BOLTON Business Ventures -- the local enterprise and development agency -- is playing a key role in a government scheme to boost jobs in deprived areas. BBV is one of 11 new community development finance institutions (CDFI) announced by Trade and Industry
ONE in five businesses is planning to lay off staff in order to cope with the rise in National Insurance Contributions (NICs), it is claimed. The British Chambers of Commerce made the claim following a productivity survey in which it quizzed nearly a
WORDSWORTH might not have a natural affinity with Westhoughton -- but they do have something in common. The beauty of the daffodils on Snydle Way is breathtaking, as are the bankings along St Peter's Way. Congratulations to Bolton's Environmental Services
THE BRIDE and groom both wore Armani and matching ponytails. The Australian wedding of Gladiator star Russell Crowe and his long-suffering, long-time girlfriend Danielle Spencer this week was certainly a glitzy affair. She looks a sweet creature, and
IT was not so much of a surprise that Charles Ingram cheated on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The real surprise was that it was done so crassly. Go to any pub or club quiz (apart from league quizzes, which are better regulated) and you'll see someone
RRE the spread of Halal slaughter. Has anyone asked the animals which have been humanely murdered if it hurt? I live in an Islamic country. I see the animals being transported around town at Eid, in the backs of trucks -- they don't look too happy to
I HAVE read quite a few letters on this page berating Bolton Council. But I would like to give a very big pat on the back to the Parks Department. Over quite a few months the Bowling Greens on Heywood Park have been taken over by the youths of Great Lever
AS a retired plumber, who served a six-year apprenticeship, I cannot help Kate Langford in obtaining one for her son in the building trade (Letters, April 3) but, I can explain to her, and others like her, why there are no apprentices being taken on.
AS a minister in the Church of England, I am involved in a nationwide survey to assess the enormous impact war in Iraq is having on people's morale and religious attitudes, and their outlook for the future. I would be grateful if I could use your Letters
I READ with dismay, but little surprise, your article regarding the £12 million bill for slip and trip claims made against the council. To put this bill into perspective, £12 million represents about £130 of your council tax bill. This money could fund
From the Evening News, April 9, 1903: THE Mayor of Newcastle, presiding at the annual meeting of the Newcastle Branch of the Lord's Day Observance Society, said Sunday desecration was becoming a formidable evil in our midst. The upper classes, who ought
A CHARITY dinner raised almost £30,000 to fund humanitarian work in Iraq. Leaders of Bolton's diverse communities were among 200 guests who attended the New Pack Horse Hotel for the event, organised by the international aid and development agency, Human
DRAMATIC pictures and reports of American marines taking over the centre of Baghdad are showing on several websites. Follow these weblinks so you can see the news from differing perspectives. From America there's The Washington Post, CNN, NBC News, Time
OPPONENTS of the war in Iraq have accused Bolton Council of trying to "gag" them after banning a town centre protest meeting. Council chiefs have cancelled Bolton Stop The War Coalition's booking amid fears that agitators could hijack the meeting and
THE SUN: UEFA top brass want Sir Alex Ferguson stripped of his knighthood for suggesting the European Cup draw was fixed. DAILY MIRROR: Ruud van Nistelrooy threw Manchester United a Champions League lifeline last night after they were torn apart by a
PHIL Gartside has repeated his warning that Sam Allardyce will not have cash to splash on big money transfers this summer, even if Wanderers are still in the Premiership. The Bolton chief says he has no option but to maintain his prudent fiscal policy
HERE are some more interesting web links from Frank Elson. www.ag.auburn.edu/users/gparmer/articles/neon ONLY in America would a bunch of students hire a Chrysler Neon car, throw together a nitrous oxide injection system for a few dollars then go out
THORNLEIGH School is on the look-out for someone who is able to create Temporary Tattoos for its Summer Fair on June 15 and its Christmas Craft Fair on December 5. Anyone who can help should call the school on 01204 301351 or Mrs Ashcroft on 01204 308956
BOLTON Council's rangers are cleaning up one of the borough's ancient woodlands. As part of National Spring Clean weekend on Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13 they will be at Raveden Wood. The Bolton events will be held between 10am and 12noon. Anyone
THE Bolton and District Support Group of the Alzheimer's Society has presented cheques to wards J1 and J2 and Belmont Day Hospital at the Royal Bolton Hospital. The cheques will pay for various activities being organised by the Belmont Hospital day centre
OBJECTIONS are being put forward to a planning application made on Naylor's Terrace, Belmont. Objectors attended a North Turton parish council meeting last night, but were not allowed to speak. The application is for a two-storey extension to the house
SPECTATORS at the London Marathon could be forgiven for thinking they have double vision when a pair of identical Bolton twins run past them on Sunday, April 13. Lee and Stacey Jeffries of Bradshaw, aged 31, have been putting in a gruelling training regime
BOLTON'S first citizen spoke about his mayoral role in a question and answer session with pupils at a primary school. Cllr John Walsh described his duties on a visit to Halliwell's Wolfenden C P School. Headteacher Graham Bedford said the visit was the
TWO bands whose debut albums made big impressions have revealed details of the follow-ups. Starsailor, who topped album charts with first release Love Is Here, bring out their as-yet-unnamed successor this summer. The band, whose frontman James Walsh
WILL teams with outstanding match cards please forward them to the Secretary as soon as possible. The league is now taking entries for the Summer League. Will teams wishing to enter please contact Tony on 847291 or 07803 258426.
0SHAKERS boss Andy Preece reckons the battle for the third and final automatic promotion spot will run until the last day of the season. With just five games left, only four points separate the eight teams from third to tenth in the Division Three table
DIRECTOR of Blackpool Pleasure Beach Mrs Lillian Thompson and legendary footballer Jimmy Armfield are to be honoured by Blackpool Council today. The pair will be the first people to receive the Freedom of the Borough for more than 10 years. And Mrs Thompson
A MOTHER-of-two from Manchester who scooped more than £3m on the National Lottery has celebrated her win at the home of her beloved football team. Kerry MacDonald, aged 20, of Withington, was presented with a cheque for £3,089,944 by Manchester City's
BROADCASTING legend Alistair Cooke has been honoured by the UK radio industry as one of the first batch of people in its new hall of fame. The 94-year-old Salford-born journalist, who attended Blackpool Grammar School, is believed to be the oldest regular
BROADCASTING legend Alistair Cooke has been honoured by the UK radio industry as one of the first batch of people in its new hall of fame. The 94-year-old Salford-born journalist, who attended Blackpool Grammar School, is believed to be the oldest regular
A YOUNG Bolton woman has swapped Heaton for Albania in a bid to save more than 50 orphaned and abandoned children. Conservative councillor Colin Shaw's daughter Lucie, aged 28, has given up a highly-paid job as a nanny to support disadvantaged youngsters
A TEENAGER is pleading for the return of vital files containing the bulk of her GCSE coursework after they were stolen from a playing field in Horwich. Emma Thornton, aged 14, was playing hockey on the pitch at Horwich Leisure Centre when her bag, which
DENTAL health campaigners are warning the latest craze to hit Bolton playgrounds could damage teeth. Brain Licker, a roll-on deodorant shaped bottle containing sour liquid candy has become the "in" accessory for local children. But the British Dental
A BILLBOARD poster for adult store chain Ann Summers has been branded degrading and banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The advert showed a woman clad in bra and thong with her hands tied behind her back featuring the slogan "Lancashire
LATEST results 1st XI Cup: Heywood St James 4 Bolton Lads Club 1; Bury GSOB 0 Prairie Utd 1; Rossendale Amateurs 2 Accrington Amateurs 4; Lymm 1 Horwich RMI 2; Little Lever SC 3 Rivington 0; Thornleigh 3 Walkden 2; Bolton Wyresdale 3 Hayward 1; Rochdale
LATEST details PREMIER DIVISION Wythenshawe Amateurs... 30 16 7 7 50 33 55 17 Irlam Mitchell Shackleton... 25 14 5 6 50 36 47 14 Leigh Athletic... 30 12 8 10 70 48 44 22 Stockport Georgians... 25 13 2 10 63 52 41 10 Royton Town... 25 11 6 8 64 53 39 11
LATEST details Premier Division CLIFTON RANGERS ...6 GRIFFIN ...7 DOFFCOCKER ...3 CARTERS ARMS ...6 HARE/HOUNDS (ST) ...1 SEVEN STARS (BO) ...3 HORWICH VICTORIA ...2 HARE/HOUNDS (BO) ...1 Open Cup Semi final GRAPES HOTEL ...2 TONGE MOOR CON ...4 Division
BOLTON LITTLE THEATRE, BOLTON Betrayal A love triangle has repercussions in this classic Harold Pinter play. Until April 12, £5 .50 to £6.50 PALACE THEATRE, MANCHESTER Fiddler On the Roof Paul Nicholas (yes, he's still going) plays the lead role in this
DON'T you feel for Charlotte Church's parents? The 17-year-old singing diva was photographed on her Hawaiian holiday with boyfriend Steven Johnson in a T-shirt bearing the slogan: "My Barbie is a crack whore." Not surprisingly, her mum and dad were quickly
EVEN if you're not remotely interested in sport, it's worth watching at the moment thanks to a couple of remarkable young men. Jay-Jay Okocha is helping Wanderers' fight to stay in the Premiership with his sparkling form. And 17-year-old Wayne Rooney
WHO do the council tenants of Hall i'th' Wood estate think should pay for the running and maintenance of their CCTV cameras? Everyone else but themselves! They have already had them provided at other taxpayers' expense. Peter Johnston has a nerve to suggest
AS a young lad I remember my father and a friend discussing the possibility of war. My father thought war was inevitable, his friend thought different. When Neville Chamberlain brought back a piece of paper from Germany signed by Adolph Hitler, peace
BOLTON Council was given a £230,000 government grant to fund a CCTV scheme on Hall i'th' Wood. But after setting up the scheme, they now find that the funding is insufficient to keep the scheme running. Now, because of this inexcusable blunder in budgeting
THE obelisk on Smithills Moor is beginning to haunt me! Every time I think that the mystery has been solved (regular readers know that the subject has been broached a number of times in recent weeks), up comes someone else to give a different story. For
SEVERAL Bolton cricket clubs have pre-season games over the next couple of weekends. They include: Saturday, April 12: Atherton v Heaton, Bowden v Tonge, Enfield v Little Lever, Lancaster v Horwich. Sunday April 13: Darwen v Horwich, Crewe v Bradshaw,
THE Royal Bolton Hospital is again on the receiving end of criticism. This time, the respected Dr Foster organisation -- the country's first independent publisher of healthcare guides -- has revealed figures indicating that the hospital has the highest
www.hugemoviequiz.com - so you think you know about films? Have a go at this site, which claims to have 3,907 film questions -- again, I haven't counted them. There are quiz sections on decades, academy awards, stars, boxing films, war films, horror films
BOLTON'S first citizen spoke about his mayoral role in a question and answer session with pupils at a primary school. Cllr John Walsh described his duties on a visit to Halliwell's Wolfenden C P School. Headteacher Graham Bedford said the visit was the
CHORLEY Lynx provided one of the biggest shocks for a long time when they turned the formbook upside down to defeat Super League hopefuls Leigh Centurions. This victory gives Lynx a great chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Arriva Trains
HORWICH'S new Town Mayor will take office at the Town Council's annual meeting on Thursday, May 8. Ward councillor Bob Ronson will take over from current mayor, councillor John Bragg.
A PLAN for a ramblers' lodge has received the full support of North Turton parish council. A planning application, put forward by Mr and Mrs Horton of Clough Head Farm, Edgworth, details an outdoor centre with self-catering hostel accomodation together
THE case of a man who admitted making hoax 999 calls to the emergency services during a national fire strike was adjourned on Tuesday for further reports. John Robert Byron, aged 19, of Lenham Gardens, Breightmet has also admitted animal cruelty. He pleaded
A WOMAN had her hair cut and styled at a Bolton salon and ran off without paying. She had made an appointment at Saks in Churchgate for herself and her eight-year-old daughter. The woman ran up a bill of £40 for her own haircut and then changed her mind
BOLTON Council's rangers are cleaning up one of the borough's ancient woodlands. As part of National Spring Clean weekend on Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13 they will be at Raveden Wood. The Bolton events will be held between 10am and 12noon. Anyone
A YOUNG girl was showered with glass when a brick was thrown at the window of her school bus. The girl, a pupil at Little Lever High School, was on the back seat of First Manchester's 524 bus on her way home on Tuesday when a brick was hurled at the window
THE dangers of drug taking were hammered home to Smithills School pupils by a man who knows more than most -- the father of Ecstasy victim Leah Betts. Since the Essex teenager's tragic death eight years ago, former police inspector Paul Betts has devoted
A LANDLADY was arrested when police swooped on a pub on the outskirts of Bolton town centre. The licensee, and her partner, were arrested after team of more than 20 police officers with a search warrant raided the Royal Hotel in Vernon Street at 4pm on
A WOMAN from Bolton is hoping to share memories of Yesterday with Paul McCartney when he wows Manchester on Wednesday night. Terri Turner, aged 59, got to know the Beatles after meeting Ringo Starr, then drumming with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, while
PHIL Gartside is so nervous watching Wanderers play these days that not only does he miss out on the enjoyment but he finds it difficult to pass judgment on performances. Asked if this Djorkaeff-Okocha inspired team is the best he has ever seen since
AN ambitious project to bring together on one site Withins Secondary School and Firwood special school has been given a cash boost. Bolton education chiefs want to move Firwood -- a special school for 11 to 19 year olds with a range of learning difficulties
THIS unusual view of the cottages at Longsight, Harwood, was taken in 1958 from the stage of the Methodist School, which was being rebuilt. The school had closed earlier that year following a snap inspection by the County Architect after headmaster Mr
IT looks like being a busy summer for Tom Lancashire with his A levels and the small matter of trying to make his way into the Great Britain team for the European Junior Championships in Finland. Unfortunately for the 17-year-old Bolton athlete the selection
A NEW student social room will be opened on Friday with the help of top DJs Flip n Fill. Live tunes mixed by the popular DJs, who have recently been riding high in the charts, will help launch the Under-16s social room at Bolton Community College. The
BOLTON Mets ARLFC suffered another defeat at Crossfields of Warrington. Crossfields opened the scoring and looked more organised in the first half but the Mets replied with try from second rower Dave Cain, giving a half-time score of 14-6 to Crossfields
1483: The young Edward V acceded to the throne on the death of Edward IV. He was never crowned and disappeared, believed murdered, 75 days later. 1626: Francis Bacon, philosopher and statesman, died - apparently killed by a chicken. He was trying to stuff
OUR amateur results page has now been updated with last weekend's results. You can now read the latest reports
YOUNGSTERS in Bolton are to be given a taste of the good-life. A grant from the Food Standards Agency is to be used to put healthy eating, healthy cooking and hygiene on the menu for some of the most disadvantaged parts of the borough. A £10,000 scheme
A NEW exhibition marking the successes of last summer's Commonwealth Games in Manchester is set to open in Stockport. Among the exhibits are gifts given to the city from the various competing nations and a range of costumes and memorabilia. Opening at
BOLTON Council may have to undergo annual examinations to hold on to its "good" rating. The Audit commission is considering whether to increase the rate it carries out the Government's dreaded Comprehensive Performance Assessment until 2006. The attempt
A BOLTON man today denied trying to blackmail a major American-based financial institution into handing over £6.5 million. During a five minute hearing at London's Southwark Crown Court, Kulwant Singh, spoke only to confirm his name and enter not guilty
MEMBERS of Bolton branch of the Eighth Army Veterans' Association and their wives visited Bolton Royal Infirmary children's ward in December, 1982, and handed over a five feet stick of rock. Ward Sister Marion Buchanan received the rock from Mr Bill Woodward
Who: Farnworth Performing Arts deliver this musical this week. It first opened in 1954 and became a Hollywood musical starring Doris Day in 1957. What: The play (based fact-fans, on the book Seven And A Half Cents by Richard Bissell) revolves around an
A WOMAN from Bolton is hoping to share memories of Yesterday with Paul McCartney when he wows Manchester on Wednesday night. Terri Turner, aged 59, got to know the Beatles after meeting Ringo Starr, then drumming with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, while
THORNLEIGH School is on the look-out for someone who is able to create Temporary Tattoos for its Summer Fair on June 15 and its Christmas Craft Fair on December 5. Anyone who can help should call the school on 01204 301351 or Mrs Ashcroft on 01204 308956
LATEST tables PREMIER DIVISION P W D L GF GA Pts GD Bury GSOB... 25 16 4 5 53 34 52 19 Rossendale Amat... 22 14 4 4 62 35 46 27 Radcliffe Amateurs... 24 13 6 5 61 32 45 29 Gregorians... 24 13 6 5 58 34 45 24 Bolton County... 24 12 6 6 58 37 42 21 Little
LATEST details Redwaters Coronation Cup Semi Final COLLIERS REST...4 AFC TYLDESLEY...1 Division One HIGHER FOLD LC...2 ROPE/ANCHOR...1 HOWE BRIDGE MILLS...0 THREE CROWNS A...4 Division Two LEIGH LEGION...1 HOWE BRIDGE RES...3 ASDA GOLBORNE...1 FIR TREE
Breightmet 7 AS Leigh 1 BREIGHTMET went 2-0 up with goals from Harper and Lomax and within 15 minutes of the second half had all but secured their second round place with further goals from Doodinson and Aldred (2). Hindley Town 8 Hindley Tigers 1 THE
A LATE strike from Steve Orrell salvaged a point for Prestwich Heys in the Air Miles Manchester League. The goal secured a 1-1 draw with Leigh Athletic, who had opened the scoring on the half-hour with a Steve Bevin goal. Elton Vale put their recent disappointing
