MIGHT I ask the help of some Bolton expert, through your columns? In the sequels to my historical Mehala, Lady of Sealandings trilogy I had occasion to mention Chorley cakes and Eccles cakes. I am told that these cakes are cooked very differently with
MANY people with troublesome neighbours will welcome the news that an officer is being appointed in Bolton to lead a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. Special orders are already in place, although the Council has so far not used any, preferring to keep
GOOD luck to the drink and drive campaign. Why only for Christmas? The authorities know drinking after time is going on, but won't they stop it? The boozers drive to the pubs and clubs saying -- "I won't be long" but are fed pint after pint. The more
I WAS utterly disgusted to read in the BEN that Jack Straw's chauffeur is not to be prosecuted for exceeding the speed limit on the M5 (reported speed to be in excess of 100 mph). Driving at this speed creates hazards for other road users and the fact
I WOULD like to express my sympathy with Mr John Martland and those he represents in the National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association in their frustration at the way in which all governments have refused to acknowledge the sacrifice of all those
PUPILS and staff at a Bolton school were in mourning today for a popular 17-year-old student who was found dead at his home. Andrew Spackman, a sixth former at Canon Slade School, Bradshaw, is thought to have collapsed. It is believed that he was discovered
I THOUGHT we were very poor. The first half was very scrappy but we got a great start from a mistake and we capitalised on that. In the second half this fellow Marshall comes on, roughs us up a little bit, we give them a couple of free kicks as soon as
FANS of Bolton Wanderers FC are still keeping the club's cup interest alive by winning through to the quarter-finals of the Worthington Fives competition. The Bolton Five had an impressive 16-0 victory over the Leicester City Five when fourth round matches
Jack the lad lifts Crewe WANDERERS would be foolish to believe Crewe will be whipping-boys when they visit the Reebok on Saturday as they found out to their cost last season. Dario Gradi's men held the Wanderers at the Reebok while the season before produced
Jack the lad lifts Crewe WANDERERS would be foolish to believe Crewe will be whipping-boys when they visit the Reebok on Saturday as they found out to their cost last season. Dario Gradi's men held the Wanderers at the Reebok while the season before produced
GARETH Farrelly is putting club before country as he bids to get his career back on track. The Republic of Ireland international is determined to put the bad times behind him by emerging as a force in the Wanderers midfield. After tasting success in Aston
Wanderers 2, Watford 1 SAM Allardyce raided his memory banks to set up a richly deserved triumph which could be worth its weight in gold, writes Neil Bonnar. At half time the ecstacy of victory looked a distant prospect. Then Big Sam remembered a tactical
BOLTON'S public is invited to have a ball at the Albert Halls' production of Cinderella. There is nothing quite so much fun for young and old as a traditional pantomime and with this production . . . the slipper fits! This is a pantomime which has it
HEALTH and safety issues affecting North-west construction companies will be on the agenda at a free event at Haydock Park Racecourse on Wednesday. Bolton firms employing between five and 50 people are invited to attend. It is being funded jointly by
THE Bolton Company of the Year -- dabs.com -- has won another award at a London bash compered by top impressionist Rory Bremner. Westhoughton-based dabs.com, which describes itself as an "IT e-tailer", became E-Reseller of the Year at the seventh annual
TWO well-known local businessmen will step down when Bolton and Bury Chamber takes on a new role in April. Chairman Richard Hurst and President David Arkwright will not be part of the team which will launch and develop the new chamber of commerce. It
PIGEON fancier George Hilson has raised more than £6,000 for cancer research -- with the help of the Queen and an express parcels company. Mr Hilson, of Bury, organised an auction of pigeons at Rossendale which attracted the support of fanciers across
A BOLTON girl is today driving away with a top BMW after winning a "Big Brother"-style competition. Hazel Waddington beat six other contestants to take the top prize yesterday after spending a month "imprisoned" in a specially built house. The competition
CHILDREN from all over Bolton have started phase two of an ambitious plan to plant more than 25,000 new trees. Ten areas around Bolton have been selected for tree planting in a bid to create millennium woodland sites across the borough. When the project
BOLTON chaplain Judith Horrocks will be among the devoted staff at Christie Hospital to be introduced to the Prince of Wales on Friday. Prince Charles will pay a visit to the Manchester cancer centre as part of a day-long trip to the city. His visit starts
FORMER Leigh RL legend Ted Brophy has died at his home in South Africa, aged 69. The former Springbok forward is best remembered for the night he dived into the canal at Leigh and saved the life of Great Britain and St Helens star Dick Huddart. Brophy
TIRED of watching TV? Run out of small talk? Make the party go well with the aid of that prankster Gyles Brandreth and his excellent collection of ideas. His Great Party Games (Robson Books £6.99) has over 200 witty ideas for entertaining family and guests
EARLY on the morning of January 24, 1941, the body of Joss Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll was found with a bullet through the head. The mystery, famously brought to the screen in the film "White Mischief" is here re-examined in Errol Trzebinski's The Life and
WHEN it comes to comedy, David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst are The Dream Team. It's almost 20 years since they were first cast together as the unlikely brothers Del and Rodney Trotter. The brilliant double act is at the heart of the best comedy British
WHO was St George? Did he really exist? Did he ever step foot on English soil and if not, how did he become Patron Saint of England, and an icon for soccer fans and rightwing organisations throughout the country? In the most complete history yet, author
DIANA: The Truth by Judy Wade. Published by Blake, price £15.99. LOVE her or not, Diana, Princess of Wales, was a part of everyone's lives. Media coverage was so great that no one could avoid news of what the self styled Queen of Hearts was up to. So
LECTURE THEATRE, Central Library, Bolton. Bolton Recorded Music Society. Every one a Winner by James Calderwood. Tuesday, December 5. GRANGE ARTS CENTRE, Rochdale Road, Oldham. Ring 0161 911 4072. LYRIC THEATRE, The Lowry, Salford. Ring 0161 876 2000.
HORWICH RESOURCE CENTRE, Beaumont Road, Horwich. Elizabeth I. Festive entertainment from Lizzie Jones. Tuesday December 19. Tickets £2. Ring 693462. CARNEGIE HALL, Westhoughton Town Hall. Carol Service by Westhoughton Evangelical Church . Friday, December
LEISURE, SPORT, KEEP FIT BOLTON Excel, Lower Bridgeman Street, tel: 334456: 50+ bowls, 10am-12 noon; circuits, 6pm-7pm and 7pm-8pm. HORWICH Leisure Centre, Victoria Road, tel: 334488: main pool, 7am-4pm and 6pm-7pm; small pool, 3pm-4pm and 6pm-7pm; step
ARC GALLERY STORE, Oldham Street, Manchester. Thomas Barwick exhibition. Runs to January 21. Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm. Sun noon to 5pm. Adm free. Ring 0161 831 7454. ASTLEY CHEETHAM ART GALLERY , Trinity Street, Stalybridge. Open Mon to Fri (not Thurs)
A WESTHOUGHTON singer has won a national talent competition and will now perform in a West End theatre. Rebecca Govan only took up singing two years ago but stormed to victory in the Les Perry Roadshow in London at the weekend. The 22-year-old, who works
IT was a touching moment when tiny bride Farrah Smyth said "I do" to miniature groom Samuel Greer. As guests looked on, the couple tied the knot and made their wedding vows -- before disappearing in the distance down the school corridor on a playground
THE boss of a computer firm raided by masked armed robbers believes they were part of a much larger organised crime ring. Shelley Raja, who heads Scan International, at Middlebrook Enterprise Park, said the gang acted professionally and were in and out
A BOLTON Institute student whose determination and hard work was an inspiration to others has died aged 60. Cerebral palsy sufferer Ian Hirst was awarded a PhD from the Institute 12 months ago and his brave battle to overcome his disabilities inspired
BOLTON voters will be asked to decide in a huge survey between an American-style elected mayor and the present system of running the council. The ruling Labour group introduced a 'cabinet' system in May with the council run by an executive of leading
MARTIN MERE WILDFOWL AND WETLANDS TRUST, Burscough. Ring 01704 895181. DOCK ROAD EDWARDIAN PUMPING STATION, Weir St, off London Road, Northwich. Ring 01257 260157. Northwich Water Heritage Trail guided walks every Sun at 3pm from the Edwardian Pumping
KING GEORGES HALL, Blackburn. Ring 01254 582582. MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS ARENA, Manchester. The Beautiful South, Sunday, December 17. Tickets £20. Savage Garden, Saturday, December 9, tickets £19.50. Ring 0161 930 8000. THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, Oxford
KING GEORGE'S HALL, Blackburn. Jack and The Beanstalk. Runs from Saturday, December 16, until Sunday, January 7. Ring 01254 582582. FORUM THEATRE, Wythenshawe. Aladdin by Jeffrey Longmore. Saturday, December 9. 7pm. Tickets £10.50, £6.50. Ring 0161 437
MAY I say how much we have enjoyed the articles written by Frank Wood. He has a natural flair for the local scene and pays great attention to detail, and researches his subject thoroughly. More please! (Name and address supplied)
AFTER a recent stay in hospital I would like to express my sincere thanks to nurses, doctors, and all personnel on F5 ward at Royal Bolton Hospital. In this day and age, you hear such bad reports, but believe me nothing was too much trouble for them.
Waking up a summer's day, Alive with busting heart. Summon on my jobs to hand, And make a cheerful start. To the bank an open door, Is slammed upon my face. So ignorant in character, This madding human race. The thing behind the counter, I joke, she stares
REFERRING to the Whiteheads closure. Your feature writer Angela Kelly asks if we can afford to lose another chunk of our retail history. Well, no, we can't. No more than we can afford to keep losing other chunks of local history from our once unique town
IT'S easy to dismiss youngsters' eating disorders as an overdose of influence from the media and a bad example from current lean female icons. But, as our story tonight shows, it really is a far more complex issue. Schoolgirls as young as 10 are being
End this tax on the poor LAST week a report showed that taxes paid by the richest people in our society have fallen from 37pc to 35pc while the taxes paid by the poorest have risen from 31pc to 38pc of their income. In other words, the rich pay less in
READERS should be aware that any Bill to ban hunting with dogs will hit a far wider target than simply traditional hunts. While animal rights campaigns claim only to want to ban mounted hunting with hounds, people are increasingly aware that producing
COLIN Hendry could be set to bolster Wanderers' promotion campaign. The out-of-favour Coventry centre half is desperate for first team football and Reebok boss Sam Allardyce believes he could do a job for his side. Allardyce enquired about the 35-year-old
IT was the old cliche - a game of two halves. But the one thing you don't do is what happened to us against Fulham and what happened today - give them a goal in the opening minutes. Watford had lost three on the trot so they were little less confident
WANDERERS continued their magnificent away run as they celebrated a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, The win ended Chelsea's run of seven games without defeat and took the Wanderers unbeaten away run to nine games. Roy Greaves hit the goal that
THE Ted Heath Band plays its final concert in London tonight, and at Derby Ward Labour Club on Friday night, Tommy Whittle (tenor) gave ample evidence -- if any was needed -- of exactly how much that great unit will be missed. Whittle, who has been with
Octagon Theatre. Runs until January 13 AND now for something completely different. When the first windows of the advent calendars are ripped open it usually means only one thing in panto. But the Octagon has plumped instead for director Lee Beagley's
OCTAGON THEATRE, Bolton. The Owl and the Pussycat Went To See. Runs to January 13 2001. Ring Bolton 520661. OPERA HOUSE, Manchester. The Blues Brothers. Runs to Saturday. Performances Monday to Friday 7.30pm and Saturday 5.30pm and 8.30pm. Tickets Monday
A NEW business which employs 1,200 people in Bolton has made an "encouraging" start since it began operations in May. Reality, launched by Great Universal Stores, brought together 20,000 GUS people throughout the country working in e-commerce, customer
PIGEON droppings in Little Hulton and Walkden have put residents in a flap. So much so that Salford Council bosses are now holding top level talks with Railtrack chiefs to see what can be done to solve the problem. Residents are concerned that the droppings
BO Hansen believes yesterday's victory could be the springboard towards the heady heights of the Premiership. A sensational second half display lifted Wanderers right back into the thick of the promotion pack to set pulses racing inside the home dressing
TWO local soccer leagues have had enough of the bad weather and decided to shut down until January. Officials of the Bolton Combination and Bolton Sunday League are so fed up of rescheduling fixtures only for them to be called off that they have decided
FORMER Bolton Wanderers favourite Mark Patterson was the architect behind Radcliffe Boro's exit from the FA Umbro Trophy in a home Round Two 3-0 defeat by Accrington Stanley. The cup tie looked a case of one big game too far this season for Boro. Although
Kingstonian 0, Leigh RMI 2 LEIGH RMI emerged from their third successive journey to the capital with a well deserved victory at Kingstonian - a legacy of a dominant second half performance from the Railwaymen. The FA Cup giant-killers from Kingston have
WHEN Terry Greene is sentenced to life for a murder he didn't commit, his wife has two choices. To walk away from the criminal empire he has built up or to take it over. As far as 'Sam' Greene is concerned, there is no choice. All the family's assets
MYSTERY, crime, thriller, even historical romance -- Robert Goddard's novels are impossible to pigeonhole, and have been described in all these ways. There is perhaps just one thing upon which critics and readers alike agree -- that he is the master of
BLUE PLANET AQUARIUM, Longlooms Road, Little Stanney, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Rockin' On Heaven's Door. Thursday, December 9. Ring 0151 357 8804 or 020 8520 2853. CROWN AND CUSHION, Mealhouse Lane, Bolton. Vivid with special guests. Tuesday December
BOOKIES' favourite Jeff Greenhalgh failed to poll enough votes to win the final of Stars in their Eyes on Saturday night. But he has vowed to continue his singing career in Leigh. Millions of TV viewers tuned in to watch the fate of the singer, who sang
BOLTON council is poised to appoint a new officer to lead a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. The decision marks an heightened emphasis on powerful new Anti Social Behaviour Orders which leave troublemakers facing sterner sentences if conditions are
RESIDENTS battling the "erosion" of affluent Lostock's character are celebrating a decision to block a housing scheme. Plans by Antler Property to build homes on a small site behind Regent Road were seen by critics as another attempt to cram as many houses
BOLTON could become the Manhattan of the North with trendy new apartment blocks being snapped up at two major developments. A wide variety of people, from yuppies to pensioners, have reserved flats at the Old School Rooms development in Great Moor Street
THOUSANDS of glitter-encrusted nine and ten-year-old hysterical girls are a formidable sight on a Saturday afternoon. But with some of the country's best girl and boy bands performing at the Smash Hits Tour Party in Manchester, the excitement was bound
BLUE CAT CAFE, Shaw Rd, Heaton Moor, Stockport. Second Thurs in the month at 8.00pm, free. Ring 0161 432 2117.
MEN ARENA, Manchester. Friday, December 15 and Saturday, December 16, Five, tickets £18.50; Also, Monday, December 18, Chris De Burgh, tickets £25 and £22.50. Also, Tuesday, December 19 and Wednesday, December 20, Steps, tickets £20. Also, Saturday, January
PRESTON GUILD HALL AND CHARTER THEATRE, Guild Hall Arcade, Lancaster Road, Preston. Dylan Moran. Wednesday December 6. Starts 7.30pm. Tickets £9.50. QUAYS THEATRE, The Lowry, Salford. Tickets £10. Ring 0161 876 2000. THE MET, Market Street, Bury. Ring
MEN ARENA, Manchester. Manchester Storm v Newcastle Riverkings. Thursday December 7. Starts 7.30pm. Ring 0161 930 8000. WALTON HALL AND GARDENS, Warrington. Ring 01925 601617. CULCHETH LINEAR PARK, Culcheth. Ring 01925 765064. BROOKSIDE GARDEN CENTRE,
North west event information from the North West Tourist Board EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY, Bury. For more information ring 0161-764 7790. TATE GALLERY, Albert Dock, Liverpool. Ring 0151 702 7400 WHITWORTH ART GALLERY, The University of Manchester, Oxford
