TWO popular television soap stars feature in the Octagon Theatre's production of The Blue Room in May. Anna Brecon -- Lady Tara in Emmerdale -- and Stephen Beckett -- PC Jarvis in The Bill -- are in the play which premiered in 1998 at the Donmar Warehouse
THE popular Coniston 14 race around the shoreline of Coniston always proves a testing course for the runners. Chorley Harriers sent a team to fly the black and white flag. Graham Stephenson's training for London appears to be coming along nicely as he
APPEARING in the Octagon Theatre's production of Neville's Island is bringing back memories for actor Robin Bowerman. The play is about four businessmen who are marooned on an island in the middle of Derwentwater. Robin said that something similar happened
THIS Sunday, Karen Hill will be taking a well-deserved rest from her role as MD of a successful company. She even hopes to give the laundry, cleaning and cooking a miss -- it is Mother's Day after all. However, no matter how much of a supermum we think
Leigh XV 7 Chorley 10 AN INJURY to John Witts could not stop Chorley's 14 remaining men from beating Leigh in rugby union. Leigh kicked off in bright sunshine, Chorley caught the ball and went straight on the offensive. But five minutes in to the game
A MOTHER of two teenagers is preparing to climb a 5,000ft mountain in Kenya for charity -- but most weeks her only exercise is a quick dash around the local supermarket to do the family shopping! Lynn Atherton only has until September to get ready for
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Adlington Rangers 66, Saddleworth 4 ADLINGTON Rangers ran riot against Saddleworth on Saturday. After a delayed start (owing to a late referee) they made up for lost time, passing the ball about in fine style. The pack of Martin Whittle, Phil Moss, Mark
FUND-RAISERS are offering Chorley people a chance to make a different contribution to the fight against leukaemia. Chorley Round Table is organising a bone marrow donor clinic to help the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust. The trust is desperately short
A WESTHOUGHTON couple are preparing for TV stardom after taking part in a BBC DIY programme. But all Chris Williams is worried about is the ribbing he'll get at work. He and his partner, Sue Green, will feature on "DIY -- SOS" which goes out on BBC 1
DEDICATED members of Chorley Lions past and present are set to celebrate an amazing 25 years of community service with a celebration day gala this summer. The Chorley Lions Club was set up in 1975 by charter member Jack Edwards, Arnold Welch and the late
COUNCIL officials have raised their glasses to toast a Chorley company made good. Pub Estate Company (PEC), whose headquarters are in Chorley, has just announced the purchase of 361 tenanted and managed pubs from Scottish & Newcastle, putting it in
FOOTBALL is on the verge of coming home to Deane this autumn - and fans are already cheering in anticipation. Bolton's budding soccer stars have been given the chance to check-out the forthcoming facilities at the former Pikes Lane Stadium - Bolton Wanderers
LANCASHIRE is still a low pay blackspot. And retail, hotels and catering, health and social care centres are identified as poor payers. These are the findings from a latest Lancashire County Council report. The survey, carried out by Enterprise plc, collected
CHORLEY'S most rockin' rev is set to swap his comfy bed for a drafty wooden bench tonight (Thursday) in an effort to highlight the plight of homeless people across the borough. The Rev Phillip Chew, of St Laurence's Church, Chorley, was featured in the
A MUCH-needed new roundabout looks set to get the go ahead as a Chorley theme park plans expansion. Chorley Borough Council's development control committee was due to discuss plans for a new multi-million pound timeshare development adjacent to Camelot
THE search is still on for a precious parrot. Olly, a valuable macaw, is still on the loose after flying off from his owner Bernadette Boon almost a fortnight ago. Bernadette's hopes were raised when she received a call saying Olly had been spotted in
BRITAIN'S first ever large-scale battery recycling scheme began this week, aimed at bringing environmental benefits to the people of Chorley. County council chiefs officially launched the recovery scheme for small batteries at Farrington household waste
PEOPLE living in Chorley's crime hotspots will get new self-help from local police. The crime prevention packs, which contain dozens of advice leaflets on how to protect yourself, your home and your possessions, will be distributed by Southern division
EASTERN promise was the order of the day for a number of ladies from Eccleston as they got to grips with Egyptian belly dancing. Belly dancing classes are currently being held at the Top Bodies Fitness Club, inside the Carrington Centre, Eccleston. And
IT USED to be said that people in their forties were in the prime of their life -- now a new report out this week reveals that the corporate scrapheap beckons at the ripe old age of 42. The study by employment consultants, Sanders & Sidney, shows
CHORLEY residents are being urged to cash in on a massive £2.5m worth of social security backpayments. Up to 38,000 people in Lancashire will be entitled to the cash following a ruling from the Secretary of State for Social Security. The decision to equalise
TWO terrified shop assistants were threatened with a knife as thieves wearing halloween masks stole nearly £5,000 from a Chorley convenience store. One assistant was throwing out rubbish at the back of the Dawn till Dusk shop on Carr Lane when two masked
A WORKMAN was rushed to hospital with burns after pouring petrol on to an open fire at a Chorley farm. Fire chiefs said the man was lucky not to have been more seriously injured. The accident happened at Yarrow Farm, German Lane, Charnock Richard, on
A LANGUAGE college has made in-roads to become the first school in Lancashire to sign up to the Make the Difference Road Safety Strategy. Croston's Bishop Rawstorne officially pledged to become the first in the county by reinforcing the Make a Difference
I AM looking for a long lost penpal, a girl I wrote to back in the 1970s. The last time we had contact was 1995. I have moved twice and wrote to the last address I had, but no luck. Her last known name and address was Jacqline (Mrs Tom) Smith, 10 Daisy
ONE of Britain's top politicians met Chorley Conservatives on Saturday. Shadow Home Secretary Anne Widdecombe was at Chorley Town Hall's Lancastrian Room for a special lunch with local party members. About 150 Conservatives heard Miss Widdecombe attack
LEADER of the council, Mr Wilson, does not think a 10p a week rise on the council rates is much to bother about (Citizen, March 9). But to a pensioner who is being awarded the meagre rise of 75p a week this April, it is a different story. We were all
WORK on Adlington's new development area has begun. The Adlington South Employment Area is part of an on-going development of small industrial units intended to bring new jobs to the town. And, according to developers, the first businesses could be moving
I REFER to four years ago, the last Chorley Borough election for East Ward Clayton le Woods. David Bland was elected as a Lib Dem. How the pendulum swings, four years later, Mr Bland unheard of in three-and-a-half years, now wants re-election as a Labour
CELEBRITY steeplejack Fred Dibnah's plans to turn his garden into a tourist attraction have been kicked out by Bolton councillors. And they branded his ambitious scheme to attract visitors to his home as "absurd". A furious Fred said today: "If I was
THE red ribbon came off Chorley's latest public convenience when a leading councillor officially opened the new state-of-the-art automated town centre toilet. Chorley Borough Council has joined forces with the UK's leading street furniture company, Adshel
TYLDESLEY allotment holders are appealing for new green-fingered members to help save their site. The Astley Allotments' Association has 20 vacant plots at its base on the common behind Tyldesley Police Station. And members want them filled before they
THE conversion of the former Bolton Art College into flats has been singled out for praise in the National Civic Trust awards. The Hilden Street building, now known as St Peter's Court because it overlooks St Peter's Way, is owned by St Vincent's Housing
25 YEARS AGO f-b f-ioof+zs=13f+bf-zf-bo THE catering trade believe that an announcement either abolishing or easing the Order dealing with the 5s (25p) maximum charge for meals in hotels, restaurants and catering establishments will be made in the near
The gifted Italian insists that claims he is demanding £40,000-a-week are "lies" and all he wants to do is sign a new deal and win the FA Cup for Villa. "I am tired of all these lies about me," Carbone says. "I am tired of all this talk. People say I
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I MUST agree with E Whitefield, BEN Monday, March 27, about the accident blackspot at the junction of Hardy Mill Road, Arthur Lane and Stich-mi-Lane. We have lived in Harwood 40 years, and seen quite a few accidents, including our friend who was very
ACTRESS Sylvia Syms is to star in a major revival of the classic Restoration comedy The Way of the World by William Congreve. Matthew Lloyd will direct the production at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre and the play will run from April 19 to May 27
ONCE again Cllr Foster has found it necessary to defend the Council's recently completed single lane ring road. He claims, not for the first time, that the traffic lights along Moss Bank Way limit the flow of traffic rather than the number of lanes. This
I FELT specially privileged, when from my car, which, with many others, was stationary on Moss Bank Way, I spotted the solitary cyclist for whose benefit Bolton's main northern ring road has been so improved. As he pedalled manfully throu gh a soup of
A LEADING ethnic community spokesman has hit out at council chiefs -- claiming they are ignoring the needs of Muslims in Chorley. Najeeb Raza, from the Chorley Muslim Welfare Society, believes Asian families living in the borough are getting a raw deal
Lynx 18, York Wasps 26 FOR just a few moments on Sunday it looked like 'Victory' Park might finally live up to its name. Surely the most ironically named arena in sport, home turf has been unhappy hunting ground for Chorley FC and the Lynx all season.
A PIONEERING Bolton scheme to pay allowances of up to £30 a week to 16 to 19 year olds to persuade them to stay on at school, is to be extended to neighbouring local authorities. Salford, Manchester, Wigan and Tameside are to adopt the Education Maintenance
The solution is simple! Nationalise them! Then the profits and service will be the people's! BMW has also shown that the workers don't matter, only profits to shareholders, and the Government can't do a thing, despite giving them huge amounts of taxpayers
I WAS delighted to read that Councillor Howarth admits in his Town Hall Talk that there is a real problem with Bolton's roads. Bolton residents have been aware of this for some considerable time, and it seems that it needed a campaign in your pages to
MAY I, through your excellent letters page, take the unusual step of congratulating someone for their most blatant act of vandalism. I am of course referring to the pranksters who put foaming liquid into the monstrosities that are the new fountains! Not
WHERE do they come from? Who trains them? Do they understand the implications of their actions? Are they concerned about the misery and aggravation they inflict? Who am I talking about? Bolton's planners of course! I was travelling towards Bolton from
A ROW has broken out over plans to replace a bus service to the Royal Bolton Hospital with a taxi. Greater Manchester's Passenger Transport Executive is set to offer a shared taxi service for hospital visitors. They say the cost for passengers will be
MIKE Whitlow told Wembley bound Wanderers' fans today: "We owe you one!" The repentant Bolton skipper says Sunday's FA Cup semi-final clash with Aston Villa has given him and his team-mates a chance to make up for past disappointments, a chance they fully
CHORLEY boxer Michael Jennings completed his fourth straight victory to keep his unbeaten record in tact. The light-welterweight prospect took on Birmingham's experienced Brian Coleman in the six-round bout at Liverpool's Olympia. The fight was a step
CINEMA fans in Bolton will be the first in the country to see Disney's new film The Tigger Movie. A special charity screening of the new movie, which is expected to be a big Easter holiday hit, will take place at the Warner Village Cinema complex at Middlebrook
PLANNING chiefs have hit back at claims that the council is not doing enough to protect Bolton's "green" land. The Campaign For The Protection of Rural England has issued a statement which says that one three of the North-west's open green field sites
Chorley 2, Bradford Park Avenue 1 THE vagaries of football were neatly encapsulated at Victory Park on Saturday. Having lost at Bradford 4-1 a few weeks ago and been hammered 6-0 the previous weekend, a Chorley win didn't seem likely. The Magpies though
BOLTON will play a major role from day one of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Details of the latest timetable for the Manchester Games were presented to Bolton councillors. It shows that the cycling events which will be held around Rivington will start on
DISGUSTED youth club members in the village of Edgworth have rolled up their sleeves to counteract attacks by "outsiders" on their facilities. The young people have decided to raise money to pay for damage caused to the building where they meet. Their
THE family of a mother-of-two who died from septicemia a month after an operation, says they are taking action against the Royal Bolton Hospital. The family reacted angrily to the verdict at a Bolton inquest yesterday that Mrs Jennifer Street died from
TRAIN bosses say that services in the North West are amongst the best in the country. First North Western Trains has achieved target figures for reliability and punctuality in the past 12 months. Paul Bunting, commercial director of the widely criticised
LEGAL eagles from a Croston college have won through to the northern finals of a national law competition. A team of 13 from Bishop Rawstorne College won through to the northern regional final of the National Magistrates' Court mock trial competition.
A BOLTON man has told of his nightmare in a Saudi Arabian jail. Phil Lomax, who says he was never charged with an offence, spent 17 days in a tiny, filthy prison cell after his arrest by the country's religious police. He claims he was hit on his arrest
A CHORLEY woman's 'temporary' job is finally ending - after 32 years! When Veronica Fairhurst, 65, first started working on Worden's fruit and veg stall at Chorley market 32 years ago, she only planned to stay until the summer holidays. However, she loved
CHORLEY Civic Society has given a commendation to Lancashire County Council for its role in promoting the National Heritage Open Days campaign. Heritage Open Days is a special weekend when owners of historic properties open their doors for events such
CHORLEY'S backing for a nationwide campaign continues to bloom. Last autumn, Chorley Borough Council lent its support to the Cover Britain in Crocuses scheme for the medical research charity, Breakthrough Breast Cancer. And as a result, some 1,000 crocus
A CHORLEY-based charity is holding a special children's day at Camelot Theme Park to raise awareness of its vital relief work. The International Aid Trust, based in Withnell, is holding the event on Saturday, April 1, in association with Rotary International
A RESPECTED head teacher closes the last chapter on his success story at a popular Chorley high school this summer. John Lawson, who has been at the helm at Southlands for the past 14 years, is leaving to take up another headship at a larger school in
TWO big-hearted Chorley high school children took time out from studies to help flood victims in Mozambique. Albany pupils Mosyn Desai,12, and Dale White,13, were so moved by TV news pictures of the devastating floods in the crisis-torn African country
I READ with great interest the article on the front page of the Citizen, March 9, and feel I must write to express my anger on the nature of this article. Having had to live next door to a house illegally set up as bedsits and occupied by several addicts
I AM writing regarding the letters on March 16, "Your say on drugs". I am one of the boys on the front page the previous week, Paul Sharrock. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and the article mentions information about drugs in the first place. I
TOMORROW the joint choirs of the Boys' and Girls' Division of Bolton School, together with a parents choir and an enlarged joint orchestra will perform one of the great masterpieces of the choral repertoire, Haydn's Creation. John Davenport, Director
TODAY'S 3Ds page will be the last to appear in the BEN. It follows the end of the 3Ds Partnership regeneration scheme which has ploughed millions of pounds into Deane, Derby and Daubhill to turn its fortunes around. The Partnership was formed in 1995
MARK Babych, the Octagon's recently appointed theatre director, is finding fame in Estonia. The play Car, written by Chris O'Connell and directed by Mark, is being performed at Estonia's state theatre in Tartu. Mark will be going out there in November
FOLLOWING on from my article on Days Out By Train for Winter Days Out earlier on this year, which can of course be taken any time of the year, I now give ideas for Spring days out, writes Ted Brookes. With the advent of longer daylight hours, and wildlife
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