BURNLEY'S state-of-the-art community health base at the St Peter's Centre celebrates its first anniversary this week. The £28million health and leisure centre has seen more and more services being brought out of hospital sites and ranged alongside modern
SCHOOL pupils will be going to the theatre to learn about sustainable transport. Youngsters at 50 Lancashire schools will see a perfor-mance of The Road Race, a Theatre in Education produ-ction backed by the county council. The drama, performed by Southampton-based
A DRUGS cartel from Colombia was poised to use four East Lancashire men to flood the area with millions of pounds worth of cocaine. Drugs barons moved £6.5million of the high quality powder into Brazil before using a racing yacht to transport it across
David Bentley enhanced his England credentials with a brilliant 66th-minute strike to help steer Blackburn into the Carling Cup fourth round. The 23-year-old, who was widely jeered when he made his senior international debut against Israel earlier this
EAST Lancashire's first breast cancer centre will be created as part of a £27million expansion of Burnley General Hospital. Health bosses have unveiled the plans, which will also include a major overhaul for the Phase Five unit and A&E department. They
THREE pupils were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of cannabis after a teenage boy took the drug into school. Police were called to St Augustine's High School, Billington, at 1.30pm today following reports that seven youngsters had been taking
A PUBLIC celebration will be held in Lanark on Sunday for the lives of 1995 World Rally Champion Colin McRae and his five-year-old son Johnny, following their death in a helicopter accident earlier this month. The service will take place at 4pm and will
A DRIVER and passenger ran off after their car collided with a wall in Belvedere Road, Burnley, police said. The green Peugeot 106 collided with a wall and railings at 7.30pm on Sunday. Firefighters said the driver and passenger, who left the scene before
LANCASHIRE Wildlife Trust would like to encourage the local Robin and Blue Tit populations by offering free nest boxes to households in the East Lancashire region. Kim Coverdale, Senior Projects Officer of the East Lancashire Wildlife Trust said: "This
Birmingham goalkeeper Richard Kingson sustained a sickening injury as Blackburn's Carling Cup third-round tie was held up for seven minutes. The Ghana international smashed his face against a post in the 40th minute when contesting a David Bentley free-kick
A MAN stabbed to death after an evening out had been on a first date, police have revealed. Burnley-born David Brown, 24, was found dead on his doorstep by neighbours the next morning. But officers have said there is no link between the fact he was
A FANATICAL Burnley FC supporter has proved he is claret and blue mad by decorating his entire home - inside and out - in his team's colours. David Timberlake, 59, lives in Nottingham but never misses a match at Turf Moor, watching more than 230 games
PRINCE'S Trust volunteers will spend the next three weeks building a seating area for the elderly and disabled. The group of 13 youths and five adults are turning a 60ft by 30ft plot of land next to Whalley Allotments on Peak Street, Whalley, into a
The sculptor who had been commissioned to produce a statue of Barbara Castle has spoken of her annoyance after the project was shelved. Sam Holland won a national competition to win the right to recreate the famous former Blackburn MP. The 40-year-old
KATIE Anderton has reached double figures for the season already as Rovers climbed to second in the Women's Premier League table. Adam Lakeland's side had to come from behind to beat Birmingham. Heather Scheuber handed the visitors the lead on 20 minutes
A MAN named after a steam train will finally meet his namesake when it rolls on the East Lancashire Railway later this month. Leander William Pomfret, 23, was named after the ex LMS steam locomotive Leander by his railway enthusiast parents Alan Pomfret
A SCHOOL has paid tribute to a computer-loving teenager after he lost his battle with illness. David Fong, a Year 11 pupil at Blessed Trinity RC Community College, Burnley, went into hospital in Manchester a fortnight ago and died a week-and-a-half later
Following a promising start to the season it has been a pretty rough week for us Rovers fans, after suffering back to back defeats in both the UEFA Cup and Premiership. The midweek European showing against supposedly lesser opponents Larissa in
FIRE crews plugged up drains in a bid to prevent a glycerol spillage entering the water system. Firefighters said youths had got into the insecure Lancashire Green Fuels area, in Carrs Industrial Estate, Flip Road, Haslingden,and opened a valve allowing
THE plight of battery hens in East Lancashire has been highlighted by the chairman of Lancashire County Council. Coun Wendy Dwyer has backed the work of the Battery Hen Welfare Trust, which rehomes around 16,000 former battery hens each year. Adele
DARWEN Sub Aqua Club has celebrated turning 50 by scooping the trophy for best diving club in Britain. They won the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) Heinke trophy in May, beating strong competition from hundreds of other clubs in the country. We took
LANCASHIRE Police bosses are considering giving accident investigators, motorway officers and negotiators an annual pay bonus. As part of Lancashire Constabulary's Special Priority Payment scheme the force is proposing to pay officers who operate in
A Blackburn teenager is dreaming of a magazine contract after winning through to the semi-finals of a national beauty contest. Nicola Sanderson, 18, a travel clerk at Altham's Travel, Ainsworth Street, Blackburn, was shortlisted two-days after posting
A COLLISION between two cars in the rush hour caused queues in Blackburn town centre. Police said the accident involved a blue Ford Focus and a blue Mini One outside the railway station and happened at 4.15pm.
A MOTHER has labelled a council's schools admissions policy as "pathetic" after her daughter was refused a place at a school down the road. Noorjahan Karbhari's three older children all attended Wensley Fold Primary, in Blackburn, about 300 yards away
COUNTY council bosses have come under fire for refusing to reveal how much taxpayers' money is being spent on recruiting their new chief executive. Lancashire County Council has signed a deal with a firm of headhunters in a bid to fund a replacement
A VAN owner was able to give police a clear description of a man he had just seen break into his vehicle because he had put on a stolen bright yellow jacket. Blackburn magistrates heard that Anthony Hart was followed by the van owner and was detained
THE EX-WIFE of a man who was spared jail after a violent attack on his new partner has slammed his "lenient" sentence. Janet Burns, 52, has called for tougher punishments on those convicted of domestic abuse after her former husband Neil Burns received
TRUSTEES of Nelson Cricket club have warned it could face closure after a burglary by an organised gang. Raiders disabled the alarm at about 10.45pm last Sunday, then laid in wait for a board member, alerted by the security company, to check the premises
COLLEGE staff and students who were moved by the plight of a multiple sclerosis sufferer have donated money to cover six months of his care. Almost £900 was given to Michael Kelly, 56, of Mary Street, Audley Range, Blackburn, after he spoke in the Lancashire
I was watching a BBC review of the ten Tony Blair years the other day. People were citing the more peaceful situation in Northern Ireland as his greatest achievement. The video footage then focussed on Ian (Richard Kyle) Paisley of the Democratic Unionists
A MAN got into a row with his father when the older man came home in a bad mood after losing at pool and darts in the pub, a court was told. James Lee, 41, of Limbrick, Blackburn, was bound over in £50 to keep the peace for six months when he appeared
AN MP has finished a gruelling 140-mile charity trek across Nicaragua - and is now looking forward to a pint of Thwaites bitter. Greg Pope, MP for Haslingden and Hyndburn, sent word to his wife via a satellite link from Central America that he had completed
A CHARITY which provides support to families with young children has been forced to close due to problems with securing funding. Home-Start Ribble Valley helped parents with children under five in the borough and matched them up with a volunteer who
IN Alan Bennett's hilarious and thought-provoking play The History Boys, staffroom rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence provoke insistent questions about history and how you teach it; about education and its purpose. Set in the 1980s in the North
AN ELDERLY woman was mugged in her own home in what police described as a "horrible attack". The 78-year-old, of Whitworth, had just collected her pension from a nearby post office. Police suspect she had been followed as she travelled back in her mobility
John Habiak's goal gave Padiham a share of the points at Blackpool Mechanics. Habiak's strike on the hour wiped out the Mechanics' first-half opener.
Darwen put four past Oldham Town. Ben Stanford, Matt Morris, Jason Jones and John Stephenson were on the scoresheet.
Ramsbottom's poor start to the season continued as they lost their home fixture with Trafford as they went down 4-2. An own goal and a Sean Pearson strike weren't enough to save them from their third consecutive defeat.
In the Vodkat League, Colne won the bragging rights as they beat neighbours Nelson 3-2. Goals from Kevin Urwin, Kieran Roberts and Gavin Cooper put Colne in charge. However, a Paul Jones double made it uncomfortable for Colne, who eventually hung
TRIBUTES have poured in for a respected journalist and former golf club president who has died, aged 71. Tony Watson, of Skipton Old Road, Colne, died on Friday after a long struggle with a rare blood disorder. In a 32-year career at the former Burnley
Colwyn Bay win 4-3 on penalties. CLITHEROE staged an astonishing fightback in the UniBond League Challenge Cup but they eventually lost to Colwyn Bay last night. The Blues were 3-0 down but goals from Greg Anderson, Sam Heap and a last-gasp goal
THE last time David Nugent was at Turf Moor he was part of an England B set up that thousands of Burnley fans had packed Turf Moor to cheer. Last night he was very much enemy number one. Not just for his previous association with Championship rivals
In a recent news article it was reported that in Scotland, children get free school meals, the article was based around a village, one part of the village was under the Scottish EA, so they got free meals where as the side of the village that came under
Blackburn Hawks endured a typically mixed bag of results in their English National Ice Hockey League games over the weekend. Hawks opened with a fine 6-2 victory away to Kingston Jets on Saturday, but slipped up just 24 hours later, losing 4-3 to Nottingham
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes insists David Dunn is now 'a completely different animal' compared to when he was at Birmingham City. The rejuvenated Rovers midfielder, who spent four seasons on the payroll at City, could face his former club for the first
ALCOHOLIC drinks have been seized from children as young as ten during a campaign to combat anti-social behaviour. Darwen police have confiscated hundreds of bottles and cans of lager, beer and cider from youngsters across the town. At least 300 items
LANCASHIRE farmers can now move cattle from farm to farm after the foot and mouth restrictions were eased yesterday. The Department for Food and Rural Affairs has announced the move as it split the UK into high and low risks areas to take into account
A NEW venture has been launched to tackle the sense of isolation felt by children in rural villages. Ribble Valley Council's Bowland Sports Project will allow youngsters to take part in weekly sports sessions and help them feel part of the community.
DONALD Campbell's daughter has hailed engineers at an East Lancashire firm as "miracle workers" after they restored the chassis of Bluebird. The jet-powered boat in which Mr Campbell set the water-speed record, has been painstakingly rebuilt by PDS Engineering
A PAINTER and decorator has been found guilty of conspiring to import £6.5million of cocaine into the UK. Jurors took just two hours to unanimously convict Paul Jorgensen, 47, of Springhill Road, Accrington, at Preston Crown Court today. The court earlier
THREE members of Darwen Dashers Running Club are ready to run a half-marathon for charity. Nurse Denise Penney, 47, firefighter Tessa Tracey, 45, and practice nurse Lynda Ahmed, 54, take part in the Great North Run on Sunday. The trio are running in
A SERIAL window flasher who struck for a third time has been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register. Burnley Magistrates' Court heard how jobless Graeme Marshall, 32, stood in the large front window of his home naked and committed a sex act in view of
ACCRINGTON golf sensation Nikki Foster is jetting out to Dubai after upstaging the boys at the Greater Manchester Junior Open. The 15-year-old Lancashire Girls' champion carded a gross two-under-par to storm to victory at Sale, and in the process reduced
Ramsbottom Heritage Society meets at Ramsbottom Civic Hall on the third Wednesday of each month (except December) starting at 7.45 p.m. There is a guest speaker and non-members are very welcome. On Octopber 17th the speaker is Mrs P. Parkinson with
Darwen market trader Brenda Cronshaw, of Brenda's Collectables, showed off a reusable Darwen Market bag to the Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, during his visit to Sudellside Community Centre, Darwen. Brenda says she is on a mission to "bag
Tockholes youth club needs more volunteers to help extend the club from monthly to fortnightly. Adult helpers, particularly a qualified First Aider, are needed. Volunteers do not need to commit to every meeting. Call 01254 873755 or email: kennishallman
CALLING all Blackburn fans; your team needs YOU! After Sunday's dismal performance against Portsmouth, Rovers need to bounce back this evening with a positive display against Birmingham City in the Carling Cup. And you the fans can play your part by
A MAN was ordered to pay more than £200 after dropping a cigarette butt. Alberto Re, of Crosby Close, Darwen, was fined after being found guilty of throwing a cigarette butt from his car window. Re denied the claim when he appeared before Blackburn
AN animator who developed a cult following after broadcasting his works on the internet was found dead on his bedroom floor, an inquest heard. Cartoonist Scott Harry Mitchell had no diagnosed medical conditions and he was described as "fit and well"
A BURNLEY man has raised thousands of pounds for charity after successfully completing a cross-channel swim between Dover and Cap Gris Nez in France. Gareth Wilson covered the 22 nautical miles in 15 hours and 52 minutes, raising over £3,500 for the
AT long last, it's like my prayers are finally being answered - Burnley's youth system has finally produced the goods. I've been harping on about the lack of local talent coming through the ranks for longer than I care to remember. But now, it seems
HEALTH staff were given awards at a special ceremony. Five teams from Blackburn with Darwen Teaching Primary Care Trust were rewarded for their "outstanding" work at this year's Awards for Excellence evening held at Ewood Park. Dave Guest, BBC TV North
SD34 CHAMPIONSHIP leader Terry Martin put trophies to one side when he saw a fellow Clitheroe Car Club member in trouble during the Mercian Road Rally. Martin and his navigator Jerry Hattrick were taking part in the 140-mile event around Leicestershire
More than 120 students took to the hills to raise money for a charity. The Burnley College business students took on the Dales Challenge trek in Yorkshire, as part of the their induction week. The group walked near Ingleton Waterfalls for several
Mike Grimshaw, manager of On Yer Bike shop, Roe Lee, Blackburn, did exactly that when he saddled up for a seven-mile cycle. He was joined by other staff, their partners and customers to raise money for Blackburn with Darwen Young Carers in association
A BLACKBURN runner is taking on the Loch Ness marathon to raise money for Derian House Children's Hospice. Sandra Snape, 43, from Preston New Road, took on the chalenge because of the "fantastic work" the hospice does. She said: "I've run marathons
Big brother is watching us. The US and UK governments are developing increasingly sophisticated gadgets to keep individuals under surveillance. When it comes to technology, the US is determined to stay ahead of the game. I have read that at the University
Recent investigations by Animal Aid have revealed a worrying new trend in dairy farming: the arrival of the almost permanently confined battery cow'. Under this ultra-intensive regime, many cows are kept inside sheds all year round. Some may get out
So consumers have been ripped off by the artificially high price of milk, according to the Office of Fair Trading. I wonder whether consumers have considered the enormous price dairy cows are forced to pay so we can drink their milk. Despite the myth
WE'VE been painting the living room this week and it certainly gives you time to think about things. As I've slopped matt emulsion on to our walls hour after hour I've pondered some of the bigger questions in life. And I've come to the conclusion that
Women in the North West are fed up with men who spend too much time looking in the mirror and want their blokes to be blokes again, according to a new survey. We investigated the return of the alpha male. IN THE '90s the "new man" was born. Suddenly
BURNLEY manager Steve Cotterill was proud in defeat after the Clarets exited the Carling Cup at the hands of Portsmouth last night. Despite facing Premier League opposition, Cotterill fielded a much-changed side from the one that earned a late point
LETTER FROM COLNE. 17 SEPTEMBER 2007 From the small bonny Colne on the hill things look quite good and the thrifty people of the area are still shopping in the market and on the outside market. However the outside market is usually quite small and
IT was poetry in motion for five Blackburn Rovers stars as they swapped their boots for books at a literary event. Midfielder Robbie Savage was one of the stars of the show as the players regaled pupils from Longshaw Junior School, Ewood, Blackburn,
TRY TO think of the most ridiculously mis-matched celebrity pairing you can. Stephen Hawking and Orville? Margaret Thatcher and Big Brother's Chanelle? You get the idea. ITV's Don't Call Me Stupid works on the premise of pairing up celebrities so mis-matched
THE decision to shelve plans for a statue in honour of former Blackburn MP Barbara Castle has split opinion. The memorial to the former cabinet minister, who represented the town at Westminster from 1945 to 1974, was announced last year by ruling Labour
BURNLEY Reserves entertain Tranmere Reserves at Accrington Stanley's Fraser Eagle Stadium tonight. Kick-off is at 7pm.
THE daughter of Donald Campbell will be in Nelson today to mark the completion of the first stage of work to rebuild the Bluebird. Gina Campbell will visit PDS Engineering, Cliffe Street, Nelson, which has completed work on the chassis of the jet powered
FIREFIGHTERS were called to a series of deliberate fires overnight. Crews from Hyndburn attended two wheelie bin fires and two deliberate skip fires. The first call at 12am today was to a wheelie bin on fire behind 110 Ormerod Street, Accrington. And
IAN Craney has revealed he turned down a League One in favour of a return to the Fraser Eagle Stadium. The 25-year-old has rejoined Stanley on a three-month loan deal from Swansea City. He said: "This is a great move for me and it was the right thing
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes is ready to play the role of 'Tinkerman' tonight as he attempts to cook up a recipe for success in the Carling Cup. After unwelcome back to back defeats, against Larissa in the UEFA Cup, and Portsmouth in the Premiership, Hughes
DAVID Bentley insists the abuse he suffered at the hands of the England boo-boys will ultimately help to make him a stronger player. The Blackburn midfielder was widely jeered when he made his senior international debut against Israel recently - a backlash
