Okay, I'm a bit tired after today's eleven-hour spell at work, so let's see what I can squeeze out tonight... Well, after piling on at least half a stone over the festive period (and feeling decidedly miserable for it), you'd think I would know better
A replica white and blue Bolton Wanderers number 10 shirt signed by the club's former star Jay Jay Okocha has been stolen. Police in Trafford are appealing for help in tracing the shirt stolen from a house in Altrincham. An unknown burglar approached
A THIRD ward has been closed at the Royal Bolton Hospital following an outbreak of a winter virus. Last week, two wards and a smaller unit were closed because of a similar illness after eight patients and four members of staff on a cardiology ward
A pedestrian in his 80s was seriously injured after being in collision with a car in Leigh at lunchtime today. The incident occurred near the B&Q store on Kirkhall Lane. The injured man, who lives locally, was taken to hospital and treated for injuries
Conmen posing as utilities officials tried to trick their way into a string of homes, police have warned. Two men, claiming to be gas or water board engineers, called at homes on, and in the area of, Wigan Road, Leigh on Monday afternoon. Although the
A SERIAL thief has been jailed for six months. Bolton magistrates heard that Stephen Galloway was armed with a lock knife when he stole tins of chocolates from Morrisons, on Mornington Road, Bolton, on November 29, 2006. He hid the goods, worth £15.98
WANDERERS Under-18s are enjoying the Premiership treatment in the build-up to tonight's FA Youth Cup tie at Sunderland. The current crop of youngsters, rated one of the best the Academy has ever produced, travelled to the North-east yesterday and will
IT WAS a case of keeping your hat on for pensioners taking part in a photo shoot for a calendar. Residents of Alexander Briant Court in Farnworth have posed in a variety of comedy poses for a charity calendar to raise cash for the Alzheimer's Society
KNIFE-wielding robbers escaped with hundreds of pounds from a cash and carry. Four masked men burst into Country Basket wholesalers on Chaddock Lane, Astley, at 6pm on Monday evening and threatened staff while demanding money. At least one of the men
PATCH, the unwanted Jack Russell terrier, has packed his suitcase and is leaving Bolton Destitute Animal Shelter for a new home after being the festive "face" of the charity's Christmas appeal. The four-year-old dog will start 2007 in a house "with a
A Bolton News freelance photographer has been crowned a world champion in his field. Maurice Jones, of Ladybridge, is a member of the Wigan 10 Foto Club, which clinched the first World Club Photographic Championship. A panel of judges from the International
GROUND-BREAKING research at the Royal Bolton Hospital has been shortlisted for a national award. Eye surgeon Dr Simon Kelly and his team have worked with Dr Richard Evans from the University of Manchester on research which shows that the link between
Police have issued a fresh photograph of four men caught on camera in a bar in Bolton on the night a man was found with serious head injuries close by. The 32-year-old man became split up from his friends while on a works night out. He was found with
A LEADING Bolton councillor has criticised calls by the Local Government Association for tougher measures to be introduced so householders recycle more. The association wants people to be charged for the amount of rubbish they put in bins for non-recycleable
BOGUS workmen stole cash from a wheelchair-bound pensioner after one of them kept her talking while his accomplice crept in through a back door. The pair struck at the 61-year-old woman's home in Westhoughton on Monday afternoon, posing as engineers
A DRUNKEN woman racially abused an Asian taxi driver as tried to drive her to Breightmet, a court was told. Bolton magistrates heard that Tara Griffiths, who was carrying a bottle of cider, got into the front passenger seat of his car when he collected
THE Vicar of Bolton says he is prepared to bless gay "marriage" at the Parish Church - even though it is against Church of England policy. Canon Michael Williams spoke out yesterday as a torchlit protest was being organised in London by Christian groups
Henrik Pedersen, who has missed two games with a calf injury, is out of the reckoning for the City game but is confident of being fit for Wanderers' trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday week.
A BOLTON man battling against cuts in money for canal and river maintenance takes his fight to the House of Commons next week. John Fletcher, aged 62, of Smithills, is national chairman of the Inland Waterways Association, which campaigns to preserve
CALL centres in parts of the UK are booming because of increased dissatisfaction with services offered in foreign offices. Recruitment firm Office Angels found that 160 companies have call centres in the Glasgow area, employing 20,000 people, with more
SEDDON Developments has announced plans to develop more than 50,000 square feet of office space at Birchwood One, a three-acre site between the M62 and the M6. The Farnworth construction firm acquired the site from Prudential and construction is due
KEVIN Davies is on course for his first double-figure Premiership goal haul since he joined Wanderers. The Whites' striker, who expects to sign a new three and a half-year contract before Saturday's Reebok clash with Manchester City, still only has four
ROGUE employers who refuse to pay the National Minimum Wage face a £200 fine for every worker involved. The fresh crackdown follows evidence that thousands of workers were underpaid last year as firms flouted minimum wage regulations. Employers who
BRITAIN'S long-hours culture has killed lunch breaks, with almost nine out of 10 workers never having a full hour away from their desk. Office culture and fear of their boss are blamed by employees who are tied to their computer terminals for most of
A COLD snap and early Christmas clearances meant sales over the festive period were better than expected in Bolton town centre. But despite the late surge in festive spending, there was still some disappointment among retail chiefs, according to the
LABOUR party members in Bolton South-east have issued their strongest condemnation to date over rumours that Ruth Kelly could switch to their constituency. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has been strongly linked with a move
COUNCIL-owned homes in Bolton are to be given a £25 million makeover. The cash boost was announced yesterday by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly. It will be used by Bolton
SOARING house prices have opened up a North-South divide when it comes to home ownership, with people in Lancashire among those coming off best, a new report says. Research from the online mortgage firm mform.co.uk found that Lancashire and Yorkshire
THE founder of Bolton Indian Cricket Club has died. Derek Patel, aged 58, died in his sleep at home and relatives believe that Mr Patel - whose real name was Dhirajlal - may have suffered a heart attack. The Kenyan-born family man lived in Deane Road
A MAN has been interviewed by detectives investigating an arson attack which forced terrified pensioners to flee an nursing home. The 29-year-old remains in hospital with serious burns following the blaze at the Shannon Court in Radcliffe Road, The Haulgh
A ROW has erupted over plans to transform a town centre by introducing 30 flowering hanging baskets. Furious town councillors in Horwich say they are against the proposals because they fear the baskets would cost too much to water and maintain. But
THE accident and emergency department of the Royal Bolton Hospital had the busiest New Year on record. Ambulance services were also put under pressure as emergency cases shot up during the weekend of New Year festivities. Figures show 1,269 patients
Hindley Junior and Infant School, Argyle Street, is holding an open evening to celebrate the school's centenary. Former pupils, parents, friends and staff are invited along at 3.30pm and 5pm or 6pm and 7.30pm on Thursday, January 25, to meet old
More than 28,000 runners will be taking part in the BUPA Great Manchester Run in May - and there are still places available. North West children's charity MedEquip4Kids has limited guaranteed places for the six-mile event on Sunday, May 20, for runners
TONY Blair has appeared alongside Ruth Kelly in a public show of support for his under-fire Cabinet minister. The pair appeared before cameras in Downing Street a day after she faced criticism from some Labour MPs for sending her son to a private school
IT'S a great shame that there are demands to have a Breightmet phone-box removed because of hoax fire calls made from it. This action penalises innocent people - especially the elderly - but is entirely understandable because of the number of calls made
IT has been heartbreaking to see Bolton Market Hall becoming increasingly deserted as the stalls shut-up shop for good. The shutters are going down on all those small businesses for the final time this week. Some have traded there since early last century
PITY our poor actors and actresses these days. It's not enough that they can act convincingly and entice us to watch our favourite soaps and dramas in our millions. Now, they have to be able to sing, dance and do tricks as well! Soapstar Superstar is
THE suggestion to site a skatepark for youngsters on land in Queens Park sounds like a good one. Jerry Glover, from the Bolton Lads and Girls Club, has apparently offered to help but not interfere, which is typically sensible of this club leader. This
ALL right - so Bolton MP Ruth Kelly has left herself open to allegations of hypocrisy about sending her son to a private school. The Communities Secretary and former Education Minister was bound to cause a furore with her decision to opt out of her local
DO pantomimes need to change their plots and live in the 21st century? Mark Pemberton, the National Operatic and Dramatic Association's chief executive, has said he thinks theatre producers should look at fresh ideas, like a Big Brother panto. He says
FAMILY-owned Churchgate business Booth's Music is celebrating 175 years of trading and deserves the town's congratulations. It has not only moved with the times - now doing half its business online and exporting around the world - but is still helping
CONGRATULATIONS to Bolton businessman John Blackburn for using one of today's most well-used communications trends sensibly. Texting has become massively popular, and getting youngsters to use an ordinary computer QWERTY keyboard is proving an uphill
IT is good news that members of a prostitution think-tank are to visit Middlesbrough to see how that town enforces a virtual zero-tolerance on vice and which has cut crime. Prostitution in Bolton is managed in the Shiffnall Street red light area but
THE shortage of housing in this town is well documented and it does not help that council-owned properties have been allowed to fall into disrepair. Sometimes this is due to a lack of funding for repairs, but often anti-social behaviour is equally to
The damage has now been done but I'd just like to state that the Market Hall was the one thing that made Bolton shine amongst many of the UK's other faceless, soulless modern towns. Want chain stores? - go to the Trafford Centre and get free parking
HOORAY! At last it appears the government are taking another look into the way young people are taught to drive. While the present test is more demanding than ever before, quite clearly it is not doing enough to inculcate a sense of responsibility and
MY associates and I are delighted to read that attention is being paid to the skateboarding community within Bolton. In fact, I was especially pleased to read that the "young people of Bolton" are responsible for organising a petition, which may improve
I SHOULD like to thank Mr Elster for his reply to my letter relating to the influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe. Government statistics disagree with him regarding the benefits of high levels of immigration. Let me clarify my point. The people who
Residents and staff were invited to attend a Christmas performance from the pupils and staff at Mount St Joseph School, Farnworth. We enjoyed a professional performance from the choir, guitarist, singers and dancers. Afterwards the residents were able
AS a free-market libertarian, I favour the free movement of goods, capital and people. I support the stance of Mr Elster (The Bolton News, January 6) in his view that immigrants can be of benefit to the economy, with one proviso. Unfettered immigration
Darts professional Peter 'One Dart' Manley is in Bury this Friday challenging locals to a 'Throw against the Pro' competition. Manley will be taking on punters at BETFRED, Haymarket Street, from 11am to 2 pm. Anyone able to beat
A TEENAGER has died after the motorcycle he was riding was involved in a collision with a car in Bury. Ryan Whalen, aged 17, from Rochdale, was riding a Suzuki SV660 when it was in collision with a Mercedes in Rochdale Old Road at 5.30pm on Sunday.
A BAND is looking to recruit new players who are very loud. And a love of Bolton Wanderers is another of the main requirements. The playing venue is a little unusual - it is the South Stand of the Reebok Stadium. Reebok Rhythm, the club's matchday
WORKERS over the age of 56 are less stressed then their younger colleagues, partly because they are looking forward to retirement, Research published today shows that workers' stress levels usually increase as they get older, but then fall when they
SKATEBOARDERS have collected hundreds of signatures on the streets of Bolton to boost their bid for a skatepark to be built in the town. Fans of the sport say they have been left with nowhere to go after the privately owned Bones skatepark in Gilnow
We asked: Is zero tolerance the answer to prostitution on the streets? And you voted: Yes: 52pc. No: 48pc.
SHOOTERS put their guns to good use by collecting money for the Garden of Tranquillity appeal. Members of the Rivington Air Rifle Club held two open nights to raise as much as possible to help transform the gardens at Bolton Hospice. Rifle competitions
Three of Wanderers most memorable FA Cup victories came in the early 90s, with thrilling giant-killing victories at Anfield, Goodison Park and Highbury. Now you can relive those magic moments with Chief Soccer Writer Gordon Sharrock's match reports from
We asked: Should a Labour Cabinet minister send their child to a private school? And you voted: Yes: 32pc. No: 68pc.
MEMBERS of a prostitution action group from Bolton are to go on a fact-finding mission to Middlesbrough to see how the town's zero tolerance approach to vice has helped to cut crime. Delegates from Bolton Council's newly-formed prostitution policy development
AN engineering works that was destroyed by fire is to be demolished. The building, in Tonge Moor Road, Bolton, housed offices and a workshop for Lace Control Systems and was gutted in a massive blaze last Thursday. Bolton Council building control officers
AN alleged sex attacker has denied molesting a young girl. Patrick Gregory, aged 67, of Allenby Street, Atherton, pleaded not guilty to two offences of sexually assaulting the 10-year-old girl between August 1, 2005, and March 31 last year. Gregory
TWO thieves burst in to a home of a 76-year-old woman and snatched her handbag. The pair walked into the house in Birch Avenue, Westhoughton, through an open front door at 4pm on Monday and grabbed the bag from a kitchen table. The woman was left shaken
