A JOHN Lennon lookalike helped Bolton-based mail order technology firm dabs.com launch its first retail store. Alan Swoffers impersonated the former Beatle as the new store opened at Liverpool's John Lennon Airport. It marks a major breakthrough for www.dabs.com.com
THAT wonderful Highways Agency report about the type of stuff dumped on motorways in the Bolton area really boggles the imagination. What sort of person leaves a pantomime horse's head, a Zimmer frame or a circus sign at the side of the M61? Plainly someone
PARENTS have been banging on about it for years but research now shows that children who don't get a proper breakfast before school react to new information like 70-year-olds. A bar of chocolate or a packet of crisps simply won't do -- it must be a proper
HAVING lived on Spa Road, Bolton, for more than 20 years, I am concerned and appalled at the state of rubbish being left and thrown over into the River Croal. The people and residents living in the area don't seem to realise the pollution they are making
AS you may be aware, Iceland has taken the deplorable decision to resume whaling. It claims the whales are eating too many fish, thus depriving their fishermen of a living. The only answer to this problem -- the whales must die! But how can they justify
I RECENTLY helped out a young lady who has moved into a property on the same estate I live on. She was throwing out an old, small settee, which had been left outside her home for a few days. I advised her to phone the council's refuse department, as I
LISTENING to the grumbles by a few people in the queue at my local butcher's last Saturday morning, I detected a great deal of dissatisfaction at the way this country is going. Once the people of these islands were renowned for "putting up with things
IN 1795, when the "New School House" was built at Hough Lane, Eagley, the area was already on the verge of industrial and commercial development. In fact, a mill had been operating at Eagley Bridge since 1783 when Mr William Langshaw established his "
IF you walk down Bank Street and look up to your left just before reaching Bank Street Chapel, you will see near the top of the white building the words H Rigby & Co. It will mean nothing to relative newcomers to the town, but in fact at one time
CHORLEY soldiers returned home from the Gulf this week and were preparing to go back to their day jobs as civil servants, labourers and telephone operators. Twelve Territorial Army medics from the 5 General Medical Support regiment at Devonshire Road
A MISSING Chorley schoolgirl has been found seven weeks after she went missing from her home. Lilly Brooks, 13, was discovered living in a squat near London's Waterloo railway station. The pupil of Bishop Rawstorne High School, Croston, went missing from
A CHORLEY pub has been christened with a new name after its previous title caused an unholy row with a local churchman. The pub, formerly known as The Swann with Two Knecks, on Hollinshead Street, is now called The Step Inn after a brief spell as The
A CRUNCH meeting to help decide the future of local government in Chorley takes place next week. Councillors are expected to recommend that Chorley is governed as a unitary authority if a northwest parliament is set up after a referendum in October 2004
A SHOCKED Chorley shopkeeper was forced to clean up pools of blood on her doorstep after an apparent suicide attempt. Angela Savigar, owner of A1 Pets in Eaves Lane, was sickened when she arrived at work to find two blood soaked towels, a beer can full
THE deputy leader of Bolton Council faces a disciplinary hearing after accusations of bullying rival councillors. Both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups have confirmed they are to lodge formal complaints against Cllr Guy Harkin, following comments
BOLTON Open President Bill Alberts will try to beat his own record of hitting a golf ball 100 miles, all in aid of Bolton Hospice. Bill manged the feat six years ago when he hit 1160 golf balls, and is hoping to repeat the feat with fewer balls, using
IF there is one thing that highlights the gap between the generations, it is the attitude towards play and leisuretime. Most parents and grandparents used to play in the park or out on the streets near their homes with their pals. They might get the odd
PUPILS will not be able to start at Bolton's first privately-financed school when the new term begins. The new Castle Hill School building in Tonge Moor is scheduled to open three weeks into the new school year on September 29, even though it was originally
CHORLEY Athletic Club members won four medals including two golds at Blackpool in the Mid Lancs Track and Field Medal meeting. Elouise Manger threw the javelin 34.57metres winning the senior Womens gold medal by ten metres. In the Senior Womens 800m Vick
CHORLEY Lynx moved two points clear at the top of National League Division Two after defeating play-off hopefuls Barrow Raiders at Victory Park. With just two away games left, at York and London Skolars, Lynx are now with a great chance of winning the
LYNX made their customary good start with a try in the third minute from Anton Garcia converted by Mark McCully. Barrow soon reduced the arrears with a penalty and levelled the score when Andy McClure touched down. Lynx were far from their best with many
A FINE all round performance saw Chorley gallop to 12 point win which has surely fatally damaged Kendal's title hopes. The victory was founded on some terrific fielding backed up by excellent bowling. On a wicket left damp by overnight rain Kendal surprisingly
CHORLEY Cricket Club captain James Fazackerley is to retire at the end of the season. After 13 years as a player at the club and two years as skipper he has decided to call it a day as he feels he can no longer make the commitment to turn out on a regular
A GROUP for people who have lost family or friends to suicide will hold its first Support Day in Bolton on Saturday, September 6. The town's branch of the Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) group will meet at the Reebok Stadium's De Vere Whites
A NEW regional airline is launching daily return flights from Manchester to Bristol and Plymouth. Air Southwest will have three return flights a day to Bristol and two to Plymouth. The company, which is charging from £25 one way, says it will put the
THE annual meeting of the Bolton North Public Voicing on Policing was held last night. A new chairman, Jim Sherington, was elected to take over the role from Richard Smallman who is expected to head the Bolton South group. The two men have decided to
A CAR was set on fire on Tonge Moor Road, Bolton, at 1am today. Firefighters spent an hour tackling the blaze. The Fiat had been rolled down an embankment. The K-reg car was destroyed.
A NATIONAL post strike is expected following the collapse of pay negotiations this week but it is hoped that the threat of strikes will force Royal Mail to re-open pay negotiations. Carl Webb, North-west Regional Secretary for the Communication Workers
FAMILIES are being invited to take part in a new television show where contestants will be asked to build mind-blowing inventions. The makers, Ideal World Productions, are looking for two households from the North-west to compete. To apply for the show
QUICK-thinking lifeguard John Carr waded into a swimming pool to rescue a three-year-old girl when she started to struggle in the water. John, aged 19, was on duty at the David Lloyd Leisure, on Chorley Street, in when he noticed the tiny girl had lost
SKATEBOARDERS campaigning for a free town centre skate park have enlisted the help of a Tory councillor. Cllr Paul Brierley, who represents Bradshaw, has agreed to present their petition at the next meeting of the council on October 15. On Tuesday, a
A GROUP for people who have lost family or friends to suicide will hold its first Support Day in Bolton on Saturday, September 6. The town's branch of the Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) group will meet at the Reebok Stadium's De Vere Whites
THE results of tests on samples taken from the body of an 11-year-old girl exhumed seven years after she died. are not likely to be available until later this year. A new investigation was launched into the death of Phyllis Porter after her father was
PINT-sized pianist Ben Smith was the star attraction as he entertained people with his amazing talents as part of the Bolton Festival. The 11-year-old, of Blackrod, performed at the Central Library lecture theatre yesterday lunch-time in one of many shows
FOUR punters from a Bolton pub are laughing all the way to the bank after a bet on a horse named after Peter Kay's comedy Phoenix Nights won them almost £2,000. Landlord Gary Charlton and three regulars at the Lord Clyde Pub in Folds Road could not resist
A PROMISING young footballer scored outstanding GCSE results after putting the sport on the backburner to concentrate on his studies. Paul Rainford was awarded an impressive nine A*s and a B after cutting out training sessions and turning down opportunities
Figures show GCSE passes grades A*-G J. Amjad 10, J. Baines 9, C. Barber 9, C. Barraclough 9, S. Bateson 10, S. Bebb 7, M. Beheshti 4, S. Bell 8, J. Blackshaw 10, S. Blades 10, K. Bobolinski 9, K. Bond 10, W. Bonner 10, T. Boon 10, J. Boswell 10, J. Bramah
Figures show GCSE passes grades A*-G with A*-C in brackets A. Abelidis 10(10), A. Ahmed 10(8), S. Allam 9(8), V. Allsop 10(9), H. Bamford 10(10), C. Barton 10(10), J. Baxter 10(10), S. Birtwistle 9(9), A. Blaylock 10(10), G. Bolton 10(10), V. Booth 10
WIGAN are already counting the cost of their bruising battle with the Bulls. Inspired by a magnificent and injury-free comeback from star full back Kris Radlinski, the Warriors cruised to a sensational victory over the Super League leaders on Monday,
COULD I thank everyone involved in the "Get up and go" scheme organised by Chorley Borough Council throughout the school summer holidays. My daughter has been on several of the activities such as girls' football, dance and art workshops. They have been
WHILE agreeing with Councillor Wilson's inference that Lancashire County Council is expensive, inefficient and unaccountable, I think people who live in glasshouses should not throw stones. Since 1997 my rates payable to Chorley Council have increased
ALL eyes are on September 27 for Bury FC. That's when manager Andy Preece reckons he will know if his side has a serious shot at promotion this year, or if they are to be cast as Division Three also-rans. It has been almost impossible to gauge Shakers
SCRAPPY goals may be an acquired taste, but Paul Jewell is a connoisseur. Wigan Athletic's highly entertaining 1-0 win over Ipswich on Tuesday night was only let down by the quality of the winning goal -- a toe poke from two yards by Nathan Ellington
LEIGH RMI's new chief executive believes the club can follow in the footsteps of Rushden and Diamonds and gain promotion to the Football League. The introduction of a sponsor produced a revolution at the ailing non-league Midlands' club which has resulted
BOLTON'S health chiefs say they face difficult decisions over which services to cut if draft guidelines on free NHS fertility treatment are approved without additional funding being made available. Under draft guidelines recommended to the Government,
From the Bolton Evening News, August 24, 1903: THE death of the Marquis of Salisbury, four times Prime Minister of Great Britain, took place at his Hatfield seat on Saturday night. The actual time of the distinguished statesman's death was ten minutes
A MAN walked into a Bolton mosque which was packed with worshippers and urinated on the floor. Muslims in the Masjid E Noor Ul Islam Mosque in Halliwell were stunned when the man leapt over a wall and decided to relieve himself. They say the act, on Sunday
ITEMS from Bolton Wanderers' most famous ever game are set to go under the hammer. A programme and ticket stub from the 1923 FA Cup Final, in which Bolton beat West Ham 2-0, will go on sale at Sotheby's in London next month. Football collectors from all
DOZENS of Bolton teenagers have been enjoying a different type of exercise this summer -- military exercise. A group of 37 army cadets took part in a full-blown mock operation complete with blank ammunition, smoke and thunderflash bangs. The exercise
BOLTON School has seen its ranking in an independent school league table dramatically plunge following this year's A-level results. Bolton School Boys' Division has been ranked 216 out of 286 -- a drop of more than 100 places from last year when it was
A-G S Al-Falahi 6; T Armstrong 11; G Avison 11; S Axon 9; J Badley 10; L Bailey 10; A Ball 9; A Bayley 6; S Beckford 9; N Bentham 11; M Berry 10; J Bilsbury 10; C Blackshaw 10; K Blease 11; M Blundell 10; E Bowling 9; P Boylan 9; R Bradish 10; K Breeze
GOOD to see the Victorian Street Fair on Monday so busy and with such a terrific array of stalls. It provides a unique way for local organisations to raise money -- so why not make it a more regular occurrence? It would be a great tourist attraction.
THERE is a strong suggestion that the Spice Girls will get back together for two massive concerts in England and America. You'd think that the Fab Five, who invented Girl Power, would know just how swiftly pop trends come and go. The five of them have
THERE is a distinct danger that Shakespeare will, gasp, become trendy. Bury entertainer Lisa Riley is returing to the small screen in a new series called From Bard to Verse, when stars including impressionists Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona will deliver
W ITH regard to the letter in the Bolton Evening News on August 21 "Have they got any beliefs". With the deepest respect, the church in its current state is a little dated and stale. This system has been in place for more than 2000 years, and churches
WE are doing research for a Channel Four documentary about step families and are very interested in hearing of your experiences in a step family. By the year 2010 there will be more children living in step families than in a traditional nuclear family
WHO does Bolton councillor Guy Harkin (wearing his other hat as GMPTA chief) think he is kidding? Far from Bolton being "on line" to get Metro, what was actually said is that it will be considered -- in 2010. Bolton and Wigan -- with a combined population
SOME of the 60 prizewinners at the Bolton Lads' Club annual prize night in 1981. From left were Darren Hanley, cross-country champion, Ian Foulkes, Paul Baistow and David Howes, all Bolton youth darts league champions, and Jim Haslom, who received a boxing
ACCORDING to regulars, it is said, the Weaver's Arms at Halliwell 'was t'best pub in Bowton, bar none'. The pub boasted a keen dominoes team, pictured here in January, 1950. The pub was better known as the Frozen Mop and had some of its regulars going
ENJOY an audience with international psychic James Byrne who will be appearing at Chorley Social Club tomorrow night, Thursday. And if you can't make it then, catch him at the Blue Elephant, Euxton, next Thursday (September 4). Born in Manchester, James
BALSHAW High School is holding a 70s Leavers Reunion on Saturday, September 20. The night will consist of a mix of 70's music, hot pot and nostalgia. Tickets are £15 and cheques should be made payable to Balshaw High School and sent to the school along
A BUDDING Chorley singer had her first brush with fame after scooping victory in the Adlington Carnival Pop Idol competition. Amanda Makinson, 14, was the youngest entrant and beat off competition from seven other contenders with her rendition of Melba
A CHORLEY teacher and his son had a double reason to celebrate this week when both picked up their GCSE results at the same time. Parklands guitar teacher Jim Lowe gained a B in Spanish after just 50 hours tuition while his son Peter, 16, got an A stars
REACTION and The Big Match Verdict from Tuesday's match. Click here.
GARETH Farrelly dropped a selection hint to Sam Allardyce on Wednesday when he scored a hat-trick in a private friendly at Birmingham. The Republic of Ireland midfielder, who celebrates his 28th birthday today, has not figured in any of Wanderers' Premiership
ITEMS from one of Wanderers' most famous ever game are set to go under the hammer. A programme and ticket stub from the 1923 FA Cup Final, in which Bolton beat West Ham 2-0, will go on sale at Sotheby's in London next month. Football collectors from all
BOLTON School has seen its ranking in an independent school league table dramatically plunge following this year's A-level results. Bolton School Boys' Division has been ranked 216 out of 286 -- a drop of more than 100 places from last year when it was
A CHORLEY runner is to represent Great Britain at a World Championship mountain race in Alaska next month. Katie Ingram, an ex-Chorley Harrier now representing Horwich RMI, came second in the trials held earlier this month in Sedbergh, Cumbria, to qualify
THE votes have been cast and are now being counted in our Little Darlings competition. Hundreds of children took part in the competition and we had the tough task of narrowing them down to 49 finalists in the two categories 0 to 2 years and 2 to 4 years
A NEW appeal for witnesses has been made after a man was stabbed in an unprovoked attack in the town centre. The 30-year-old man from Farnworth was attacked in Bridge Street near to the Ikon nightclub following a night out. As the victim walked across
BONES dug up from a graveyard have been found dumped on a tip. The bones were found at a tip on Sholver Lane, Oldham, and are believed to have come from the former Wesleyan graveyard in Cheetham Hill. The former graveyard is being turned into a shopping
FIREFIGHTERS had to rescue two boys from a tree after they got stuck searching for conkers. Joseph Birley, aged 10, and his pal Brendan Gingell, aged seven, borrowed a ladder and climbed up a tree on a land next to Downham Avenue, off Ainsworth Lane.
THIEVES stole gifts from the grave of a woman days after they had been placed there by her daughter. Julie Murgatroyd found the grave of her mother had been disturbed by raiders who stole small animal figures. Miss Murgatroyd, whose mother, Sylvia Murgatroyd
ONE million bulbs of every colour flickered into life in a dress rehearsal for Friday night's spectacular Blackpool Illuminations switch-on. Chart-topping boy band Blue will join Atomic Kitten, Liberty X, Louise Redknapp and former Bee Gee Robin Gibb
DOZENS of Bolton teenagers have been enjoying a different type of exercise this summer -- military exercise. A group of 37 army cadets took part in a full-blown mock operation complete with blank ammunition, smoke and thunderflash bangs. The exercise
SAM Allardyce's hopes of signing Sunderland's Brazilian centre-back Emerson Thome have taken a backward step on Thursday writes Gordon Sharrock The Wanderers boss said he may have to look at alternatives after making no significant progress on the Thome
LOCAL tennis prodigy Daniel Cox checked in at Loughborough University on Thursday to take the next step on his confident march through the game's junior ranks. The 12-year-old from Westhoughton - the British number one and ranked sixth in Europe for his
BUSINESS Link North Manchester is to host a half-day event on intellectual property rights issues in China. It will be on Tuesday, September 9, at The Village Hotel, Bury, from 10am. Businesses wishing to attend the event, which costs £35 and includes
Figures show GCSE passes grades A*-G with Entry Level Certificate in brackets, P denotes City and Guilds pass D. Bentley (7); A. Crumbleholme (6); N. Deakin (1)P; T. Eastwood 1(8); S. Hilton 3(6); J. Hopwood (1)P; A. McKenna 3(5); P. Mashiter (2)P; J.
STAFF AND students at Bury Grammar School (Boys) are celebrating big successes in this year's GCSE results. Overall 92.8 per cent of entries were graded A*, A, B or C. While James Forsyth, Lance Rane and William Webster distinguished themselves by scoring
STUDENTS and staff at St Joseph's High School in Horwich are celebrating record GCSE results. More than 70 per cent of students achieved higher grade passes and every student achieved at least one GCSE pass. Headteacher Leo Conley said: "It was wonderful
SCHOOLGIRL Katherine Edge has triumphed against the odds in her GCSE examinations. Katherine, who has Down's Syndrome passed five GCSE exams. Her mother, Stella, said: "We are absolutely delighted. "Katherine was the first child in Bury with Down's Syndrome
A-G (A*-C in brackets) M Ahmad 10 (10); D Alston 9 (9); P Barker 10 (9); S Bowden 9 (4); C Brock 9 (8); R Butler 10 (10); C Cains 10 (10); D Catterall 10 (10); G Corneille 10 (10); P Cullen 10 (8); B Cunliffe 10 (9); B Cusack 9 (9). A Dakin 9 (9); A Doherty
DIVISION A to C K Adamson 10; A Asamoah 10; S Bain 10; N Banati 10; L Barton 10; J Batchelor 10; R Bickerstaffe 10; J Booth 10; N Booth 9; Y Chan 10; A Cheetham 10; C Clare 10; P Cole 10; S Corbett 10; H Cornish 10; B Craine 9; C Cunningham 10; R Dallimore
A to G (A to C in brackets) B L Ainsworth 4; J A Atkinson 4; A Azam 6 (1); N J Baldwin 6; N D Ball 9; V C Barber 9 (4); S L Barlow 7; S Barrett 9 (6); B A Bebbington 8 (1); K Bennett 9 (7); C S Bent 4; A A Berney 9 (4); V A Bertham 1; D T Bessell 9 (1
Figures show GCSE passesgrades - A*-G with A*-C in brackets K Ackers 10(8), G Andrews 10(9), K Ashton 10(8), D Baguette 8(3), C Barlow 11(10), V Bennett 11(10); D Beswick 9(4), V Blackburn 9, M Bladen 11(10), S Blinkhorn 10(9), I Bobmanuel 10(9), M Bowker
OUR man Colin Lyne is set to become a pin-up -- alongside Sean Connery, David and Victoria Beckham, Marilyn Monroe and Hannibal Lecter! The Bolton Evening News photographer, who has been pursuing a second career as a spitting image of England manager
I WOULD like to say a huge thank you to the Good Samaritan who helped me when I fell over behind Quality Save in Chorley town centre. There was no one around and a kind gentleman offered to let me sit in his car until a relative came and collected me.
AS you know from the TV ads, the new (sometimes very expensive) directory enquiry systems has come into play. Also new telephone directories are being distributed but the new scheme of things leaves a lot to be desired. I live in the village of Gregson
PUPILS will not be able to start at Bolton's first privately-financed school when the new term begins. The new Castle Hill School building in Tonge Moor is scheduled to open three weeks into the new school year on September 29, even though it was originally
RESIDENTS living in a block of flats in Bolton could have their service charges increased by 166 per cent. They are being told they will have to fork out an extra £446.14 a year when the charge soars from the current £269.36 to £715.52. The rise would
ONE million bulbs of every colour flickered into life in a dress rehearsal for Friday night's spectacular Blackpool Illuminations switch-on. Chart-topping boy band Blue will join Atomic Kitten, Liberty X, Louise Redknapp and former Bee Gee Robin Gibb
THUGS, not language problems are responsible for attacks on cabbies claim drivers' leaders. Under new proposals, drivers applying for licences will have to prove they can communicate "adequately" in English amid fears that language problems are contributing
DOCTORS in Bolton are to be issued with new guidance about meningitis following an investigation into the death of a three-year-old girl. Morgan Leyland died from meningococcal septicaemia last November just 10 hours after an emergency doctor told her
DELIGHT and despair was in the air for the borough's teenagers yesterday (Thurs Aug 21). It was GCSE results day, a day they have spent the past five years working towards. Phil Grady, the headteacher of Bury CE High School, said: "I am very pleased with
TYPICAL North-west holidaymakers will spend £247 above their budgets, according to new research. But the survey by First Direct suggests that they are far from alone in their overspending. Overall, more than 11 million British holidaymakers are likely
FOUR punters from a Bolton pub are laughing all the way to the bank after a bet on a horse named after Peter Kay's comedy Phoenix Nights won them almost £2,000. Landlord Gary Charlton and three regulars at the Lord Clyde Pub in Folds Road could not resist
PETER Kay was the inspiration for one of the best floats at this year's Adlington Carnival. A group from the village raised much laughter when they recreated the Bolton comic's Phoenix Nights show, complete with a wheelchair-bound Brian Potter supping
THERE was no chance of lollipop lady Dorothy Kenworthy being starstruck when she met Big Brother celebrity Jade Goody at an awards ceremony. Millions of viewers may have been entertained by Jade's antics in the televised house last year, but Mrs Kenworthy
