BOLTON and other regional towns will not be overlooked. That's the message from Sir David Trippier, who is leading a new multi-million pound campaign to establish Manchester as a major international city and regional capital.

The "Marketing Manchester" scheme has a first-year budget of £2.5 million, including one million from Manchester Airport - in which Bolton Council has a considerable interest as one of the major shareholders. So it is essential that towns like ours, which have played such a major role over the years in putting the North-west on the trade map, both here and overseas, are not forgotten, leaving Manchester as the main beneficiary.

As a Bury Grammar School old boy and former Tory MP, Sir David has a reputation as a dynamic businessman. So he seems well suited to both lead the venture and look after the interests of towns like Bolton and Bury. Let's hope that whatever spin-offs are created by the scheme, a worthwhile share comes down the road to Bolton. Bite the bullet IN the aftermath of the Hungerford massacre in 1988, a firearms amnesty saw almost 50,000 guns handed in to the police. Now, following the equally horrific slaughter at Dunblane, people will have a month in which to surrender illegally held or unwanted guns and ammunition.

However commendable, this scheme will not prevent such terrible killings in the future. Sooner, rather than later, Parliament must "bite the bullet" and decide, once and for all, on gun ownership in Britain. The BEN acknowledges sporting arguments put forward by gun clubs, but weapons they use should be kept under lock and key in secure premises. There can be no justification for keeping firearms at home. It must not take another slaughter to make MPs vote with their heads and their hearts on this issue. Divorce defeat CAN anything go right for this Government? John Major's reforms to make divorce easier fall victim to a massive Commons rebellion, with a vote to extend the "cooling off" period from 12 to 18 months before couples can divorce. Saving any marriage is a fine aim, but will prolonging the agony over a marital breakdown really help, especially if children are part of the equation?

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.