I AM writing with regard to the council vote that will take place at the end of July, addressing the issue of surplus places in primary schools. I feel that as this is of such a serious and contentious nature, all councillors should seek to have a free
TOWN hall chiefs have been told to go back to the drawing board over plans to revitalise the Tonge Moor area. Three local primary schools have banded together to say they do not want a new superschool in their area as proposed. And they have put forward
ONE of the town's new Euro MPs claims Bolton's moorlands could be ruined by wind farm developments. Chris Davies, one of 10 MEPs in the region, claims land around the town is in danger from developers keen to exploit the Pennine moors. His accusations
MEMORIAL and grave stones placed in tribute to Farnworth's most famous benefactors are being buried under piles of litter. Vandals have also made their mark in a long-forgotten pathway, yards from the newly refurbished town centre. The Quiet Walk was
SWANSEA City are lining up an audatious bid to tempt Bob Taylor away from Bolton Wanderers. The Third Division club are looking for an experienced, proven goalscorer to get them promotion after two near misses - and Taylor fits the bill. Wanderers, however
TWO children were sent home from a Farnworth school when they refused to wear emergency footwear supplied by the school after floods ruined their normal shoes. Thirteen children turned up to Harper Green School in trainers yesterday as their usual black
DRINKING water watchdogs have introduced special regulations to control a dangerous bug, found in a reservoir supplying Bolton tap water. In April the BEN revealed that high levels of cryptosporidium had been discovered in Thirlmere reservoir in the Lake
DRINKING water watchdogs have introduced special regulations to control a dangerous bug, found in a reservoir supplying Bolton tap water. In April the BEN revealed that high levels of cryptosporidium had been discovered in Thirlmere reservoir in the Lake
OUTSTANDING Male Member of the Year - After School Club Jamie Lee Barrington,Junior Club Lee Bowden. The Karl Gillard Trophy for Outstanding Senior Member - Senior Club Kieran Hill. Outstanding Female Member of the Year - After School Club Laura Gammage
A BOLTON man is hoping to be a high flyer with success when he takes part in the World Microlight Championships. Graham Hodgson from Frank Street, Halliwell, is off to Hungary later this month to compete in the prestigious tournament, which attracts some
A SPECIAL environmental hit-squad is set to clean up Leigh's grot-spots. The new Borough Environment Action Team of Wigan council workers is dedicated to tackling unsightly pieces of land, litter and waste across the borough as part of the Beat-It initiative
A 20-YEAR-OLD man was undergoing emergency surgery today after being discovered in a Bolton street with stab wounds. The man, who has not been identified, is believed to have been stabbed in a nearby home before staggering into Ainsworth Lane. He suffered
BREIGHTMET'S only junior girl member Gemma Hunter is the new Lancashire Champion after winning the title at Woolton, Liverpool. The 17 year-old Turton High School pupil recorded rounds of 75 and 81 to win the Junior Girls event by one shot from Claudine
I watched them mercilessly knock it down brick by brick Without even a frown. To the demolition men it's just another day As long as they get their monthly pay. It's stood there for a 100 years or so But the building was sound it shouldn't have had to
BOLTON City Challenge is celebrating the completion of one of its last flagship projects with the opening of a new store on the site of former vandal-plagued Brownlow precinct. Until the bulldozers moved in four years ago the boarded up rows of shops
25 YEARS AGO DID you hear the one about the load of dogs that went to the cinema in Bolton? Twenty-five of the shaggiest dogs for miles around converged on the Odeon cinema to decide which one looked most like 'Digby', star of the film of the same name
I FAIL to understand the intelligence of our Highways Department regarding the Farnworth and Kearsley area. They will paint "keep clear" signs on the road at Link House, Bolton Road, Kearsley, which is a cul de sac - but will not put one where it is mostly
LAST night's concert in the Bolton Proms season found the Junior Youth Orchestra in adventurous mood. The programme promised "a feast of well-known classical favourites", but many of the pieces attempted last night are not necessarily so well known among
NEVER have I seen such a no-man's-land as Astley Bridge Cemetery - rubbish overflowing in the waste baskets, and the grass cut only along the paths. Will the powers that be remember that, in and about 1961, we were told "no more kerbstones" and obeyed
I READ in your Business Column on Friday, June 25, an article written by a local solicitor. When the new legal aid rules came to fore, solicitors were upset, but only for themselves. (Name and address supplied) Converted for the new archive on 14 July
MINISTERS have been praising Bolton schemes to get the disabled and mentally ill back into work. Social Security Minister Hugh Bailey and his counterpart at health John Hutton have both congratulated the projects. Bolton South East MP Brian Iddon raised
A CARING daughter has travelled hundreds of miles to buy her poorly mum the perfect tonic - Bolton black puddings and meat pies! Shelagh Young, 51, packed her bags and left her home in Lowestoft, Suffolk, to go on the longest shopping trip of her life
A PUBLIC inquiry has heard that an 18-hole golf course at Rumworth Lodge, would have "a significant detrimental impact" on birds and other wildlife. Landowners Beaumont Estates and the ERM Group Ltd are appealing against a decision by Bolton Council to
I have just been in Astley Bridge cemetery to put some flowers on my grandad's grave and I could not believe the state that it is in. It is all overgrown, full of rubbish and vandalised. I can't believe how it has been neglected. I think it is disgusting
BURY'S new street guardians are to become film stars after being captured on camera themselves. The town's Community Safety Wardens have been such a success that they are to show the country the way ahead. A video of the wardens in action, and comments
A POSTMASTER was hit in the face with a sledgehammer and two women cashiers beaten with a baseball bat during a violent post office robbery. The two thugs then grabbed a large amount of money, believed to be several thousands of pounds, before escaping
PENSIONERS in Bolton are set to benefit from a new one-stop information service in the town. Bolton Council and the Benefits Agency have teamed-up as part of the Better Government for Older People project to create a single site for both complex benefits
WORRIED truck drivers at former Bolton firm Hazelwoods FH Lee fear their wages could be axed by as much as £70 a week under a new contracting out deal. The company, which recently moved to a new base at Trafford Park, employs 15 drivers, most of whom
THOUSANDS of youngsters have enjoyed a taste of business life outside lessons as part of a special scheme. In the last year more than 6,000 Bolton and Bury pupils enrolled on two-week long placements in a huge work experience programme run by Bolton and
I remember when Jerry was finally beat, When Britain, en masse took to the streets. And partied on corn beef and pickles and pies, While waving two fingers at war free blue skies .... I remember when bunting fluttered on high, And red, white and blue
TEENAGE wardens could patrol Bolton town centre streets in a bid to cut down on crime. The youngsters would act as helpful ambassadors to help shoppers and support the police by keeping an eye out for petty crime. Crime prevention chiefs are set to look
THOUSANDS of loaves were taken off supermarket shelves throughout Bolton and Bury today, as a police inquiry began into the deliberate contamination of bread with sewing needles. The first needle was found last week, but thousands of Asda and Asda Farmstores
I RESENT the comments made by John Howarth and Liz Hartley about motorcycles and their riders. I have been riding motorcycles for 10 years and I am proud to say that I have never, ever ridden (or parked) illegally. Just because John and Liz have witnessed
A YOUNG man with a 35-year-old VW Beetle - top speed 55mph - says he was turned away from Middlebrook for being a boy racer. Glynn Stockton, 21, of Woodburn Close, Smithills, says he was refused admittance into the leisure complex in Horwich even though
A FARNWORTH fan owns such an impressive collection of memorabilia on the Beatles that he has had an entire room in the country's foremost exhibition centre on the Fab Four handed over to him . . . Thousands of fans flock to Liverpool, the group's birthplace
WE welcome any initiative which brings more jobs into Bolton. So we hope the task force which aims to save jobs in the engineering industry will succeed. But in trying to retain traditional work which has served the town well, they must not lose sight
THEATRE, MUSIC AND DANCE BOLTON Summer Proms 1999, Young Musicians' Recital, Central Library Theatre, 1pm. BOLTON Autumn Choir require male and female members for choir rehearsals at Age Concern, Ashburner Street from 5.30pm-7pm. For further details tel
