SIR: If you are running in the 1998 Flora London Marathon, why not join my team, Daley's Dynamos, who are running in support of Barnardo's - Britain's biggest children's charity. I'm delighted once again to be supporting the efforts to help improve young
A CONTROVERSIAL land-swap deal for a new Tesco superstore next to the Reebok Stadium has finally been given the go ahead by Bolton's planning councillors. They have approved plans for paper makers Fort James and Tesco to swap sites at Mansell Way, on
Manchester City 0 Bury 1 THE Magnificent Seven can save Bury now. That's how many wins Shakers boss Stan Ternent believes his team needs to pull off the great escape from the First Division trap door. And who would bet against them after the way they
THE Royal Mail is holding an inquiry into how dozens of letters destined for addresses in Harwood and Breightmet were posted through the letter box of a semi-derelict cottage. Retired estate agent Terry McEwing, who has bought the run-down cottage at
BURY will have just one thing on their minds at Maine Road. "We're going there to win," declared boss Stan Ternent who has seen his side go 16 matches since last tasting victory. "I am looking for eight wins out of our last 16 matches which will keep
SIR: So Greg Waldron, the ex-dentist solicitor threatening to sue North West Water for refusing to extend fluoridation to its supplies says there is 'no risk', with water fluoridation. Although the World Health Organisation appears to support water fluoridation
A DECISION is expected in the next fortnight on the final resting place of the former Royal Yacht Britannia. Peel Holdings is hoping to bring the famous old vessel to the Manchester Ship Canal at Trafford - not far from the giant Trafford Centre due to
SIR: If anyone enjoys shooting, maiming, torturing, horrifically injuring birds, mammals or fish - for fun, there is a march in London on March 1, to support these 'sports'. I can think of something more humane to do on St David's Day. Is it really 1998
SIR: I read in the paper nearly every day last week about dog dirt. We a family who live on Clifton Street, Kearsley, and it's always full of dog dirt. I think we all have fetched it in at some time, and my two children are sick of having to wash their
SIR: With yet another hike in local taxes, it has come to my attention that most of the wages paid to the council workers have a bonus paid, at the rate of 33A-50 per cent of basic wage. I know of no other employers who would do this, ie a refuge wagon
NEIL Cowie will line up with Wigan Warriors on Sunday after recovering from a virus. The powerful prop has been laid low for more than a week and was doubtful for the Silk Cut Challenge Cup fourth round clash at Keighley Cougars. But he has recovered
SIR: I refer to the article Gran kicks up a stink over dog dirt, in which Jean Campbell said the pavements close to her home are a health hazard, because of dog fouling. I would like to bring to the attention of council officials the area around, and
KEITH Latham won't put his injured players in the firing line on Sunday, even if it means a Challenge Cup hammering. The Leigh Centurions coach has issued a 'not fit, no play,' rule to his battered senior squad ahead of the daunting home fourth round
SIR: I am a parent of one of the boys who turned up last Sunday for his weekly football match only to find that builders had carried out "tests" on the ground. My son has played for Carnaud Metal Box Sports Club football team for two years and had hoped
LEIGH CENTURIONS 11 SHEFFIELD EAGLES 66 CENTURIONS skipper Tim Street vigorously protested his innocence after being sent off yet again in his chequered Leigh career. Street pleaded not guilty to an alleged charge of use of the elbow in a tackle on Keith
KEIGHLEY COUGARS 0 WIGAN WARRIORS 76 WE will only now how good John Monie's side is when they take on more testing opponents but if yesterday's performance was anything to go by the bookmakers assessment of making them Wembley favourites is far from fanciable
SCOTT Sellars, the unlikeliest of Premiership 'bad boys' is just three bookings away from a carpeting at Lancaster Gate. The midfield ace, suspended just once in a long and relatively trouble-free career before the FA controversially revised its disciplinary
BOLTON education bosses today welcomed Government moves to give teachers clear legal rights on how to deal with unruly pupils. Teachers are to be told they can now use "reasonable force" to control violent and unruly pupils without the threat of prosecution
A COUPLE had a lucky escape after a traffic cone was hurled off a Bolton motorway bridge onto the roof of their car. The cone smashed the rear windscreen of the Astra as they drove towards Bolton along St Peter's Way. The incident was witnessed by two
IT'S bad enough coming back from a long holiday and finding a mound of post behind the front door. But imagine the expression on the face of retired estate egent Terry McEwing, when he returned to his empty Harwood cottage after a three month suspension
WHY a charity trust should want to make a mystery out of giving £10,000 to the Sycamore Project remains a mystery to us. The project has the worthy objectives of providing a booze-free bar for teenagers plus daytime community care and a homework club.
Emley 2 Leigh RMI 2 ALTHOUGH a point away from home and further progress up the UniBond Premier Division table will be regarded as more than satisfactory, Leigh RMI should have had more to show from their draw at Emley. They trailed twice, yet each time
ENVIRONMENT Minister Michael Meacher was today launching a regional debate on how people in the North West can live without straining the earth's resources. His keynote speech was delivered at Manchester's Ramada Hotel to an audience invited from throughout
OUR headline said it all. It is a "shocker" that Bolton's council tax is set to rise by a massive 7.9 per cent. Last year's 6.9 per cent was bad enough. This blow to the tax payers may be mitigated by the fact the the cash raised will be used to put an
Emley 2 Leigh RMI 2 ALTHOUGH a point away from home and further progress up the UniBond Premier Division table will be regarded as more than satisfactory, Leigh RMI should have had more to show from their draw at Emley. They trailed twice, yet each time
A TRUE Lancashire lass is about to sail into the sunset after making a Bolton family's dreams of adventure a reality. Thirteen years ago, Bolton businessman Bob Mason achieved his ambition of building and launching his own yacht. The unconventional local
A MAN who witnessed the first nuclear tests in the South Pacific is carrying out a promise to help the new generation of Christmas Islanders. John Leuchars, of Bury, first visited the island when he was in the Army between 1956 and 1957 and immediately
25 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, February 13, 1973 BOLTON Wanderers have put themselves in the money with their tremendous 1-0 FA Cup fourth round second replay win over Cardiff City last night. They now meet Luton at Burnden Park. THE United States
BOLTON has welcomed the announcement that councils will be able to introduce 20mph speed limits without seeking Government permission. Cllr Peter Finch, chairman of Bolton's highways sub-committee, said today that a report on traffic management in the
BURY fan Gary Felton's investment in Birmingham City shares has paid a surprise dividend. The Gigg Lane season ticket holder will abandon his usual seat in the visitors' enclosure for a prime spot in the St Andrews directors box when the sides meet on
PAUL Butler will put his love affair with Manchester City on hold for 90 minutes tomorrow. Maine Road has always held a special place in the heart of Bury's £1m-rated defender who still follows the Blues when his career allows. But it will be business
STEVE Coppell put the case for a five-win escape route as the Premiership relegation battle took on a starkly familiar, but worrying, apearance this week. Coppell's Crystal Palace - still unable to chalk up a home win - have joined Wanderers and Barnsley
SIR: On Sunday, February 15, 1942, the Japanese Army's invasion of Malaya was concluded by its capture of Singapore. As a result, many thousands of British and Commonwealth troops, including soldiers of the Indian Army and Gurkhas, began three-and-a-half
Tickets for the trip to Spurs on Sunday, March 1 (kick off 4pm) will go on sale to existing season tickets holders on Wednesday, new season ticket holders on Friday, members and lifeline members next Monday and then on open sale tomorrow week. Prices
BOLTON Wanderers might be struggling once more to establish themselves in the Premiership but they still have a head start over the vast majority of clubs. That's the view of envious Bradford City chairman Geoffrey Richmond, who claims the financial gulf
A LANDLORD badly injured after plunging through a first floor window has been told to leave his pub. Dino Lewington has just hobbled out of hospital on crutches after being treated for a fractured pelvis, a split liver, ruptured spleen and collapsed lungs
ALEX Ferguson has pledged Manchester United's support for Wanderers in their bid to beat the drop and bring the glory days back to Bolton. The Reds' boss, who has seen Colin Todd's struggling side deprive his Champions of four priceless points in this
BOLTON and Bury Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) has welcomed the millions invested in Middlebrook. At a meeting at the Reebok Stadium in Horwich, the TEC discussed with new retailers their experience of life on the North-west's largest retail and
SIR: The privatised electric, water and gas companies are currently making huge profits for their corporate shareholders and grossly overpaid directors and executives. This is at the expense of customers who have to put up with poor quality services and
A BOLTON primary school is spearheading a drive to raise reading standards in the classroom. Pikes Lane Primary School has spent the past three years focusing pupils' and parents' attention on literacy and numeracy. Each year the school throws open its
A GOOD Samaritan who almost died after being mown down by a hit-and-run driver today spoke about her ordeal. College counsellor Rosie Clark was leaving work at Bolton Institute when she rushed to help an elderly pedestrian who had fallen into a busy road
OH BOY! Bury defender Paul Butler will have no trouble spotting his 17-month old son when he runs out in front of 30,000 fans at Manchester City tomorrow - he'll be in his arms! Lifelong blue Butler has been waiting all season for his first ever game
MANCHESTER City fan Nick Daws is ready to sentence his boyhood heroes to the drop. The Bury midfielder, a lifelong true Blue, today declared there will be no room for sentiment when he realises a dream at Maine Road on Saturday. With the David and Goliath
SIR: While walking to my son's house last Wednesday, February 4, I had occasion to walk up near Brownlow Fold School. I had to squeeze past a car on the pavement. I was informed by a voice from the car security system, to 'step away from this car, you
SIR: I love to read Alwyn Graham's column. She is extremely good at getting to the point in her chosen subjects. As a reader of the BEN for over 40 years, I am disappointed that the so-called Bolton Seven should be given so much space in your paper. Certainly
SIR: The Audit Commission's report on Greater Manchester Police (BEN: January 29), says there are positive signs in the fight against crime, yet G M Police only managed to clear up 18 per cent of crimes; the fourth lowest success rate in the country.
SIR: While I was very pleased to see the commemorations at Manchester United on Saturday, February 7, observed with respect by all, I am extremely annoyed that some people inside football felt it necessary to appeal to the Wanderers' supporters to 'behave
A YOUNG mountain biking fanatic is offering a reward for the safe return of his stolen bike. Curtis Whalley's Trek 220 cycle was snatched by thieves as he visited his friend's house in Martin Avenue, Tonge Fold, on Saturday at about 2pm. The distinctive
CAR washes throughout Bolton have been doing a roaring trade after freak weather covered cars in sand from the Sahara. Motorists woke up yesterday to find their cars cloaked in a film of sand carried to Britain on south-west winds. The sand was whipped
THIEVES who broke into a Bolton house slithered off with a family's pet snakes. The burglars stole two boa constrictors from a glass tank at the house in Kirkebrok Road, Deane. The thieves smashed their way into the house last night through a rear ground
A NEW footbridge for football fans has been labelled a "folly." The £350,000 bridge over Burnden Way from the Reebok Stadium is expensive and won't be used, according to Horwich town councillor Michael Kilcoyne. It is designed to take fans across a road
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a vicious assault on a 36-year-old man at a Leigh shop on Saturday night. The man, who had not been named, suffered black eyes and cuts to his face when he was attacked in The Village Store in Manchester Road, Astley
PEOPLE with learning difficulties in Bury say cruel taunts from gangs of local youths have left them afraid to leave their own homes - and they claim children from a local high school are among the worst culprits. Residents in private care homes on Walmersley
A LITTLE Hulton man is appealing for help to trace his family pet which went missing on Saturday. The Rottweiler dog disappeared from the garden of Trafford Drive, Little Hulton, where its owner Kieron Hulmes lives with his 67-year-old mother Joyce. Mr
BOLTON lollipop lady Barbara Hardman's acting ambitions are set to fall flat in her first starring role. For the plucky woman will be "run over" by a huge steam roller driven by famed steeplejack Fred Dibnah in a children's film due to be shot in April
TWO traders in Westhoughton have been given the go ahead by Bolton's planning councillors to carry on selling Christmas trees. Councillors have given permission for the trees to be sold at two business on the A6 - Beech Hall Farm and Mark Forrest conservatories
MORE than 50 campaigners gathered outside Bury County Court today in a protest bid to save their Bolton mosque. The members of the Islamic Centre on St Georges Road are in dispute with Bolton Council over the future of their temporary building. A judge
BOLTON MP Brian Iddon is celebrating a victory at the Oxford Union as another stage in his battle to persuade the government to consider the legalisation of cannabis. He was one of the main speakers in a special debate on the issue held in the famous
HORWICH pensioners are being urged to make friends by joining an Age Concern luncheon club on Mondays. The Wright Place Lunch and Leisure Club meets for the first time today from noon until 3pm at the Evangelical Church in Wright Street. People over 50
LOCAL householders are being warned about the activities of unscrupulous property management firms and landlords. Bolton solicitors Kippax Beaumont Lewis say they could face threats involving ground rent and leases. But Mr Peter Liptrott, who specialises
BOLTON MP Brian Iddon was right to be horrified that there are no public toilets in Jobcentres. We share his horror and support his attempts to get job seekers are provided with proper loos. Previous news story Converted for the new archive on 14 July
Such dreams..... Wrought by the stirrings Of gentle awakening Brushing new visions On opening lids And weaving soft smiles Around virgin lips Ah - how eagerly they winged Possibilities heavenward How they crooned wistful moonsong To the all-knowing stars
Tele films and videos To these we all relate Watching in hypnotic trance The scenes that seal our fate No more the love that conquers all With stars that looked the part Brought to the fore is blood and gore With films that chill the heart. There was
WATER watchdogs Ofwat have blasted North West Water for its plans to reduce customer rebates. Ofwat say NWW customers will lose out this year, receiving just a £6.50 rebate compared to last year's £10. The watchdogs have written to NWW critisising plans
TWO pieces of "public art" work have been given the planning go ahead. Councillors have approved schemes which will become permanent features in Blackburn Road. One is a public art feature wall at the junction of Blackburn Road and Heywoods Hollow. The
BOLTON North East MP David Crausby is lending his support to the call for animal circuses to be included in the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. Mr Crausby was among politicians who attended the screening at the House of Commons of a videotape showing the daily
SIR: Please could you thank the Bolton team for helping to restore a great deal of pride back to the supporters. The team performance at Old Trafford was tremendous. We can give our team, and the supporters, a pat on the back. I now believe we have got
ONE of Glastonbury Festival's top attractions, The Boat Band, hits Bolton on Sunday as part of the Buskers Ball 'In Concert' series at Durty Nelly's. The band, who play a unique blend of blues, zydeco and creole music were voted 'band of the festival'
BOLTON is launching a major drive to attract tourists from across the Pennines. Tourism bosses want to promote the town as an ideal destination for people from Yorkshire to have a day trip or short break. Bolton recently had a display at the Breakaway
WITH the threat to Bolton's prosperity prospects looming over the horizon at the massive, soon-to-be-completed Dumplington shopping a leisure complex, the last thing we needed was any decision that posed another risk to our trading and jobs scene. Thankfully
THE mother of a Bolton schoolgirl struck down by meningitis today said a big "Thank-you" to everyone involved in her daughter's recovery. Less than a week ago, it looked as if Fiona Wright's daughter Christina would not survive the deadly meningitis bug
THIS year's annual dinner of the Bolton & Bury Chamber of Commerce is a sell-out. The event at the Reebok Stadium's Platinum Suite next Friday, February 20, has attracted 350 Chamber members and their guests. Chief Executive Brian Smith said today
COLIN Todd has told record signing Dean Holdsworth it's high time he lived up to his high-price. The Bolton boss wants the fit-again £3.5 million striker to spearhead the club's fight for Premiership survival. Holdsworth looks set to resume his partnership
GULF Veterans in Bolton want Britain to press for a diplomatic settlement in the latest crisis with Iraq rather than go to war. Veterans from Bolton and Leigh who fought in the last conflict against Saddam have said they believe a solution should be found
FURIOUS dog owners claim opportunists have preyed on their misfortune after their pet disappeared. Dave and Gillian Hilton were devastated after their Staffordshire bull terrier, Burt, went missing a week last Sunday. Burt escaped from their back garden
RELIEVED workers at the BICC Cables site in Leigh are celebrating after surviving a company shake-up. The international cables and construction group announced yesterday that it is to dispose of its UK business in construction and building wire to Delta
