SOCCER fan Stephen Taylor is today expecting a special award when he holds an open day at his general store in Colne. The Carling Premiership Trophy, Britain's premier soccer 'pot', will be on display at his re-vamped Keighley Road shop and scores of
TREASURY Minister Helen Liddell has been told that a strong pound threatens North West manufacturing. Gordon Prentice MP said the rising value of sterling could be particularly damaging to his Pendle constituency, which has one of the highest proportions
A NEW system is being set up to help prospective parents come to the terms with the trauma of losing their baby. Bosses of Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health care trust have been discussing the sensitive issue with Blackburn with Darwen Council
WALKING into Buncer Woods in Blackburn, I was disappointed to see some young, healthy trees cut down and lying on their sides along the makeshift fence on the boundary of Witton Park High School's playing fields. As a nature lover, I ask whether the pupils
ISN'T it amazing? - one isolated incident where a man goes berserk with a gun and, immediately, the whole country demands draconian measures against all gun owners, even though they haven't committed a crime. But suggest drastic action against people
IN reply to the remarks on drink-driving (Letters, January 12), it has been proved time and again that even one drink seriously impairs your ability to control a vehicle. People who have one drink are just as guilty and, instead of trying to justify their
ROSSENDALE and Darwen MP Janet Anderson seems to have found it necessary to explain New Labour (old Tory) policies. She says: "Talk of raking benefits off the most vulnerable is scaremongering" (Letters, January 14). Can she confirm that if a single mother
A RETIRED East Lancashire English teacher allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction when local author Mick Jackson received a Booker Prize nomination for his debut novel. Eric Whittle began to influence the novelist's life when he was a bored pupil
PULSE - music and more, with Simon Donohue THE latest single by Oasis was tailor-made for Rossendale businessman Peter Laycock. Globetrotting entrepreneur Peter travels thousands of miles overseas every year as a business consultant. And on a recent trip
ANDY Payton was a man on a mission as he aimed to pull on a claret and blue shirt for the first time at Bristol Rovers' Memorial Ground home this afternoon. His twin targets - 150 senior goals and a salvage act to match last season's when he shot Huddersfield
A HIGHWAYS chief has put the brakes on suggestions that the county council is ignoring traffic problems in Colne after the motorway link between the M65 and the M6. County Coun Richard Toon, chairman of its highways committee, said: "There seems to be
PUPILS at a Blackburn school created a pond from scratch - in just three days. The project was designed as a "personal challenge" for eight year 10 students and transformed part of the school grounds. The pond is at the start of the Arran trail, a one-mile
A LIST of urgent repair schemes for schools in Blackburn and Darwen has been drawn up by council officials. The list will be used by Blackburn with Darwen Council to bid for cash under the Labour Government's New Deal scheme. In the first year of the
STUDENTS at a second East Lancashire high school have had their GCSE exam marks upgraded after an appeal by the school. The news of grade changes at Park High School in Colne has come after examination board officials promised an inquiry into why 54 GCSE
COUNCIL engineers are gambling on the skills of the past to ensure a town's future. Rossendale Council has been given the government go-ahead to start work on exposing the old granite setts on Bank Street, Rawtenstall's main shopping street. But councillors
A £14MILLION bid to create more than 200 new jobs for young people in Pendle and provide training for 1,500 more has been handed in to Government officials. The Pendle Youth Focus scheme would also help nearly 800 young people find jobs and set up about
ISMO Rokala will give struggling Lancashire Hawks a timely boost this weekend and the beleaguered players have even held a "clear the air" meeting to try and get to the bottom of their poor form. The Flying Finn, a popular character at the Arena last
JULIE Hesmondhalgh always wanted to land a soap opera part which would get people talking. Now the Hyndburn-bred actress is set to spark the armchair debate of the decade as the first ever transsexual to walk down Coronation Street. Julie, 27, will play
ROY Hodgson sprang to the defence of Garry Flitcroft today, claiming his imminent suspension was unjust. With no appeals procedure against bookings, the Blackburn Rovers boss's hands are tied and he has to accept that Flitcroft will serve a two-game ban
In The Saturday Interview, Paul Agnew meets new Preston North End boss David Moyes HEARD the one about the football manager who gave his chairman a vote of confidence? Well, you have now. "What gives me confidence is the confidence I have in the chairman
