WANDERERS face an anxious wait before knowing whether midfield linchpin, Paul Warhurst, will be fit to figure in the promotion run-in. The Reebok ace injured his ankle in Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with Stockport and is unlikely to figure in Saturday's
THE season started a week late, delayed by FMD restrictions, on a full Belmont lake with a light but challenging wind that varied between NW and S. Two visiting boats a Scorpion and an Albacore sailed well in the handicap fleet. Two Super nova have joined
REPTILE enthusiasts should pop along to a local pet superstore at the weekend. Pets at Home, on the Middlebrook Retail Park, Horwich, is hosting a reptile event on Saturday from 11am to 4pm. On hand will be specialists from reptile sanctuary Proteus,
You need to know why your dog is barking before you try to get on top of the problem. The most common cause is excitement. We all know how a dog reacts to exciting times by barking, jumping up and down and generally rushing around. It may be that this
PUB regular Rob Watson was gasping for a pint after giving up beer for six months. Rob, a familiar face at the Rosehill Tavern, Leigh Road, Westhoughton, gave up alcohol to raise money to help a sick child who had touched his heart. His sponsored thirst
A STREET where residents and asylum seekers have clashed violently in recent weeks is to get a limit on the number of foreigners moving in. Bolton Council has agreed to allow no more than five homes in Varley Road, Deane, to be used to house asylum seekers
THEY're a menace to mankind. They cause damage, disease and destruction. And in Bolton, there are as many of them as there are people... Just think: There are probably 265,000 rats in Bolton. And the people from Pike Nook Pest Control Depot on High Street
A BOLTON businessman whose exports help the world go round was meeting with Commonwealth Games officials today in a bid to put his home town on the map. John Entwistle, chairman and managing director of the British Turntable Company and chairman of the
CHART-TOPPERS Point Break will use a gig in Bolton next week to premiere their new material. The band will be playing their first concert for almost a year when they play the Pop Fever gig at the Albert Halls on Wednesday. And they have sent a clear message
RADCLIFFE Boro had a major say in the Unibond League Division One title race last night with a 1-0 victory at table-toppers Bradford Park Avenue. Boro started the game at a cracking pace and took the lead on nine minutes, when Lee Kissock won the ball
BOLTON Little Theatre's premiere production of A Different Way Home by Jimmie Chinn has proved so popular that an extra performance has been organised. The company is the first amateur group to stage the powerful play. It quickly became a sell-out, so
A FEW months ago I touched briefly on the subject of insurance claims and the length of time it takes for them to be settled. The subject was triggered by my wife's experience. Two years ago she was involved in a relatively minor traffic accident, well
WITH reference to the RJB open cast mine, are the people of Bolton turning into whingers? We complain about the demise of coal mining in the area in recent years, we are trying to preserve old slag heaps, that have miraculously turned into nature preservation
PLEASE allow me a few concluding words after the trouncing I received from the pen of Mark E Booth (Your Views, March 29). I will then retire to "lick my wounds". It seems I was wrong about the 15 minutes' walk. It is now apparent that it was more like
YESTERDAY I became another victim of a sneak thief. I'm always suspicious of youngsters hanging around sub-post offices and supermarket check-outs. I've got to the age where one acquires suspicion when entering a supermarket or shop, and to leave my own
OH, dear, I do seem to have got somewhat up the nostrils of the motoring lobby, don't I? I might strut the odd corridor of power, but, as it happens, my theme-song this month isn't "bring back the hand-loom weavers" -- more like "Rescue the Kyoto Agreement
I WOULD like to reply to Brian Derbyshire's letter dated March 29 -- 'My prayer for the future'. In his letter he says that he was asked to do some homework. He then goes on to talk about Boltonians of whatever creed or colour living side by side in relative
A DISABLED war veteran was brutally beaten-up in his flat by a girl thug -- as a man held a gun at his head. John Berry, aged 79, was kicked and punched to the ground by the girl as a male accomplice, wielding a gun, ransacked the pensioner's home on
WANDERERS Crewe (a) Birmingham (h) Crystal Palace (a) Norwich (h) Barnsley (a) Wolves (a) Sheffield Utd (h) BLACKBURN QPR (a) Fulham (h) Stockport (a) Huddersfield (h) Woves (a) Grimsby (a) Portsmouth (h) Preston (a) Gillingham (a)
This picture of the top class of Wingates St. John's School, taken in 1948, has been sent to me by Mrs Ruth Fairhurst (nee Beardsworth). She names the pupils as: Back row, from left - Mrs Makinson, teacher, Kenneth Morris, Geoffrey Mills (later headmaster
"TWO recent items in Looking Back caught my attention," writes Mr Bill Kay, of Gidlow Avenue, Adlington, "and whilst each of moderate interest in themselves, the two items combined to take me right back to my boyhood days." "At that time I lived in the
25 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, April 5, 1976 JIM Callaghan is to be the next Prime Minister. He received 176 votes to Michael Foot's 137 in the election. Mr Harold Wilson stepped down today with a firm resolve never to return to head another Government
A TOYOTA Corolla car was found burning by firefighters in Dilham Court, Heaton, Bolton, last night.
THE Horwich Royal National Lifeboat Institute will be staging their annual general meeting this Monday. at 7.30pm at Horwich Resource Centre. Everyone is welcome and those wanting further details should contact Kathleen Pyle on Bolton 697731.
A WORKER making a mid-morning snack at Burton Menswear caused a mini-panic when he managed to burn his toast and set fire to the toaster. Firefighters were called to the Deansgate store to clear away the heavy smoke which had built up. The fire was out
GLORIA Oates OBE, of Dearden Brook, Edenwood Lane, Ramsbottom, will be sworn in as a new High Sheriff for Lancashire on Tuesday in a ceremony at Preston where she will make a declaration to serve the Queen's Writs. The position dates back to the middle
FISHERMAN Gary Marland was celebrating his biggest ever catch today after netting a bumper £54,519 lottery win. Gary, 42, from Lowton, who bought his ticket at a filling station on the East Lancs Road, won a share of the jackpot with 42 other winners.
A BOY of five is still recovering in hospital after being involved in a road accident at the weekend. Nathan Simpson, of Pansy Road, Farnworth, suffered a broken leg, a damaged knee and several cuts and bruises after the incident on Sunday afternoon.
SOUNDS of the Old Opry will be coming to Bolton when one of the North-west's top country music bands, Nashville, performs at the Hilltop Social Club, Hill Lane, Blackrod on Friday, April 20, at 7.30pm, in aid of Wythenshawe Hospital's New Heart-New Start
POLICE suspect two pensioners who had cash stolen from their homes were targeted by the same gang of thieves. At 2.15pm yesterday, three people called at the Ostrich Lane home of an 80-year-old Prestwich man and asked to use the toilet. Once inside, two
THE decision to use a Bury quarry as a mass grave for animals culled during the foot and mouth crisis is under review. Government officials are looking again at plans to use the Viridor landfill site in Pilsworth as a burial chamber for "uninfected" livestock
AN orthopaedic surgeon has appeared before magistrates in Manchester on indecency charges involving patients going back over 20 years. Rodney Phillips, 62, of Old Hall Road, Whitefield, faced 12 counts of indecently assaulting three women and five children
A BOLTON investment firm is one of 13 declared to be in default by the Investors Compensation Scheme Ltd. Fraser Financial Advisors Ltd of Fraser House, Bury New Road, Breightmet and W JJ Ltd in Windsor Road, Formby, Merseyside are the only two from the
in 'legal' contest PUPILS at Sharples Secondary School have been awarded runners up at The Young Magistrates Mock Trial Competition. Eleven children aged 13 to 14 performed the role of prosecutor, defendant, witnesses, magistrates, usher and clerk during
A HORWICH soldier has amazed his officers after he shot up the ranks. Cpl Glen Hughes, of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, went from a private to a corporal in just nine months - a feat which takes most soldiers at least two years The 22-year-old, who
THE business of leisure has been opened up to pupils at a Bolton primary school after they spent a whole week on a health course. Year 5 pupils from St Paul's CE Primary, Astley Bridge, were given the low-down on Bolton's fitness scene as part of their
FORTY jobs are to go at one of the Bolton area's biggest employers. Eaton Ltd in Worsley Road North, told workers and unions today that the cuts formed part of a plan by the American owners to restructure its Truck group. The local factory currently employs
DRUNKEN Lee Whelan was just short of being a massive four times over the limit when police found him fast asleep in his car, a court heard. But he claimed that although he was in charge of the vehicle, which still had the engine running, he never actually
PRAM pushing Craig Chapman looked anything but a doting dad as he made his way through a town centre store, a court heard. Security staff at TK Maxx were so suspicious of his behaviour that they immediately kept him under careful observation as he moved
AN American cross bearer is trying to track down a crucifix he carried into a Bolton church more than 50 years ago. Ray Barber, from Alabama, is eager to find the old cross he regularly carried into Bolton Parish Church during special summer services.
A SCHOOL'S 15-year battle for a safe play area could finally be over with plans for a consultation with nearby residents. Horwich Parish CE School has been trying to secure funding to convert muddy Slater's Field, off Longworth Road, into a play area
A RARE opportunity for local sports fans to train as coaches is currently on offer in the Bolton area. The sports development units of Bolton and Wigan councils have forged a unique partnership to set out a comprehensive coaching programme. And, as Bolton
Wigan coach Frank Endacott writes for the BEN I READ with interest the comments of St Helens coach Ian Millward, concerning the injury to his big forward Peter Shiels. Shiels was the victim of a punch from Leeds player Barrie McDermott in the recent cup
IT'S what every fashionable pet will be wearing this spring - an Easter bonnet with a difference. And you can win one of these fun pet hats in our easy to enter Pet life competition. We've got three hats to give away - courtesy of animal internet superstore
RESEARCH from water filter company Brita has shown that chlorine, routinely added to tap water, may encourage your dog to drink from dirty puddles. Apparently many thirsty dogs rush to a muddy puddle, or bird bath of rain water, because they prefer the
THE SEARCH is on to find out if anyone in Bolton is the proud owner of a Supa Dog. Do you own a dog who is courageous, loyal and loving, and a faithful friend? If so they could be in with a chance of winning £1,000 as part of the search for the Supa Dog
EMERGENCY demolition work brought chaos to commuters as engineers battled to stop debris flying down onto the roads and pavement below. A derelict row of terraced houses on the Farnworth and Kearsley border were demolished last night to stop them being
RESIDENTS in Little Lever have won the fight to stop a nearby night club from opening. Residents of Elm Road and High Street said they feared the Dusk 2 Dawn nightclub would attract gangs of youths, noise and trouble if the application was granted. But
A BOLTON writer who failed English Literature at school is the man behind the latest lavish television adaptation of a classic novel. But Martyn Hesford believes getting an "unclassified" in his O-Level does not hamper him when it comes to dramatising
THEY're a menace to mankind. They cause damage, disease and destruction. And in Bolton, there are as many of them as there are people. Just think: There are probably 265,000 rats in Bolton. And the people from Pike Nook Pest Control Depot on High Street
ASDA Logic West Lancs League midweek games saw Blackrod Town's recent good form continue with a 6-2 home Premier Division win over Norcross & Warbreck and Eagley picked up a valuable point away at Charnock Richard in a 1-1 draw. In Division One Tempest
BOLTON Under 15s failed to lift the Greater Manchester Schools' County Cup after going down 4-1 to Salford in the final at Littleton Road last night. The local lads moved into the final with a comfortable 3-0 win against Bury but they found the going
BURY first team coach Billy Ayre has spoken of his desire to remain at Gigg Lane next season. Ayre was drafted in by chairman Terry Robinson to help manager Andy Preece but his contract runs out at the end of the season. Ayre has publicly spoken about
THURSDAY, March 29, lunchtime, I was walking across the Town Hall Square, when I heard someone strumming a guitar. No, it wasn't Eric Clapton, or Hank Marvin. It was a young man that played even better than those two. People didn't pass by. They stopped
CAN you include this letter in your Rat of the Week section. On Saturday it was my grandson Alex's 9th birthday and he went with his dad to Burger King in Horwich. While he was playing in the play area he was robbed by three older boys of a wallet containing
I SHOULD think the whole nation must be appalled and distressed, or it should be, at how foot and mouth has been allowed to rage out of control by the miserable failings again of this government. And the way this PM struts around, like a misunderstood
I AM very disappointed in the justice system, as I feel that the woman on the front page (BEN: Tuesday, April 3) should have known better. Being a mother, I sympathise with the victim and his family and agree with them that justice was not justly served
YOU would assume that our (well-paid) local councillors would make sure that there was a basic element of efficiency in matters directly affecting their electors, particularly so close to election day. Letters from the Planning Department have been received
MAURITANIA is an extremely poor North African country, which is almost entirely covered by desert. Here the people are completely dependent on their donkeys to carry much-needed water, food and fuel. But, being poor, they cannot treat their animals, and
ONCE again, we are given the spectacle of a senior politician, William Hague, feeling that he must apologise for the statements of his fellow MPs, when that man has simply stated that which he believes to be the fact. The Race Relations Act is being used
IT will soon be time for us all to be counted. The 10-yearly population census will take place on Sunday, April 29, and every household in the country -- an estimated 24 million -- will be expected to complete a form on or around that day. Failure to
A VICIOUS criminal who held a gun to the head of a terrified pensioner during a Post Office robbery has been given two life sentences. Gary Monks stood expressionless in the dock yesterday as the jury returned guilty verdicts following a three-day trial
HARWOOD fan Ruth Ashworth drove off with a new car at the weekend but Wanderers Lifeline, which has been running for 18 years, continues to prove that everyone can be a winner. Three more lucky fans will be handed the keys to a new Vauxhall Agila this
FIRE ripped through former classrooms at a derelict college campus in Whitefield, last night. Firefighters spent two hours dealing with the blaze at Stand College site.
Eric jazzes up end of swing season JAZZ legend Eric Delaney's impeccable reputation to drum up full houses continues this weekend, when he takes to the stage once again at Horwich RMI's Swing Suite. This will be Eric's only concert in the North-west this
AS someone who has never mastered an instrument, and admits to being tone-deaf, I am always in awe of those who are musically gifted. That admiration was heightened last night when primary school youngsters joined with their teenage counterparts to showcase
BOLTON'S own opera company, Opera '74, has recruited a youthful team for its May production, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. Musical director is Carl Penlington-Williams, currently in his final year at Royal Northern College of Music, and producer is Ryan
WESTHOUGHTON Townswomen's Guild is holding its next meeting a week earlier than usual because of Easter. The group welcomes the Kaleidoscope Theatre, from Shropshire, who will be giving a presentation with slides. The meeting takes place at the Assembly
A TERRIFIED teenager was forced to hand over several hundred pounds takings after being threatened by a masked gunman. The raider, who wielded a silver hand gun escaped with the cash from McDonald's at Bolton Road, Pendlebury, last night after threatening
POLICE are warning people in Bolton not to buy electrical goods from men who approach them in the streets. A gang has been walking up to members of the public in car parks, supermarkets and shopping centres and asking them if they would like to buy the
A MAN who helped shield two other men while they robbed a woman was jailed for two years. Mohammed, 19, of Spring Street, Bury, appeared at Bolton Crown Court for sentence for robbery of a woman on Lord Street, Bury, last year. Prosecutor Duncan Preston
CROMPTON Fold Primary decided to opt out of the control of Bolton LEA and adopt grant maintained status in 1992. The move meant that governors and management at the school were very much in charge of the destiny of the school. But with the advent of a
YOUNG singers destined for the big time are being offered a major opportunity to storm the hit parade. Farnworth tutor Jean Pasquill, nominated as Best Female Entertainer 2001, is offering a 12 month scholarship for a local youngster aged between 14 and
INTEREST in numbers has ballooned at a Farnworth secondary school since they celebrated all things mathematical with a week full of activities and kicked off numeracy week with a maths-based balloon race. The Year 7 pupils released 50 helium-filled balloons
BATTLING health watchdogs have admitted defeat, saying they have lost their fight for survival. But they claim the war to stand up for patient rights is not over. John Seddon, chairman of the Community Health Council, told his band of loyal committee
OLDER people are being given the chance to grill some of the politicians who will be aiming to get their votes at the forthcoming General Election. Age Concern in Bolton is holding an Any Questions forum which will allow men and women to put MP Dr Brian
A RARE opportunity for local sports fans to train as coaches is currently on offer in the Bolton area. The sports development units of Bolton and Wigan councils have forged a unique partnership to set out a comprehensive coaching programme. And, as Bolton
