BURY Group of Advanced Motorists is gearing up to mark its silver jubilee this year with a double celebration. A 25th anniversary dinner is planned for June 3 at the Bolholt Hotel in Bury, followed by a Manchester Ship Canal Cruise, from Salford Quays
A MOTORIST was taken to hospital with minor injuries after being in collision with a car and a tree in Prestwich. Two vehicles, a Vauxhall Vectra and a Mazda 323, were involved in a head-on collision adjacent to Armstrong's chip shop on Bury Old Road
WANNABE pop stars can stretch their vocal talent at Yates' wine bar in Bury to be in with a chance of recording their own single at Abbey Road studios and winning £5,000. Yates, in Market Street, is launching the regional heats of Wannabe 2005, the pub's
A MAN from Bury is recovering in hospital after a collision on Sunday left him with broken ribs. The 39-year-old was injured when his F-registered Toyota MR2 was involved in an accident on Bury New Road, Breightmet. The accident, which also involved a
IF at first you don't succeed, then try, try again. That is the sporting philosophy Sedgley Park player-coach Tim Fourie is following in his bid to get his side back on track. After three successive defeats, the latest the 20-21 home loss to fellow relegation
PEOPLE in Bury are being urged to help combat global warming by visiting the Mill Gate shopping centre next Monday to collect free energy lightbulbs. The bulbs, worth £6, will be available from advisors of the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre who will
I FULLY agree with Margaret Grimshaw's view (LET, February 1) on the future referendum on whether or not we wish to be part of a Federal Union. At present, we have farmers in all European countries openly exploiting grants and subsidies. We also have
A MAN and a boy were taken to hospital after a motorbike crashed when it was being pursued by police. Officers tried to stop the Honda motorbike as it was being ridden along Leigh Road, Hindley, at 10.40pm on Friday. The bike failed to stop and was involved
ENTERTAINER Bobby Ball will be leaving his comedy partner Tommy Cannon behind for one night only to talk about his life experiences and Christianity. Bobby will be appearing at the Radcliffe Civic Suite on March 4 to an expected audience of 400 speaking
YEAR 5 pupils at a Bury primary school have proved they are well drilled in the art of fire safety. A team at St John's with St Mark's school have come out on top by winning a quiz - but more importantly, they are better placed to protect themselves and
PAUL Dickov has admitted he needs to start scoring more if Blackburn Rovers are to avoid an uncomfortable climax to the season. The former Leicester and Manchester City striker might be Rovers' leading scorer with seven goals to his name in the Premiership
A STUDENT, said to drink eight litres of cider every day, racially abused and tried to headbutt a police officer who tried to help him, a court was told. Burnley magistrates heard how David Connelly, 19, who was 'totally comatose most of the time', was
UNDERTAKERS in Fence will be allowed to carry coffins in through the back door. Holgate Brothers Ltd of Wheatley Lane Road have been given permission by Pendle Borough Council to build a chapel of rest with access from Noggarth Road because so many cars
THE LIBERAL Democrats' parliamentary hopeful in Burnley is at odds with his party bosses over teen drinking. Gordon Birtwistle, former mayor and the party's prospective parliamentary candidate said he would fight any lowering of the age limit. His comments
POLICE in Nelson are warning petrol station staff to be on the lookout for stolen number plates being used in fuel thefts. There have been a spate of registration plate thefts in the area in recent weeks and police have found they are then used by criminals
NEARLY half of the businesses in Lancashire - 48 per cent - are aiming to grow by more than 20 per cent during the next two years, according to the Institute of Chartered Accountants' enterprise survey. Growth forecasts are based mainly on improved sales
A POSTMASTER needed hospital treatment after being hit over the head with a handgun during a bungled armed robbery. The postmaster at Holyrood Post Office in Bury Old Road, Prestwich, had just locked up the shop when the masked man struck around 5.30pm
POLICE in Darwen remembered two of their colleagues who died last year, by donating money to charity in their memory. Staff at Darwen police station raised £580 during a charity night in December and the money was split equally between the Brain Research
TOUGH-talking Prestwich headteacher Frank McCarron had a lesson for the Government when it came to shaping policy on school discipline. Under proposals announced this week, problem pupils will be removed from the classroom and parents made more accountable
THE names of the two people involved in a head-on collision on the outskirts of Hoghton, which resulted in one fatality, have been released by police. Eileen Mary Johnson Jnr, 47, from Blackburn, was pronounced dead at the scene, in Blackburn Old Road
SOME of Blackburn's most "troubled" streets will get a multi-million pound makeover after planning permission was granted for renovation work on the Ashworth Street estate Proposals by Twin Valley Homes to convert 32 flat and maisonette blocks into four-bedroom
EAST Lancashire's first waste transfer station - part of a £75million project to revolutionise rubbish collection - could get the go-ahead this week. The Lancashire Waste Partnership - made up of Blackburn with Darwen Council, Lancashire County Council
CAMPAIGNERS are calling on people power in a last-ditch effort to stop a phone mast being set up close to a high school. Councillors will decide on Tuesday night whether to allow mobile phone giants 02 to erect a 15-metre high flexicell column, three
BURNLEY glazing boss has called for talks with council chiefs to resolve confusion surrounding traffic wardens in the town. Martin Collins today hit out at the operators of Parkwise - the scheme regulating parking in the borough - after two of his vans
LANCASHIRE neighbours Blackburn Rovers have come to the Shakers aid once again by loaning them promising midfielder Gary Harkins. The 20-year-old Greenock-born player will go straight into the squad for Tuesday's re-arranged Coca Cola League Two clash
IF THERE was one good thing to come out of Saturday's dull and turgid defeat, it was that at times Turf Moor actually resembled a football ground again. With a sizeable and sporadically noisy following from over the Pennines, and a home crowd desperate
A BURY company has provided room service of a different kind for a top hotel. For the international four-star Europa in Belfast city centre has upgraded its room phones with handsets manufactured by Interquartz (UK) Ltd. A total of 110 Interquartz Voyager
CLARETS captain Frank Sinclair today apologised for the sending off last weekend that earned him a one-match ban. Sinclair became the third Burnley player to be sent off this season in Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to Leeds United, when he kicked goalscorer
BRAD Friedel has retired from international football so he can devote more time to playing for Blackburn Rovers. The 33-year-old goalkeeper, who has won 82 caps for the United States since making his debut in 1992, officially hung up his gloves last night
PLANS to build a new housing estate in Bacup which have upset nearby residents were today branded 'ridiculous'. Conservative councillor Judith Driver today spoke out at the plans to build 55 homes on land off Greensnook Lane. The Greensclough ward councillor
A TREE made of scaffolding pipes, mounds of earth and a sunken wall could soon be landmarks set in the hills of East Lancashire after they were chosen as the winning designs in the Panopticons scheme. The scheme, funded by the North West Development Agency
YEAR 5 pupils at a Bury primary school have proved they are well drilled in the art of fire safety. A team at St John's with St Mark's school have come out on top by winning a quiz - but more importantly, they are better placed to protect themselves and
I UNDERSTAND that this is the age of "open government" where it is the objective to give the public honest and complete information regarding the activities of those who represent us in Parliament; a democracy in fact. I would suggest that Members of
IT'S certainly a sign of the times that the prospect of a new NHS dental surgery makes headlines. But since less than half the population of Blackburn with Darwen has NHS dental places and none of the 61 dentists in the borough is registering new patients
POLICE are looking for a gang who stole a mobile phone and a watch from a man at Besses O'th' Barn Metrolink station. The group of mixed race males approached the 19-year-old and demanded the phone and wrist watch before running off at 4.20pm last Thursday
A TEENAGER was forced off his bike after being confronted by a gang in Prestwich. On Thursday, the 14-year-old victim and his friend were surrounded by a group of seven or eight males on Woodward Road at around 7pm. The gang demanded the bike from him
WE read so many complaints now about inefficiency in hospital management, hospital conditions and even the way patients are addressed by nursing staff, that I feel compelled to write this letter of praise. My husband, Leonard Dickinson, has on several
HAVING read Mr McGlynn's letter (LET, January 29) I would like to put him right on a few things regarding religion. True religion is about spiritual things which God reveals to His people, the believers. He does not reveal His truth to unbelievers and
A TEENAGER had her handbag snatched as she left Bury's Metrolink station on Saturday afternoon. The 16-year-old girl boarded the tram in Manchester and travelled to Bury. After leaving the tram at around 5.40pm, she made her way up the escalators carrying
A POLICE officer felt impelled to draw his baton when he saw a man holding a bottle by its neck during a town centre melee, a court heard. Shaun Francis Cockcroft (24), of Maxwell Street, Bury, admitted a charge of disorderly behaviour when he appeared
IT TOOK some Dutch courage to get John Godber's new play sailing away. As Lancashire-based actress, Gemma Craven, told the Citizen this week, the playwright and director didn't even complete the last scene of 'Going Dutch' until the eve of the first night
A BURNLEY priest is being forced to turn his church into a "prison" by teenage yobs. And Father Geoffrey Hilton today spoke of his sorrow at the state of society after deciding to build a security fence around his church to keep vandals out and stop thugs
A TOP brass shake-up at the town hall has been criticised for creating high-salary jobs and down-grading the role of education. Tory leader Roy Walker bemoaned the creation of a £92,000 executive director of children's services, under which would come
A 60-year-old man was caught out drink-driving after a "poets' corner" reading session in a pub. Burnley magistrates were told that Kenneth Brookes, who looks after his 95-year-old mother, was not a drinker - but was more than three and a half times the
A PEDESTRIAN went over the bonnet of a car after she was knocked down by a driver who had taken his friend's vehicle, a court was told. Burnley Magistrates heard how Paul Anthony McGhee, 37, drove off as victim Sheralynn Gilbert reached for a notepad
SHREWSBURY Town's away supporters will get some compensation for their wasted trip to Gigg Lane on Boxing Day. The Shrews have arranged for travelling fans to take advantage of free transport for Tuesday night's re-arranged game (7.45pm). A good number
ENTERTAINER Bobby Ball will be leaving his comedy partner Tommy Cannon behind for one night only to talk about his life experiences and Christianity. Bobby will be appearing at the Radcliffe Civic Suite on March 4 to an expected audience of 400 speaking
It's starting to feel like Groundhog Day after every Rovers game these days. Another game, another 1-0 defeat and another worried glance over the shoulder at the closing relegation pack. So while Rovers are currently specialising in gallant defeats and
BURY Council has rung the changes by switching its telecoms to Your Communications. The contract involved installing 90 digital ISDN channels across the council's two main sites, with a further 200 council buildings connected via 460 analogue lines, taking
BURY'S popular Garsdale has achieved triple success in the licensed trade's annual Best Pub Awards. The pub in Woodhill Road has been named the winner for the north region in three categories of the awards, organised by trade paper the Morning Advertiser
A MAN who stole thousands of pounds from his bosses to fund his wife's lifesaving breast cancer treatment walked free from court. Project manager David Yates (47), of Beech Grove Close, Walmersley, Bury, siphoned more than £40,000 from the accounts of
BURY boxer Amir Khan survived a bloody nose and a knockdown as his senior ABA Championships debut turned into a night to remember at Preston Guild Hall. The Olympic silver medalist found the cream of the East Lancashire and Cheshire area much hotter to
BURY Boxing Club's Amir Khan was dumped to the floor, suffered a bloodied nose, but still came out a champion in a sensational night of action. The Olympic silver medalist won the East Lancashire and Cheshire ABA title but only after fighting twice in
A 34-YEAR-OLD Darwen woman diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years ago is hoping to meet other young sufferers from the town. Tracey Shaw said:"To say I was shocked when I was diagnosed would be an understatement. "The MS nurse at Preston Royal Hospital
CHARLES Cowle was well-known for torturing cats, but nobody could ever have imagined the depths of his depravity. Little Naomi Annie Farnworth was a friendly girl who loved to help by running errands for her neighbours in Kay Street, Darwen. Her generous
HOLIDAY home owners in the Ribble Valley are to have their council tax discount slashed in a bid to help local people find somewhere to live. Around 700 homes in the borough are covered by a 50 per cent council tax discount because they are second homes
RESIDENTS in an Oswaldtwistle street today complained that major sewerage work has caused weeks of disruption outside their homes. But United Utilities urged them to be patient for two more weeks when the work, essential to prevent flooding problems experienced
A MAN who filed a £5.6million damages writ against Blackburn with Darwen Council had his case struck out by the High Court. Darcy Aldred, who claimed they withheld his housing benefit and pursued him for an imaginary council tax bill, was given the news
A PENSIONER who returned home to find her bungalow ransacked by a burglar today said that she would have 'clobbered him' if she had caught him. The 69-year-old grandmother, who has asked not to be named, was confronted with a scene of devastation at her
INCIDENTS of violence against taxi drivers have been slashed after their boss installed state-of-the-art tracking systems in their cabs. Umar Talaty, 43, is co-director of A2B, M & M Private Hire and newly acquired DMC Taxis, which are all run from
A NEW NHS dental surgery is poised to open in Blackburn - and bosses are bracing themselves for a stampede of patients. But health chiefs today warned people from across East Lancashire not to queue up outside the 10,000-place practice and said they would
RORY Prendergast is helping to soothe John Coleman's selection headaches ahead of tonight's GLS Conference Cup fourth round tie with Tamworth. The winger scored the first Accrington Stanley goal in their 2-1 win over Scarborough on Saturday and his manager
THE Mayor of Bury, Coun Barry Briggs, was guest of honour along with representatives from other golfing organisations in the area when Prestwich Golf Club held their annual dinner at their Hilton Lane clubhouse. Among the members and guests present were
SO Bury Council are not winning when it comes to recycling. Should we be surprised? No! Before Christmas they appealed to people to recycle their Christmas trees. We put ours out for collection and, guess what, it was still there when I got home from
I WRITE in response to correspondent Dave Wood (Recycling: all talk and no action, January 28) and anyone else who doubt Bury Council's commitment to recycling. Your readers, and anyone else who has engaged with the council over recent months, can not
A TOP brass shake-up at the town hall has been criticised for creating high-salary jobs and down-grading the role of education. Tory leader Roy Walker bemoaned the creation of a £92,000 executive director of children's services, under which would come
