Archive

  • Sammy's bid to boost charity

    SOAP star Sammy Winward had her hands full when she visited a Bolton mum and her triplets. Sammy visited Lorraine Gordon and her one-year-olds Adam, Callum and Emily as part of a new drive to get more volunteers at a family support charity. Home-Start

  • New pledge over bin rounds

    WEEKLY bin rounds will be back in Bolton within a few weeks. And every home will have a weekly collection by October. Labour leader Cllr Cliff Morris made the pledge as his party was confirmed as the new controllers of Bolton Council. He is now in

  • Off-road bikes to catch yobs

    VANDALS and thugs who target trains and railway lines face being caught by police on off road motor bikes. Officers from British Transport Police have revealed that the two bikes are their latest weapon in the fight against rail crime. They are the

  • ‘Don’t give out bank details in lottery scam’

    FRAUDSTERS are targeting people in Bolton with fake lottery scams. Trading Standards officers have received a string of complaints about letters claiming to be from Spain and Canada demanding bank details and cash deposits in return for big money prizes

  • PM’s head not yet in pole position

    POLITICS is a dirty game and the higher you go, the dirtier it becomes. Where once there was friendship, acclaim and triumph, lurk treachery and rejection. Tony Blair has endured the lot during his career. He toboganned into Number 10 following an avalanche

  • Healthy career move for MP

    THE steady rise in politics for Leigh MP Andy Burnham has continued, with promotion to Health Minister in the latest Government shake-up. Mr Burnham, aged 36, has stepped across to the Health Department from the Home Office, where he hads been a junior

  • Fake films and CDs seized at house

    MORE than 700 fake DVDs and CDs have been seized from a terraced house in Bolton. A husband and wife are being questioned by Bolton Trading Standards officers after they were accused of running a counterfeit DVD and CD operation. The fake goods were

  • We’ll deal with race-hate yobs

    COUNCILLORS have slammed racist thugs who have been terrorising a shopkeeper in Farnworth. They are supportingMavin Khimji and his family, who have been left too scared to leave their home after their shop Highfield News in Highfield Road, New Bury,

  • Cash taken from girl

    A girl aged 12 was grabbed by a man and forced to hand over her money. She was walking along Harper Green Road, Farnworth, on Wednesday morning when the robber grabbed her arm. The man was white, 6ft, aged between 45 and 50, with short blond hair and

  • I’m no hypocrite, says Ruth Kelly

    COMMUNITIES Secretary Ruth Kelly has hit back at claims that she is a "nimby". The Bolton West MP has been branded a hypocrite over her threat to use her new role to root out opposition to new housing from disgruntled neighbours on "not in my backyard

  • Man killed in divorce row, court hears

    A MAN was beaten to death by his wife's ex-husband and their two sons because he refused to divorce her, a court heard. Michael Joyce, aged 25, and Christopher Joyce, aged 21, of Sandy Lane, Prestwich, and their father, Michael snr, of Kemford Close,

  • Woman, 82, arrested over fake £1m statue

    AN 82-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with an investigation into a fake £1 million Egyptian statue sold to Bolton Museum. London Metropolitan Police has confirmed that the woman, from the Bolton area, was arrested yesterday on suspicion

  • Fadiga's parting shot

    KHALILOU Fadiga has taken a parting shot at Wanderers, claiming he can get his career back on track if he moves to "more of a footballing side". The Senegal international is one of six players including Jay Jay Okocha, Bruno N'Gotty and Matt Jansen

  • Final push in call for baby unit

    A CONSULTATION exercise to help experts decide if the Royal Bolton Hospital should become a major centre for the care of babies and children ends today. Representatives from 17 Primary Care Trusts in the region will now meet to make a decision about

  • Man is charged with farmer’s murder

    A 51-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with the murder of a farmer who was shot dead at his farm in Radcliffe. Peter John Grass, of Higher Spen Moor Farm Cottage, on Bury and Bolton Road, Radcliffe, is accused of killing William Kenyon, aged 50. Mr Kenyon's

  • Centre helps child sex abuse victims

    CHILDREN from Bolton who are raped or sexually abused will be taken to a new centre in Manchester for treatment and counselling. The St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre is the first unit of its kind in the country and will deal with children from

  • 1899 Whites’ programme unsold

    TWO FA Cup final programmes from 1923 fetched very different amounts at auction. One of the 1923 Bolton verses West Ham FA Cup final programmes sold for £1,092 but another, which had a vertical fold on the cover fetched £747. A third Bolton programme

  • Hospital time being wasted

    MORE than 20,000 people missed hospital appointments in Bolton over the last year. A total of 22,737 patients more than 10 per cent failed to turn up for appointments with consultants at the Royal Bolton Hospital between April 2005 and March 2006.

  • Quit-smoking success at hospital

    MORE than 80 per cent of smokers working at the Beaumont Hospital in Lostock have quit the habit. The private hospital launched a no-smoking campaign last month to help smokers who work there to stub it out. Restricted zones where people could smoke

  • Fishy tale for RSPCA's Kathy

    KATHY Kay thought she had seen it all in her 30 years as an RSPCA worker until she was asked to rescue a goldfish stranded on a doorstep. The animal charity was contacted by a worried resident from Great Lever who had opened her back door to discover

  • Town council may axe youth centre’s funds

    A YOUTH centre which has helped to keep hundreds of youngsters off the streets of Westhoughton faces an uncertain future after plans were unveiled to withdraw funding. Westhoughton Town Council currently provides Westhoughton Youth Drop-In Centre with

  • Expert talks about the world’s first humans

    A WORLD-renowned expert in anthropology is coming to Bolton to talk about The Origins of Man. Chris Stringer, a professor of palaeontology at the Natural History Museum in London, is coming to Bolton Museum next week to discuss theories on early human

  • Reaching out to people in need

    NOW in its 16th year, Urban Outreach has moved to an exciting new headquarters. Kat Dibbits talks to Chief Executive Dave Bagley about the important work the charity does, and why it wouldn't be possible without an inspirational network of organisations

  • Vital drop-in-centre

    WESTHOUGHTON, like most areas today, suffers from social problems caused by disaffected and bored youngsters. With this in mind, it is a pity that the future of Westhoughton Youth Drop-In is uncertain. There is a question mark against funding in the

  • Recycling is still a priority after bins U-turn

    RESIDENTS across the borough will be delighted to learn that the weekly grey bin collection will resume by October. Cllr Cliff Morris, the new Leader of Bolton Council, is fulfilling an election promise to reinstate the old system, scrapping the unpopular

  • Town looks blooming marvellous

    BOLTON Council has to take a lot of flak for all sorts of reasons. However, I want to give them a pat on the back for the magnificent display of tulips in the town centre. What variety are the apricot ones? Kath Grundy, Wellington Road, Turton

  • An expensive pint

    I KNOW I shouldn't have parked on Central Street car park 10 minutes before parking charges finished, but I did. I did not have any change to pay, and was going to Walker Memorial Hall to give blood. Sixty pounds is a high price to pay when I am just

  • Hunting for ghost stories

    IN reply for information help for "spooky goings on" (Bolton Evening News, May 8), for a researcher's collection mentioned in your letters column, may I provide help that may be of use to the collector. If he can find out if back copies of Lancashire

  • Disillusioned voters stay away from ballot box

    JAMES Hamilton rightly comments on the low turnout in the recent local elections (Bolton Evening News, May 10) and draws from that the inference that "no party can claim to be representative". This ignores entirely the range of reasons people may have

  • MPs should not be defined by religion

    I WOULD add my congratulations to Sufrana Bashir-Ismail, the young Bolton woman from an ethnic minority background, on getting elected as a councillor. If Sufrana is the same candidate who raised the issue of physical threats linked to postal votes during

  • Housing plan is a disgrace

    SO Ruth Kelly now puts her all into affordable housing (Bolton Evening News, May 10). Building on urban backyards is now her right is it? She proposes to change the law so no one can object to said building very democratic! What is anyone doing about

  • Election result is bad news for recycling

    LOSING an election is a pretty rough experience for any politician, and last Thursday was not a good day to be a Liberal Democrat in Bolton. We lost an election on a single issue, the alternate weekly collection, introduced by us to try to improve Bolton's

  • Cyclists will remember road victims

    CYCLISTS are being urged to take part in rides to the Manchester Velodrome this week in honour of fellow riders who have been killed and injured in road accidents. The Ride of Silence will take place on Wednesday evening, with cyclists from around the

  • Bolton police officers in secutiry operation

    POLICE officers from Bolton are to help with a huge security operation for this year's Labour conference. Up to 18,000 people are expected to attend the event, to be held in Manchester in September. At least 1,000 officers and police staff from across

  • Amateur commentator is a big hit with TV viewers

    BOLTON'S answer to John Motson has been named as one of the country's best amateur commentators in a poll of football fans. Phil Heys is known to thousands of Bolton Wanderers fans as the club's face of Sky Sports Fanzone. The Fanzone feature allows

  • First number plate to go under the hammer

    One of the most sought-after UK registrations M1 is to go under the hammer. Bonhams is auctioning the plate at its annual Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale in Chichester on July 7, 2006. It is expected to fetch between £80,000 and 120,000. Proceeds

  • Clubs hope their pros will arrive in time

    LITTLE Lever and Tonge are hoping to have their new professionals in action in the Bolton League tomorrow. Little Lever signing Mohammed Saddique has been held up by work permit delays, and Tonge's Adil Nisa by immigration red tape, which prevented them

  • Doughnut lovers’ world record attempt

    DOUGHNUT lovers are being invited to join an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for eating doughnuts. People taking part in the challenge at Blackpool Pleasure Beach will be asked to eat seven jam doughnuts in no more than three minutes without

  • Intruders wake man

    A 37-year-old man woke on his settee to find two intruders in his house. The men had sneaked through unlocked patio doors to get into the house in Newland Drive, Over Hulton, at 1.30am on Wednesday. The man tried to kick one of the burglars and they

  • Dog walkers needed

    PUPPY walkers are being sought for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in Bolton. Volunteers will be required to care for and educate guide dog pups from six weeks of age for a period of 12 months, when they begin their specialised guide dog training

  • Search for vicar: Body is found

    BOLTON Mountain Rescue team called in to search for a missing vicar found a man's body last night. It was found in the River Bollin, near Ryecroft Hall, Trafford, shortly after 10pm. The man has not yet been formally identified but it is believed

  • Hanging baskets and flower pots stolen

    TWO people were arrested after hanging baskets and decorative flower pots were stolen from homes in Westhoughton. The haul was taken from two gardens in Washburn Close in the early hours of yesterday morning. A resident called the police after spotting

  • Morning Runner play Manchester Academy 3 on Sunday

    Morning Runner spent much of 2005 touring, playing with the likes of Ian Brown, Coldplay, Bloc Party, Magic Numbers and the Pogues and have built up a solid fanbase as a result. Then after a couple of false starts they hooked up with producer John

  • Chart-toppers name first gigs

    Currently at number one in the album charts with their new album Eyes Open, Snow Patrol have just announced their biggest live dates yet. Renowned for their stunning live performances, in 2005 the band scaled the heights supporting U2 throughout Europe

  • Gigs for the week supplied by the Bury Times

    Tonight Dub Arena at Manchester University Students' Union Polytechnic at Academy 2/3 Santana, MEN Arena Morrissey, Blackburn King George's Hall Don Williams, Manchester Bridgewater Hall Tomorrow Fag Ash Lil, Hark to Towler, Tottington Texas,

  • High technology win award

    The Battle of the Bands final: Pilsworth Megabowl Tuesday, May 2 Terminlogy have been crowed this year's Megabowl Battle of the Bands. The biggest crowd to date packed into the bar at the Pilsworth bowling alley for the final on May 2, after six months

  • Weekend gigs

    To The Bones To The Bones gigs have become legendary for uproarious behaviour, sweaty moshpits, full houses and near-delirious behaviour from the crowds. The hardest-rocking band you will see for a long time, To The Bones have the ability to create

  • At last! The Long Blondes set for lift-off

    For months The Long Blondes were hailed by the music press and fans alike as the best unsigned band in the country. Then finally they signed a deal with Rough Trade Records. Singer Kate Jackson talks to Kat Dibbits about what's next, and reveals exclusive

  • First band signs on to be a Local Hero

    THE first Bolton band to sign up for Local Heroes is Out Of The Gray, the sweet-as-candy pop quintet who have been peddling their melodic indie goodness around the town for the last year-and-a-half. Their last live show celebrated the launch of the EP

  • Fame beckons for local bands

    NOW is the chance for local unsigned bands to hitch their way up the fame ladder by playing at some of the summer's top festivals, after conquering a new fanbase via the internet, a la the Arctic Monkeys, all with a little bit of help from the Bolton

  • £10,000 boost for production line

    A MOTORBIKE manufacturer hopes to get back to winning ways after being awarded a £10,000 grant by a trade organisation. With an ever-growing order book, CCM Motorcycles recently applied to the North-west Automotive Alliance (NWAA) for help with production

  • Mystery of photo man is revealed

    A RECENT story referred to Valerie Lirakis's research into Bolton photographer J Winstanley. In response, I received an email from Tricia Owen, J Winstanley's granddaughter. She writes: "The man Valerie Lirakis is looking for is James Winstanley.

  • From our files on May 11, 1996

    BOLTON poet Gwyneth Cleworth decided to write her own few verses when she sent a card to the Queen on her 70th birthday. And the Queen, according to her secretary, was "very touched" by the sentiments expressed by Gwyneth, of Chorley New Road. Gwyneth

  • Gigs for Friday

    The Soundhouse, Bolton Power House Icarus Falls, Acid Pope, Odin and Thirty One Lines perform Tonight The Moses Gate Hotel, Farnworth DC/79 Tribute to ACDC from the Bon Scott era Tonight Number Fifteen, Churchgate, Bolton Retro Spankees