I WOULD like to comment about the story in the BEN on Monday, July 9 -- "Summer goes without a swing for children". I am sorry the children will have nothing to do on their park this summer, but how would they feel if they lived on Hall i'th' Wood? These
COULD I, through the courtesy of your paper, thank the former mayor of Westhoughton, Councillor Janet Halliwell, for her kind gesture in organising a tombola stall in the name of our charity at Westhoughton carnival on Sunday. Although the weather wasn't
IN reply to the letter from B Howarth "Still willing to take it on the chin" (Your Views: BEN July 6). Well Mr Howarth, you seem to have the ability to judge what everyone votes (what a man). But I'm afraid you've got it wrong with Bill Collison. I, and
AFTER reading in the Bolton Evening News (July 2) about "Shoppers back park petition" and Councillor John Byrne saying it was totally misleading to suggest the council is in any way proposing to sell off its parkland. I'd like to say if he walks down
rEADING a letter in your paper a few days ago from a lady about Astley Bridge Cemetery, I agree with everything she said. I have tried for years to get something done as I have three family graves there, and people who take flowers must see the eyesore
ON April 21 I went to Horwich Town Hall to renew my badge, parking by the disabled entrance on the side road, leaving my disabled clock on the dashboard as I took my badge in case the clerk wished to see it. It took approximately 15 minutes to fill in
I READ with amazement about the huge waiting lists for NHS treatment. Here in Bermuda, people would be shocked if they had to wait more than a couple of weeks for any elective procedure such as a hip replacement or cataract surgery. For urgent procedures
IN reply to Ms C Marsden-McGlynn's letter (July 6). Ms Marsden-McGlynn is absolutely right. There have been some unscrupulous "translators" of the Holy Scriptures (Bible). This is one reason I asked -- why has it not been amended, and, why is it still
THIS year's GMTV Get Up & Give week, July 16-20 2001, will, once again, provide an excellent opportunity for us all to support small charities that really need our help. So far the Get Up & Give appeal has raised over £3.2 million pounds through
WARMEST congratulations are due to all the local people who have been involved in the 100 Years in Worktown community project since September last year. Memories -- sad, moving and funny -- are being featured in a series of monologues performed by amateur
THREE youths, one aged 13, were involved in a hour-long police chase through the North-west. The stolen car driven by a 19-year-old through red traffic lights at speeds of up to 90mph. The 25-mile chase began just after 10.30 last night after police officers
A BOLTON policeman killed in a road accident has left a legacy to improve the lives of youths on the estate he patrolled. Sgt Mick Bradford, a community area officer based at Bolton's Middle Hulton Police Station, died when his 600cc motorbike was involved
BOLTON Wanderers' pre-season preparations have been thrown into chaos after their trip to Saudi Arabia was cancelled. Wanderers were due to take part in the King Fahd Cup in three weeks but they have been forced to change their plans after the plug was
A TOWN centre sale has boosted funds for a Bolton church. The canopy sale in aid of St John the Evangelist Church and Community Centre, Top o'th' Moss, Bolton, raised £615.
COMMUTERS faced long tailbacks on the M61 last night after an accident between a tanker and a Land Rover blocked two lanes. The incident happened at 5.45pm at the Kearsley junction. Police say both drivers escaped unhurt.
THE conclusions of an independent inquiry into the death of a five-year-old girl in a dentist's surgery were due to be published today. Dentist Michael Lane, aged 42, of Lostock Junction Lane, Lostock, was cleared of the manslaughter of Karla Selley by
BOLTON line dancers are needed to help set a world record. Volunteers have been invited to help the British Heart Foundation set the record for the world's largest line dance at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool on Sunday, September 2. A total of 7000 people
YOUNG people are being urged to make the most of a leisure discount card. Wigan Council's leisure discount card, LINC, entitles young people, senior citizens and people on means-tested benefits to savings of up to 50 per cent off council leisure facilities
A DENTIST from Bolton could face disciplinary action following the death of a five-year-old girl at his surgery, a report revealed today. An independent inquiry into the death of Karla Selley, of Golden Hill Lane, Leyland, recommended South Lancashire
ALL the fun of the fair will come to Egerton tomorrow. Egerton and Eagley Heritage Society stages its annual Victorian Fair on Egerton Park in Blackburn Road, Egerton from 12 noon to 6pm. The day will feature a bucking bronco competition, a Victorian
A FORMER headmaster, who was driven out of his job in Bradford 15 years ago after he was accused of being racist, says he has ultimately been vindicated. Ray Honeyford, who now lives in Bury, feels his views have been "justified" in a long-awaited race
A CHARITY abseil takes place at Botany Bay, Chorley on August 5 to raise funds for the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust. Members of the Atherton and Tyldesley Ladies' Circle has already pledged to take part in the event. But more volunteers are needed
AN historic key will return to Bolton in a surprise turn around for museum bosses. The key belongs to the Leverhulme family and was sold by mistake in an auction at Thornton Manor last month. It is a ceremonial key dating back to 1902, when Lord Leverhulme
AN elderly woman is fighting for her life after she was involved in a road traffic accident. Sheila Batters, aged 69, suffered serious head and pelvic injuries after she was in collision with a car while crossing Wigan Road, Hunger Hill, with her daughter
MAGISTRATES ran out of options when a Radcliffe man, facing charges of assault and witness intimidation, breached bail for the third time by entering Rochdale and contacting the main witness in the allegations. Wayne Englebert, 23, of Cross Lane, Radcliffe
FARNWORTH was a community living in fear after a spate of unsolved attacks on children stretching over decades. From the 1940s onwards records show a string of sinister happenings in the area, centred around the district where police are now digging for
SHEILA Fox's sister and parents had to endure seeing the missing girl's picture appear on cinema screens as the hunt continued. Weeks after the six-year-old girl had disappeared as she walked home from a day in the classroom at St James' Primary School
POLICE forensic experts continued the grim task of digging up a garden searching for the body of schoolgirl Sheila Fox who disappeared 57 years ago. Detectives are expecting the excavation at the house in Barton Road, Farnworth, to continue for at least
SHEILA Fox's heartbroken mum never believed her daughter was dead and always kept her front door unlocked just in case she came back. Miriam Fox -- who last saw her daughter going to school on a wartime summer morning -- went to her grave without ever
THE faded colour of the paper bears testament to its age. But the police missing person bulletin is still as relevant today as when it was circulated 57 years ago. For the small sheet of paper, issued on behalf of the then Lancashire Constabulary CID,
THE hunt for Sheila Fox's body may involve the use of an unusual specialist -- a forensic archaeologist. And Greater Manchester Police may well call on the services of arguably the country's leading expert in this field, Professor John Hunter from Bradford
A BOLTON man was informed 43 YEARS ago that a body had been buried in a back garden now being dug up by forensic experts searching for a missing child. Thomas Derbyshire told the Bolton Evening News today that he "laughed off" claims made in 1958 by an
WIGAN coach Stuart Raper has named a team to face Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at Belle Vue this Sunday (Kick Off 3:30pm) Adrian Lam (knee) is a doubt so Phil Jones may deputise, while a decision on the last substitute berth has yet to be made. Matthew
DAVE Bradbury will be a Centurion for at least the next two years - no matter what division the club is in. The Irish international has been in inspired form all season and this week put pen to paper on a new two year contract. Released by Huddersfield
MAKING TRACKS - SOUTH PENNINE FESTIVAL. An event to promote walking and countryside activities organised by Rochdale Countryside Service and local authorities, club and associations. Events are taking place at various venues throughout the South Pennines
THE AIRPORT TOUR CENTRE, Terminal 1, Manchester Airport, Manchester. A must for anyone interested in aeroplanes and travel. The airport tour lasts approximately 2 hours for groups and individuals (minimum age 4). Open all year (except December 25, 26
MARTIN MERE WILDFOWL AND WETLANDS TRUST, Martin Mere, Burscough, Ormskirk, Lancashire. Moths, Baths and Barn Owls BBQ. Tonight. Starts 7.30pm-midnight. Cost including BBQ £6 and £5 for WWT members. Booking essential. Ring 01704 895181. ANIMAL WORLD, Moss
OCTAGON THEATRE, Bolton. Ring 520661. FARNWORTH LITTLE THEATRE, Cross Street, Farnworth. Ring 527092. ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC, Manchester. Ring 0161 907 5278. LOWTON CIVIC HALL. Ring 01925 764793. LANCASTRIAN HALLS, Chorley Road, Swinton. Ring
SMITHILLS HALL AND PARK, Smithills, Bolton. You don't have to travel far to visit one of the country's finest historic homes, right here in Bolton. Smithills Hall and Park is a grade one listed building with some of the best examples of Medieval, Tudor
SUTTON COMMUNITY CENTRE, Addington Road/Sutton Road, off Wigan Road, Bolton. Jeriatric Jazz Dance Night with Norman Bolton, Norman Fisk, Fred Shawcross, Brian Crowther, Chris Carty and Colin Worth. Tonight. Starts 8pm-11pm. Admission £3. BAND ON THE WALL
ATLANTIS, Eagley Brook Way, Bolton. Ring Bolton 529922. Friday: Extreme, dance night, Saturday: Desire, mainstream chart and dance music. BAR COAST DUO, St Mary's Street, Manchester. DJs Phat Pete and The Nice play commercial dance music. Every Friday
ARC GALLERY STORE, Oldham Street, Manchester. Open Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm and Sun noon to 4pm. Ring 0161 831 7454. ASTLEY CHEETHAM ART GALLERY , Trinity Street, Stalybridge. Open Mon to Fri (not Thurs) 1pm to 7.30pm, Sat 9am to 4pm. Tel 0161 338 2708.
THE family of a man at the centre of the search for Sheila Fox said they were amazed the garden of their former home was being dug up. They expressed their surprise as police forensic experts started excavating the back garden plot of a house in Barton
TEENAGER Doreen Catterall marched through the ginnel as she headed to her brother's house on a warm summer's evening. But her happy frame of mind was shattered when she bumped into her frantic cousin Miriam Fox in the passageway, desperately searching
THE family of a man at the centre of the search for Sheila Fox said they were amazed the garden of their former home was being dug up. They expressed their surprise as police forensic experts started excavating the back garden plot of a house in Barton
THE police search in the back garden of a Bolton house for the body of a six-year-old girl who disappeared 57 years ago has brought back terrible memories for one of her former playmates. Dennis Martin, 63, of Windermere Road, Farnworth, was a close childhood
THE last surviving sister of missing Sheila Fox has spoken of her heartbreak after detectives called off the search for her body in a Farnworth back garden. Rene, aged 69, said she had "aged 10 years" with worry since police told her they had a new lead
AS the little girl walked past the police incident caravan she turned to her mother and asked: "What do you think has happened, mum?" It was a poignant moment which came just an hour after detectives had begun digging up a back garden of a Farnworth house
ALONGSIDE the name Sheila Fox in the register of pupils at St James' CE School in Farnworth is written the single word: "Missing". The register of pupils, not the daily record of attendance, but the register of every pupil who ever attended the school
IT was a warm summer's afternoon and Sheila Fox skipped from the school playground full of excitement for the weekend ahead. The balmy weather looked set to continue for the pretty six-year-old girl, with pink ribbons in her hair, who had just finished
PARENTS worried about their teenagers drinking alcohol and taking drugs have been urged to take them to a Farnworth bar . . . Zac's Bar, in Market Street, bans not only drugs, but alcohol too. And its bosses says it offers a safe environment for youngsters
TWINS William and Lucy Lythgoe have joined a select group of youngsters to be rewarded for their selfless work. They have received the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Award for their outstanding contribution to a string of worthy causes. The 13-year-old
A JUDGE branded a man who stole cash from pensioners as a "parasite" who preyed on vulnerable people. Twice Andrew Brindle pretended one of his parents had died in order to gain access to their homes and then to their purses. Brindle had been a promising
TWINS William and Lucy Lythgoe have joined a select group of youngsters to be rewarded for their selfless work. They have received the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Award for their outstanding contribution to a string of worthy causes. The 13-year-old
A NEWSAGENT fears he could be forced to give up his business following plans to put double yellow lines outside his shop. Bill Devonport and his 59-year-old wife Sylvia say proposed parking restrictions in Belmont Road, Astley Bridge, will cut off passing
FILMS for the week until Thursday July 19. UGC CINEMA, The Valley, Centertainment, Bolton. Pokemon 3(U); Love Ke Liyye Kuch Bhi Karega (PG); Crimson Rivers (15); Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (12); The Mummy Returns (12); Get Over It (12); Pearl Harbor (12)
HISTORIC WARSHIPS AT BIRKENHEAD, East Float, Dock Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside. The Falkland veteran warships HMS Plymouth and HMS Onyx have been preserved and are open to the public to explore above and below decks. Also the U-boat U534 which was raised
HALLIWELL REFORM CLUB, Bolton. Members notice. Entertaiment every Friday and Saturday. Open from 7pm each evening. Ring 528323. WALKDEN LABOUR CLUB, Bolton Road, Walkden. Members notice. Live Cabaret. Every Saturday and Sunday. Dancing. Every Monday.
THE DIAMOND JUBILEE SHOW. A unique blend of music, comedy, impressions, singing and dancing presented by The Grumbleweeds, Jonnie Casson, Alvin Stardust and The Heartbeats and The Bopettes celebrating 60 years of family entertainment. North Pier Theatre
GREAT LEVER COMMUNITY CENTRE, Bradford Road, Bolton. Thai Boxing Tuesday eves 7pm-8pm. Thai Boxing for children Saturdays, noon to 1pm. Ring Bolton 522568. CLUB MISTRY, 187 Derby Street, Bolton. 5 full sized snooker tables. Open daily. Ring 524695. BEESLEY
at KARAOKE ANCHOR INN, Bolton. Friday and Saturday. BARNSTORMERS, Lostock Lane, Horwich. Dave's Cabaret Karaoke and late bar. Every Saturday. Starts 8pm. BEEHIVE, Horwich. Karaoke with free draw for all singers and a prize of a gallon of beer. Every Tuesday
TWO more of Bury's fixtures for the new season have been changed due to World Cup qualifying games. The Shakers will now travel to Wrexham on Friday, August 31, 2001 (7.45pm) while Cardiff City will be the visitors to Gigg Lane on Sunday, October 7, 2001
BURY boss Andy Preece is running the rule over Blackpool's Steve Bushell writes PHIL THORP. The combative midfielder with an eye for a goal is a free agent after ending a two year spell at Bloomfield Road. Formerly with York City, 28-year-old Bushell
IN the days when Gordon Banks was king and Peter Shilton was breaking international records, English goalkeepers were considered the best in the world - and a certain Keith Hutchinson was building a bit of a reputation in the local leagues. Now 54, the
MANCHESTER United's new Argentinian capture Juan Sebastian Veron is the latest foreign star lined up for an appearance at Gigg Lane. The Reds hit town on Wednesday, August 8 in a massive fund-raising match to aid the Save Our Shakers fund. But anyone
A SERIES of new roadworks schemes are expected to cause disruption and bring further misery to motorists across Bolton next week. On Sunday work starts to resurface a section of carriageway in Leigh Road, Westhoughton, resulting in temporary traffic lights
CAN anyone please tell me why cars are heavier than buses and taxis, and why we suddenly have several bridges out of action and who has decided that they are not safe? As a driver, I go to different towns, and I have not seen any other place with this
WITH reference to the "Green for Stop" road debate article in the Horwich and Westhoughton Journal on July 5. The statement that MP Ruth Kelly made is totally misleading, especially most people were for the A522B road as she prefers to call it. She was
I DISCOVERED a few days ago that my PA, Tricia Laalej, is the winner of a competition promoted recently in the Chamber magazine, Bolton and Bury's Best PA, sponsored by the Village Hotel and Leisure Club. I have to say that the award is richly deserved
THE lover of a Bolton businessman, found dead in the bedroom of his plush home with head injuries caused by an axe, has appeared in court. Mother-of-one Janet Charlton, 35, who lives in the Wakefield area, faced a charge of murdering Daniel O'Brien, pictured
SIMON KELLY could be set to test his classy skills against some real top men on Saturday when Premiership new boys Bolton Wanderers come calling at Stainton Park. Wanderers' manager Sam Allardyce has promised to send a strong squad for the glamour pre-season
WESTHOUGHTON Townswomen's Guild will be holding an open evening next week. The group will also be organising a quiz and a single rose competition, starting at 7.30pm at the Assembly Rooms, in Tithebarn Street, on Monday.
A TREE planting scheme in Bolton will receive an annual cash boost. The Red Rose Forest scheme, which aims to plant 25 million trees across 300 square miles of Greater Manchester, will receive £4,000 per year from Peel Holdings Land and the Planning department
BOLTON people are being invited to write a poem about their best friend which could be included in a forthcoming book. Send no more than three poems, each no longer than 35 lines, to Penhaligon Page, Friends, Remus House, Coltsfoot Drive, Woodston, Peterborough
MOTORISTS who want to improve their driving skills behind the wheel can get help on a course. Blackburn Area Road Safety Association starts a new six week scheme at the Northern Sports Club, Pleckgate Road, Blackburn, starting at 8pm. For more details
A North-west Euro MP has helped stop the threat of a European Tax being imposed. Den Dover, United Kingdom Conservative Spokesman on Budgets, tabled key amendments to prevent the new measure being brought in. He said: "It would have upset everyone and
VOLUNTEERS are needed to support Galloway's Society for the Blind in their annual walk across Morecambe Bay. The Queen's appointed guide, Cedric Robinson, will lead the eight mile walk with more than 3,000 blind and partially-sighted people across Lancashire
A MARKET trader is at the centre of a £17,000 counterfeit compact discs investigation. The 32-year-old man, from Radcliffe, could now face criminal prosecution if 119 seized PlayStation discs and 70 PC-CD ROMs are found to be fakes. The discs, with an
POLICE were called to Bury General Hospital's accident and emergency department because of a man's bizarre behaviour, the town's magistrates were told. Officers found the 31-year-old in the toilet with all the taps turned on. Mark Humphries, prosecuting
THE hunt is on for Bolton bikers prepared to pedal for profit in aid of a national charity. Bosses at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution want to hear from anyone prepared to complete a 125 kilometre off-road cycle trail through the Spanish mountains
A RADCLIFFE man has helped to overturn a ban on blind people serving as magistrates. Mr Bill Kenton, aged 47, was one of six JPs selected to take part in a nationwide three-year pilot scheme to assess whether the blind and partially-sighted should sit
A SWIMMER alleged to have indecently touched three young girls in a public pool claimed they racially abused him and two other Asians. Ashfaq Ahmed said that the girls saw him in the Water Place in Bolton and asked him if he wanted to race them. He agreed
DJIBRIL Diawara today declared: "I want to stay at Bolton permanently." The £5m-rated French midfielder is excited about the prospect of making his name in the Premiership and is looking well beyond his 12-month loan deal at the Reebok. "I would love
LANCASHIRE were bracing themselves for a storm of protest today after being forced to switch their Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy quarter final against Durham to Blackpool - because of Robbie Williams. Old Trafford is unavailable for the quarter final
SHEILA Fox's sister Rene spoke of her continued torment as the family waits to hear if any human remains are found in the back garden in Barton Road. Rene, 69, is being kept in constant touch with developments at the site by detectives who have visited
RUMOURS circulated quickly on the New Bury estate after Sheila Fox disappeared. Annie Worthington, who still lives in Barton Road, said that Sheila's parents were called to a local gypsy camp on four or five occasions. She said: "They went up there each
POLICE forensic experts today started to dig up a Bolton back garden, in the search for the body of a six-year-old girl who disappeared 57 years ago. Sheila Fox was last seen in August 1944 as she walked to her home in Macdonald Avenue, Farnworth after
POLICE forensic experts digging for the body of tragic Sheila Fox have reached a depth of more than three feet in the back garden excavation. The diggers -- now in their third day -- are methodically searching the ground and every bit of debris removed
DETECTIVES investigating the disappearance of a Bolton schoolgirl 57 years ago, have conducted a trans-Atlantic inquiry as part of the police probe. Sheila Fox, aged six, vanished without trace in 1944 as she walked home from St James' Primary School
DAVE Bradbury will be a Centurion for at least the next two years - no matter what division the club is in. The Irish international has been in inspired form all season and this week put pen to paper on a new two year contract. Released by Huddersfield
BOLTON MELA featuring music, arts and crafts, exhibitions and traders. Spa Road Playing Fields, Bolton. Sunday July 15. Starts 11am-5pm. RUGHILL FAIR. An arts based community day. Waggon Road Playing Fields, Breightmet, Bolton. Saturday July 14. ALICE
DANCE NIGHT OUT. Dance the night away with Stan and Olwyn. King Georges Hall, Blackburn. Tonight. Starts 7.30pm-11pm mision £3. Ring 01254 582582. COME DANCING WITH ALAN AND BETTY. Bacup Leisure Hall, Burnley Road, Bacup. Saturday July 14. Starts 7.30pm
A RETIRED gardener from Farnworth who was with Queintin Smith when he was savagely murdered said he would not be surprised if Sheila Fox died at the hands of the same killer. David Lee, now 62, recalled today how he was stabbed by the man who beat his
THE heartbroken sister of Sheila Fox said today: "I hope her body is found so she can finally be laid to rest." The plea came as police forensic experts began the grisly task of digging up the back garden of a Farnworth home searching for the six-year-old
SPIRITUALISTS will attempt to make contact with the "other side" tonight in the belief that Friday the 13th will allow them to make contact. A number of clairvoyants, mediums and psychics will spend the night in Farnworth Spritualist Church. The spiritualists
A WOMAN who suffered crippling injuries in a paragliding accident has won a landmark victory in her fight for more than a million pounds compensation. Norma Disley, then a 33-year-old maths teacher, from Bolton, was riding in a tandem paraglider with
THE future of a Farnworth church looks set to be secure for the next decade after it received a £82,000 maintenance grant. St John's Church in Church Street, Farnworth, will use the lottery cash for the final stage of a lengthy restoration project. Parishioners
ALBERT HALLS, Bolton. Ring 334400. QUAYS THEATRE, The Lowry, Salford Quays. Ring 0161 876 2000. THE MET, Market Street, Bury. Ring 0161 761 2216. KING GEORGES HALL, Blackburn. Ring 01254 582582. BLUE CAT CAFE, Shaw Rd, Heaton Moor, Stockport, 0161 432
GUIDED WALK: BAT BOFFINS. A bat walk for everyone who has a good basic knowledge of bat species and habitats exploring some of the intricate behaviour of the resident species, viewing the bats and using bat detectors. Thursday July 19. Lymm Dam Ranger
ELTON have appealed against the the Bolton Association's ban on their professional Chris Hall,and his brother Mike. They were both given two match bans at a disciplinary hearing for bringing the game into disrepute in a recent match against Astley and
