Archive

MP RUTH Kelly's private life, which is under constant attack from the Tories of Bolton West and some Lib Dems, beggars belief. Since when has it been a heinous crime to become a mother? Miss M W Owens Allenby Grove, Westhoughton

WHAT a delight it gave me to read "No Go" -- Former tip site plan scrapped. (Singing Clough site, Kearsley). Thank you to all who have fought for this and made their voices heard. May this site be quietly enjoyed now by us who enjoy open land and not

HOW nice to read Rev Michael Williams' Thought for the Week column. I am glad to hear that the May General Election has now been put back and I also think that a day of mourning for the plight of the animals should be held instead. So far I have not heard

IN response to the letter published on March 30 in the BEN written by Bill Collison, of Bolton Road, Kearsley. He states our country is out of control. What a load of rubbish.This country is the best in the world. He more or less blames the Labour Government

I SEE that the Council have employed 'Police State' tactics in Back Knowsley Street, Bolton, hounding the motorist for parking. When they get a uniform on, these pompous people can't wait to pounce. The letters in the paper have shown this to be the case

IN his "Thought for the week" column (BEN: March 26) about the Foot and Mouth crisis, entitled "Let's call off the Election", the Rev Michael Williams, Vicar of Bolton Parish Church, fails to offer any logical link between the two issues. Instead, he

I WRITE this letter in response to Mr Tyas Cooper's letter in the BEN on March 20. I buy the Bolton Evening News every day to find out about the local football and to see what is going on in and around the town. I am a Boltonian and proud of it. Flicking

MAY I take this opportunity to congratulate the 'Belmont Road Residents Committee' for the results of their campaign against IGW? I am unable to do so in person, because although I have been a Belmont Road resident for five years, I do not know who this

South-east WITH an average 13,400 disabled voters in each Constituency, MPs cannot afford to ignore their needs. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 was a major advance, but contains serious flaws. Consequently, the Labour Government established

A CONTROVERSIAL court sentence on a 21-year-old woman who seduced a teenage boy has been condemned by a leading children's support group. And the mother of the 13-year-old victim has spoken out, saying that shamed Stephanie Fletcher urgently needs medical

A HEADTEACHER suspended amid concerns over his leadership of a Bolton primary school has quit his job. Chris Marston has resigned as head of Breightmet's Crompton Fold Primary School which was heavily criticised in an Ofsted report last year. He had been

WANDERERS Crewe (a) Birmingham (h) Crystal Palace (a) Norwich (h) Barnsley (a) Wolves (a) Sheffield Utd (h) BLACKBURN Sheffield Utd (h) QPR (a) Fulham (h) Stockport (a) Huddersfield (h) Woves (a) Grimsby (a) Portsmouth (h) Preston (a) Gillingham (a)

BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness today urged fans to pump up the volume tonight in a bid to roar Rovers back into the top two writes Andy Neild Bolton's 1-1 draw with Stockport last night meant that Rovers dropped backdown to third in the First Division

WANDERERS 1 STOCKPORT COUNTY 1 THERE was an inevitablility about it ... the longer it stayed 1-0 the greater the likelihood of Wanderers tossing away another chance to end their catastrophic home run. Since they last won a home League game on January

THE next Lent meeting of Churches Together in Tonge Moor, will be this evening at Starkie Street United Reformed Church, Tonge Moor at 7.30pm, led by the Rev Valerie Davies.

MY stories in the 50 Years Ago column about Bolton's "Syncopating" Sandy Strickland attempting to break the world record for piano playing brought a letter from Mr T. Hall, of Codnor in Derbyshire, who used to live in this area. "We had a contender in

YOU may recognise the young man on the right of this photograph, taken in 1976. It is, in fact, the present Mayor, Cllr. Alan Wilkinson (he doesn't seem to have changed all that much in the intervening 25 years, apart from an odd grey hair!), who has

ANYONE in Blackrod who is having a spring clear out is urged to donate any unwanted goods to St Katharine's Church. The church will be holding a spring craft fair on April 21 from 10am to 1pm including a book stall and good-as-new stall in aid of church

IT is difficult to write objectively about subjects involving youngsters and music, especially, if, like me, music has been an integral part of your life. The difficulty is how to impart praise without being patronising; to judge performances without,

THRILL-SEEKING Boltonians are being urged to enter a dragon boat challenge. Teams of ten are being sought to take part in action-packed races of the traditional Far Eastern boats in Manchester on July 15. Participants do not need to be experts, just able

ADLINGTON Carnival funds are to benefit from two events this week. A prize bingo evening takes place tomorrow at 7.30pm with free admission. Meanwhile a Court of Queens will be held on Friday at 8pm. Both events are to be held at Adlington Community Centre

RIVINGTON Rustlers are holding a social evening of Line Dancing featuring the Country duo 'Jailbreak' on Friday, April 27, 8pm-11pm. The event will be held at Emmett Street Social Club, Horwich, and will cost £3.50 adults and £2.50 for accompanied children

SINGER songwriter Martyn Joseph is in concert at the Victoria Hall, Knowsley Street, Bolton, on APril 26, as part of a 12 night, four nations World of Difference tour leading up to Christian Aid Week 2001. He will be joined in the concert by fellow singer

A FAMILY of three had to be evacuated after a fire gutted a shed in a garden next door and almost spread to the roof of their home. Nigel Stirrup, 21, his pregnant girlfriend Rachel Stollinger, 20, and two and a half year old daughter Nikita fled from

A SCHOOLBOY left severely brain damaged when he nearly drowned in a holiday swimming pool has been awarded £2.5 million in damages. Kevin Roberts of Calf Hey Close, Radcliffe, was just six when the tragedy happened at a Majorcan hotel in July 1993. Package

A MAN was forced to hand over a £100 ring after he was threatened by two robbers outside a pub in Bolton. The 45-year-old victim was approached by the offenders outside the Nelson Hotel, in Chorley Old Road, and was told to hand over the nine-carat piece

RESIDENTS living in Ainsworth are set to draw up plans to protect their village from future development. Members of the Ainsworth Community Association are due to meet on Wednesday to discuss ways of safeguarding the acres of greenbelt land which surrounds

LABOUR politician Roy Hattersley will be special guest at the opening of a new exhibition at Manchester's Whitworth Art Gallery. Tabloid Culture will show the same obsession with the subjects of sex, politics, royalty and crime in prints from 1500 to

A WESTHOUGHTON company which was once part of the Riva Group has a new name -- Azurri Computer Systems Ltd. American-owned eXegeSys UK Ltd has been acquired by a UK investment group which includes the Managing Director, Diana San Juan. eXegeSys Inc, which

St Peters Way and Raikes Lane, Bolton. Bridge repair works at Raikes Lane end causing lane closure on St Peters Way and Raikes Lane. Access available into Raikes Lane and diversion in operation out of Raikes Lane. Duration of delays unknown at present

RADIO One DJ Mark Radcliffe will put himself in the frame when he makes a visit to his home town tomorrow. . . The Bolton-born radio star, who presents the Radio One afternoon show with co-host Lard, will open the Bolton Museum and Art Gallery's new exhibition

FAST-paced pupils at a Bolton primary school will be soon getting their skates on to help raise much-needed funds. The school hall at St Thomas of Canterbury School, Heaton, is set to become a winter wonderland when it is transformed into an ice skating

TWO intrepid teachers have quit their jobs, sold their home, and traded in their car -- to travel around the world together on a tandem bike. Geography teacher David Purnell and partner Helene Germain, a language teacher, will "saddle-up" for the 32,000

A SPURNED lover who stalked his former partner, beat her up and then constantly pestered her at work, has been legally restrained from approaching her again. John Eric Clukas has already served the equivalent of a 13-month jail sentence following his

MULTINATIONAL chemist Boots is set to cut its Bolton store in half -- in a plan which could create dozens of new town centre jobs. The company intends to scrap its first floor premises in the Shipgates Centre and slash the number of lines it sells. A

SAM Allardyce reckons Wanderers need six wins and a draw from their remaining seven games ... or they can kiss goodbye to automatic promotion. Following the frustration of a third successive home draw - having led on each occasion - the Reebok boss appears

LOCAL youth coach Lloyd Pugsley has joined the Hilton Park coaching set-up. Pugsley, with several years experience at Leigh East and Leigh Miners, will assist with the Under 14s, 15s and 16s scholarship and development squads that are attached to the

FANS' favourite Tim Street returns to action tonight and is eager to make up for lost time. Prop Street begins his comeback in the Alliance team that takes on Batley at Leigh Miners (KO 7.30pm) after sitting out the last five weeks with a broken thumb

A TORY hopeful has joined the army of public figures who have condemned a decision not to grant Bolton Institute university status. Bolton West Conservative Prospective Parliamentary candidate James Stevens spoke out against the decision after a meeting

THE parents of a Bolton girl fighting leukaemia have been dealt a devastating blow -- their two-year-old daughter is unable to save her sister's life. Hospital results have revealed that tiny Rachel Morris does not have the right type of bone marrow to

A DISTRESSED mother claims a 21-year-old woman who seduced her 13-year-old son is in need of medical treatment. She believes shamed Stephanie Fletcher should not have gone to jail, but should have given "some sort of medical help" after pleading guilty

DOWN but not disgraced was the story of Atherton Colls 2-0 home defeat by FA Vase semi finalists Clitheroe. A mix up in defending a corner on 20 minutes saw Barry Hart put the visitors in front with former Leigh RMI and LR striker Lee Cryer killing the

QUAYS THEATRE, The Lowry, Salford Quays. Ring 0161 876 2000. THE MET, Market Street, Bury. Ring 0161 761 2216. BLUE CAT CAFE, Shaw Rd, Heaton Moor, Stockport, 0161 432 2117. FROG AND BUCKET, Oldham St, Manchester. 0161 236 9805. QUAY BAR, Deansgate Quay

TWO Mike Rhead goals in the last five minutes saw Atherton LR to a 4-3 win at Darwen. Barry Massay opened the scoring for LR after just two minutes but the home side hit back on 10 minutes and took the lead on 20. Wayne Briddon levelled on 25 minutes

Leigh RMI 1 Kettering 0 by David Magilton LEIGH RMI continued their astonishing rise up the Conference table courtesy of some wayward shooting. Kettering are firmly rooted in the relegation zone but created a string of scoring chances yet failed to capitalise

JUST a quick note to say thank you very much for the £15 M&S vouchers I was fortunate enough to win in the last Property Competition -- and for the previous prizes over the past years. It's nice to be able to look forward to something pleasant through

WHAT a good responsive letter from Mark Booth to the rude, attacking reply he got from J Flynn on his previous letter, about a bus ride. Keep your sense of humour, Mark, and you won't go far wrong. What a great punchline to end on -- 'Daddy drives a Jaguar

WENDY Kirkham's letter (BEN: March 27) is typical of a dog owner. At the end of the day dog owners are a selfish breed. If the Council are to provide facilities to pick up dog muck, it is the people of Bolton who end up paying the cost through Council

A PRIMARY school cut in two by a main road sounds a ridiculous idea. But that is the situation staff and pupils have faced at Chorley New Road Primary School in Horwich. Now, common sense is about to prevail. A £500,000 Government windfall has been granted

THE Morris family are in the middle of a terrible trauma that we all believe will never happen to us. Four-year-old Elizabeth is fighting leukaemia and her only hope is a successful bone marrow transplant. Her parents have tried everything -- even putting

WANDERERS go to Crewe on Saturday hoping to record a club record equalling 12th away win of the season. Top scorer Michael Ricketts, suspended forn the past two games, will be available for selection. Paul Warhurst is having treatment for an ankle injury

WANDERERS 4-4-2 MATT CLARKE 7 SOLID handling and a good command of his area; helpless on the goal. LEAM RICHARDSON 7 ANOTHER combative performance by the young full-back. GUDNI BERGSSON 7 HE'S assumed the role of the 'straight man' of the centre-back

BOLTON Embroiderers Guild will hold its next meeting on April 24 at the Clarence Street Centre. Helen Conrad will be giving a demonstration of hand embroidery from 7-9pm. For further information call 300902 or 791522.

25 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, April 3, 1976 THE go-ahead has been given for plans to convert a Salvation Army hall at Farnworth into a storage warehouse despite claims that the move would create a "stigma for posterity". Planning permission was

BOLTON Institute presents the work of three female performance writers at the Octagon theatre next month. 3-d Voice, will be appearing at the hospitality room at the Octagon on Monday May 14 at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced £4 and £2 and are available from

THERE will be Summer Crafts 2001 on Sunday afternoons with craft sessions run by local expert at Rock Hall Visitors Centre, Moses Gate Country Park, Bolton, from 1.30-3.30pm. On April, 22, it's Corn Dollies. Have a go at this traditional craft, with help

A DISCO Dandia Party will be held on Saturday at Hayward Leisure Centre, Slack Fold Lane, Bolton, from 7pm until late, in aid of the Gujrat Earthquake Appeal and the Youth Club. Tickets £3.00 from Micky on 07949 860990, Alps on 07780532112, Kamini on

ACTIVITIES galore are on offer for youngsters in Horwich thanks to an action-packed timetable at the Resource Centre. The Parent and Toddler group meets twice weekly, Busy Bees Playgroup is in residence four mornings per week and there are also plenty

A QUICK thinking motorist escaped a gang of masked raiders when he drove off at speed. The 48-year-old man was sitting in his car with his wife in Browns Road, Radcliffe, at 7.30pm yesterday when three men approached. Police said the driver was threatened

A MAN accused of attempting to murder two people in a shooting incident outside a Bolton nightclub has been committed to the Crown Court on conditional bail. Nasar Ahmed, aged 28, whose address cannot be revealed because of a legal order, is charged with

A WELL-LOVED care worker from Little Lever has retired after working in the community for 28 years. Grandmother Brenda Price, a keen ballroom dancer, worked for the Home Care department of the Social Services, caring for people who need help to live independently

A PALM Sunday concert will be held on Sunday at St Bartholomew's Parish Church, Westhoughton. The 6.30pm concert will feature a centenary performance of Stainer's Crucifixion, in addition to Hosanna to the Son of David by Gibbons, Tristis Est Anima Mea

SMART moves were king as dozens of talented young chess players converged on a Bolton school. More than a hundred players representing 11 different counties were at Turton High School, Bromley Cross, for the English Primary Schools girls' championship

DAVID Chaytor, MP for Bury North, is calling for an end to the practice of displaying corporate advertisements on telephone boxes. Mr Chaytor has joined a cross-party group of MPs who want local planning authorities to be given the power to control the

A BOY aged seven suffers an asthma attack and falls into a river polluted with toxic sheep dip. The young schoolboy, Jack Horsefield, is plucked to safety by his father who jumps into the murky water and rushes him to hospital for treatment. The boy was

LOANS totalling £448,235 have been awarded to businesses in Deane, Derby and Daubhill over the last three years. Bolton Business Ventures, managers of the 3Ds Business Loan Fund, said on the third anniversary of the scheme that 71 loans had now been made

SHOP worker Lisa Moorhouse betrayed her bosses' trust to steal from them, a court was told. Bury court heard how the former jewellery shop manager had taken a part-time job at W H Smith's in the town after the birth of her child last year. She helped

FOUR pensioners in Prestwich were mugged in the street yesterday and police are hunting a schoolboy -- believed to be wearing his uniform -- in connection with three of the attacks. A 78-year-old woman had her handbag stolen at 4.20pm in Park Street;

A NEW translation of Bertolt Brecht's The Mother will be performed at the Bolton Octagon from Tuesday to Saturday, April 24 to 28, at 7.30pm. The revival undertaken by Steve Trafford celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of Brecht's own production for the

A BOLTON MP is backing the Government's campaign to raise awareness of the crippling bone disease, osteoporosis. Dr Brian Iddon is supporting a plan to include osteoporosis assessments in the newly announced Retirement Health Check. The Bolton South East

FORMER record breaker Jim Ford found himself back in the limelight, but this time it was for breaking the law. In 1980 the skip and plant hire company boss hit the headlines when he earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records for his feat of carrying

AN animated website featuring the collected stories and "rants" of the people of Leigh has been drawn up by a renowned New York animation team. Cartoonists Grennan and Sperandio have collected the words of the people of Leigh about the idiosyncrasies

A QUARRY at Pilsworth, Bury, has been placed on stand-by as a burial site to receive "non-infected" animal carcasses during the Foot and Mouth crisis. Staff at the quarry, which is run by Viridor Waste Management, could be given just a couple of hours

THE Territorial Army threw open the doors of its Bolton headquarters at the weekend -- in a bid to find new recruits. Visitors to the Nelson Street barracks were shown around the home of 216 Battery Bolton Artillery, which is part of the 103 Air Defence

A DESPERATE mother-of-two who ran up a £9,000 debt on a credit card belonging to the previous owner of a house she had moved into was jailed for eight months yesterday. Bolton Crown Court heard that during a two-month spending spree Shelley Louise Wallace

RSPB, LEIGHTON MOSS NATURE RESERVE, Silverdale, Carnforth. Ring 01524 701601. SALFORD MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, Peel Park, The Crescent, Salford. The Mare's Tale. Visit the magic of childhood in a wonderful exhibition of verse. Artists have explored nursery

BOLTON'S top private school is under fire after 40 visiting German students were allegedly caught trekking across countryside close to farms in the grip of the foot and mouth crisis. Locals were left amazed when they saw a coach carrying the students

BOLTON author Bill Naughton's best-known work "Alfie" is to be introduced to a whole new generation of film fans. Nearly 10 years after Bill's death, the famous film which reflected the freewheeling Sixties is being reprinted and relaunched at a special

A DREAM to unite a Bolton primary school -- which is split by a busy main road -- is to be realised thanks to a half-million pound Government windfall. For staff and governors at Horwich's Chorley New Road Primary the announcement of the cash boost from

MEN ARENA, Manchester. Tuesday April 10. Texas. Tickets £20. Starts 7.30pm. The Best Disco in Town featuring Tavares, The Stylistics, The Gibson Brothers, Edwin Starr, The Real Thing, Dr Hook, Baccara, Odyssey, George McCrae and Tina Charles. Wednesday

RADCLIFFE Boro travel to Unibond League Division One table-toppers Bradford Park Avenue tonight with veteran Ian Senior set to continue in goal if regular Danny Hurst is still injured.

RAMSBOTTOM United picked up three precious points in the NWCL Division One title race with a 1-0 home win over Abbey Hey. Russell Brierley got the vital only goal of the game on 66 minutes when he scrambled the ball over the line in a goalmouth scramble

THE weather hit the local West Lancs League teams hard on Saturday with not a single 1st team in action. Blackrod Town having beaten Burnley United 4-1 in midweek lost out with the Richardson Cup Round Two tie at Wyre Villa being postponed. The Reserves

DAISY Hill went down 3-2 at Bacup Boro in the semi final of the Division Two Trophy. However if first half chances had been taken it could have been a first NWCL final appearance for many seasons for Daisy. A 4th minute penalty after Ryan Cain had been

ATHERTON Town moved to within one point of Premier Division leaders Wythenshawe Amateurs with a game in hand after beating Elton Fold 2-1. Town's goals on a night of several missed chances came from Daniel Christie and Neil Lewis. Stand Athletic stay

TALENTED youngsters delighted an Albert Hall audience last night in the second of the series of concerts by the Music Centre Presents. These members of St Peter's School Choir donned sunglasses to give a dazzling performance. Others under the spotlight