Archive

  • Primary school hosts tastes of the exotic

    FOODS from across the globe will be on offer at a World of Food event on Saturday. People are invited to sample dishes at Bishop Bridgeman Primary School, in Rupert Street, Bolton, from 11am to 3pm. For information contact Diane Craddock on 01204 546040

  • Young musicians take to the stage

    A SHOWCASE of the town's musical youth will take place this weekend. Youngsters will be hoping the rain holds off as they take to an outdoor bandstand for Westhoughton's Music in the Park on Saturday. The showcase will be held at St James' Primary School

  • All change at Rotary Club

    IT'S all change at Westhoughton Rotary. The charitable club has made its annual appointments to its top positions. Steve Harrington, who has been involved with the Rotary for seven years, has been made president while vice presidents are Ronald Bell

  • Woman injured in motorway caravan crash

    A 70-YEAR-OLD woman was taken to hospital following a motorway collision. The pensioner was a passenger in a Renault Espace which was towing a caravan when it jackknifed near to junction 14 of the M60, travelling anti-clockwise towards Salford. The

  • Pensioner in lift rescue

    A PENSIONER was rescued from a lift by firefighters. The woman, in her 70s, was trapped in the lift in the basement of the Housing Advice Service building in Silverwell Lane, Bolton, for around 20 minutes this afternoon. Firefighters were called to rescue

  • Hodge one step closer to Oz call-up

    Lancashire's Brad Hodge has been named in Australia's preliminary 30-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in September. The squad contains all members of the team that won the Cricket World Cup two months ago, apart from the retired Glenn

  • School volunteers rewarded for hard work

    One hundred volunteers have been recognised for their work helping school children improve their reading skills. Ladies and gentleman who are part of the Bolton branch of national charity Volunteer Reading Help were presented with certificates by the

  • Here comes the RAC bride...

    BRIDE Karen Allison made a grand entrance for her big day - arriving at the church in a 12-ton tow truck. The RAC patrol officer shunned posh limos and vintage cars for her wedding to long-term partner Ian Allison and decided to use the breakdown wagon

  • Car set on fire near hill

    A CAR was set alight on a car park near the bottom of Rivington Pike. Firefighters from Horwich found the blue Renault Laguna well alight after being called to the scene at 8am today. The number plates had been removed but the car had been taxed in

  • Kaisers announce second Manchester date

    DUE to high demand for tickets, the Kaiser Chiefs have announced a second show at the MEN Arena on Saturday December 1. Tickets are on sale now, at a cost of £25. To book, visit www.gigsandtours.com or 0871 2200 260.

  • Crowds enjoy all the fun of the farm

    HUNDREDS of visitors attended the 65th Bury and District Agricultural Society annual show at Burrs Country Park. Despite the downpours, the crowds dodged the showers and enjoyed the activities and entertainment. There were livestock competitions for

  • In memory of tragic youngsters

    MEMBERS of a tragedy-hit cricket club raised £3,400 in memory of two children. In December, Kearsley Cricket Club second XI captain Steve Pellowe's 15-month-old son Charlie died, after suffering illnesses brought on by cerebral palsy. Three months later

  • Woman terrified after handbag robbery

    AN ELDERLY woman who had her bag snatched from her hand just three doors away from her home thinks she could be another victim of a serial thief. The 69-year-old woman was targeted as she walked home from shopping at Morrisons in Mornington Road. The

  • Chemical explosion causes motorway chaos

    A chemical explosion close to the M6 near Preston caused traffic chaos across the North-west network today. Huge tailbacks on the M61 northbound developed from Bolton West services as a result, but traffic has now returned to normal on both motorways

  • Arsonists target mill twice in the same day

    A SENIOR firefighter is calling for a disuse mill to be pulled down following a series of nuisance fires. Crews were twice called out on Friday to the building, between Hanover Street and Garside Street, to deal with suspected arson attacks. The first

  • Estate suits textile firm

    SG CUTTINGS has agreed to take a 36,000 sq ft warehouse at the Europa Trading Estate in Kearsley The textile cutting company has signed a new 10-year lease at £126,500 a year. SG Cuttings will occupy units H1 and H2 at the trading estate, situated in

  • End of an era for factory

    ONE of the country's leading soft drinks manufacturers has closed its factory in Atherton with the loss of 110 jobs. In March last year, Iron-Bru maker AG Barr announced the closure of its canning plant In North Road as part of a restructure that will

  • How to build a global empire

    A HOMEWARE and soft furnishings manufacturer that has made a multi-million pound commitment to developing in an up and coming region of China is co-hosting a visit by a trade delegation to Bolton tomorrow. Rosemead Designs has teamed up with Business

  • Beavers are coming to Martin Mere

    After a 500-year absence from Lancashire, four European beavers are being released at WWT Martin Mere on Wednesday, July 11. Beavers, the world's second largest rodent, are one of nature's engineers excavating canals and building dams and

  • Road works start

    A ROAD has been closed for essential maintenance work. Blenheim Road, Breightmet, which was in a poor state according to local residents, is being resurfaced by Bolton Council. It is expected to re-open this week.

  • Shop manager backs plans for CCTV

    A VILLAGE shop manager has welcomed plans to install a CCTV system in Daisy Hill. Kalpesh Patel, manager at Bargain Booze off licence, in Lower Leigh Road, believes councillors have the right idea by looking into installing a system in the village.

  • Gang took luxury cars in break-ins

    A 28-YEAR-OLD man was part of a gang of burglars who targeted homes for executive cars, cash and jewellery, Bolton Crown Court has heard. Marius Baama is alleged to have targeted three homes with other men during a two-month period last year. On April

  • Hands help out in the rain

    VOLUNTEERS helped clean up a park as part of international helping hands day. Despite the rain, 180 people from the Church of Jesus Christ for the Latter-day Saints in Greater Manchester went to Moses Gate Country Park on Saturday to pull out weeds.

  • 30,000 postcards stolen from car

    A POSTCARD collection worth thousands of pounds was stolen when thieves broke into a historian's car. When Helen Prescott, aged 44, returned to her home in the Beehive area of Horwich having displayed some of her collection at a fair in London she noticed

  • Dad of seven loses battle with cancer

    A FAMILY man has tragically died after losing his battle with cancer. Father-of-seven Kevan Bennett, aged 42, died suddenly in hospital only weeks after finding out the cancer he had fought last year had returned. His devastated childhood sweetheart

  • Two plead guilty to cheque con

    A THIEF stole cheques from celebrity guests at a top Manchester hotel as part of a conspiracy which made £41,000. Mohammed Hajee, aged 33, of Watersmead Close, Bolton, and Najib Khelifi, aged 28, of Blackburn Road, Astley Bridge, were two of a group

  • How exercise can help children relax

    COMBATING stress is something most of us are concerned about. But parents are often unaware that their children also suffer from today's pressurised lifestyle. Alwynne Cartmell recognises this. She is a highly experienced yoga teacher living in Little

  • Smoking ban will become self-policing

    IT has finally happened. After months of build up the smoking ban is now law and it is illegal to light up in public places. There may be grumbles from many indignant smokers who fear the Government has eroded their personal freedom but this is one campaign

  • Companies should be supported

    REFERENCE Fred Bradley's letter, "Land appeal decisions are being breached", June 25. He refers to Powerprep as a company, "whose business activities included the chemical cleaning of huge containers by power blasting". This was utter claptrap then and

  • Youngsters have done us proud

    THE YOUNG people of Little Lever have had quite a lot of bad press over the last few years for vandalism and nuisance crime. Well, today, folks of the "Village", our children and grandchildren have done us proud. The class of 2007 graduated last week

  • Plans will drive people away

    I ACTUALLY laughed out loud upon reading the "one-way traffic in Bolton" article. Another nail pounded into the coffin of Bolton's appeal and accessibility. The council may as well put up signs, "Bolton no longer wants your business, go to your nearest

  • Market parking traffic problem

    I AM glad the Farmers' Market has had a reprieve and is staying for the time being at Moss Bank Park. What I do object to is the change in location from the top of the park, to the stalls now monopolising half of the car park . The traffic last Sunday

  • Land has been lost before

    REGARDING your article in last Saturday's The Bolton News, (June 23), about the proposed extension to Heaton Cemetery. What a joke - a resident of Armadale Road saying "his prime concern is the taking away of this green land". The land where the Ladybridge

  • Council is at fault for Post Office fiasco

    BOLTON Town Council is responsible for the fiasco regarding collection of mail from the new postal depot. I write in response to the letter by Peter Johnston, published in Monday, June 25 edition of The Bolton News, which he wrote in answer to my letter

  • Booksellers get into character

    DOCTOR Who came to town on Saturday for a special exhibition. Staff at Waterstones, in Deansgate, Bolton, dressed up as characters from the hit BBC One television show for the day. Children were invited into the store to take part in games and competitions

  • Drug-dealing brothers must forfeit £84,000

    TWO drug-dealing brothers are being made to hand over £84,000, they made from their illegal trade. Sarfraz and Saqib Hussain, aged 28 and 26, of Gilnow Road, Deane, were leaders of the Choppa gang, which sold heroin and crack cocaine. They were caught

  • Bogus gang offering to clear untidy gardens

    RESIDENTS are being warned to beware of door-to-door workmen who offer to cut down privets and bushes - then leave the mess behind at the end of the job. Bolton Council has received reports of a group of men who are offering to carry out gardening tasks

  • Stores to open on same road

    TWO new convenience stores will open within a few hundred yards of each other in Westhoughton, creating around 30 new jobs. An office building and bungalow at the former RH Auto and Sons car showroom in Manchester Road will be demolished to make way

  • Smoking shelter bid

    PLANNERS will visit an Egerton hotel before deciding whether to allow a smoking shelter in its car park. The Egerton House Hotel in Blackburn Road wants to build the shelter to accommodate smokers after the ban which came into effect yesterday. But

  • Dance pupils have all the right moves

    FROM disco to ballet, Harper Green School's dance show had something for everyone. Pictured are some of the dancers at the Farnworth high school, who were joined by past pupils and children from nearby St James CE Primary School to put on two shows for

  • Workshop for designers

    TEENAGERS can take part in a free theatre set design workshop at The Phoenix Arts Centre, Bark Street, Bolton, this month. Youngsters will be able to make large-scale mushrooms, flowers, lanterns and signs to create an oversized magical forest for the

  • Funfair families to stay off land

    A SHOWMAN has withdrawn a threat to move members of his fairground community on to green belt land. Henry Hill had threatened to defy Bolton Council planners by moving six caravans on to the land next to the Firwood Industrial Estate, off Thicketford

  • Tributes flood in for equality campaigner

    TRIBUTES have been paid to one of Bolton's most respected racial equality campaigners, who has died, aged 61. Anne Gough had been a committee member of Bolton Racial Equality Council (BREC) since 1976 and was also founding chairman of the Bolton Racial

  • They crossed the line by booking me, says driver

    MOTORIST Shantilal Patel was booked because his car was sticking out of a bay that was just 1.4 metres wide - not even big enough to accommodate a Mini. Mr Patel, aged 47, of Morris Green, Bolton, put his case to the council and appealed for the fine

  • Having a ball!

    SCHOOL leavers turned on the style at their prom nights. Black ties, ball gowns, limousines and horse-drawn carriages were the order of the day as youngsters celebrated finishing their GCSEs. About 200 pupils from Turton High School joined 55 staff

  • Hospital’s headache over wrong number

    HOSPITAL managers have complained to internet search engine Google after hundreds of patients were given the wrong number for its switchboard. Up to 25 patients a day have been mistakenly calling the Royal Bolton Hospital's day unit, which carries out

  • Smokey Robinson @ Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

    Smokey Robinson's sublime voice, sometimes bordering on falsetto, soared around the auditorium, entrancing the sell-out crowd, all of whom had come to hear a true legend and master of his craft. Starting with the first song Going To A Go-Go', we went

  • Parking wardens must use common sense

    Almost every day, The Bolton News receives complaints from motorists about the over-zealous approach of the town's traffic wardens. Many traders believe that by adopting the letter of the law, the town's wardens are driving shoppers and visitors away

  • Wardens slap on £1m fines

    PARKING wardens earned more than £1 million for Bolton Council by issuing nearly 45,000 tickets in a year, new figures reveal. Statistics for April, 2006, to May, 2007, show traffic attendants slapped £60 parking tickets on the windscreens of 44,668

  • Three councillors in clear over drinks probe

    THREE Bolton councillors have been cleared of any wrongdoing after a boozy night of shame in a pub. Staff at the Spinning Mule in Nelson Square said they had been verbally assaulted by a rowdy group of drinkers, including a number of councillors, following

  • The stars come out for Diana

    From Beckham to ballet, scores of stars helped the world to celebrate the life of Princess Diana at a concert organised by Princes William and Harry. The tribute was watched by 63,000 people at Wembley Stadium and had a global TV audience of 500 million

  • Peace envoy? That leaves a bad taste

    SO now that we are at last rid of Tony Blair, it has emerged that as he was about to commit his usual capitulation at his final Euro summit until Gordon Brown forcefully reminded him of his stated commitments. Both Blair and Prescott, well known for

  • Station plan will revitalise the town

    I HESITATE before crossing swords with Brian Tetlow, whose massive contribution to the political, cultural and architectural life of Bolton I would ordinarily be the first to praise. But I think he is dead wrong when it comes to the issue of Bolton interchange

  • Will councillors ever listen?

    I HAVE just read an article about the chicanes at the bottom of Crown Lane and the sudden need to have them scrapped. Firstly, may I say that the pair of them look like they could only have cost a few pounds to put together, rather than the £24,000 quoted

  • It is about time we got rid of our ugly buildings

    IN response to Simon Pearce's letter, featured in The Bolton News on June 26, about Cllr Sean Hornby, chairman of Bolton Council's planning committee, not caring about Bolton's heritage. I say to that, what a load of rubbish. Every article and letter

  • People will be driving around like idiots

    I DISAGREE with the proposed one-way traffic system in the town centre. The question posed by the paper when the original story was featured was: "Will these plans attract more people into Bolton?" I would say the answer has to be no. Bolton, as I have

  • Traffic plan is just stirring the old pot

    LIKE many other people, I was glad to receive a copy of The Bolton News on June 25, which featured a story about the new traffic plan for Bolton. A few lines read and disappointment set in as I realised the £82 million would be spent simply by giving

  • If you don’t like Chubby — don’t go!

    I READ with amazement the article "Chubby Brown concert uproar", (The Bolton News, June 26). I say to Mr Nick Brooks-Sykes - if you don't like Chubby then don't go and see him! Why should people like him, and the council, come to think of it, decide

  • EU Reform Treaty will benefit UK

    DESPITE the change of name, the new EU Reform Treaty is very close indeed to the former Constitutional Treaty. I say this as someone who is pleased, because I want Britain to be at the heart of a strong European Union. It is true that Tony Blair secured

  • Mementoes at Overdale were getting out of hand

    AS a regular visitor to the Garden of Remembrance at Overdale Crematorium, I am pleased to see that Bolton council is removing the toys, trinkets and other paraphernalia from the kerb memorials before the situation gets completely out of hand and the

  • Give graffiti artists place to practice

    REGARDING "graffiti vandalism", (The Bolton News, June 21). I think it is only balanced to make two points: Firstly, I have been observing and enjoying street art for years and secondly, I strongly dislike vandalism. Agreeably there has been a stream

  • Alert RSPCA to animals in distress

    I REFER to the recent article regarding trapped pigeons and the subsequent readers' letters asking what action the RSPCA is taking. I am not even sure whether the RSPCA Inspector is aware of this problem, unless anyone has reported it. There is no guarantee

  • Pub is trying to cater for its customers

    I TAKE it that Councillor Rock is a rabid rider of the no-smoking band-wagon,. "Fears over pub smoking shelter", The Bolton News, June 25). His attitude to the proposed shelter at the Bridge Inn is a bit over the top to say the least! I have been a

  • Biker 'serious' after crash

    A 37-year-old motor-cyclist is in a serious condition in hospital after a crash in Bolton. Police are appealing for witnesses to the collision, which happened at about 11.30pm on Bradford Road, near to its junction with Broadoak Road, Great Lever.

  • Road pricing will lead to decline of town

    THE relocation of BMW from Manchester to Bolton is good news. However, proposals on the Government's radar to implement the congestion charge became clearer, when it has been revealed that Tony Blair has secretly signed up to a pan-European road pricing

  • Nightmare journeys on public transport

    FURTHER to Iain Camick's letter (June 20), I have also received a leaflet from GMPTE outlining the plans for the £3bn investment programme for public transport. While I agree that something needs to be done about congestion on the roads, I am reluctant

  • Selfish MPs

    I ENJOY reading the page Westminster Watch by Chris Moncrieff, and I am glad that the House of Lords stopped the MPs from being exempt from the terms of the Freedom of Information Act. I was appalled that MPs voted to be exempt from the provisions of

  • Beer gardens get around smoking ban

    I would like to know what all the fuss about the smoking ban is. Being a smoker for over 40 years I think it is the best thing the government has come up with. It is for the benefit of everyone's health, including my own, and now I intend to stop smoking

  • Wanderers tie up new Reebok deal

    The home of Bolton Wanderers will carry the Reebok name for another nine years. Wanderers have put pen to paper on a new multi-million pound sponsorship deal with the international sportswear company which runs until 2016. The new nine-year agreement

  • Boss hits out after second loss

    Leigh Centurions 6, Halifax 18: Centurions boss Darren Shaw did not hold back after seeing his side crash to their second successive National League One defeat. A bitterly disappointed Shaw said: "A lot of the players need to be a lot smarter. We had

  • Noble on the attack after defeat

    Wakefield 32, Wigan 6: Wigan coach Brian Noble slammed the attitude of some of his players after defeat at Wakefield - and accused a few of them of "taking shortcuts". After the visitors went ahead through Trent Barrett's early score, tries from Jason

  • When 16,000 watched a local cricket match

    With rain decimating the cricket programme in the area over the weekend, Bill Allen takes an opportunity to look back at a post-war era when the popularity of the local leagues was at an all-time high... THE popularity of league cricket has never

  • New-car buyers shift down a band or two

    Research by economists at SMMT has revealed a dramatic shift in the new carmarket, with hundreds of thousands of buyers moving into cars with lower CO2emissions. By comparing road tax bands, which are based on tailpipe CO2, the figures show 60.7 per

  • Protests over smoking ban in Bolton

    SMOKERS held a last-gasp protest against new legislation - by lighting up en-masse in a town centre pub. Hundreds of people flocked to The Swan in Churchgate to join landlord Nick Hogan in voicing their objections at new laws which ban smoking in public