Archive

  • Review: The Official Tribute to the Blues Brothers.

    Palace Theatre, Manchester. Runs until Saturday. ONE thing is for sure, you'll 'feel good' after a night with cult figures Jake and Elwood Blues. Nearly 20 years since they were first unleashed in feature film format, the Blues Brothers have shaken off

  • Stitched up!

    WHAT a lovely surprise to receive your letter informing me that I was one of the lucky winners in the Stitchcraft competition. I have already received my tickets and look forward to an interesting time at the exhibition. Thank you very much. D M Fowler

  • Somebody should be sacked!

    I WRITE after reading about Bolton College's "blunder" on September 14 and 15. There are a few points I would like to point out. First: The college has been claiming money for students they did not have for around four years. Those responsible at the

  • New MS campaign launched

    IF you are one of the 85,000 people who live with multiple sclerosis (MS) or you know someone who has MS, then we need your help NOW. A new campaign has been launched, amid fears that the Government will restrict the use of drug treatments for people

  • Extra cash plea for emergency crews

    BOLTON Council will be asked tomorrow to campaign for more cash to fund the town's emergency services. Liberal Democrat councillors want a letter sending to the three Bolton MPs urging them to lobby the Government. They will be arguing that the police

  • Strawberry fields forever

    A CARING couple's bumper berry haul has raised thousands of pounds to help cancer sufferers. Bob and Ilse Splaine have held an annual strawberry fayre at their home in Cumberland Road, Atherton, since 1992 in aid of Manchester's Christie's Hospital. This

  • Life's a gas for jobseeking pair!

    WITH their yellow test instruments and beaming smiles, James Pope and Shaun Knowles feel on top of the world. For the youngsters battled hard to beat off more than 400 desperate school leavers to grab just two jobs at gas company Transco. The duo started

  • Burnden Park sold

    BOLTON Wanderers have finally sold their former Burnden Park home, more than two years after playing their final match at the famous old stadium. The disposal of the site was expected to be announced on the Stock Exchange later today, but the BEN understands

  • A kick in the teeth

    WELL done the 15 councillors who voted in favour of the Tonge Valley development. This was a vote for common sense and a justifiable kick in the teeth for Jack Foster, the planning officers, the town centre partnership and Karen Wheeldon who, among them

  • Taking the drugs fight into prison

    JULIE Critchley is a key player in the battle to tackle one of the biggest problems in Bolton. She has been appointed drugs worker at Hindley prison and will work with the many juveniles who pass through the criminal justice system only to find themselves

  • Trains can only get better

    TWO leading train companies have vowed to get their services back on track after admitting they went off the rails last year. Virgin Rail and First North Western, the main companies serving Bolton, said they will make heavy investments into improving

  • RUGBY LEAGUE: Leigh prize guys take the honours

    LEIGH Centurions have reaped compensation for missing out on a Northern Ford Premiership Grand Final place. Coach Ian Millward and star full back Stuart Donlan both scooped major awards at last night's inaugural NFP Awards Dinner at Widnes. Millward,

  • OPINION: More bobbies on the beat

    TWO stories in this newspaper today highlight the same problem - there are not enough bobbies on the beat. Some might say there are no police officers patrolling the streets. Certainly spotting them is becoming increasingly difficult. Tomorrow Liberal

  • Search for thug with devil tattoo

    A DISTINCTIVE woman thug who has a front tooth missing and a devil tattoo on her right shin is being hunted in connection with an attack on a teenage girl. The woman, and a female accomplice, robbed a 16-year-old girl after threatening her with an iron

  • Armed thugs in post office raid

    TWO armed thugs aimed a gun at a post office customer and threatened to pull the trigger during a robbery in Kearsley. The raiders pointed the gun at the terrified customer before ordering the postmaster to hand over his takings. They then fled from Kearsley

  • Road chiefs plan the safe route to school

    HIGHWAYS chiefs are set to bring in safety measures near a Bolton secondary school - to encourage more children to walk to school. Council bosses are worried that too many Bolton schoolchildren are taken to school by car. So now they want to create a

  • From the BEN files

    25 YEARS AGO A SCHEME to complete the pedestrian precinct along Bolton's Newport Street at a cost of £27,000 to the Borough Council has been scrapped because of an economy drive. And in talks with the Borough's Director of Finance, Mr J.M. Marriott, the

  • European commissioners have faced an exam

    WE'VE had the GCSE and the A-level results, and now the 20 new European commissioners have had to face an exam. After first being nominated by their governments each had to spend the summer responding, in writing, to hundreds of questions tabled by MEPS

  • CYCLING: Lee takes to the hills

    LANCASHIRE Road Club racing members battled the elements this weekend, to represent the road club in true Lancashire fashion. Greg Cain and Lee McCarty took on 34 other riders in the Glossop Road Club Hill Climb on the edge of the Peak District on Sunday

  • RUGBY UNION: Lostock in Tetley rout

    De La Salle 62, Lostock 6 LOSTOCK 1st XV, forced into making numerous changes, were hammered 62-6 at De La Salle in the first round of the Tetley Bitter Vase. The home side demonstrated good handling skills for the first try. The move started with a number

  • SOCCER: LAL Round Up

    Premier Division Bury GSOB 2 Prairie Utd 0 "WE showed a lot more commitment and this was a good win for us," enthused Bury manager Howard Croft. Midfielder Nick Metcalfe got both goals, the first a 30-yard "daisy cutter" and the second direct from a corner

  • REVIEW: Bolton Sinfonietta.The Symphonies of Beethoven.

    Bolton School Arts Centre THIS was an evening of masterful composition that was beautifully performed. The star of this show had to be Beethoven himself, with the intracacies of his works played out to a full house. It is breathtaking to consider the

  • CRICKET: Tim gets the call for a world chance

    TEENAGE cricketer Tim Rees is set to take on the world. Tim, who lives in Sharples, has been chosen for the England squad that will play in next year's under 15s Cricket World Cup. And the international call is the latest sporting honour award for the

  • Desperate need to deliver emergency relief

    OXFAM, in common I am sure with many of your readers, are deeply concerned about the violence being suffered by the people of East Timor. We have been working there for over four years and we are still, as I write, trying to sustain our relief work in

  • Pensioners are forgotten

    IN answer to A Chattin's letter regarding pensioners, I agree with every word. We are forgotten by every Government. The Christmas bonus has stayed at £10 for years, yet false asylum seekers flood our shores, knowing they will receive money, housing etc

  • A display of ignorance

    IT is perhaps well perceived by Atheist (August 30) that someone would respond to his/her letter. The perception of the writer is matched only by the apparent lack of diligence in his/her research, which Ieads to the conclusions stated. Surely no atheist

  • Blunder college strike threat

    STAFF at Bolton College could take strike action over redundancies as the row over a £1.5 million bureacratic blunder rumbles on. Members of the three main unions voted to hold secret ballots on industrial action at a meeting held soon after the first

  • A chance to benefit complex and centre

    I am 100pc in favour of the Valley designer outlet scheme IF, included in the scheme were a free bus service to and from the town centre. I go to Boundary Mill in Colne because of the large selection and good, reasonable prices. I don't go to Bolton town

  • Crisis talk is nonsense

    BOLTON Wanderers had to act quickly today to scotch rumours that the club is close to bankruptcy. Officials have been shocked by reports appearing on the internet and on a premium rate phone line suggesting Burnden Leisure, the football club's parent

  • Threat to cut throat - for 20p

    DETECTIVES are hunting two thugs who threatened to cut a teenager's throat before robbing him of - 20p. The 16-year-old boy was walking along Derby Street, Bolton, when the two attackers stopped him, claiming they would cut his throat if he did not hand

  • Do we want boarded-up shops?

    I WISH to comment on the article about the refused planning for the Tonge Valley developers. Eight hundred jobs to bite the dust, said the headlines. To be honest 800 jobs are going to be lost elsewhere around Bolton. It would mean the smaller shops closing

  • Oasis of green peace for elderly

    A PROJECT which brings man and nature together is helping elderly patients gain more from life and their surroundings. The Joint Therapeutic Programme is a partnership between hospital staff and Bolton Age Concern to brighten up the lives of some of the

  • Lessons in citizenship

    G H Platt, (Your Views, September 10) is right to put the onus on the parents, as regards the behaviour of their children. Sadly though, a lot of these parents know very little about responsibility or good manners. How then can we expect them to teach

  • Police on street the only answer

    More police are the only answer Elderly victims want more patrols CRIME BEAT LEAD ELDERLY victims of crime in Bolton have called for more bobbies on the beat in a bid to deter criminals from preying on the most vulnerable members of the community. A new

  • Workplace addicts

    A BOLTON seminar is set to tackle the problem of alcohol and drugs in the workplace. With a series of discussions on topics such as the development of alcohol and drug policies, the role of the police and the legislative and statutory duties imposed on

  • Nazeera's designs on show

    ETHNIC minority businesses will be celebrated at the Reebok Stadium in October in a move that will help mainstream companies learn more about Indian sub-continent markets. The event will be staged by Bolton's Ethnic Minority Business Service as part of

  • Info on offer about play and care

    I would like to respond to the letter from Sonia Zatorski regarding the lack of children's holiday care provision in the Farnworth area (Bolton Evening News, September 6). Unfortunately, I think that Ms Zatorski has been misinformed about the local charity

  • Festival spirit at town's first Mela

    RAIN failed to put a damper on Bolton's first ever Mela at Hayward Leisure Centre recently. The South Asian cultural festival was organised by the Bolton Mela Group and attracted crowds of up to 2,000 throughout the day. Unfortunately the bad weather

  • OPINION: The right track

    VIRGIN Rail and First North Western, the main train companies serving Bolton, have vowed to improve their services. The words "We'll believe it when we see it," spring to mind. At least by admitting there are problems, the companies are on the right track

  • Trophy to keep alive the memory

    A TROPHY will help keep alive the memory of two Bolton Wanderers fans who died in a car smash. Tragic father and son Martin and Matthew Hunt were both killed on their way back from their beloved team's crucial play-off clash at Ipswich Town last season

  • THE DAILY POEM: A thought for the future

    There was a large brown dog and a large black cat, They had fallen from favour and now old hat. Both had grey whiskers and eyes that were warm, Now out on their own, to weather the storm. They had been thrown out by a human's whim, The prospects for the

  • Firefighting trio awarded for service

    AWARDS for 20 years dedicated service have been presented to three local firefighters. The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Major John Abbott, presented the Fire Brigade Long Service and Good Conduct Medals on behalf of the Queen to Temporary

  • People will be put off coming!

    CONTROVERSIAL plans to close town centre toilet blocks will put people off coming to Bolton it was claimed (BEN December 1, 1995 and August 26, 1999). We've said it again and again and, now it's official, Bolton is one of the least convenient places to

  • From the BEN files

    From the Evening News, September 20, 1974 BRITAIN'S 8,000,000 old-age pensioners and the needy will pay 20 a week less for beef from December. This is the chief effect of a giant food deal with the Common Market. But we will all have to pay p a pint more

  • CYCLE SPEEDWAY: Damien Hacks it!

    CYCLE sprint champ Damien Hack took on and beat the best of British on Saturday. The Astley and Tyldesley rider (pictured leading the way) proved invincible in the British Cycle Speedway under-16s team championships. While his team struggled to make its

  • ROUNDERS: Charity success so easy for ABC

    THE Winter Rounders season got off to an enjoyable, if slightly damp, start at Westhoughton Cricket Club on Sunday when 16 teams took part in a charity tournament. Two teams from the Farnworth League and two from the Halliwell League lined up in each

  • What's on in and around Bolton, Wednesday, 21/9/99

    THEATRE, MUSIC & DANCE AFTERNOON of Nostalgia, singalong and dance with Howard Broadbent, Mortfield Social and Bowling Club, 1pm-4pm. Admission £1 including tea and biscuits. BOLTON Music Service activities include Bolton Youth Brass Band practising

  • TABE TENNIS: Durose is a gem

    BOLTON & DISTRICT TABLE TENNIS LEAGUE RON Durose starred with a treble in Little Lever A team's 6-3 victory over Hilton A in the Bolton and District League Premier Division. Phil Riley added two and Steve McNicholas chipped in with one while Steve

  • Hockey: Firsts relish high life

    WHEN it comes to ambition then Bolton Hockey Club firmly believe they are going places and in player-coach John Woods have a man who can deliver. In his first year Woods - who has played the game at the highest level - turned a struggling outfit into