BOLTON'S Alphabet Zoo children's play centre - opened in a former textile warehouse at a cost of £100,000 only three years ago - has closed down. But the new owners say they are "not giving up on Bolton" and hope to find less expensive premises to open
A WEDDING couple from Bury almost missed the bus after their double-decker plans were left in the station. Paula Moses and bus driver hubby Justin, who married on Saturday, planned to travel from St Thomas' Church in Bury to their wedding reception at
A SPECTACULAR night of music and fireworks is being planned this summer in aid of St Catherine's Hospice. The Firework Symphony Concert will take place at Hoghton Tower on Saturday, June 13, with the Northern Chamber Orchestra playing popular classics
VILLAGERS in Brindle and Hoghton who have suffered increased pollution and noise levels since the M65 opened can claim compensation. Residents living close to the motorway have complained since December about the fumes and noise caused by the link road
Chorley borough U9s 50, Royton Tigers U9s 30 IN an excellent, fast flowing game of rugby league, Chorley notched up win number nine in a row. A hat-trick from man of the match Sean Anderson and two tries from top tackler Graham Davies and Michael Addison
HARPERS Villa take on the mighty Railway A in the Monarch Catering Equipment Cup Final at Victory Park on Saturday. April 25. Kick off 2.30pm. Both teams currently top the Alliance Football League. HARPERS Villa, with three games to play, took top spot
CORPORATE interiors solutions company Accoutr is the latest firm to move into offices at Chorley's Ackhurst Business Park. The deal follows two other recent lettings - MicroFrame Technologies Ltd and the Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Ltd at the
Adlington Rangers A 40 Parkside Golborne A 12 PERFECT conditions allowed good open rugby in this Saturday encounter. Rangers started off slowly but good all-round defensive work kept the early Parkside attacks out. Barker and Cookson showed up well with
YOU won't be able to get a word out of anyone at a Chorley high school this morning (Thursday, April 23). For everyone - from the caretaker to the headteacher - at St Michael's CE, Astley Road, will have their heads stuck in a book - for World Book Day
HOUSING benefit fraudsters will soon be in the sights of a new council officer in the latest town hall crackdown on tenants who abuse the system. Thousands of pounds a year are lost due to false housing help claims across the borough - and now town hall
A CAT-LOVING family has electronically tagged their moggy for protection after their other pets mysteriously disappeared. Jackie McGovern says that in the past three years her family's felines have been cat-napped four times. One cat, Heathcliffe, went
BOLTON'S prestigious Market Place could become a no smoking zone - if most shoppers agree. Market Place bosses are considering asking customers to stub out their cigarettes when they enter the centre, with the aim of creating a cleaner environment. But
MANAGEMENT from the new Trafford Centre due to open in September will be at a Jobs Fair to be held at Eccles Recreation Centre next Tuesday, from 10am to 4pm. Salford City Council's economic development team has set up the event so that people can update
CHORLEY will help mark the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the abortion law which campaigners say has led to the legal killing of millions of unborn children. A Pro-Life human chain will form on the A6 Preston Road tomorrow (Friday, April 24).
EVERYONE pulled out all the stops on Friday evening for a gala musical extravaganza to celebrate Derian House's fifth birthday. Celebration Classics was staged in front of nearly 2,000 people at Preston's Guild Hall and was hosted by Coronation Street's
THE second of our local election previews looks at the chances for the official opposition party the Liberal Democrats at the May 7 poll. AFTER a successful General Election last year, Chorley's Liberal Democrats have been looking forward to the chance
Chorley Nissan League FIRST Division Clayton Orient recorded their second cup semi final win of the season. In the Mitre Trophy they met Bolton-based Brooklyn Athletic, and the deadlock was broken on 37 minutes when Ashcroft blasted home through a crowded
Marwill Cricket League. LAST season's cricket champions Hoghton failed to pick up where they left off, losing comprehensively to a rejuvenated Walton-le-Dale side. G Turner hit 40 for Walton, who reached 103-9 before Hoghton came into bat. They struggled
SIR: Sitting watching the young on TV playing snooker, I wished I was playing with them. When you come to think of it, it's another game of bowls really. Perhaps we could have a game among the winners of bowls, billiards and snooker with some lovely music
A MAN was attacked with a crowbar after two men burst into his home in Bromwich Street, Bolton, late last night. The thugs burst into the house through the front door and repeatedly hit the 38-year-old man about the head and body. The victim, who has
A BOLTON student is hoping to go to Tanzania this summer - to help carry out research in one of the poorest countries in the world. Jemma Holmes, 18, now studying Geography at Liverpool University, wants to play a role in the town's development once she
DETECTIVES were called in after the body of a man was discovered in a Bolton bedsit. The 26-year-old man was found in a collapsed condition yesterday in the upstairs flat in Clarke Street, on the outskirts of Bolton town centre. He was dead on arrival
BOLTON has become the domestic violence capital of Greater Manchester. Last year more than 126 cases PER WEEK were reported to police. Local police were called to 6,574 cases of domestic violence last year, compared to 4,150 in 1995. And other frontline
TV troubleshooter Sir John Harvey Jones's latest enterprise is to win university status for Bolton. The famous industrialist has called on Education Secretary David Blunkett to approve Bolton Institute's bid to become a university. Sir John's efforts
POLICE are still investigating the death of Prestwich schoolgirl Hannah Crawshaw from a suspected drugs overdose. A man and a woman were interviewed by detectives yesterday and bailed pending further inquiries. The teenager was found in a collapsed state
YOUNG ballroom dancer Christopher Holden has taken yet another step on the road to success. The 12-year-old delighted his family when he danced his way to the finals of an international dancing competition at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool. Christopher
BOLTON will be making its streets come alive with a festival of entertainment on May 24. As part of the Greater Manchester-wide Streets Ahead festival, Bolton is laying on a Sunday of free street entertainment for all the family. The fun begins at noon
BOLTON'S council tenants in work are paying £4.50 a week on their rent to subsidise their neighbours on housing benefit. Now housing chiefs are campaigning for the Government to change the way housing benefit is funded to make it pay for people to work
THE search is on for this year's local top environmental campaigners. The Civic Pride Awards, run by Bolton Council's Environment Team and sponsored by the Bolton Evening News, recognise achievements by individuals, companies, voluntary organisations
SIR: After the recent Asia-Europe Summit the Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad wisely called for regulation to end the practice of arbitrage, that is international currency speculation. The world's various national governments must undertake
DIY disasters have been a running joke for a long time, as Brian Iddon MP points out. But they are potentially lethal and should be taken seriously. So we welcome the new government initiative to cut down on DIY accidents and the DTI leaflet which gives
BOLTON magician Richard de Vere was taking his celebrity dog Schnorbitz to 10 Downing Street today in a protest over a controversial TV programme. The leading illusionist was complaining to Prime Minister Tony Blair about the show which reveals secrets
BOLTON has slipped to the bottom of the class for passing on money directly to schools. Recent figures reveal that Bolton was the seventh worst authority in the country when it came to giving money from the education budget directly to headteachers. A
A PENSIONER claims thousands of pounds in unclaimed cold weather payments could be sitting in Bolton post offices. The 77-year-old from Horwich said the elderly might not be aware they were entitled to extra cash to help pay for heating bills. He had
HUNDREDS of Bolton punters who bet on Manchester United to win the League have cashed in thousands on a bookie's 'generosity'. Seven weeks ago bookmaker Fred Done astounded soccer pundits when he announced he wouldn't take any more bets on United winning
BOLTON booze smugglers will face the permanent loss of their vehicles and a much greater risk of being disqualified from driving under a new Customs crackdown. And publicans, off-licence owners and restaurant bosses who buy the contraband alcohol will
25 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, April 23, 1973 THE toast was the same all over Bolton - Wanderers, the Champions! There was jubilation at Burnden Park after Bolton Wanderers beat York 3-0 to clinch promotion and the Third Division Championship. The
SIR: I was dismayed on reading the BEN on Friday (April 17), to find myself nominated under the heading 'Rat of the week'. Because of the very nature of the writer's complaint, I am disappointed that you didn't investigate further the justification behind
A RETIRED widow claims she has been made a prisoner in a home she will never be able to sell due to the creation of a residents' meeting place across the road. Irene Robinson, of Doyle Road, Hunger Hill, is terrified that a new residents' association
A GROUP of disgruntled women have sent a 300 signature petition telling councillors "hands off our Full Monty nights". The peeved punters want to be able to see "ladies night" shows and are outraged the council won't let them. They say the by-law, which
THE multi-million pound leisure complex in Bolton's Tonge Valley is to have Tom Cobleigh and all. Tom Cobleigh, founded in 1992 by entrepreneur Derek Mapp and sold to Rank plc for £120 million in 1996, specialises in "Unspoilt Pubs for Nice People." The
SIR: I felt I had to write regarding the article headed, 'Tummy pains point to adult anxiety' (BEN, April 17). My son who is nine years old has suffered for over three years with recurrent abdominal pains. We were told it was appendicitis (taken out),
CHORLEY'S duty chemist between noon and 1pm on Sunday, April 26, will be Scholes Chemists Ltd, T/A Bamford & Parker Pharmacy, Library Street. In Leyland it will be Moss Side Pharmacy, Moss Side Village Shopping Centre, Dunkirk Lane, between noon and
COUNCILLOR Alan Whittaker officially took over as the Mayor of Chorley at a town hall ceremony this week. Coun Whittaker and Mayoress Stephanie Heffron were sworn in at a council meeting on Tuesday evening. Coun Whittaker succeeds Lindsay Hoyle MP as
GERRY Taggart will be aiming to put six months of frustration behind him at Aston Villa on Saturday. The Northern Ireland international, who has not started a game since October 26, is set to take over from the suspended Andy Todd as Wanderers face a
CHILDCARE has come under the microscope in a House of Commons speech by Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle. Mr Hoyle was due to make a ten minute speech on Wednesday about the future of nursery provision and inspection following the death of Chorley toddler Alex
A CHARITY walker put his feet up for a well-earned rest after finishing a 100km hike in aid of Chorley Help The Homeless. Brian Fisher, of Pennine Road, took to the hills for the two-day Surrey Summits walk, which included a 10-hour night hike through
SIR: I refer to the article 'Gays are threat to family life' (April 20). Being a lesbian myself, I just felt I had to write this letter as I am so angry at comments made by Mr Tom Jones. What are the "certain issues" you want gay people to face, Mr Jones
A QUICK thinking off-duty Chorley firefighter, who dashed to the rescue of a woman trapped by a blaze in her house, was honoured this week. Brave Mark Lamb was only six weeks out of training when he swung into action to help save the neighbour. Mark,
CHURCHGOERS in Chorley will take part in a special service this weekend to mark the opening of a new parish centre. The service will also celebrate the faith of parishioners as they prepare for the Millennium. The Bishop of Blackburn, the Right Reverend
WHILE people from all walks of life have been speaking out for the Free Deirdre campaign in recent weeks, drinkers at one village pub seem determined to see her locked up for good. Regulars at the Golden Lion, Blackburn Road, Higher Wheelton, drew up
MONTSERRAT evacuee Peter Lane lost his home and found a new one - in Clayton Brook. Peter, aged 77, is settling into a new flat after fleeing the island last November following a volcanic eruption which left it virtually inhabitable. He has moved into
A CHORLEY soldier went back to school and helped leave a lasting memory on children thousands of miles away. Sapper corporal Stephen Thorne spent three months in Kenya where he worked on projects to bring water to a school and ranch and build dormitories
A COPPULL chippy boss was worried he might be sticking his neck out and taking a bit of a leap in the dark by adding a couple of new items to the menu - OSTRICH burgers and KANGEROO kebabs. But after getting the thumbs up from locals, more of the meat
ACE winger Jason Robinson is in line to play a key midfield role in the Super League leaders' clash with the London Broncos. The Wigan Warriors flyer impressed on several occasions last season when filling in at stand-off and coach John Monie was happy
WINTER fuel payments to pensioners are being sent back to the DSS because some old folk do not know the money is waiting for them at the post office. One Chorley pensioner has just had another cheque posted to him after the date of the original expired
MIDNIGHT in the garden of good and evil (15). Starring: Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Jude Law and Alison Eastwood. Time: 2 hours 40 minutes. CLINT Eastwood stays behind the camera for this tale of intrigue in the deep south of the United States. It's a
FOOTBALL'S newest knight has rallied to the call to make his "best mate" Nat Lofthouse a 'Sir'. Sir Tom Finney, who was honoured in the recent New Year's Honours list, says it would be a fitting tribute to Bolton's famed forward. The two former footballing
Bolton Wanderers Res 1, Oldham Athletic Res 1 WANDERERS Reserves produced a second half recovery to earn a point in a 1-1 draw with Oldham at Hilton Park last night. On a heavy pitch, Bolton fell behind in the eighth minute when David McNiven got a touch
MANY of the region's professional firms could be sitting on a tax timebomb, it was claimed today. Mr Mark Sheen, President of the Bolton Society of Chartered Accountants, was commenting on an Inland Revenue announcement that professional firms will no
COUNCIL chiefs say they cannot reveal for another two months how much they have paid out for early retirement and ill-health awards over the last five years. Councillors were told at last night's Bolton Council meeting that overworked finance staff are
A GATHERING of Lancashire Morris Teams will take place in Horwich on Saturday the closest Saturday to St George's Day. The event now in its 10th year, brings together Morris Dancers and musicians from throughout Lancashire and at least one team from outside
TRIBUTES were paid to Bolton's Mayor Cllr Peter Birch last night during his last council meeting before the end of his year in office. He will stand down next month to be replaced by Westhoughton Cllr Peter Finch. Councillors from all political parties
SOCIAL services chiefs are shelling out nearly double the wages bill of a small primary school on training staff. The council department have earmarked around £506,000 this year to educate and update social workers and other employees. But Cllr Frank
YOU have a chance to have your say about whether the whole of the Market Place should be a no-smoking area. Take the opportunity to make your views known via the BEN. The Market Place management will act on the decision of the majority of shoppers. Make
Today it is St George's Day, Our English patron saint Just who he was, just what he did, His history's somewhat faint. Today is Shakespeare's birthday too Some say we are mistaken They say his plays and sonnets were Composed by Francis Bacon. But what
A PUB owner has angered shoppers in Horwich by sectioning off a piece of land and threatening to clamp cars. The land in Harrison Street, opposite Samuel's pub, had been used as a car park by shoppers for many years. Now they have been told not to park
BOLTON teenagers had a taste of living rough this week as part of a charity campaign to help the town's homeless. Twenty-two people - students from Bolton Catholic Sixth Form Centre and two members of staff - braved the unseasonal weather on Tuesday night
IT is easy after a court case to criticise how a convicted criminal is sentenced. Even though newspapers may have journalists in court, they are not privy to the reports which can influence how a judge makes his sentencing decision. But even allowing
