Archive

  • Gruffalo fun is coming to parks

    PARENTS looking for activities for younger children in the school summer holidays are invited to take a stroll in the park this month. The Bolton Literacy Trust has set up a series of free fun events at four different parks, all with themes linked to

  • The wit and wisdom to be carved in stone

    WIT and wisdom from people young, old and even from beyond the grave is to be immortalised in the pavement of Churchgate after its renovation. Boltonians were invited to nominate sayings, catchphrases or even write poems themselves to be carved into

  • Westhoughton doesn’t need more homes

    BOLTON Council recently said Westhoughton needs more houses which I disagree with. What is there in Westhoughton to attract people to live here? It is no longer a major employer, a poor shopping centre, the streets are full of holes, pavements are

  • Hip, hip, hooray for our health service

    I recently had the misfortune to break my hip in an accident abroad. Through my excellent insurance, I was airlifted back to the Royal Bolton Hospital where I had the best treatment. Thanks to the consultants, surgeons and staff. And thanks to our

  • Engineers to blame for congestion

    IT is a self-evident truth that Bolton's highway engineers have long been a contributory factor in traffic congestion, and, irritatingly, elected members are implicated in this. For example: 1. At the junction of Market Street and King Street in Westhoughton

  • Disgusting state of our park toilets

    YESTERDAY I went to Moss Bank Park with my daughter and two grandchildren. I was totally disgusted with the state of the toilets. I was wondering when the Health Inspector did any inspecting. I don't think they are any different now than they were

  • Passion is thriving in my garden

    I WAS surprised when I read your feature on passion fruits on July 24. I have had passion flowers in my garden for many years, and have always had fruit on them. I just considered it to be normal. I never knew it was rare to get fruits on the plants

  • Simple truth behind mini A & E clinic

    I AM intrigued by the suggestion put forward by R Swindells (Letters, July 29) that the establishment of a mini A & E clinic is all part of a Machiavellian plot to fiddle the performance statistics. Devious, but clever, if true. Sadly, the real explanation

  • Four months for thug who broke dog’s jaw

    THE owner of a dog smashed in the face by a thug with a cricket bat have hit out at the four- month jail term imposed on him. The three-year-old Lurcher, had his jaw rebuilt by a vet following the attack on July 20. Christopher Jackson, aged 23, of

  • Polish trio sign for Whites

    THREE young Polish players have taken a major step towards joining the Reebok big time after graduating through the academy ranks. Defenders Jaroslaw Fojut and Blazej Augustyn, and goalkeeper Prezemyslaw Kazimierczak all 18 have signed their first professional

  • New drive launched to curb mini-moto menace

    A new crackdown on yobs who cause misery to communities by illegally riding "mini-moto" scooters was launched today. The Home Office has issued a guide to owners of the motorised bikes setting out how to use them within the law. Reckless riders of mini-motos

  • Italian defender flies in

    ITALIAN defender, Lorenzo Stovini, claims to be on the verge of signing for Wanderers. The 29-year-old centre-back, who left relegated Lecce when his contract expired at the end of last season, flew in last night on a fact-finding mission before committing

  • Lost and found . . .

    A WALLET or a set of keys perhaps . . . but when a bowling ball, fishing rod and a set of crutches turned up at a lost property office in Bolton, staff were left scratching their heads. The bizarre finds are among a list of items found minus their owners

  • Widow, 79, tells of rape ordeal

    A 79-YEAR-OLD woman told a court how she was raped in her home by a man she considered to be her friend. The widow, giving her evidence to the court by video link, told how Thomas Rostron, aged 62, who was known to her as Tom, forced himself upon her

  • Motorbike withdrawn from use by the police

    POLICE chiefs have withdrawn a model of motorbike from service after the death of an officer during training exercise in Bolton. PC Allan Shaw, aged 33, died last month after his Honda ST1300 motorbike struck a stationary lorry in Crompton Way, Astley

  • Woman jailed for killing partner in row over baby

    A WOMAN who stabbed her partner to death with a decorating knife following a row has been jailed for five and a half years. Ann Waters killed 27-year-old Mark Kenyon just two days after learning that her baby, which she had waited more than 20 years

  • World a little clearer to children of Chernobyl

    CHILDREN from Chernobyl who are visiting Bolton for a month have been given free glasses and dental treatments. The 13 youngsters, aged between eight and 15, had their eyes tested at Specsavers in Salford on Monday, and four children with blurry vision

  • Health services hit by failure of computer systems

    HEALTH staff in Bolton have been wrestling with a widespread computer system failure. It has affected the Royal Bolton Hospital and staff at Bolton Primary Care Trust (PCT) as well as up to 80 other NHS trusts across the country. The hospital's Operating

  • Cemetery attack: Four girls arrested

    FOUR teenage girls have been arrested in connection with an attack on a girl in a cemetery. Aften Dean, aged 15, was kicked unconscious and left with footprints on her head when she was beaten up as she walked home by a gang who wanted to take her hat

  • Architects part of £250 million build

    ARCHITECTS and building services consultants Bradshaw Gass and Hope, based on Silverwell Street, Bolton, is part of a consortium that is on course to land the contract for a £250 million schools-building project in Lancashire. The Catalyst Education Consortium

  • Remploy gets a cash lifeline

    EIGHTY workers at the closure threatened Bolton Remploy factory have been thrown a lifeline after the Government announced extra financial help for the troubled national company. Anne McGuire, Minister for Disabled People made the announcement following

  • Apprentice Alex wins top student honour

    AN apprentice fitter from PSL Tool and Plant Hire on Bridgeman Street in Bolton has been named Apprentice of the Year 2006. Alex Calcutt, aged 22, from Harwood, is studying Plant Mechanics at Myerscough College near Preston, and received the award from

  • Bird lovers swoop on country park

    BIRDS of prey including owls, kestrels, hawks and buzzards landed in Bolton yesterday. The special visit to Seven Acres Country Park was organised by the Bolton branch of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and the Turbary Wood Birds of Prey Sanctuary, near

  • Yeats can land the Cup

    Kieren Fallon's absence should not put off those wishing to invest in Yeats to claim the ABN Amro Goodwood Cup tomorrow. The six-times champion jockey being banned from riding in Britain is obviously a major blow for Ballydoyle, but it is not likely

  • Helicopter to beat rail yobs

    POLICE have taken to the skies to trap vandals on the railways. Officers will use helicopters to spot youngsters pelting commuter trains with stones and bricks or placing objects in their path. They will relay details to colleagues on the ground who

  • Freedom hang on to seal place in Shield final

    FREEDOM Ladies made it through to the final of the Pike Shield after beating Tonge Moor CC by just seven runs. Leading by a commanding 53 runs at the interval, they almost gave the game away in the second innings when Tonge Moor belied their lowly league

  • Staff in crisis talks over £8m cuts at hospital

    STAFF at the Royal Bolton Hospital are to hold an emergency to discuss management plans to make £8 million worth of cuts. Representatives from staff groups across the hospital will meet today to discuss the savings plans, announced by management last

  • Hazel set for Indian cycle trek

    A HAIRDRESSER is swapping her scissors for a bike as she prepares to cycle across India. Hazel Bullough will cycle almost 265 miles in 10 days in a bid to raise money for Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Trust's Women for Women appeal to fund

  • Police uncover cache of stolen jewellery

    A TREASURE trove of stolen jewellery has been discovered by detectives in Bolton. Burglary unit police made the discovery while carrying out a search warrant at the address of a suspected burglar in Breightmet on Sunday afternoon. Now they are appealing

  • Twiggy’s short memory

    NO-ONE who actually remembers Twiggy as the original Sixties' model could imagine that she was worldly enough to orchestrate her own soaring career. Yet, she is currently denying that her manager and then-boyfriend Justin de Villeneuve did, saying "He

  • New scheme is latest Post Office fiasco

    THE "Pricing in proportion" fiasco that the Post Office is introducing is obviously another step towards privatisation of some parts of the postal service. It wouldn't be so bad had the service not been so awful anyway, but we have to cope with missing

  • Man headbutted his partner in row

    A DRUNKEN man headbutted his partner during a violent row, a court heard. Jan Baig also spat in the face of Kelly Brownhill before walking out of the room and returning with a claw hammer and kitchen knives. Baig, of Dalebank, Victoria Gardens, Atherton

  • ‘If only school wouldn’t end’

    WHILE most youngsters enjoy the long summer break, a group of bright pupils did not want to school to finish. Fifty-three children from years five and six joined talented pupils at a first-of-its kind summer school at SS Osmunds and Andrew's RC Primary

  • Fulham tickets to go on sale

    TICKETS for Wanderers first away game of the new Premiership season at Fulham on Wednesday, August 23, go on sale next week. Season ticket holders will have priority from Tuesday until Tuesday, August 15, when holders of Lifeline or club memberships

  • Man dies under mill machinery

    A MAN has died after becoming trapped under a piece of machinery. The 36-year-old man was working at Paradise Mill, John Street, in Bury at 11.30am on Tuesday when he was fatally injured. A joint investigation has been launched by the Greater Manchester

  • Increase in complaints to council watchdog

    THE number of complaints about Bolton Council which were referred to the local government watchdog increased by 20 per cent last year, new figures show. Statistics released by the office of Anne Seex, the Local Government Ombudsman, show members of the

  • Keep on right side of track, says Amir

    BOLTON boxing hero Amir Khan is backing a scheme urging young people to get active in the summer holidays but to keep away from railway lines. The 19-year-old Olympic silver medallist paid a visit to Hopwood College in Rochdale yesterday as part of

  • Talented amateurs

    DID you see the new BBC TV reality programme How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? It shows Andrew Lloyd Webber's search for a new star for his £4 million West End production of The Sound of Music, and it's very revealing about the talent actually out

  • Corrie is on song

    THOSE Coronation Street script-writers don't miss a trick, do they? Young Chesney was telling Sophie Webster not to bother his Uncle Les (Battersby) because he was waiting for the Jeremy Kyle Show to start on daytime TV. "Uncle Les doesn't believe

  • Doctor deserves accolade

    KEARSLEY GP Tony Wall has been given a magazine award after being nominated by a grateful patient. Margaret Clegg felt that the 49 year-old father-of-four always spent time with patients and really listened. "You can take as long as you need," she said

  • Egg invention

    FOOD scientists have developed an invisible ink logo which appears in black on eggshells to let you know when an egg is boiled. Soft, medium or hard-boiled eggs can be produced by the same ingenious method. That's very welcome so why can't they invent

  • Turn hoses on yobs

    IT is unacceptable that firemen are coming under attack and at risk of physical injury when they turn out to tackle a blaze. If we can't get enough of the offenders punished to deter the rest, why can't our firemen be allowed to turn the hoses on the

  • Big Sam’s got it just right

    THANK you, Sam Allardyce for words of wisdom on the modern couch potato syndrome. Health experts may produce reports, figures and scary predictions, but it takes a respected sporting figure to point out the truth we are a lazy nation breeding idle children

  • Hospital superbug action plan

    AN action plan has been launched at the Royal Bolton Hospital to beat the MRSA superbug. High-risk patients will be tested more quickly to see if they have the bug. And a daily report on MRSA outbreaks within the hospital will be given to every ward

  • Immortal words

    FRED Dibnah's classic phrase "Did you like that?" is etched on the memory of those who watched his wonderful TV programmes. Now that famous saying will be immortalised forever by being carved in stone on Churchgate's newly revamped pedestrian area.

  • Much-needed eye in the sky

    IT may seem somewhat over the top for police to take to the skies in an attempt to identify youngsters who are causing problems on the railways. But Bolton has been identified as a hot spot for vandalism on the railways, and, if the perpetrators are

  • Macca in for a tough time

    OH-oh! Trouble is on the horizon for Sir Paul McCartney from the wife he always insisted was not a gold-digger. Now Macca and Heather Mills are getting divorced and she has turned down a "quickie" £30 million settlement, it looks like she's going to

  • Revealed: Where the Bolton hoaxers call from

    THE phone boxes most used by serial fire hoax callers are revealed today. We are identifying them as part of the Bolton Evening News Shop-a-Hoaxer campaign. Dozens of bogus calls have been made from the three kiosks dubbed "hot boxes" by firefighters

  • It's going to be a lot tougher - boss

    PHIL Power believes FC United will have to fight for the right to play football. The breakaway club romped to promotion in their inaugural season last year - winning the North West Counties Division Two by eight points. But the Gigg Lane outfit's success

  • Do you know this hoax caller?

    OUR joint campaign with Greater Manchester fire service to track down the time-wasters who make dangerous hoax calls continues today with a third tape. Click HERE to listen to the latest tape, a man claiming there is a kitchen fire at a house in Hall

  • Corrie’s Craig to be star guest at carnival

    SOAP star Richard Fleeshman will be a star guest at the Adlington and District carnival later this month. The teen heartthrob, who is better known as Craig Harris in Coronation Street, will be crowning the carnival queens on Saturday, August 12. The

  • Boro looking good in warm-up

    RADCLIFFE BORO 2, STALYBRIDGE CELTIC 0: Promotion and relegation issues are not settled in pre-season, but Boro certainly look like they are in good shape for chasing the former, and not dodging the latter, after this clash with Stalybridge Celtic.

  • Sandbeck 'distraught' at sudden retirement

    Mike Sandbeck, an early summer signing of Tony Hand for the Manchester Phoenix, has reluctantly announced his immediate retirement from hockey for personal reasons at home in Canada. Coach Tony Hand said: "I've spoken at length with Mike and he is truly