STAN Ternent has turned down Bury's offer to help current manager Chris Casper guide the club to safety. The Shakers board offered the former Gigg Lane boss a short-term deal to help the struggling side avoid relegation to the Conference - but Ternent
WITH a firm offer on the table, Stan Ternent is due to be watching from the stands to weigh up whether he wants to be a part of the Shakers' fight against relegation. The former Gigg Lane boss has been offered the chance to return to the club until the
THE Railwaymen will be looking to get their Conference North survival bid back on track when they travel to Farsley Celtic. Second-from-bottom Leigh are three points below the relegation zone and desperately need to halt a two-game losing streak on Saturday
RADCLIFFE Borough's battle against relegation from the UniBond Premier League might look like a lost cause, but manager Andy Johnston is refusing to allow his side to meekly close out the season. Title-chasing Witton Albion are the visitors to Stainton
FC UNITED will be looking to make history when they attempt to reach their first ever cup final. The breakaway club take on NWCL Division One rivals Congleton Town at Gigg Lane in the second leg of the League Challenge Cup semi-final on Saturday. The
MULTI-MILLION pound rail improvements could see extra trains running between Manchester and Bolton within four years. Campaigners want to improve the line between Blackburn and Bolton so that it could take double the number of trains travelling between
SPORTSWRITER Neil Bonnar believes the current crop of England players don't deserve to wear the lions - what do you think? The national team plays more like a bunch of poodles these days than dangerous, tenacious beasts. Steve McClaren isn't solely
Our Book of Condolence for cancer sufferer Gemma Feeney - the courageous 29-year-old who inspired hundreds of local people and celebrities to raise money for her fighting fund - is already attracting tributes. Please add your tribute in the Comment
YOUR heart bleeds for Premiership footballers sometimes. Manchester City are reportedly opening negotiations to double Micah Richards' contract - just one year into his current four-year deal. He obviously needs it because an 18-year-old cannot live
WANDERERS would be within their rights to moan about the unfair preparation ahead of their game against Everton on Easter Monday. David Moyes' side are Bolton's closest rivals for a UEFA Cup place and their Reebok clash could be crucial in who gets into
ARSENE Wenger and some Arsenal fans appear to have developed a degree of snobbery in recent times. They seem to think that the opposition should always try to play good football against them. Wenger has a tantrum on the sideline when teams waste time
STUDENT Chris Davies is preparing to scale the heights to raise cash for blind children. Chris, aged 19, of Southgrove Avenue, Sharples, is hoping to raise £1,600 for his 12-day trek up Mount Kenya in September. The trek is being organised by Vision
Plans have been lodged to transform a disused church into apartments with a car park built on the graveyard. Relatives of people buried at the Lee Lane United Reformed Church were furious when developers Tony Dixon and Diane Brooks told them to remove
A PERVERT from Kashmir has been jailed for a sex attack on a 16-year-old girl in a lift in Bolton. Mohammad Yasin, aged 37, pleaded guilty to indecent assault when he appeared at Bolton Magistrates Court. Glenn Anderton, prosecuting, told the court
A multi-million pound bidding war has broken out for La Tasca, the Bolton-based Spanish themed restaurant chain. After yesterday's announcement that the board of La Tasca had recommended an offer of 185p per share from the Tragus Group, owner of the
A YOUNG Bolton designer has dressed the cast of teenage TV drama Skins for a magazine photoshoot. Vanessa Edwards beat thousands of hopefuls to win an E4 competition for the fashion photoshoot in More magazine. The 19-year-old, of Cranbourne Close,
MEMBERS of two town councils are to be thrown out for poor attendance. Cllr John Ainscough, of Westhoughton Town Council, and Cllr Christine Cronnolley, of Horwich Town Council, have failed to attend meetings for more than six-months. Both are Liberal
Detectives are hunting a teenage girl who has repeatedly targeted a woman, stealing her mobile phone and attacking her, in three attacks since January. Detective Constable Nigel Rigby said: "These attacks are systematic and are very intimidating,
CAMPAIGNERS in Turton, Edgworth and Belmont have lost their battle to keep guaranteed places for their children at Turton High School. The children, who live within the borough of Blackburn with Darwen, have been guaranteed places at Turton High, which
WORSE-than-expected retail sales dragged down Woolworths' full-year profits by more than 60 per cent, the company has announced. The high street retailer posted underlying pre-tax profits of just £21.8 million for the 53 weeks to February 3, compared
Fresh evidence of the skills shortage hitting UK industry has been revealed in a new report that shows two out of five firms are struggling to recruit suitably qualified workers. A survey of 1,800 companies, conducted by employment firm Manpower, showed
Thousands of Lloyds TSB staff are to share a £252 million shares and bonus scheme payout, the finance giant has announced. The money includes £40 million in shares, giving employees three per cent of their salary, up to a total value of £3,000 each.
SMALL businesses' cash flow could be improved thanks to the extension of a VAT deferment scheme. The Cash Accounting Scheme allows eligible businesses to defer paying their VAT until they have received payment from their customers, rather than when they
home furnishings and clothing retailer Laura Ashley said strong gift and fashion sales has helped double its annual profits. The group posted a 100 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to £12.2 million for the year to January 27 - its highest level in 10
NEW homes for medical staff are to be created next to the Royal Bolton Hospital as part of a new housing development. Bolton Council is inviting tenders for a new development on the site of former sheltered flats for homeless families at Clare Court,
A MAN alleged to have sexually abused a six-year-old girl said he saw and spoke to her, but denied committing any assault. Steven Strong, aged 40, of Longcauseway, Farnworth, is alleged to have beckoned the child into the house where he had his flat
TOWN planners have asked for more information before considering an application to build more than 78 homes within Westhoughton's green belt. Miller Homes has asked Bolton Council for permission to build 78 properties on the former Greenvale Works factory
FREEMASONS have raised £300 for The Bolton News' Garden of Tranquillity appeal. Members of the Brookfield Lodge in Westhoughton were so moved by the campaign to raise £100,000 to transform the run-down gardens of Bolton Hospice they decided to donate
IS YOUR dog a born performer . . . or perhaps a drama queen? If so, you can enter your pet in an X Factor-style audition for a production of Annie. Children from Horwich Amateur Operatics and Dramatics Society have been left in the lurch after the dog
New safeguards drawn up in the wake of the Farepak Christmas club collapse will protect savers in future, the Government said yesterday. Christmas savings firms will ring-fence families' money so it is untouched if the companies go bust. Consumer Minister
THE achievements of an award-winning brass band could be recognised by its home town - and all who visit. The Wingates Band has been performing for more than 130 years, gaining a world-wide following and scooping a host of prestigious awards. Residents
YOUNGSTERS on a hospital children's ward had their playtime fun washed away after a burst water pipe destroyed thousands of pounds worth of toys. The pipe burst in the playroom at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury where all the ward's toys and play
A DANCE school is celebrating 20 years of stepping on to the stage with a show at Bolton's Albert Halls. The Dawn Dawson Academy of Dance and Stage will next week give three performances of its anniversary show, Celebrate! Youngsters, aged three-to-
A MUSIC school is celebrating 30 years of harmony. Pupils at Knightsbridge School of Music used to practise on invisible keyboards in their canteen. Over the past 30 years, the school in Plodder Lane, Farnworth, has expanded from organ tuition to teaching
WHEN Alma Wilson set up the Pilots youth group in Breightmet, it did not even have a proper church hall for meetings. Now, 50 years later, Mrs Wilson is calling on former members to help to celebrate the group's golden anniversary. Mrs Wilson, aged
YOUNGSTERS are to benefit from a project to develop creative communities in Bolton. The Young in Bolton Partnership Project will encourage young people from all communities to get involved with creative industries, including music, playwriting and acting
A BOLTON landlord, who has vowed to flout the smoking ban, has travelled to Scotland to support publicans who claim the legislation has destroyed their businesses. The first anniversary of the Scottish smoking ban has seen drink sales in pubs, clubs
A FAMILY seeking asylum in Bolton after fleeing their war-torn homeland have told how they were forced from their beds during a dawn raid by Home Office officials. The officials, accompanied by police, swooped on the Great Lever home of the Ndombasi
AN ESCAPED bird of prey has been spotted in the Deane area. Christine Bessell, aged 64, arrived home from shopping to find what she believed was a peregrine falcon resting on her back garden fence. Mrs Bessell said she was concerned for the health of
A NEW herd of elephants is expected in Newport Street this weekend. Workmen this week removed the tired grey elephants that have stood in the shopping precinct since the early 1980s. Bolton Council decided to replace the sculptures because of vandalism
Supermarket chain Morrisons is to start selling Halal chocolate bars in Bolton. The chain will also introduce the Ummah chocolate range at its stores elsewhere in the North-west, including Blackburn and Preston. With around two million Muslims living
THE Guide Dogs charity has launched an urgent appeal for puppy walkers. The organisation trains more than 1,000 puppies each year but needs more volunteers to take the animals into their homes for six to eight weeks, teaching them basic commands before
TAXI drivers have welcomed a move to allow garages to bid for the right to carry out the twice-yearly testing of cabs. For two-and-a-half years, hackney and private-hire drivers have been calling for Bolton Council to end its monopoly on the tests, which
THE OWNER of a building that is holding up a £40 million transformation of one of Bolton's busiest shopping areas is being ordered to sell the property. Since August, 1994, developer Gordon Moon Properties has made 13 unsuccessful bids to buy a building
AN exhibition of art produced by children aged between five and 18 takes place in Horwich this weekend. The exhibition comes as a result of workshops held by the Bolton Arts Community at its studios in Hampson Street in Horwich. An open evening will
A NEW scheme is promoting first-aid awareness for parents. Courses are at Bolton Toy Library every Tuesday for people with children under five. Library support worker Trisha White said: "Parents are taught the basic first-aid care covering injuries
THESE gorgeous guinea-pigs are half of a quad that are looking for new homes. The group of four, named Patch, Pippin, Geraldine and Jeremy, are baby guinea-pigs, with silky white, black and tan coats. If you can provide a home for them, please contact
A NURSING home will play host to a concert organised by the Music in Hospitals charity. Tomorrow, residents at Mill View Nursing Home, in Bridgeman Street, Bolton, will enjoy one of 4,000 concerts put on by the organisation each year. The shows are
AN evening of entertainment by local artists is being laid on to help Astley Bridge Royal British Legion Club celebrate its 75th birthday on April 23. The date is also St George's Day and the event, at the club, in Belmont Road, Astley Bridge, is being
ROWERS will battle it out on the River Irwell in the 36th Two Cities Boat Race. The contest, between oarsmen from the University of Manchester and the University of Salford, will take place on Saturday, May 12, along Salford Quays. There will also be
ST John Ambulance is looking for more youth leaders to help run everything from first aid training to outdoor pursuits and camping. More than two thirds of the organisation's membership is under 26 years old and in Greater Manchester there are 1,000
PETER KAY won the award for Biography of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards last night. Kay beat Gordon Ramsay to the Biography of the Year award with his best-selling memoirs, The Sound of Laughter. The book was the surprise hit of last year
THE education of 14 to 19-year-olds in Bolton is facing a major shake-up. Teenagers will be able to drop some GCSEs and A Levels in favour of new diploma courses, starting from September next year. Bolton will be one of the first areas in the country
BACK the baby unit once again - that is the plea from Bolton's health chiefs. The review panel responsible for making the final decision on whether Bolton will be named as one of three super-centres in Greater Manchester for neonatal, maternity and
A HOCKEY festival marked the opening of a multi-use sports area that will vastly improve training facilities for clubs across Bolton. The new all-weather facilities at St James' School in Farnworth hosted the festival to celebrate Bolton's sports and
I HAVE a new haircut. I don't know how it happened. I mean obviously I know how it happened, I made a hair appointment, but what I mean is, I don't know how I ended up with this particular haircut, because I went in thinking "hmm yes, keep it long and
THE old John Lennon song, Power to the People, could well describe the essence of the idea behind campaigners Local Works. Because that is exactly the group's aim - it wants to give power back to the people by radically changing the decision making process
EDUCATION for 14 to 19-year-olds is facing a huge shake-up in Bolton and some employers might say not before time. Pupils will be able to drop traditional academic subjects in favour of taking work-related diplomas to prepare them for employment. Teenagers
THE death of brave cancer victim Gemma Feeney should not be in vain. Brave is a word often used when people die after fighting a long illness. Yet in the case of 29-year-old Gemma it is entirely appropriate. Gemma, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour
I JUST wanted to back Pat Starkey in her plea to keep the facade of your Bolton Odeon. It would be such a shame to deny future generations of this beautiful art deco structure. D J Brooks, Ringway Avenue, Leigh
MY conscience is clear in that I have nothing to do with slavery. I have nothing to apologise for. Years ago, greedy businessmen were the culprits, just as they are today. Slavery exists today - tea and coffee plantation workers are slaves. Tea and coffee
AMNESTY members in Bolton are this week speaking out against the show trials of Guantanamo detainees, which is due to start on Monday with the arraignment of Australian David Hicks. The US Military Commissions are a complete travesty of justice. They
I WOULD like to let D H Grant know that the golf course deer do indeed spread further afield than just the golf course. They have been spotted in the woods at the side of the "mill dam" and also down by the iron bridge over the railway line. Whilst
THE reason why we have such trouble with prostitution is that the Government is too ready to listen to the do-gooders - so argued V Mitchell in The Bolton News of March 24. I didn't even know that there was a do-gooders' "party line" on prostitution,
PETER Johnston's letter headed, "Policing town's prostitutes is not a priority" (March 26), gives the impression that we in The Haulgh expect the police to spend all of their discretionary policing hours chasing round in search of prostitutes, to the
NINE youngsters will find out tomorrow whether they have been successful in their bids to become Bolton's youth MPs. The nine candidates are bidding to be elected to Bolton's two seats on the UK Youth Parliament. Votes were cast by 11 to 18-year-olds
CAMPAIGNERS backing a Bill to save local shops, post offices and services say they are angry after Ruth Kelly declined their invitation to a public meeting. Local Works - a coalition of 25 national organisations supporting the Sustainable Communities
IT might look like a scene from a woodland clearing but this photograph was taken in a Bromley Cross back garden. Amanda Williams, aged 36, looked out of the back window of her Rodmell Close home to see three roe deer resting their legs. She made a
A CAR used in a robbery at a bank in Bury was stolen the day before, police have said. About four men smashed down the front door of the Bradford and Bingley bank in Market Street using a sledgehammer at 9am on Tuesday. Seven employees ran out of the
OK, you win - this is the last of our regular Erica Watch columns. As viewers switch off the BBC reality show, Castaway, in their thousands, we asked our readers yesterday whether we should keep our daily updates on Bolton's islander, Erica Hurst. And
BRAVE cancer sufferer Gemma Feeney has lost her fight for life. The courageous 29-year-old - who inspired hundreds of local people and celebrities to raise money for her fighting fund - died on Tuesday at her home in Deane. Her devastated mum, Stephanie
Bolton Ladies Hockey League stage their two big cup finals at Thornleigh on Saturday. Bolton Hockey Club A team face Nomads in the Davenport Cup Final at 12.30pm followed by the Steele Cup Final at 2pm between Eagley-Quins and Little Lever.
A resurgent Daisy Hill secured their second successive victory when they defeated high-flying Leek CSOB 2-1 at New Sirs in North West Counties League Division Two on Wednesday night. Goals from Anthony Farrell and John Fairhurst either side of half-time
FC United can go 11 points clear at the top of NWCL Division One on Thursday night when they travel to Silsden. The runaway leaders, who still have two games in hand on their nearest rivals, have now gone 15 games unbeaten. And Karl Marginson's side
