Archive

  • Deborah gets the bird

    MORTIMER, the pet jackdaw who went AWOL, is back home with his owners - just hours after a BEN appeal. Thirteen-year-old Ryan White found his feathered friend perched on a wall at the back of the family's home in Rishton Lane, Bolton. But Ryan and his

  • Bolton's top judge dies, 68

    JUDGE Henry Kershaw, Bolton's senior judge until his retirement in 1992, died yesterday at the age of 68. Judge Kershaw's death was announced at an assembly of judges, counsel, police and court staff at Bolton Crown Court this morning. Judge Michael Lever

  • Blessing for church that's risen from ashes

    HUNDREDS packed St Bartholomew's at Westhoughton on Saturday to celebrate the consecration of the new parish church. The Bishop of Manchester the Rt Rev Christopher Mayfield, assisted by the venerable Lorys Davies Archdeacon of Bolton, conducted the service

  • Bolton bands hit the high notes

    THREE Bolton bands were on a high note today after successes in the national championships. The real toast of the town is The Eagley Band, who only five months after scooping top prize in the big Isle of Man contest, won their section to become national

  • Guns are fire-proof, shop owner claims

    THE owner of Soldier Soldier Army Surplus in Farnworth says there is no way the weapons sold at his shop can be fired. The man, who would not be named, said: "Bars are put up inside the barrel and the end is welded shut. The back half of the block inside

  • Juniors prove a big success at launch of new club

    THE NEW Bolton le Moors Junior Badminton League proved to be a smash-hit at its launch. At a special open day at Horwich Leisure Centre, organised by the new League and Bolton Metro Leisure Services, young Lancashire players showed the dozens of hopefuls

  • Road to reason

    SIR: Thank you for printing my letter (October 6) regarding "stop these snarl-ups" (Beaumont Road/Chorley New Road junction). I also sent the same letter to the Highways Department at Bolton Town Hall. You may be interested to note that I have just received

  • Boro turn on the Friday style

    RADCLIFFE Boro's experiment of staging a UniBond Division One home fixture on a Friday evening proved highly successful as a crowd of 211 saw Kevin Glendon's side beat Bradford Park Avenue. The attendance figure was almost one hundred up on the previous

  • 25 YEARS AGO

    A GERMAN coaster docked at Dover today with 10 Pakistanis picked up from a rubber dinghy in Dover Straits. A strong contingent of police and immigration officers met the coaster and took the men into custody. Later, a Briton wearing a skin diver's suit

  • Sasa steps into Jason's footsteps

    SASA Curcic will be asked to play the role Jason McAteer perfected when he makes his Wanderers debut in tonight's Burnden showdown with Bruce Rioch's Arsenal. The £1.5 million midfielder from Partizan Belgrade is plunged straight into the Premiership

  • Jobcentres from A to Z opened by Minister

    MICHAEL Bichard, permanent secretary at the Department for Education and Employment, opened Bolton's new look Job Centre service. The service is based in the revamped offices in Great Moor Street, and the new offices in Blackhorse Street. Both offices

  • Norweb plugs into town with £3.5m customer care HQ

    NORWEB has officially unveiled its new £3.5 million hi-tech customer care headquarters in Bolton. About 150 jobs have been created in the centre on Manchester Road and another 20 people are set to be taken on in the next few months. All customer enquiries

  • Jobs talks on hold

    JOBS crisis talks have been put on hold at a Bolton factory. According to union chiefs at Edbro, the Great Lever tipping manufacturers, redundancies were due to be announced last week. But this morning management had not made any statement on job losses

  • Takeaways OK for local enterprise

    TWO hot food takeaways have been approved by councillors who ignored planning guidelines to back business enterprise. A shop in Derby Street, Daubhill, can be converted into a takeaway, and a day-time cafe in Horwich can now serve food until midnight.

  • Go ahead for plans to transform valley

    OUTLINE plans for the multi-million pound transformation of an industry-scarred valley have been approved by Bolton councillors. The huge scheme, in the upper part of the Tonge Valley just below Crompton Way, will include business units and a major leisure

  • Fears over gun sales

    HIGH-POWERED firearms which could bring terror to Bolton's streets are being sold legally in high street shops, the BEN can reveal today. The guns, which include fully and and semi-automatic weapons, have been "de-activated" and cannot be fired. But Britain's

  • Skull will be upset

    SIR: I read with great interest the article by Doreen Crowther concerning the skull of the Earl of Derby's executioner, entitled "Book Your Place with the Ghost of George" in the BEN (October 23). I must, however, draw your attention to an inaccuracy

  • Unlucky RMI give leaders a real fright

    NETHERFIELD'S 1-0 home victory over Leigh RMI took them to the top of the UniBond first division...but they won't have a sterner test all season. For Leigh pushed them all the way, having the better of the first half despite conceding the only goal of

  • Exclusive Showbiz interview

    An exclusive interview with Jo Brand will appear in tomorrow's BEN and on the Internet Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.

  • Weapons should be banned

    WE have no doubt that the sales of deactivated weapons should be banned. Our lead story today offers chilling evidence that these "unusable" weapons are being reactivated with potentially deadly results. In Greater Manchester last year police seized 14

  • Stant's a class act - Hughes

    BURY goal hero Phil Stant is in a class of his own, according to the man who made his full debut alongside him in Saturday's sensational 5-1 victory at Mansfield. Jet-heeled teenager Dave Johnson formed a stunning combination with veteran goal poacher