Archive

  • Do-gooders win

    AGAIN the elderly and pet-baiting season is on us, ie fireworks. And every year the period gets longer and louder, and the quality of life which is already rock bottom is made that much worse. You know a 'little demon' placed in the right spot would put

  • Nothing wrong with elitism

    I WAS delighted to read that Miss Jane Panton (headmistress of Bolton School Girls' Division) has hit back at Gordon Brown's "appalling misrepresentation" of the subject of universities favouring students from private schools. Could anyone but Mr Brown

  • Eidur good time at Reebok

    EIDUR Gudjohnsen has paid a glowing tribute to Bolton Wanderers for the part the club played in reviving his shattered career. The blond-haired striker, a £4m close season signing by Chelsea, was languishing with an amateur team back home in Iceland when

  • Bolton Fives chance

    BOLTON Wanderers may no longer be in the Worthington Cup, but their fans have kept the club's cup interest alive by winning through to the Third Round of the Worthington Fives -- a new tournament running alongside the Worthington Cup giving supporters

  • Eagles hunt elusive victory

    IT seems a long time ago that Crystal Palace were in the top-flight alongside their decorated London neighbours like Arsenal and Spurs. A very long time! In truth, it was only two seasons ago, but Palace seem to have been struggling for an age. Big name

  • Gordon Sharrock's Reebok Dairy

    SATURDAY WANDERERS are involved in a crazy game at Stockport. They're 3-0 down at half-time despite dominating the opening 20 minutes. Sam Allardyce's half-time salvo probably had the paint peeling off the Wanderers dressing room wall but it worked as

  • Murdered mum: DJ in court

    A LOCAL radio DJ has made a further appeared in court charged with the murder of a Bolton woman. Paul Sharpe, aged 30, from Wellington Road, Bury, has been charged with the murder of Breightmet mother-of-one Sarah Widdup. Sharpe appeared at Bolton Magistrates

  • Primary school pupils get taste of france

    PRIMARY school pupils had a taste of life across the English Channel when they took part in a 'French Bath' at Harper Green School, Farnworth. Twenty local primary pupils were invited to spend the day learning all about France, including the language,

  • Top awards for young dancers

    THE dedication and commitment of dance class members who have been training at the Frances Bleasdale School of Dancing, Bolton, since the age of three, was rewarded recently when they all received top grades of Honours for the Cecchetti Ballet Gold Performance

  • Sad trip home for writer Ruth

    BOLTON'S best-selling author Ruth Hamilton had a sad pilgrimage back to her home town this week. Ruth, born Linda Girling, was scattering the ashes of her younger sister Susan Nixon. Susan emigrated to New Zealand more than 25 years ago, and died there

  • Park moth breeders are over the moon

    RARE moths have been successfully bred at the butterfly house in Moss Bank Park -- the first time in the British Isles this year. The endangered Madagascan Moon Moths were mated at Animal World and should help keep the species going. But the huge moths

  • 'We saw our colleague harassed' tribunal told

    TWO former work colleagues of an Irishman who claims he was racially abused said they frequently saw their friend being harassed. Barry Higgins and Jonathon Stroud both said they heard bosses and fellow members of staff at a Bolton company call Gordon

  • Two late goals costs Wanderers dear

    FULL-TIME: Wanderers 3, Crystal Palace 3 WANDERERS, apparently leading comfortably with less than three minutes to go, conceded two late goals as struggling Palace snatched a late, late point. Wanderers welcomed back Ian Marshall after he had missed the

  • From the BEN files...

    25 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, October 28, 1975 TEN Labour MPs today demanded free school transport for all children at State Schools, because of increased costs to parents of school bus fares. THE Bill which will outlaw hare coursing finally got

  • Memories of a long childhood walk - in verse!

    WHEN Mr Arnold Harrison wrote a few weeks ago about his childhood, and a visit to Deane Clough, it brought back memories to Mrs Joyce E. Robinson, who used to live in Bolton, came back to live here, and then returned to Somerset because she could not

  • Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Roddy Smythe

    A BOLTON TV production company looks set to take the television world by storm with its latest comedy sci-fi project. The series of six spoof documentaries, titled Roddy Smythe Investigates, follows the escapades of a new-age traveller turned paranormal

  • Second rail station would make town 'best served in region'

    WESTHOUGHTON is in line for another rail station which would make it the best served town in the North-west. Transport bosses have dusted off plans for a station at Dobb Brow which were shelved after rail privatisation eight years ago. Dobb Brow, around

  • Taking heart . . .

    RESIDENTS of a "neglected" Bolton ward are confident a planned community centre will give their area a much-needed heart. Members of Captains Clough Residents' Association claim Smithills has been left virtually without community facilities because it

  • BEN OPINION: David's hope

    MANY of us will have been riveted to the TV screens by Superhuman, Professor Robert Winston's remarkable new series about the human body. But for Westhoughton man David Bradshaw, the series has special significance. David hopes to be fitted with the revolutionary

  • 'Neglected' ward pins hopes on new centre

    RESIDENTS of a "neglected" Bolton ward are confident a planned community centre will give their area a much-needed heart. Members of Captains Clough Residents' Association claim Smithills has been left virtually without community facilities because it

  • Karen Stephen reviews the week on TV

    JASMUHEEN, aka Ellen Greve, is a glamorous blonde spiritualist who lives in Australia. She also professes to have eaten nothing for sevenyears and lives solely on "God's light", WITNESS, CH4, Sunday. Jasmuheen reckoned her abstinence from food or water

  • Salute to Bolton's brave blue line

    BRAVE Bolton bobbies including one officer who tackled a man armed with a machete and another who had a gun pointed at him, are being commended for their actions in the line of duty. Sgt Martin Cassie, who lives in Bolton, will be presented with the Chief

  • Thanks for op

    I had an operation at the Royal Bolton Hospital for the removal of a cataract in August of last year. Previously when watching television the colour side of it was very poor. When there was a group of people all I could see were heads and shoulders. Now

  • Call to vets

    THE BRITISH Korean Veterans Association is trying to contact those former members of HM Armed Forces who served in Korea/Japan during the Korean War 1950-1953, and also, those members of the Peace Keeping Force that served in these two places at a later

  • Get real over best mums

    I READ in the BEN on October 24, "Cherie wins vote for best mother". Cherie Booth beats Madonna and Posh Spice. What a load of old poppycock. I am one of 11 children, and my mum worked hard at bringing us up single-handed. How can Cherie Blair have the

  • 'Camcops' go to war on crime

    "CAMCOPS" are waging war on town centre teenage muggers who are terrorising other youngsters. Police officers have taken to the streets armed with state-of-the-art video equipment to film potential attackers and their victims as part of a high-profile

  • Pollock back at the Reebok

    CRYSTAL Palace midfielder Jamie Pollock returns to his former club today intent on getting three much-needed points for his new side. The combative star was brought to Selhurst Park from Manchester City at the start of the season by Alan Smith for a bargain

  • Give Kevin an England chance - Sam

    SAM Allardyce has urged England to include Kevin Nolan in their under 21s squad - to safeguard him for the future. The talented 18 years old midfield player has been attracting some attention from England but he is also eligible to play for the Republic

  • Ricardo's happy return

    HE'S only made three brief appearances this season but already Ricardo Gardner is putting the buzz back into Wanderers. The flying Jamaican wingman burst back on to the first team scene 12 days ago against Nottingham Forest to a rapturous welcome from

  • League is wide open behind Watford and Fulham - Sam

    SAM Allardyce admitted this week that the nerves are jangling after seven games produced only six points for his side. Defeats by Stockport and Watford saw Wanderers slip to sixth in the table, still in touch with the leading group, but obviously seeing

  • Wanderers star too speedy

    BOLTON Wanderers and former Blackburn Rovers star, Per Frandsen, was fined £40 with £35 costs by Blackburn Magistrates after pleading guilty by letter to speeding on the Grane Road at Belthorn. The court heard that Frandsen was clocked doing 55 in a 40mph

  • Man, 23, on cycle death charge

    A MAN has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving following an incident in Horwich on Wednesday night. Damien Holt, aged 23, of Ormston Avenue, Horwich, appeared before Bolton magistrates yesterday and was bailed until December 22. The charges

  • Children's Barbie queue!

    BARBIEMANIA erupted as hundreds of her fans packed into Woolworths to see the real life version of the world-famous doll. Dressed from head-to-toe in pink, Barbie made a flying visit to the Bolton store as girls -- and boys -- packed the toy aisles in

  • Internet child porn pervert jailed

    A FATHER accused of downloading child porn images from the internet was jailed for 18 months following his conviction after trial. Frederick Brown showed no emotion when the foreman of the jury returned guilty verdicts on five charges of downloading child

  • 'Yer thi!', a basic term of local dialect

    NO doubt you recall the dialect story I used a couple of weeks ago, and that I did not know what the term 'Yer thi' meant. I printed a couple of answers from readers a few days later, and since, I have received a letter from Mr Fred Sharples, of Lee Bank

  • Full suite of furniture for £50

    THESE days we hear so much about 'rip off' Britain, and the way that prices here seem to be so much more than in other countries, so I am delighted to be able to tell you of a three piece suite and cushions for £25 10s, two dining chairs for £2 15s, and

  • No tiger in the tanks

    Were you there when the petrol ran out? Drivers had cause to scream and shout. Then some got wild, and gave out thumps, Plenty of trouble at those pumps. A dilemma for some, for others a perk, They had an excuse to say off work. No visitors came to cheer

  • Town backs parking firm

    BOLTON Council has given its support to an under-fire company which has been hit by controversy. The local authority said it has never had to complain about the service provided by APCOA Parking Ltd (UK) which last week saw 11 of its former employees

  • BEN OPINION: Top priority on the trains

    PROPOSALS for a new rail station are usually good news, and the possibility of Westhoughton getting a station at Dobb Brow is generally welcome. Dobb Brow is a mile from Daisy Hill and its station, and is currently highest on a list of 20 sites in Greater

  • Superhuman science for 'bionic' man

    A RIVETING new TV series in body science has had a 'bionic' Bolton man glued to the screen. In the latest programme of the BBC1 series Superhuman, Professor Robert Winston focused on a revolutionary electronic arm just like the one that is set to change

  • Young voices given chance to speak up for their community

    CRIME busting youngsters in Little Hulton have formed a ground breaking action group to tackle the problem in their neighbourhood. And next Friday, the schoolchildren, aged 12 and 13, from Little Hulton Community School will meet the Mayor of Salford,

  • Butcher Greg gets taste for gold at food 'Olympics'

    THERE may not have been the razzmatazz of Sydney. But Bolton butcher Greg Hull still felt champion after sizzling success in Holland at his trade's equivalent of the Olympics. The owner of Fraser's butchers did not quite manage to better Steve Redgrave

  • Grieving parents in plea for stiffer sentences

    HEARTBROKEN parents of a dead drug addict today urged courts to impose stiffer jail terms to help wean users off killer narcotics. Jaime Lee Fitton's body was discovered in a fume-filled car in a Bolton back alley just 100 yards from his mum's home in