WHEN Jean Fergusson walked on the Octagon stage last night the audience burst into applause before she opened her mouth. It was a tribute to the actress's appearance and mannerisms which make her look uncannily like the late Farnworth-born comedienne
I HAVE been reading in my BEN during the past few weeks, letters from people concerned about the lack of entertainment facilities in Bolton for our young people. How many can afford to go to Middlebrook or Megaplex to the cinema, with bus fares etc? As
AS part of Lancashire's plan to establish a county choir, Albany sent along 15 of their Year 7 and 8 choir members to attend a day's rehearsal at Chorley Town Hall. Having learnt the repertoire beforehand, pupils were taken through warm-up techniques,
A Tonge Moor Childhood', written two years ago by Harwood man John Webster, has evoked many memories and resulted in a large postbag, particularly from Boltonians who now live abroad. One letter dropped on the author's door mat a few days ago, postmarked
Blyth Spartans 0 Chorley 0 RELEGATION-threatened Chorley remain unbeaten under new boss Dalton Steele - but they need more than the three draws picked up so far. Even the dismissal of Blyth's Tony Skedd for an apparent elbow offence just before half-time
BOLTON'S blossoming original music scene is being joined by another - the dance outfit OPM Foundation. It features Tony Sabanskis on keyboards/production, Justin Gibson on guitar, Kay on vocals and male singer Paul Miller. Tony describes their sound as
I write to congratulate David Crausby, MP, on his efforts in trying to convince the government that it is only right and proper to consult with the people of Bolton before they decide to affect people's health, one way or another, by adding fluoride to
HARRY Hindle, a leading light in the Christian Gospel Hall, Maxwell Street, Astley Bridge, has died at the age of 71. The funeral was taking place today with a service at the hall at 2pm. Bachelor Mr Hindle lived in the same house on the Hall i'th'Wood
A NEW rock band has been formed recently at school. Liam Murphy (Year Nine) and his friends started it. They are called Brink. Liam plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals. James Jackson plays bass guitar, and Andrew Quinney plays backing guitar and
A £1.7 million "fast-track" bus lane should be up and running on a busy Bolton commuter route by the end of the year. It will be the first of its type in Greater Manchester and the idea is to persuade town centre workers that it will be quicker to leave
CHORLEY Harriers - defending their title as last year's winners - turned out 18 runners for the Ormskirk Half Marathon - the first race in the Lancashire Inter-Club Grand Prix series. The blustery and wet conditions were not ideal, yet some decent times
ON Tuesday March 16, 1999, Albany High School was involved in an indoor cricket match at Lostock Hall High School. In this brand new tournament, Albany had to play four games - two against Parklands and two against St Mary's High School. The rules were
STUNNING Jenny Harrison has turned from glamour model to boardroom executive. Jenny, who is qualified in business studies, has made it as the executive producer of adults-only The Fantasy Channel. Miss Harrison, of Belmont Road, is already a presenter
ON Friday March 19 the Year 9 football team were involved in a semi-final clash against Southlands for the Chorley Schools Cup. Held at Albany, the Year 9 team continued their successful season with a hard fought and exciting victory over local rivals
WANDERERS beat the transfer deadline by 15 minutes when they persuaded First Division rivals, Crystal Palace, to let them borrow midfielder Jamie Fullarton for the rest of the season. The 24-year-old Scot has been recruited to put some much-needed bite
A RAIL pressure group is to slam Railtrack and private rail operators for their handling of the region's railway network at a special forum on Saturday. The Railway Development Society want to see the electrification of the Blackpool North to Manchester
Under 10s: Folly Lane 10 Chorley Panthers 40 AN impressive display from the visitors who dominated throughout the match. Good performances from try scorers Tom Belshaw, Michael Addison and Adam Donnellan whose efforts contributed to this win. Liam Molyneux
UP-to-date report from Mr Taylor, the Year Nine football manager: Our Year 9 football team has just won the local inter-schools league, after being runners-up twice. In Year 7, Parklands won the championship, while in Year 8,Southlands triumphed. The
Adlington Rangers 60 Halton Hornets 34 THE previous week's lay off seemed to work well for Rangers. Despite a few team changes, they played well and produced some good, flowing rugby - with the forwards on top and making the breaks for the three-quarters
SQUASH champion Laura Lengthorn is currently in training for her next tournament. She will compete in the German Open in May, followed by the European Championships Under 17 section. Laura is being coached at Cheadle and also with the national squad at
CHORLEY folk with old inefficient fridges may be able to get a brand new fridge for only £25 - courtesy of the Fridgesaver scheme. Following the success of previous awareness campaigns, Lancashire County Council has received over 2,000 applications from
STEVE Banks arrived at the Reebok today prepared to fight for his place but determined to become Wanderers' No 1. The highly-rated goalkeeper, snapped up from Blackpool for a knockdown fee of £50,000, is expected to go straight into the side at Oxford
A GROUP of neighbours in Deane are leading the way in the battle to bring the community together. Members of the Deane Neighbourhood Residents Association have been working round the clock to transform an old portable cabin donated by Bolton Council into
CORONATION Street stars Roy Cropper and Haley Patterson will be rolling into Chorley this weekend to launch Roller Quest - Camelot Theme Park's world beating attraction! The two actors - David Neilson and Julie Hesmondhalgh - officially open the ride
LINDSAY Hoyle MP for Chorley was shadowed by a civil servant who travelled from London to have a look around the constituency. Sebastian Maddem, 26, pictured with Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle, from the Cabinet Office spent the day with Mr Hoyle as part of
THE stepdad of a young cancer victim will pay an emotional tribute to his son by running in next month's London Marathon in his memory. Daniel Strickland, aged 12, died last month at the Derian House Children's Hospice near Chorley after a brave struggle
A CHORLEY businessman is threatening to register his trucks abroad over fears for his firms survival. Malcolm Stewart, of Stewart M C & M A (Haulage) Ltd on Preston Road, Coppull, is unhappy at having to pay higher tax and diesel prices in the UK
THOUSANDS of pounds of damage is being caused by mindless vandals in and around Chorley, council bosses have revealed this week. Two of Chorley's newly-refurbished play areas on Buttermere Avenue and the Jubilee playing fields have been targeted by louts
A MASSIVE six figure loss has been forecast by Chorley Borough Council's grounds maintenance division. Bosses are blaming the disastrous 1998-99 performance on sickness, bad weather, a poor business plan and reduced productivity. Councillors were told
Lethal Weapon 4 (15): (Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo). THE unconventional cops are on top form in this fourth outing, aided and abetted by the usual supporting cast and formula. This time, Riggs (Gibson) and Murtaugh (Glover) discover
THE Government minister responsible for tackling Millennium computer chaos has praised NORWEB's bug-busting efforts. Mr Paddy Tipping, Labour MP for Sherwood and Parliamentary Secretary at the Privy Council, was in Bolton yesterday at the company's Call
A KIND-HEARTED computer whizz-kid from Coppull has just got back from a dream date with his screen idol - and all in the aid of charity! Self-employed Simon Heaton, 25, pictured, from Clancutt Lane, hot-footed it back from London this week after spending
CONGRATULATIONS are in order for the winner of the Chorley Citizen's 1999 Hairdresser of the Year competition. In February, we asked our readers to nominate who they thought were the best hairdressers in Chorley. And, as a result, we were absolutely inundated
IT IS becoming increasingly obvious that Gordon Brown's budget was a stealth tax budget. The 10p rate will be clawed back by scrapping the 20p band, ending Miras and abolishing the married couples allowance. Then there are the stealth taxes on mortgages
THE Lake District - an area of outstanding beauty, tranquillity and romance. Or should that be murder, sex and violence? I don't know how Lakeland hoteliers are reacting to the excellent TV series The Lakes, but as controversial as it was, it certainly
THERE will be no criminal charges following the death of a building site worker who was crushed when a trench collapsed. Martin Leonard, aged 24, of Wheelton, died as he was working on Bryant Homes' Canonswood site, Euxton Lane, Euxton, earlier this month
THREE tiers of local government have come together on the proposed site of a Chorley village's exciting new millennium green. Such support is vital to the Mawdesley 2000 scheme as it races to raise the £30,000 needed to buy a four-acre plot of land by
A CHORLEY primary school is celebrating a "positive" OFSTED report. Manor Road County Primary, Clayton-le-Woods, was said to be a good school where the inspectors observed some excellent teaching. They found lessons were well prepared and balanced and
A CHORLEY firm has buttered its last bap just weeks after being nominated for an award. Astley Training Bakery, on Park Road, was nominated in the baker/sandwich maker of the year category in the British sandwich association 1999 awards. But the firm,
BLOOMIN' marvellous villages in the Chorley area have entered the race to find Lancashire's Best Kept Village. And, as an area which boasts some of the prettiest and cleanest villages in the county, it is hardly surprising that dozens in the Chorley area
LEISURE bosses are hoping to give Chorley a brand new image. In January of this year, DC Leisure was awarded the contract to manage Chorley Borough Council's indoor sporting facilities. And, since then, the management has wasted little time in finding
LINSDAY Hoyle MP has seen the future - and the future is Liquefied Petroleum Gas, the fuel of tomorrow. Following a successful outcome in this month's Budget for this viable alternative fuel over petrol and diesel, MPs, including Mr Hoyle, have test driven
MY car recently broke down in the centre of Chorley while I was taking my children to school. Without hesitation, other drivers offered their concern and their help. This was very much appreciated. What a dilemma I would have been in if others around
A SPECIAL European cultural delegation will be descending on the town later this month as part of Chorley's European Arts Project designed to create more jobs in the area. Chorley will be hosting a special three-day conference with their Empiric Project
IN reply to the wingeing letter writer concerning the town hall, market and public houses being well lit at night. These comments are brought about because of central and local government policy to encourage us all to save energy. As regards the town
IT'S not often the main act on the bill cancels at the last minute through illness and is replaced by an a bigger star! Peter Kay stepped in to the headline slot after Johnny Vegas had been forced to pull out. The opening night of Laughingas, Bolton's
CORONATION Street's very own eco warrior turned up in Bolton - to officiate at the opening of a major exhibition. Spider (left), alias actor Martin Hancock, who has become one of the long-running soap's most high-profile characters - arrived at Bolton
While the debate rages on about the Euro, one Atherton pub has already broken away with its own currency. Regulars in the Letters Inn have been getting used to the exchange rate of the pound against the new local currency, called The Meadow. And Letters
NO ONE with a shred of feeling could fail to be moved by the NSPCC's hard-hitting campaign which has been launched this week. Local people are being asked to support the society's moves to bring child abuse to a Full Stop. A series of harrowing TV adverts
ALBANY reporters Janet Rickerby and Vicki Gilmartin interviewed Carl Bothamley, pictured, a current Year 11 pupil who has an interest in graphic design. His interest began at primary school, but it was not until Carl won a design competition run by Albany
THIS letter was sent to Culture Minister, Chris Smith. I am writing to request your urgent attention to the plight facing the people of Bolton who are about to lose their theatre company, if action is not taken immediately. The resident Artistic Director
FORMER Bolton Wanderers player and current Crystal Palace midfielder Sasa Curcic has spoken of his sadness and sense of puzzlement over the NATO air offensive that is blitzing his homeland. After attending an anti-war protest alongside 700 other Serbs
25 YEARS AGO BRITAIN is to borrow what is thought to be a record amount of foreign currency to cover its balance of payments deficit, the Chancellor, Mr Denis Healey, announced in his Budget speech this afternoon. He said the loan, for about £1,000 million
MRS Toase and Mr Smith are taking 16 pupils to London for a six-day break from May 27 to June 1. We shall be travelling down by train and staying at the Hampstead Heath Youth Hostel. On Thursday evening we hope to see Saturday Night Fever at the London
A THEATRE trip organised by the English Department sold out in four days when tickets went on sale. The trip to Worden Park, in Leyland, was to see a production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This trip is always popular with Lower School pupils, who
WE thank Bolton Leisure Services for providing the facility of long mat indoor bowling at Kearsley Leisure Centre where we have just played our last winter league match, also Paul and Mathew and the staff at the centre for all their help. We are now looking
FRENCH Jive 2000, disco and rock and roll for the over 25s, Longfield Suite, Prestwich, 7.30pm. BOLTON Strings Together Ensemble, junior strings together approximate grades 1-3, 9.30am-10.45am and advanced ensemble, approximate grades 4-7, 11am-12.15pm
OPERATING theatres at the Royal Bolton Hospital will be closed for routine operations to cope with the expected flood of Millennium revellers over Christmas and New Year. Managers have decided that routine surgery will have to be put on hold from December
A TEAM of American ghostbusters are spiriting their way to Chorley next week to see whether anything goes bump in the night . . . Parapsychologist Dr Larry Montz and a team of scientists, mediums and psychics, based in Hollywood, California, will conduct
BUDDING chart toppers are being offered the opportunity to play at a brand new venue. Top soul DJ Russ Winstanley has recruited some exciting new talent to play at the Nupro Club in Ashton-in-Makerfield, under the name of the Wigan Roulette. Russ, who
ALBANY was pleased to receive a cheque from Create towards the cost of energy efficiency measures recently installed at the school. Create manages the School Energy Programme which is an Energy Saving Trust and British Gas initiative. Pictured is Chorley
TWO Year 8 pupils have designed their own board game based on their project work in geography, where they have learnt all about the Amazonian Rain Forest. We sent John Jackson, roving reporter, along to find out more from Chloe Deane and Carla Pennington
A SPOTLIGHT on our new peer counselling service launched in November 1998. Our reporter Kelly Dyson has been along to find out how the new service is working. FIRST we talked to Mrs Toase the teacher co-ordinator of the service. Q. How did you become
MR Smith's form 8JS have completed a seven-week lifesaver course during their PSE lessons. All the tutor group completed the course and achieved a First Aid Certificate. The pupils learnt skills in dealing with casualties and practised all first aid techniques
DURING the pantomime season in December, members of 8Q English followed a course of work on theatrical language and performances with a focus on pantomimes. The pupils then set about writing their own modern day pantomime in groups. Titles included: Little
AS a cyclist, I would like to respond to those correspondents criticising the cycle lanes on Moss Bank Way. I think these drivers are under the misguided belief that they actually own the roads. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone has the
KRIS Woods, a Year 8 pupil, is currently enjoying great success and following in the footsteps of his older sister, Kay. Kris is a really good BMX rider and getting better all the time. He has won about 30 trophies and he has only been cycling for six
ON Saturday March 20, Albany High School entered the Under 15 Lancashire Schools' Netball Tournament held at Edge Hill College in Ormskirk. Albany were placed in a group containing Longridge High, All Hallows, Upholland and Highfield and we went through
PEOPLE in a once-quiet Kearsley street are pleading for help to stop the unmade street being used as a rat run. Residents of 30 flats in Tong Street say the dirt surface has been turned into a potholed quagmire because many drivers use it as a short cut
THE annual presentation of GCSE certificates and trophies took place on Wednesday November 18. Mr Ken Strang, Clinical Nurse Manager at Chorley Hospital, and former Head Boy of Albany High School was invited to present the awards to former Year 11 pupils
FARMERS Arms cruised through to the third round of the Chorley Nissan Sunday Soccer League's Firwood Trophy at the weekend. They beat Euxton Mills 8-2 at home in a second round tie, their goals coming from M Jackson (2), Brookes (2), Maitland (2) Caunce
A GOLF-coaching course will begin at Albany after Easter. Every Wednesday from 3.30pm to 4.30pm a professional coach from local Chorley club, All O'th 'Hill, will give golf tuition to any interested pupils. This will cover everything from basic rules,
YEAR 10 pupils from Albany High School have organised a small business named Heavenly as part of the Young Enterprise Competition. From September to December the pupils made CD clocks. During December the clocks were on sale at £2.99 each. Some £250 has
IN the Chorley and District Alliance Football League, George had a good 4-1 away win at Brindle St Joseph's - keeping them in contention for league honours at the end of the season. K Draper scored three for George, with A Murphy getting the fourth. Cardwell
THIEVES who burgled a teenage mum's home stole all the shoes she owned. Single mum Lisa O'Gorman, 18, says she was left in stockinged feet after the gang ransacked her home in Deepdale Road, Breightmet, as she slept. Single mother Lisa told how she had
IT'S official! Bolton people are warm-hearted and generous creatures. The Marie Curie Cancer Care 50th Birthday Appeal - backed by the BEN - was launched in February last year and raised more than £30,000 in Bolton alone. The money has helped provide
A BRAVE Chorley woman didn't have time to paws for thought just before her 200 foot bungee jump. Sharon Davidson, above, landlady of the Brookes Arms on Euxton Lane, dressed up as a cat to take part in the jump to raise funds for children's charity, Derian
MONTHS of training paid off for top dog Chi - the energetic mongrel who has won the hearts of Bolton's emergency rescuers. The scruffy hound is being hailed a canine hero after helping Bolton Mountain Rescue team track down a missing man on the Bolton
DOZENS of people living in Chorley could die from winter colds before the next general election - that is the startling message from campaigners for Friends of the Earth. Shocking statistics revealed that around 261 people in the town, who suffer from
MR STRAW is a huge Blackburn Rovers fan, but we don't mean the Home Secretary. This particular Mr Straw is a dedicated midfielder - so dedicated he spends all his time on a trailer at Long Lane Farm just off the M61 at Chorley. The 15-foot figure, stuffed
But Palace clear-out could help rivals WANDERERS beat the transfer deadline by 15 minutes when they persuaded First Division rivals, Crystal Palace, to let them borrow midfielder Jamie Fullarton for the rest of the season. The 24-year-old Scot has been
A PIONEERING Coppull-based head injury unit has been hailed a major success after helping dozens of people with serious brain injuries. Since opening its doors last year, the Community Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation Team has come to the rescue of
A CHORLEY couple have enlisted the help of their local MP because they are unsure of their address. But the problem isn't with their house number or street name - it's their postcode. For when Arthur Lea, and his wife Jean, both 72, moved into 159 Southport
CHORLEY was at the forefront of tourism again this week as the town went on show at the UK's largest trade fair. Already the market town has figured predominately at the massive G-Mex Holiday Show in Manchester which attracted more than 80,000 visitors
THE results of a survey of shopping in Chorley has revealed a split in generations. Chorley and District Chamber of Trade commissioned the marketing report, run by students at Runshaw college. The group obtained answers for 297 questionnaires in Chorley
NEARLY half the vacancies available in Chorley Jobcentre paid less than the national insurance threshold of £64 per week, a new survey has revealed. This means people could not claim statutory sick and maternity pay and contributory jobseeker's allowance
As a Child I Went to th' Empire, Taken there by my mother, But they kept showing The Three Stooges, Who kept on hitting each other! The Stooges shouldn't have been like that, After all, they all were brothers. Yet even when on for a minute, They soon
LEEDS United striker Derek Lilley is the man Neil Warnock hopes will help Bury fight off relegation. The 25-year-old joined the Shakers on loan until the end of the season - the sixth striker to be signed by the Gigg lane boss this season. He joins Andy
YEAR Nine pupil Michael Vinton made an emotional pilgrimage to his great grandfather's grave in October last year. Accompanied by his parents, Michael made the journey to Etreux where his great grandfather's First World War grave is situated. He travelled
Here is Louise Dickinson's poem entitled Death: It is the ice that freezes us in time Like a dark taxi that waits for no one It is an eclipse of the sun It's a dark shadow lurking like a spider, waiting to catch its prey Like a dark cloud hovering over
Q: Where are you going? A: I will be leaving Albany to go to Northfield's Upper School, which is in Dunstable, in Bedfordshire. Q: What position in school will you be? A: I will be a teacher of English and drama with some sixth form teaching. Q: How do
ON Friday February 12, the pupils and staff from Albany High School took part in a Valentine Spectacular to raise money for local charities and to provide support for the sale of Gold Hearts by the Variety Club of Great Britain. The highlight of the day
YEAR 10 pupils and brothers Andrew and Barry Raper are in the sea cadets. Andrew wants to be an engineer in the Royal Air Force and has had this ambition for four to five years because of his dad and Sergeant Lawler giving him information. The position
ASPIRING model, Zoe Collinson, 14, a Year 10 pupil at Albany, took time out from her busy schedule to tell us about her exciting plans for the future. Zoe, who wants to be a model when she is older, has come a step closer to realising her ambitions. She
POLICE are hunting thieves who stole a whole VILLAGE. The series of lovingly made scale models were taken from a Westhoughton garden. They were the result of more than nine years of painstaking work by 70 year old Brian Egan, of Clive Road, Daisy Hill
By IRMA HEGER IT was a world exclusive when Sophie Gears and Suhad Iqbal went to have an in-depth chat with Sooty and Sweep - the two kids' favourites had never given an interview before in their lives! As a result, the eight-year-old Bolton Parish School
EACH year a party of Year 7 pupils from Albany crosses the Channel to France to experience the culture, life and history of Normandy. The visit includes excursions to Arromanches (scene of the D-Day landings), Bayeaux (site of the famous tapestry) and
SIX year 10 students are setting sail with The Ocean Youth Club. Three of the pupils sailed with them last year and they are very keen to go again. On March 21 Mrs Toase will take Kerry Marshall, Kristel Walker, Christopher Davies, Ashling Woodcock and
TONIGHT (Friday, 26.3.99): Bulls Head, Bury Road (Pot Noodle). Gypsy's Tent, Spa Road, Bolton (Gun Law). Moses Gate, Bolton Road, Farnworth (Slipstream). Radcliffe Civic Suite (Northern Soul & Motown Night). Roadhouse, Manchester (Pure 9, Kramer,
RECENTLY refurbished, The Crown Inn was a welcoming place on a snowy March night. I'd been impressed when booking, to be asked by the receptionist if I required a non-smoking or smoking table. As my boyfriend is unable to leave his mouth fag free for
