REGARDING Grenville Moore and his article in the BEN Wednesday, October 25, about the Council Tax increases. I support his views 100 per cent. Anyone can sit at a desk and say that they will put this and that up, instead of getting off their backsides
How dare Ruth Kelly, MP for Bolton West, use this column to lecture us about policing in Northern Ireland. Such a biased article does not come well from, one can only assume, a practising Catholic, one of whose main aims since election seems to have been
'ORDINARY Voter' says Albert Hornby is entitled to have his say, and the BEN was quite in order to publish his views, whether or not MP Ruth Kelly denies the allegations. Quite right! OV then goes on to say -- "The derogatory attack upon Mr Hornby by
I AM seriously beginning to wonder which planet our Councillors come from. It must be one where money is of no consequence To spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on widening Moss Bank Way, destroying some beautiful trees in the process, only to then
THE great mopping up operation was taking place as thousands of commuters headed home on Monday afternoon. Torrential rain and snow caused rush hour chaos on the roads of Bolton in the morning. The rest of the country went on storm alert as ports and
PALACE players got their own back on manager Alan Smith as they headed South after snatching a point at the Reebok. Earlier in the week he had questioned his side after suffering six successive defeats. That had left his position somewhat vulnerable despite
IT has to be said that consistency will get you promotion, Watford and Fulham have already shown that. However, we haven't shown that at all. Saturday's display was poor, lacked character, passion and commitment. We didn't string any passing movements
IN all honesty any manager would settle for that result. But when it was 1-1 we had a great chance to win the game and their goalkeeper has made a most fantastic save off Clinton Morrison. Today we have shown that hard work and honesty does get you something
OH what a night as former Wanderers boss Bruce Rioch brought his big spending Arsenal to take on the club he had steered to promotion five months earlier. It was a Monday night and the first time Wanderers had figured in a live TV Premiership game and
WE have suffered over the last two games and our confidence was a little bit low and it showed in our performance. Yet we ground out what we needed to get 3-1 up but didn't cope with what Crystal Palace did, which was what you would expect and throw caution
LOSTOCK bakery Greenhalgh's has been highly commended in the annual Baking Industry Awards. David Smart, production director at Greenhalgh's, was awarded the commendation at a high-profile ceremony, hosted in London by TV personality Des O'Connor. The
SEARCH and selection consultants Matthews Harris have made two appointments at their Bolton office. Mark Banham, aged 31, Business Development Manager at Plumbs in Preston, has joined as a consultant. Phil Tomlin has been appointed Business Development
MK Technologies of Worsley has won a contract to strip the interior panels of a Boeing 737-200. All 65 window panels have been transported to the firm's premises on the Oakhill Trading Estate from aeroplane refurbishers in the south of England. In the
SARAH is 14 and unable to live with her parents. She has no contact with her natural family and lives in a children's home out of town. She is just one of lots of youngsters in Bolton who need someone to befriend them. A Project in the town has been set
A PROJECT caring for elderly people has scored a century. Bolton resident Annie Wood, aged 95, has become the 100th person to take part in the "Milestone Project", a joint initiative by Bolton's Social Services and Wigan and Bolton Health Authority. Many
SMITHILLS School was forced to close for the day after the heavy flooding on Smithills Dean Road and Moss Bank Way. Only about 60 out of 1,600 pupils managed to struggle in and floodwater came within an inch of affecting the upper school building. Head
NATIONWIDE Division Three York at Stainton Park on Saturday November 18. That's the FA Cup First Round proper prize that awaits Radcliffe Boro -- but first they have to win through tomorrow's night's home replay against Unibond League Premier Division
THE Environment Agency advises people in Flood Warning areas, where flooding is expected, to move cars, food, pets and valuables to safety. They should put up sandbags and floodboards to minimise damage and keep an eye on relatives and neighbours to make
Wigan 1, Bury 0 IF the warning sirens were sounding loud for Andy Preece before, now they are deafening as Bury slipped to their fifth consecutive defeat. Even support from 300 Norwich fans - at the magnificent JJB stadium because the Canaries match at
Scarborough 3, Leigh RMI 4 STEVE Waywell celebrated a dream home tie with Second Division Millwall in the First Round proper of the FA Cup but then berated his Leigh RMI side for almost throwing away a three-goal lead. "We definitely relaxed too much
BOLTON was buffeted by blizzards as Britain went on storm alert today. Overnight torrential rain caused widespread flooding in the area and snow caused massive rush hour tailbacks. One Bolton school was closed after a nearby road flooded. Emergency services
A BROTHER and sister have enjoyed an emotional reunion in Australia, courtesy of the BEN. Australian-born Janice Oldaker met her brother Gordon after an elaborate search for him which became a mini-detective story. She had travelled thousands of miles
HORROR movie fan Emma Grieff will experience her own Hallowe'en fright night after winning a contest to spend a night in a haunted shop. Emma, aged 18, beat nine rivals to raise the most sponsorship money and secure a night alone in a former slaughterhouse
IT may conjure up images of bald-headed men sitting cross-legged on top of mountains but meditation has been shown to reduce stress levels. Billed as the alternative therapy which can turn around feelings of stress, anxiety and depression, meditation
COUNCIL bosses have been plunged into new controversy about the temperature of a disabled swimmers' pool. Last month the BEN told how the Jubilee Community hydrotherapy pool had been too cold for some regular users to take a dip. The problem was pinpointed
A GOOD Samaritan today told of how he tried desperately to help a dying Horwich cyclist as he cradled his head in his arms. Mark Chadwick had rushed to help moments after Andrew Stuchbury, aged 33, was badly injured following an accident on Chorley New
A MOTORIST who smashed his car on one of Bolton's most dangerous roads is threatening to sue Blackburn Council. Barney Wharton-Jones, the chairman of Bolton's Round Table, is urging fellow drivers who have also been involved in an accident on the notorious
Lewis Edwards on his 19th birthday. No one believed he would kill himself A MOTHER whose son killed himself aged just 19 has issued a heartbroken plea to young men -- to talk about their problems. Susan Edwards, 45, of Thorncliffe Road, Sharples, issued
Ansar Hussain became Bolton's first ever Asian councillor when he was elected in May. As he prepared to celebrate six months on the council he told local government reporter Roger Williams he is determined to act as a catalyst for change. IF you had told
WILLIAM Hague has announced that he is to leave Westminster and go out into the "real world". The Tories' last unsuccessful attempt to "meet the people" saw William Hague and Michael Portillo peddling anti-Europe policies off the back of a lorry while
HOW 100pc right was Mr G Moore (BEN, October 25). I assume his hard-earned savings are going smaller year by year; I know mine are. Having worked until I was 61 or 62, I had to finish work and take on invalidity benefit because of an industrial disease
THANKS a million for the true, heartfelt laughter that I had on seeing that wonderful picture by Marc Berry on the back page of the BEN (Tuesday, October 24). The mud-splattered youngster, aged nine, albeit a girl, was brilliant!! The grin, the posture
WOULD you like to take part in the MENCAP Sahara Challenge? This could be your once in a lifetime opportunity to experience one of the most remote and breathtakingly beautiful parts of the world -- you will also be raising funds to support people with
I SAW on the television news on Friday (October 20) that the Muslim Arab States are demanding that the West send in a multi-national force to protect the gunmen, stone throwers, lynch mobs etc from the Israeli soldiers. Well, fair dos. As Britain's contribution
WE have read and heard from many people and heard many views about the tanker blockade. We have heard people who condemn those that organised the blockade and those that totally agreed with it. I myself tried to look a little deeper than the blockade.
JUST recently, two of the town's MPs have written to me, and to other religious leaders in Bolton, expressing their concern that current Government thinking, and current trends in case law, are leading the country towards euthanasia, writes Michael Williams
SAM Allardyce is continuing his search for defensive cover but although the quantity of players on offer is there, the quality is lacking. The manager is keen to bring in an experienced defender in case Mark Fish is tempted away after refusing to sign
Wanderers 3, Crystal Palace 3 THE manager calls it a nasty habit but the late goal syndrome that has struck Wanderers three times in a week is becoming something of a curse, writes BEN Sports Editor Peter Mensforth. Ironically with three minutes to play
Why this boy's a big draw . . . I'M going out on a limb with this. As one of the fortunate few who witnessed BDB's eagerly-anticipated 'homecoming' gig, I believe I was given a brief glimpse of what the concept of genius is really all about. You know
JUDGES have shortlisted 28 companies for the Wigan & Leigh Business Awards 2000. The competition, which has been running for 25 years, attracted submissions this year from more than 80 businesses. There are eight categories offering £1,000 for the
HITACHI Automotive Products Europe Ltd has been awarded Investors in People status. The prestigious award -- in recognition of excellent employee development -- is the latest of three national quality standards to be achieved by the Japanese company since
A FAMILY of seven brothers and sisters separated by three continents have been reunited for the first time in 37 years. The magnificent seven -- who emigrated to opposite ends of the globe -- were reunited at the house of Brenda Thornley, a friend of
WET weather failed to deter Bolton's enthusiastic tree planters, who turned up in their droves to have a say in the town's green future. A team from Red Rose Forest threw open the doors of Emmanual Church Centre, Deane, to find out what Bolton people
TUESDAY'S home game with QPR can't come too soon as Wanderers seek to cure the defensive ills that have cost vital points in recent games, writes BEN Sports Editor Peter Mensforth. Late goals have seen the side beaten twice and held to a draw within a
Only about 60 out of 1,600 pupils managed to struggle in and floodwater came within an inch of affecting the upper school building. Head teacher John Lawson said: "The decision to close the school was taken in the interests of pupil safety when the police
A BOLTON man was stranded for hours on the runway at Manchester Airport after the pilot decided it was too dangerous to land at Heathrow. Philip Hinchcliffe, of Smithills, and other passengers on the flight from Johannesburg were told they could not leave
BUS passengers faced delays on their journeys today with many routes affected by the severe weather conditions. Stagecoach Ribble services were running at least 20 or 30 minutes late this morning and some routes into Manchester were delayed by at least
WORLD climate change could be one of the factors causing this weekend's storms and tornados, Environment Minister Michael Meacher said. After visiting the scene of a tornado which ripped through Bognor Regis, West Sussex, Mr Meacher said the role of pollution
Tonight: Southern England and South Wales will be windy with clear spells and scattered squally showers, heaviest and most frequent near southern and western coasts where thunder is possible. North Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and northern England
BOLTON was buffeted by blizzards as Britain went on storm alert - then the great mopping up operation began in the afternoon. Commuters heading home should experience less problems than they suffered during the big disruptions today. Overnight torrential
WHEN last Monday I printed pictures, sent to me by Mrs J. Allsop, of St James's CE Junior and Infant School, taken in 1953 (you may recall, one of them showed young people getting their school dinners), it brought back memories to Maureen Stephenson (
25 YEARS AGO THE England soccer team woke up today in Bratislavia to find themselves besieged by 120 weary soccer fans looking for shelter. The fans were stranded when England's match against Czechoslovakia was fogged off yesterday. Hotel Bratislavia,
A PUB landlady is so afraid of her own fictitious scary story that she refuses to venture down into her cellar. But tomorrow Margaret Thompson will be asking punters to put down their drinks and do just that -- if they dare. Staff at the Three Pigeons
A FREE booklet, All About Depression, is available from the Mental Health Foundation for anyone who is feeling down or supporting a friend or relative with depression. Around one in six people experience some kind of depression during their lifetime which
A BOLTON company is taking sand to the Sahara to help make Libya's soccer pitches world class. Grass Science was invited to the North African country to try t solve the problems its football federation is having with its playing surfaces and eventually
A PACKAGE of measures aimed at increasing the number of ethnic minority staff in the NHS has been announced by the Government. The NHS Executive North West will be setting targets for the recruitment of Asian, black and other minority ethnic staff in
FOR most people, leaving the house and going shopping is a way of life. But when Caroline Carcioni steps into the outside world she immediately wants to go back home. The 37-year-old suffers from the psychological disorder agoraphobia, a fear of being
WHAT could be better than a stroll around the garden centre on a weekend, choosing plants for the home or just browsing. We Brits love pottering among the plants and flowers - and another thing we love is a nice cup of tea! Visitors to Heaton Fold Garden
IF you're travelling by train try this great new site, updated every five minutes, which gives all the latest delay information: www.nationalrail.co.uk. It's far easier than any of the usual telephone numbers, which are almost impossible to access because
