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We asked: Will tougher tests and extra lessons for youngsters cut the number of traffic accidents? And the vote was: Yes: 48.5pc. No: 51.5pc.

What really gets my goat is when people complain about politics or politicians then tell me they do not vote. I know it is has been said many times before but it is worth saying again, many people died to preserve our democracy and right to vote. It

Many congratulations to Cllr Noel Spencer who was awarded an MBE in the Queens New Years honours list for services to Housing. Noel's contibution to Social Housing in Bolton can not be under estimated and his leadership of Bolton at Home as it's Chairman

Our friendly Reader Travel staff are busy organising a wide variety of top class concerts for you to choose from. Kylie, right, in Manchester, the Scissor Sisters (sold out in the UK) in Paris are just two of our sensational offers. Check them out HERE

So the big question of the day is will Ruth Kelly MP for Bolton West stand again for Bolton West of do a bunk across to Bolton South East? Ms Kelly has a tough job trying to juggle her duties as a government Minister and the needs of Bolton West but

A BOLTON primary school whose children communicate in 19 different languages has been praised for giving the rest of the country a lesson in multiculturalism. The government's Oftsed education watchdog has named it as one of the five most improved schools

A PERVERT who sexually assaulted an eight-year-old girl over an 18-month period has been jailed for three years. Lee Woodend, aged 32, of Union Road, Tonge Moor, was found guilty of five counts of sexual assault by causing a child to engage in sexual

A WESTHOUGHTON hydraulics manufacturer has won a slice of a 20-year, £6.7 billion civil helicopter project. Bosses of APPH Group, based on the Wingates Industrial Estate, says the company has signed a contract with Eurocopter France to design, certify

WHEN Sheila Tonge's husband died from motor neurone disease after being ill for three-and-a-half years she discovered first-hand the gaps in Bolton's healthcare for the terminally ill. And those experiences prompted her to get involved with the campaign

PENSIONERS are fighting Bolton Council plans to introduce parking charges in the borough's parks. Members of the Moss Bank Park Veterans Club say proposals to charge motorists £1 per visit could cost them hundreds of pounds a year. The pay-to-park scheme

A FURTHER seven post offices could be axed in Bolton, under government cuts, the town's Conservative party has predicted. The Tories say they expect the closures over the next two years, following an announcement by the government last month that it

ANIMAL shelters are getting ready for a sudden increase in the number of dumped pets. Bolton Destitute Animal Shelter has already taken in two abandoned animals since Christmas. They are a 12-week-old kitten and a cross terrier dog, Billy. The kitten

VISITORS to Moses Gate Country Park exercised away the excess of the festive season on a mystery walk organised by park rangers. A group of 30 walkers blew away the cobwebs yesterday afternoon during a bracing five-mile walk around the park. Ranger

Bolton Braves American Football Club is holding an Open Tryout day on Saturday, January 13, at 12.30pm at Hayward Leisure Centre, Great Lever. The session is open to boys and girls aged seven to 16 who are interested in trying out this exciting and

RAIL enthusiasts' hopes that the Bolton to Bury railway line will be reopened have been hit by further plans to build on the former track bed. The last train between the two towns ran in October, 1970, and the track was removed soon afterwards, but the

Wanderers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen's verbal attack on criticism from Liverpool boss Rafa Beniteze Jussi blasts back at Benitez slur yesterday has sparked fierce debate on this website. Read the comments here and add yours as well!

VANDALS have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to a health centre. They threw rocks at Little Lever Health Centre in Mytham Road smashing 10 double-glazed windows and a set of automated doors. The repair bill could cost up to £7,000. The centre

Workers at a Bolton company put their best foot forward for The Bolton News Garden of Tranquility appeal. Staff from L Batley Pet Products took part in the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge and raised a massive £5,773, which has been divided between our

EMERGENCY health services in Bolton have had their busiest Christmas on record. More than 1,100 people arrived at Accident and Emergency over the Christmas weekend - almost 100 more then 2005. Across Greater Manchester as a whole, crews of paramedics

WESTHOUGHTON Rotary Club's Christmas float raised a record £4,754.68. Treasurer John Moutrie had the task of counting the coins, and found there were 19,805 - more than Westhoughton's population of 19,015. The collection comfortably beat last year's

Poor diet and exercise levels in Manchester are placing huge demands on the NHS with high levels of serious illness, researchers have warned. The city is named in the top 10 of areas where high levels of severely unhealthy lifestyles are likely to lead

Accidental house fires in Greater Manchester over Christmas dropped to their lowest number in eight years. Between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day there were 70 accidental fires in homes, a 39 per cent fall over eight years and 10 per cent reduction

AN inquest into the deaths of six men in a helicopter crash at Morecambe Bay has been opened and adjourned. The bodies of the two crew and four passengers were recovered from the water after the aircraft pitched into the Irish Sea on December 27 as it

A TEENAGER was stabbed in the leg when he was attacked by a gang. The 16-year-old boy was walking along Heywood Road in Whitefield with two friends when he was confronted by a group of youths at around 9.30pm. The three boys ran off along St Mary's

THE research which shows that women who keep their homes clean and tidy are less likely to develop breast cancer reveals an obvious truth. Regular moderate exercise, combined with a healthy diet, is the best way to keep bodies in decent working order

IT'S only when you read about individual RSPCA volunteers like Lindsay Atherton that you realise the scale of animal cruelty. Lindsay, from Farnworth, looks after hundreds of rabbits each year after owners have abandoned them, or worse. She is one of

THE extra Government cash for Bolton to help fight anti-social behaviour problems is very welcome. But I'm sure it worried many people across the borough that the words "deprived areas" was the qualification for action. As a quick glance at comments

JUST as our livers are starting to recover from the annual seasonal hammering, it's worth pondering on a fascinating report of genuine alcoholic excess. Groups of revellers in Manchester are apparently blowing as much as £50,000 on a night out, with

CLLR Kevan Helsby's plea for more bus shelters in Horwich will be echoed by many residents. He is contacting Bolton Council to press for more of them to encourage people to use public transport without having to wait in the rain. Unfortunately, we also

IT'S tough being a parent in 2007 when you are made to feel responsible for all the problems in society. Parents are flung, usually quite voluntarily, into caring for this other human and being responsible for his or her welfare for at least the next

IF trying out a new hobby is one of your New Year's resolutions, why not get yourself to activ8 at Bolton Octagon? Whatever your age there's plenty to get involved with at the theatre and no previous experience is necessary. For youngsters aged

JUST a personal plea, but can we see more of Dawn French this year? The Vicar of Dibley festive programmes were so entertaining, and it was great to see her as awful Vicky Pollard's mum in the Little Britain Abroad special. She is clever and funny and

HAVING originally come from Liverpool, I now, after many years, consider myself to be an adopted Boltonian. However, I have always had difficulty finding an affinity with the popular local dialect poetry. But this does not mean to say that I cannot

I WOULD like to say a very big thank you to the honest person who found my handbag and gave it to the assistant in BHS. I was surprised and relieved to have it returned to me. Thanks also to the assistant and security guard for their help and concern

THE Rotary Club of Walkden would like to thank the local community for its generosity over the Christmas period. Local school choirs brought the traditional Christmas to Walkden's Ellesmere Centre and carol singing was of the usual high standard, bringing

YOUR reporter Joanne Rowe obviously lives in the cosseted world of the privately mobile, otherwise she could not have written an article (December 27, page 2) about the lack of customers at the Boxing Day sales without mentioning the role played by the

CONGRATULATIONS to Holcombe Hunt for not killing a single fox since the ban two years ago. You have proved the law is working. You have also proved you can enjoy your country pursuit without the cruelty. The horses and riders looked lovely in the photograph

THE 80-year-old pedestrian hit by a car on December 23 was the second, much younger, pedestrian to be hit by a car in about seven days in Church Street, Westhoughton. The second one was in the lower part of the street, the first near Central Drive.

CLLR Hornby doesn't agree with the Forestry Commission's decision to force Blackthorn Homes to replant the 500 trees they cut down in Darcy Lever railway cutting five years ago (The Bolton News, December 28). He says it's "ridiculous to plant trees if

ANIMAL experts say dog owners need to take more responsibility for their pets after a pit bull terrier-style dog killed a five-year-old girl. The RSPCA in Bolton says owners need to ensure their pets are properly looked after and trained in a bid to

A plan to demolish the Grade II-listed Church Inn on Bury New Road, Whitefield, has been put on hold. Heritage officials have been given extra time by Bury Council to consider new information submitted by the developer seeking to raze the building to

THOSE who say people of different cultural backgrounds cannot prosper together could learn a lesson or two from one Bolton school. Brandwood Primary School boasts pupils whose families originate from 19 different countries. They come from across the

AN open day is being held to introduce Muslim parents to the scouting movement. Bolton Thinkers Forum are holding a Muslim scouts and cub open day on Saturday at Sunninghill School on Derby Street, Bolton. There are nine million Muslim scouts world-wide

BURY have turned down an offer of £25,000 from Barnsley for midfielder Dwayne Mattis. The Yorkshire club made the small bid in the hope that Bury might jump at the first offer for a key player who is out of contract in the summer. Bury are still to

Leigh RMI 2 Workington Reds 0: LEIGH'S remarkable run continued with their fifth successive Conference North victory and their second over the Cumbrian outfit in a week. The Railwaymen grabbed a 1-0 win on Boxing Day against promotion-chasing Workington

JUSSI Jaaskelainen is hoping history can repeat itself when the FA Cup Final returns to Wembley this year. The in-form goalkeeper is not only confident Wanderers have what it takes to lift the coveted trophy, but he believes they also have tradition

BOLTON Wanderers are willing to push the boat out to persuade Tal Ben Haim to stay at the Reebok. The Israel international, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has repeatedly been tipped for a move - possibly before the end of the month

VANDALS killed a pigeon during a wrecking spree at a school. They broke into Ladybridge High School, in Deane, forcing locks on two shed doors and smashing a ground floor window in the main building. They killed a pigeon in the first shed before destroying

Australia finished another rain-affected day trailing by just 103 runs on 188 for four after England lost six wickets for 45 as they were dismissed for a lowly 291. Comment by Myles Hodgson of the Press Association: England's bid to avoid an Ashes