SIR: I have often wondered how enlightened are the people who preside over the letter of the week or do they allow flattery to cloud their judgement? Ignorance, they say, is bliss, and everybody shares in it. The letter of the week from Mrs Joan Foster
LIKE mother, like daughter...brave tot Taylor Booth proved what a survivor she is when she arrived at a Horwich toy shop for a special presentation. The youngster, who was struck down by meningitis in the same way her mother Janice was 15 years ago, arrived
HORWICH'S next Carnival Queen could be... a HUNKY MAN. Organisers say chaps can enter if they wish and have revealed that there was never anything in the rules to prevent men signing up for the competition - even though the title has always gone to a
THE result of tomorrow's 'six-pointer' at the Reebok will not decide Wanderers' Premiership fate. But it will give an indication as to whether they have what it takes to survive and whether they can handle the pressure. With 15 games to play and only
Each Monday night at Deane Church Hall, After t'Karate class is done A group of folk arrive, at eight, Determined to have fun. They come from every walk of life, And sundry districts too, Teachers, bobbies, nurses, clerks And the odd manager or two. From
SIR: While agreeing with R. Anderson's remarks headed: A cruise turn-off (Your views, January 21) I should like to say that firstly my family and myself have been privileged, through my husband's and my hard work to sail on numerous cuises with P &
A BOLTON pair who created their very own 'Wild West-houghton' were forced to rein in fellow fans at the last minute when the television cameras paid an unexpected visit. Jenny and John Ramwell started their Country and Western Club, Buckskin Joe's, only
A PUB landlord plunged through a first floor window as his helpless wife and baby son watched. Dino Lewington, who runs the Railway Tavern on Westleigh Lane, Leigh, crashed through the glass only minutes after receiving official notice that police were
FIREMEN saved a couple's beloved pet dog from a blaze which ravaged a Bolton pub. Landlady May Ann Wilcock's dog, 16-year-old Toby, was pulled to safety by Bolton firefighters Darren Collier and Andrew Berry. The "rover rescue" came as flames gutted the
PAUL Butler is determined to halt the march of the club he could soon be trying to help win promotion. Bury's £1.5m-rated centre half is top of Charlton boss Alan Curbishley's wanted list but only has his current club's plight on his mind ahead of tomorrow's
INGERSOLL-Rand is taking a stand at the Bauma '98 exhibition in Munich, Germany from March 30 to April 5. The company has its Marketing Services Department for Europe, Middle East and Africa in Chorley New Road, Horwich. The exhibition, at the New Munich
SIR: In a written response to a query from an elected representative relating to access from Wigan Road, Westhoughton to land at rear of Westhoughton Police station, an officer of Bolton MBC at director level said (letter March 16) Planning application
STEPHEN Holgate gets a chance to make the grade when he starts as prop for Wigan Warriors in a friendly against Hull Sharks tonight. The versatile forward has failed to gain a regular spot after moving from Workington 12 months ago and found himself on
BOLTON health bosses have defended their funding policy after recent criticism that they are putting price before patient well-being. In the past week Wigan and Bolton Health Authority has come under fire for refusing to fund private treatments for women
A BOLTON pensioner has boycotted her post office - over a gas bill. Madeleine Rattigan claimed staff at Tonge Fold Post Office had twice refused to accept a £36 payment to British Gas. But postmaster John Patel insisted they had bent over backwards to
GORDON Strachan revealed his blueprint for Premiership survival as the rival camps geared up for tomorrow's Reebok six-pointer. The fiery Scot has seen his Sky Blues take impressive scalps in recent weeks - Manchester United in the League, Liverpool and
BUYING and maintaining your own home has never been an easy option and most of us have to meet the costs ourselves. For residents in deprived areas, the claim that just £3,750,000 is available for improvement grants will be greeted with real gloom by
EXCLUSIVE ball gowns worth more £30,000 have been stolen from a dress shop in Ramsbottom. Thieves got away with their haul from Yolanda's Exclusive Evening Wear shop on Bolton Street after climbing through a panel in the front door and putting the alarm
A BOLTON businessman told a public inquiry how he tried in vain to relocate his firm when he was told the land was needed by the council. But the chairman of Associated Plastics, Mr Graham Perrott, said suitable premises could not be found. Bolton Council
LEIGH RMI travel to inform Marine tomorrow after a week off and a big improvement in their injury situation. But, in fact, manager Steve Waywell could well stick with the 11 who started and did so well to win at Colwyn Way last Saturday despite having
A BOLTON boy who beat meningitis is back home after spending a month in hospital fighting the deadly bug. Chris Jackson - struck by the virus on Boxing Day - was unconscious in intensive care for 17 days while doctors battled to save his life. But now
HORWICH councillors have called for lighting to be installed on the two main footpaths used by Wanderers' fans and shoppers in Horwich - because they are "dangerous". They say the unlit paths leading from Sefton Lane and Aspinall Street to the Reebok
FILM star Shirley Anne Field is helping to pull in the cash needed to refurbish a Bolton theatre. Shirley Anne, one of the country's most famous actresses, spent her childhood in Bolton as a war evacuee. She still has many roots in the town and recently
BOLTON Council's determination to prevent fluoride being put into the borough's water supply is obviously still supported by most townsfolk. Turning to page 59 of today's edition certainly proves that! Dental experts stress that fluoride in water will
SIR: Many of your readers may recall the touching story of Leah Todd (BEN January 8, 1997) describing the thrill of walking down the street with her first guide dog, Doris. The last puppy of mine to qualify did so with a partner who 80. Living alone,
By Gayle McBain A GROUP of orphans playing football with plastic bags touched the heart of a Bolton trainee store manager. And the orphans in Zimbabwe will soon get their first taste of western pop music when Lorna Butler arrives in the country. Lorna
LEIGH Centurions suffered more injury heartache today when rising star Sfraz Patel was ruled out for up to three months. Scrum-half Patel has been warned he risks permanent damage if he continues to play with a shoulder injury. The 21-year-old is booked
WIGAN'S latest recruit is dreaming of just one thing - playing at Wembley. Hooker Robbie McCormack, who made his debut for the Warriors in the friendly at Leigh on Sunday, says that appearing at the Twin Towers is his driving ambition. "We have the Grand
SIR: I refer to the story (BEN, December 30) reporting the theft at my home on Christmas Day. Your reporter was Angela Warhurst. I am pleased to inform you that the local police have retrieved and returned the inscribed canteen of cutlery and gold watch
EX-MINER Patrick Weaver is dying - a helpless victim of years of breathing in coal dust. Doctors say the Bolton man, who developed chronic bronchitis after spending 25 years down the pits, has between just six and 18 months to live. But today he vowed
OFGAS, the national gas watchdog body, believes thousands of Greater Manchester householders are in the process of switching their gas supply. Competition policy - introduced by the Conservatives and supported by the present Government - means several
LANCASHIRE County Council is fighting to ban devices which allow homeowners to pay for water in advance. The council says Budget Payment Units are a threat to health and bypass the legal system by allowing water firms to cut off supplies immediately.
SIR: I noticed in a recent BEN that the local PDSA shop in Ridgway Gates was asking for donations of cuddly toys to raise money for animals needing care. While I commend this request, other concerned friends and I raise the question: When are we going
M ANY Bolton pubs are awash with pool teams, have acres of football squads and over 180 darts clubs. But a town centre pub team are convinced there's only one team off on the piste this winter - the Anchor Inn's 'Kinway' Ski team. Founded more than 10
WANDERERS full-back Bryan Small has joined Bury's fight for Division One survival. The former England U-21 international, who has had loan spells at Luton and Bradford this season, has joined the Shakers for a month and goes straight into the squad for
25 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, January 30, 1973 AN experimental free bus service linking Bolton's Moor Lane bus station with parts of the town centre begins on Monday. Two prototype vehicles will be on test. One is battery-powered, silent, and fumeless
GIPSIES converged on Bolton yesterday to pay their final respects to a fellow traveller. About 400 mourners from throughout the country packed into Bolton Pentecostal Church for the funeral of popular mum Mary Smith, who died aged 61. Earlier 250 cars
A LANDLORD in Burnden is appealing for support to stop trade dying as the area turns into a 'ghost town.' A year ago business was booming as Wanderers fans packed the Waggon and Horses and the other Manchester Road pubs. But after the closure of Burnden
THE Reebok roar could come into its own as Wanderers step up their survival bid. Tomorrow's crunch clash with fellow strugglers Coventry, the first of eight 'must-win' home games, will not decide who stays or who drops out of the Premiership but it will
THOUSANDS of tons of concrete have been poured into the foundations of the new Marks & Spencer store in Manchester. The company says the store, which is to replace the one destroyed by the Manchester bomb in 1996, will be the largest M & S in
