burnley festival will feature a wide range of activities such as woodland craft demonstrations, live
THE Lancashire Evening Telegraph today launches a call for the return of Burnley football legend Andy Lochhead's prized FA Cup Final medal. The treasured runners-up memento was stolen from the former Clarets star's home in a burglary on Saturday night
THREE British adventurers have ridden the wind into the record books by completing the first ever crossing of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia by kite power. The Burnley-based Network VEKA 2004 Gobi-Kites team encountered some of the world's most hostile terrain
EIGHT down, seven to go - that's the goalscoring mantra that the Shakers' top marksman Dave Nugent will be chanting over the next few weeks. The 19-year-old has been a revelation in front of goal this season and is on course to be the club's first 20-
POLICE were today hoping to interview a man who is suspected of sparking a police chase through the streets of Nelson. The 49-year-old local man, who is believed to have been a disqualified driver, was driving a Vauxhall Astra when police pursued the
PENDLE is set to be made off-limits to developers because too many houses have been built this year. The area has been flooded with planning applications and Pendle Borough Council has to say no to any more development or it could face legal action. Strict
IF poetry be the food of love, read on! Library staff are laying on a feast of comestibles to mark National Poetry Day on Thursday (Oct 7). Food is this year's theme, so catering students from Bury College will be providing the grub at Bury Library between
DID our police officers tell their visiting counterparts from Romania about how people in Bury have to phone Manchester to get through to Bury police? Then when you get through, you are told that no-one is available but that they will be tomorrow. But
ANGRY residents in Trawden have hit out over rumoured plans to build kennels at a farm in the village. About 20 people gathered at Trawden Parish Council's meeting last night to voice their fears. But the parish council says it is not aware of any proposal
COLNE'S shopping centre could be demolished in a bid to regenerate the town. Pendle Borough Council leader Alan Davies described the 1960s Precinct as a 'carbuncle' as he unveiled the plan to fellow Colne councillors. Colleague Coun Tony Greaves backed
10 years ago COMPUTER experts were called in to help police process a major backlog of speeding fines one week after new cameras were installed in Blackburn. Hundreds of drivers caught speeding meant officers had no time to deal with other crimes. Police
TWO months in and the league table is not a pleasant sight. Too many goals against, too few goals for and a pitiful points tally. Added to this there is the sight of an increasing number of empty seats on match days and a growing indifference from the
PLANS to use part of a double garage to extend a house in Altham look set to be approved by Hyndburn Council. The newly built house, which is currently empty, is part of the Cornmill Farm development, in Burnley Road, Altham. It is one of five in a rebuilt
FITNESS fans in Hyndburn are using pedal power to raise vital funds for breast cancer research. The Breast Cancer Campaign has teamed up with Leisure in Hyndburn for the charity's Life Cycle challenge event. People taking part will cycle 50 miles on an
EAST Lancashire pupils will bring the Bard to life as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival. Year Nine pupils from Rhyddings High School, Oswaldtwistle, will perform a unique version of Macbeth at the Charter Theatre, Preston, on Tuesday, October 19
A HISTORIC Accrington town centre church could open as a heritage centre. Religious leaders have suggested the idea, which would see St James' Church, currently closed most of the week, open for other uses. Extensive changes would be made, introducing
A 20-YEAR-OLD man was pushed to the ground and knocked unconscious by a robber. He was walking along Clifton Road, Prestwich, on Saturday at 11pm when he was struck from behind and knocked out. A bracelet was stolen and the man suffered bruising. The
RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans hit the south coast today for the Tory conference. He headed to Bournemouth after a week a week of meetings, culminating in talks at Hutton Police HQ over law and order in East Lancashire. Mr Evans said: "I am meeting a delegation
AN East Lancashire chatroom predator jailed for sexually abusing teenage girls is at the centre of a Home Office internet safety campaign. Charles Trevor Monaghan, 38, who sexually abused five girls aged between 13 and 15 after pretending to be from a
Andy Payton column THE international break gives us time to draw breath again - and reflect on a magnificent start to the season. Take no notice of the doom-mongers criticising Steve Cotterill's Clarets for being negative and - even being labelled boring
Bar Star THE licensee of an Oswaldtwistle pub is about to pull her last pint as she says goodbye to the industry. And to mark the occasion Melanie Leonard is throwing a big party to thank regulars at the Black Dog Inn, in Union Road, for their custom.
STEVE Cotterill admits the two-week break has come at a good time for his weary troops. The Clarets will keep ticking over until their next Championship league game at Ipswich a week on Saturday. But the enforced international break has given Cotterill
A MAN wants to trace an old friend from his home town who he now believes lives in Darwen. David Price lost touch with Ronnie Blockland, 54, after he moved from West Derby, Liverpool, to Darwen 25 to 30 years ago. He is now hoping for a reunion with his
DARWEN people are to be rewarded this month for making a difference to their neighbourhood. The annual Darwen Civic Society Civic Pride Awards recognise residents' commitment to making their street more attractive. Buildings and streets throughout the
RESIDENTS in Stacksteads are being invited to discuss policing issues at the next Police and Community Together (PACT) meeting tomorrow. Police community support officer Nick Statton and community beat manager Alex Downham will be on hand from 3-5pm for
A WITNESS to a fire service rescue attempt which went tragically wrong described their efforts as unco-ordinated and 'out of control', a court was told Range warden Christopher Wilde watched helpless as Rossendale firefighter, 40-year-old Sub Officer
RADCLIFFE BOROUGH...3, SHILDON...3: PATIENCE is a virtue Boro's fans will have to acquire, certainly as far as the FA Cup is concerned, writes PETER COLLINS. Unable to dispose of Northern League First Division outfit Shildon at the first attempt, they
DISABLED drivers have hit out at council parking bosses in Blackburn with Darwen - for re-painting yellow lines and parking signs to make parking regulations in the town centre clearer. They say the move has led to confusion for drivers with disabled
A CALL has been issued for people to help their community by volunteering to become a magistrate and play their part in local justice. The closing date for applications to join the Lancashire Magistracy in 2005 is November 30. Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire
A FAILING school is to be shut down in a bid to give its 600 pupils a fresh start. But a brand new school will re-open the following term in the same building under a new name. And today all the staff at Blackburn's Queen's Park High School - including
IN April 2003, our daughter presented us with our first grandchild, a beautiful healthy little boy weighing 8lbs 2oz. He is now a beautiful healthy 17-month-old. In October of the same year, our other daughter went into premature labour with triplets.
IN response to Mr Kaiserman (Letters, September 14) I would like to say that the television programme "Secret Agent", about the BNP, did us no harm at all (14 lost members and 1,000 new ones in the month following), and anyone with an ounce of common
THE tables will be turned when the Government's top schools inspector pays a visit to Bury on Tuesday. Teachers get their chance to ask the questions when Ofsted chief inspector David Bell addresses them at Bury town hall's Elizabethan Suite during the
THE owner of a Bury residential care home has been fined £7,000 after an accident involving a lift left a disabled resident severely injured. Bessie Bridge, an 82-year-old double amputee, fractured a femur. She died in hospital a fortnight later from
AFTER five weeks of shambolic chaos Burnley council has a leader again. But whether anything has changed remains to be seen. The Labour group is back in control with all the seats on the executive. They are the largest single party but cannot get anything
A 35-YEAR-OLD man who bit his partner on the nose, drawing blood and causing her "excruciating" pain, has been jailed for 12 months. Blackburn magistrates heard it was the second time Bryan Carrie had attacked Lisa Raynor during a dispute. He also damaged
JENNY SCOTT joins the Oswaldtwistle Players in the build-up to their latest comedy. . . A GIANT panda and an expanding leading lady have been causing a consternation in Oswaldtwistle. With just two weeks to go until A Night on the Tiles opens, the pressure
I MUST congratulate you on getting Mr Khan to write for your paper every Friday. I find I just have to read his articles on life. A recent one was a corker on why so many people come here to get married. Keep up the good work, normally I just read the
I IMAGINE it is all a matter of perception, but Antony Haworth (LET, September 24) perhaps should establish what the role of Community Beat Officers are before engaging in such scathing comments. Their job is to provide visible reassurance in their local
WE are now familiar with the television pictures -- of the crisis in Darfur, western Sudan -- crowds of refugees in camps and stories of atrocities and burned out, abandoned villages. It's easy to jump to conclusions about why this is happening and what
MYSTERY surrounds how a lorry became embedded in the foyer of Bury company Pendle Designs, at lunchtime on Saturday afternoon. The driver of the truck was not injured, although structural damage was caused to the vehicle and the porch entrance to the
THE tables will be turned when the Government's top schools inspector pays a visit to Bury on Tuesday. Teachers get their chance to ask the questions when Ofsted chief inspector David Bell addresses them at Bury town hall's Elizabethan Suite during the
IF poetry be the food of love, read on! Library staff are laying on a feast of comestibles to mark National Poetry Day on Thursday (Oct 7). Food is this year's theme, so catering students from Bury College will be providing the grub at Bury Library between
FREE electric blanket tests for Bury residents are once more being offered by trading standards officers. Over the last few years, more than 500 blankets have been tested and around half have failed and been declared unfit for use. A further 20 per cent
LABOUR were back in control of Burnley council today following five weeks of chaos - after they and the Liberal Democrats failed to agree on power- sharing. But the threat of instability still hangs over the authority after Liberal Democrat leader Gordon
BANKS, building societies and post offices are being singled out for special priority in a major crackdown on robberies launched by Bury Police on Monday. Undercover and visible policing methods will be deployed to monitor potential crime hotspots in
A FAIRYTALE wedding came true for Bury girl Sarah Edgington after she married into Italian aristocracy. Sarah, an ex-pupil of Bury Grammar School and Holy Cross College, became a countess when she married the eldest son of one of Italy's oldest families
STAFF and children at Burnley's Little Acorns Neighbourhood Nursery will be celebrating tomorrow at the official opening of their new Sure Start Healthy Living Centre. Children will be dressing up as their favourite characters at the event tomorrow. Youngsters
A CRACKDOWN on yobs frightening elderly passengers at Hapton railway station is working after police revealed they have received no new complaints. Last month the British Transport Police increased patrols around the area after residents complained about
WARNING road signs are to be sited at a notorious rural blackspot in a bid to reduce accidents. A stretch of the A646 Burnley Road, near Cliviger, is to benefit from the signs after concerned resident Eddie Rawlinson and Burnley's MP Peter Pike called
AN anti-crime blitz was set to hit the streets of Burnley and Padiham today in a bid to crack down on crooks. Police today launched Operation Fox - an initiative that will see extra 'high visibility' patrols flood the streets in hotspot crime areas to
LABOUR were back in control of Burnley council today following five weeks of chaos - after they and the Liberal Democrats failed to agree on power- sharing. But the threat of instability still hangs over the authority after Liberal Democrat leader Gordon
THERE'S a superb double header for local soccer fans at Bury FC Social Club on Saturday afternoon. Steward Ian Fitzsimmons has arranged for the Shakers' clash at Leyton Orient to be broadcast live in the members lounge at 1pm. And if that wasn't enough
SHAKERS' first team coach Kelham O'Hanlon has paid tribute to the players for keeping their heads during a dismal September run. The Gigg Lane men picked up just one point from four games and were despatched out of the LDV Vans trophy during a miserable
PEOPLE in Brierfield who do not voluntarily sell their homes for housing renewal will be bought out by Pendle Borough Council. Councillors agreed to make compulsory purchase orders in Holden Road, King Street area and Lob Lane Mill if people do not offer
NELSON'S open air pool will not reopen as a swimming pool. Members of Pendle Borough Council's executive committee agreed to remove the pool in Marsden Park and landscape the area. Their decision was met with sadness by Coun John David (LibDem, Old Laund
A COUPLE returned from a short break to find their home had been raided by the son of the woman looking after it, a court was told. Burnley Crown Court heard that Mintu Miah's mother had dropped the keys to the property in Nelson and the defendant, a
THE suggested closure of the special care baby care unit and children's department at Fairfield Hospital is outrageous. My triplet grandchildren were born there by emergency C section, with no time to transfer my daughter-in-law to any other hospital.
YOUR correspondent P. Kaiserman (Letters, September 14), who apparently supports the Labour Government's attempts to hound BNP members out of a growing list of professions is, I am afraid, expounding exactly the sort of intolerant fascism he claims to
Let's enjoy being team others hate to play HAVING spent the last two seasons being used as shooting practice by other teams in this division, it comes as something of a pleasant surprise that Burnley go into their enforced two-week break with the best
RESIDENTS in some of Accrington's most deprived areas could be getting two new community centres. At a public meeting this week, residents will hear of the plans to create facilities in the Central and Springhill wards of the town. The announcement will
A HOMEOWNER from Clayton-le-Moors is hoping it will be third time lucky for his plans to create an access for his car at the front of his house. But Hyndburn Council's planning committee looks set to refuse the proposals for the house in Whalley Road.
THE nightmare could soon be over for residents in Hyndburn's housing regeneration area who were left in limbo when the council ran out of money to buy their homes. Hyndburn Council has been offered new money to get the programme back on track after a
SPORTS officers at Ribble Valley Council have launched a search for the next Amir Khan or Kelly Holmes. They will, stage a mini-Olympics in Clitheroe and Longridge over half-term, from October 25 to 29. Youngsters aged eight to 12 have been invited to
STEVE Cotterill admits the two-week break has come at a good time for his weary troops. The Clarets will keep ticking over until their next Championship league game at Ipswich a week on Saturday. But the enforced international break has given Cotterill
MARK Hughes today insisted he will quit as the manager of Wales with his head held high - regardless of what happens in Saturday's crunch qualifier against England. Hughes began plotting the 'old enemy's' downfall this morning after linking up with the
RAMSBOTTOM 0, SOUTHPORT 2: DREAMS of FA Cup glory ended as a strong Southport outfit proved to have too much class for their North West Counties opponents. For much of the 90 minutes the Rams competed competently against the Sandgrounders' pace and power
THE Government wants to 'steamroller' through wind-farm applications such as the proposed two turbines at Uglow Farm, near Edgworth, it is claimed. Darwen's prospective parliamentary Conservative candidate Nigel Adams claims the reason is because wind-farms
THIEVES who trick their way into pensioners' homes to steal property have been slammed as "despicable'. Anger follows an incident at the weekend in which a bogus council official gained access to an elderly man's home London Terrace, Darwen, and took
A ROSSENDALE Rugby Union Football Club match was abandoned after an opposition player suffered a suspected broken neck. The player, a prop forward for Cumbrian visitors Egremont, suffered the injury during a scrummage shortly before half-time in the match
MAGISTRATES have ordered that the case against a Haslingden man, accused of fracturing the wrist of a tenant, must proceed on the next occasion or they will consider discharging it. Jefferson Conway, 61, of Dalesford, has denied charges of unlawfully
RAMSBOTTOM'S prospective MP is calling for voluntary special constables to be paid an annual allowance in line with the Territorial Army. David Nuttall, the Conservatives' parliamentary spokesman for Ramsbottom said action needed to be taken after newly-published
A ROSSENDALE school is stepping up initiatives to help beat school-run congestion during Walk to School Week. In a bid to help ease the early morning and mid-afternoon mayhem, pupils from Crawshawbooth Primary School will be using their own 'walking bus
THE site of fire-ravaged Whitworth Civic Hall is set to be sold off and a replacement theatre built next to the town's high school. Officers from Rossendale Council revealed their proposals to 500 residents crammed into Whitworth High School -- and immediately
A YOUTH club for special needs children may have to close after 21 years. The Blackburn with Darwen Junior Gateway Club was once a thriving group of 20, but now attracts only a handful of youngsters every week after many members reached the club's age
THE drivers of two stolen cars escaped after a two-hour high speed police chase through Blackburn streets. Non-uniform police on patrol in an operation to tackle juvenile nuisance on the Fishmoor Estate spotted the two vehicles, a Renault Scenic and Ford
A TEENAGER had her life-long dream come true when she came face-to-face with her rock star idol. Sixteen-year-old Lora Brighouse was over the moon when she found out mum Andrea had managed to organise a surprise access-all-areas pass to meet Canadian
LANCASHIRE'S bid to become the UK's first Fairtrade county may be in jeopardy -- because it costs too much. County Hall chiefs believe their budget for catering will double if they start buying products based on social conscience rather than best value
CHART-TOPPERS Girls Aloud have been revealed as the latest weapon in the battle between Blackburn's two biggest nightclubs. Management at Jumpin' Jaks, St Peter Street, have paid around £15,000 to land the band this month - in a bid to lure back customers
PRIMARY school pupils are being given a Saturday morning chance to brush up on their study skills. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has opened its second Primary Study Centre based at Witton Park City Learning Centre. The aim is to help up to 30
A MAN was "senselessly" murdered by a drunken teenager after asking him to keep the noise down in the early hours, a court heard. Damien Fiocca, 19, of Whitendale Crescent, Blackburn, smashed Andrew Rawes' skull with a television stand following a row
JOHN Coleman feels Accrington Stanley should be sitting pretty as the Arsenal of the Nationwide Conference. The Reds boss is looking for his side to bounce back to winning ways at home to Tamworth tonight after slipping to a shock 2-1 defeat at Farnborough
HENLEY HAWKS 41, SEDGLEY PARK 19: LIFE in National One for the Tigers at the moment is a bit like a broken pencil - pointless. Against fellow strugglers Henley a win was crucial, however, they emerged from Oxfordshire with little to show against a team
HAVING attended public meetings organised by both the Baby Lifeline Society and the Primary Care Trust it is clear that the lack of local decision-making within the NHS is one of the major difficulties facing those who wish to keep full maternity and
MR A. Withington (Letters, September 3) questions why, as an independent member of the council's standards committee, he has not been able to raise his concerns about members' allowances, given the change in the process. Statutory regulations provide
