BBC Television is planning a new series of programmes in which the life story of a property is revealed by the experiences of its past and present occupants and owners. We would like to hear from anyone who thinks that the house where they live - or used
LITTERBUGS continue to plague Bolton and thwart the council's efforts to clean up the town. Town hall bosses admit there has been no reduction in the amount of trash dropped in the streets and gutters despite a structured education programme. And Bolton's
BARGAIN hunters flocking to Bolton shops have lifted traders' gloom after poor Christmas spending figures. High street traders across the town said the tills failed to ring during the run up to Christmas. But Bolton shoppers have been quick to part with
HEARTLESS thieves have stolen a television set from the relatives room of the intensive care ward at Royal Bolton Hospital. Consultant anaesthetist Dr John Aspbury was so enraged by the theft, he wrote to the BEN to nominate the thieves as 'Rats of the
BOLTON'S brave bobbies were given their rewards in a special ceremony this week. Specially invited guests packed into Bolton Town Hall to see the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, David Wilmot; the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Peter Finch, and the
A MAJOR crisis at Manchester Blood Centre was averted this week after emergency supplies of blood were flown in from the south of England. The emergency followed a call from three hospitals, including the Royal Bolton, to supply three patients with urgent
Wanderers Res 1 Coventry Res 1 WANDERERS Reserves made a great start in their encounter with Coventry City at the Reebok Stadium last night when trialist Ben Wright fired them ahead after only four minutes. Unfortunately Italian striker Stefano Gioacchini
TEENAGE tearaways have turned parts of Great Lever into night time "no go" areas for the elderly, Bolton's top policeman was told last night. One elderly resident told Chief Supt Mel Pelham that he was attacked and abused by one gang when he went to complain
STAFF at the Bolton branch of burger giants McDonalds claim they are having to wait to reap the reward for working flat out in the company's two-for-one promotion. As reported in the BEN, the company spent last week dealing with complaints from customers
A CHORLEY firm has signed a major deal which enables it to tackle the Brazilian payphone market and other opportunities in South America. GPT Payphone Systems of Carr Lane, a division of Marconi Communications, announced today that it had signed a collaboration
A BOLTON nursing home has been put into the hands of receivers. Newlands Nursing home, on Chorley New Road, which is owned by Rochefort Healthcare (Newlands) Limited, is being run by Rothman Pantall and Company, administrative receivers. Mr David Lea,
TWO Bolton-based projects are on the hunt for volunteers to help young homeless people. Bolton Young Persons Advice and Support Service (BYPASS) and Bolton Bond Board will be holding an information day for people who want satisfying and challenging work
A BOLTON family who tried to improve their neighbourhood by making their garden more attractive are devastated after vandals keep ruining their efforts. Pensioner Mrs Mildred Hobson, who lives on Sandham Walk, Great Lever, is fed-up of replacing expensive
GREEN Party stalwart Chris Maile will be fighting to save a woodland at a Court of Appeal hearing in London on Monday. The court battle by environmentalists and residents is to try and save Arthur's Wood - an ancient woodland which faces destruction with
SPECULATION is mounting over who will be Bolton's Mayor for the Millennium. The town's first citizen for 1999-2000 will be chosen at a Bolton Council meeting on February 3. But already town hall gossip is rife about who will go down in history as Bolton's
PEOPLE who over-indulged during the festive season and want to get back into shape can turn to the council for an answer. Profiles, which is the brand name for four high-profile fitness suites, is designed to help people who want to get or keep fit, either
RAIL bosses have celebrated the completion of a £1.6 million makeover at Bolton's railway station. The major improvements at Trinity Street station stayed right on track, despite a battle against bad weather. The work included the replacement of the roof
BOLTON MP Brian Iddon has congratulated the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain for setting out the rules by which extracts of cannabis plants, and the drug that results can be used in clinical trials to tackle pain. The former chemistry lecturer
EXPENSIVE pedigree cats that vanished in the last two months may have been skinned for their fur. Bolton pet owners have been left heartbroken after their cherished long-haired moggies - some worth £1,000 each - disappeared. Seven top-class cats - three
ENVIRONMENT Minister Michael Meacher will visit Bolton on Monday as part of a touring global warming roadshow. The town is one of only eight 'hot spots' throughout the country to be visited in January by the roadshow, which also features Friends of the
A DISAPPOINTED man ran up a huge phone bill as he tried to get a place on Britain's biggest ever TV quiz show. John Murphy spent a total of £80 in telephone calls to the special hotline number for the hit show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. But the exasperated
25 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, January 14, 1974 I THAY, parrotface, did you hear the one about the Bolton budgie and its new cage? It's a sad tale, but true. For the local man who rang the town's Trading Standards' Department wanted to complain about
THEATRE, MUSIC AND DANCE THE John Wright Band is playing to Westhoughton Folk Club at Westhoughton Golf Club, Long Island at 8.15pm. WESTHOUGHTON C&W Club will be entertained by Hoodskin Joe's and Dave Lee at their Country and Cajun night at Greenfields
A NEW £120,000 machine could not be used in Bolton's first Arctic blast of the winter - because the snow had made salt at the council depot TOO WET. It meant the new mechanised salt hopper, designed to speed up loading of gritter lorries, was lying idle
MAY I reply to P Osbourne's letter re the pros and cons of fluoridation without being hysterical. The primary reason put forward for fluoridation is, I believe, the reduction of tooth decay among children in areas where fluoride is present in drinking
BOLTON MP David Crausby has called for local authorities to be allowed to set the level of Council Tax they choose. And he has praised Bolton borough for leading the way in rebuilding confidence in local government and democracy. He spoke out in the Commons
COLIN Todd is near to closing the deal that will bring Brondby's top scorer Bo Hansen to the Reebok. The Wanderers' boss was having talks with the Danish international today, hopeful of clinching the £1 million transfer. Hansen, who spent last week in
LIBRARIES might have to shut during quiet times so staff can learn to keep pace with the technological revolution. Bosses believe the library service could be on line for temporary closures so staff can undergo vital computer training. Massive A national
PAUL Fletcher, chief executive of the Reebok Stadium, is on his way to Wembley for a top job. The former Wanderers centre-forward is to become Director of Commercial Affairs for the new English National Stadium. His appointment was announced yesterday
HEALTH bosses have been forced to scale down ambitious plans to revamp services for some of their most vulnerable patients. Wigan and Bolton Health Authority will invest £600,000 in services for the elderly mentally ill over three years - but the Hospitals
COLIN Todd is near to closing the deal that will bring Brondby's top scorer Bo Hansen to the Reebok. The Wanderers' boss was having talks with the Danish international today, hopeful of clinching the £1 million transfer. Hansen, who spent last week in
TEENAGERS have the chance to try out the latest PlayStation games for free at Bolton's Virgin Cinema Megaplex. The new Replay Diner allows customers to try them out before they reach the shops. Virgin Cinema bosses are expecting the cafe - the first of
A BOLTON firm is looking for a local man called Alf Price . . . to make a spectacle of himself. The Vision Express chain of specs retailers is running a quirky TV ad which features a customer asking to see some "Alf Price" designer frames - a twist on
THANK you very much for publishing my letter in your newspaper. I have had only reply from a Mr Alan Bailey, unfortunately at present he does not appear to be a relative, but his information was most useful and may help in my further searches. Thank you
A VICIOUS thug tried to suffocate a helpless pensioner after climbing into her home as she slept. The intruder put a pillow over the head of the 74-year-old woman when she woke as he searched through the flat. The intruder, who pinned the struggling woman
HOSPITAL bosses have been handed more than £140,000 to boost casualty services in Bolton. Extra staff will be employed to cope with increasing pressures on accident and emergency from patients living in the Leigh and Salford areas. Wigan and Bolton Health
IT'S scrum down time for rugby league with the new season just a matter of days away. In the first of a two part feature, Mike Hulme, looks at the way Leigh Centurions and their new coach, Aussie Ian Millward are preparing for the new season. THE long
IA RESCUE package has been put together to complete a £1 million club which is standing empty. Trustees of the Tonge Ward Labour Club, Ainsworth Lane, are now confident that it will be open by the summer. More than 200 angry club members packed a meeting
Thirty plus, my dress size ten, In my forties, twelves but trim. Fifty five, middle age spread, Reflection in my mirror dread. Gone are days when nice and slim, Let battle on the bulge begin. Fell out with Jane Fonda and her physical jerks, Jumping and
ENVIRONMENT Minister Michael Meacher will visit Bolton on Monday as part of a touring global warming roadshow. The town is one of only eight 'hot spots' throughout the country to be visited in January by the roadshow, which also features Friends of the
I must challenge M Lawrence Holmes' assertion that anybody was "conned" over Europe (BEN, January 7). I spoke on Anti-Market platforms during the 1975 Referendum campaign against continued membership of the EEC, and one of the strongest arguments in my
COUNCIL and health bosses have teamed up to help Bolton's old folk stay in their own homes. Government money has been allocated to social services and Bolton's two health trusts to provide a "halfway house" at Kearsley and better home-based health services
CITIZENS in cities such as Moscow have precious little to laugh at as they trudge stoically through the snow each challenging winter. Maybe they should be cheered-up with stories about Bolton Council's problems with its £120,000 salt hopper. This week
