BLOOMIN' luverly! That's all we can say. All those beautiful flowers at The Castle pub. What a tonic. We pass every day. Keep it up. Him and Her Pensioners Astley Bridge Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have
RAILTRACK'S new 'eye-in-the-sky' helicopter swooped on 30 trespassers in its first week of operation, it was revealed today. The chopper squad tracked down offenders across the county, including trespassers in the Bolton area. The helicopter was used
ANOTHER 270 jobs are to go in Bolton next month when a massive distribution depot closes. The Energi Centres depot in Bury Road is to shut at the end of August following last week's announcement that gas giant Centrica is to close all of its high street
AS a frequent visitor to Bolton, generally shopping, one of the pleasing sights on the journey is the appearance of the Bolton Castle Public House, situated on Tonge Moor Road. I imagine many hours of attention and loving care have gone into the decorative
JIMMY Phillips and Robbie Elliott return to the fold at Wrexham tonight as Wanderers aim to put more momentum into their pre-season programme. It's been a low-key, at times frustrating, build-up to the big kick-off but with the injury crisis showing signs
TWO boys from the Bolton area died in separate drowning tragedies yesterday as they cooled off in the summer sun. One, a 15-year-old from Deane, perished as he swam in the High Rid Reservoir, a popular sailboarding and water sports water between Lostock
A BMW-approved body shop for the Ian Anthony Group is to be opened in Bolton on September 6. The £1 million investment in Orlando Street will create 25 jobs. The company, which is based in Bradshawgate, Bolton, has three dealerships - Ian Anthony (Bolton
A BOLTON company is one of the founders of a new national body designed to tackle cowboys in the fire and flood restoration industry. The British Damage Management Association has been established - following pressure from insurers - along the lines of
OBSCENE, disgusting, scandalous are the words I use to sum up the 18pc pay rise for councillors, no wonder our Council Tax has rocketed. I've never voted for them, and never will. They are an absolute shower. Since Wednesday's BEN, July 21, I have attempted
BABY Stephanie Young is already championship material as far as her father is concerned - she became Leigh RMI Football Club's youngest supporter minutes after her birth. Paul Young was determined his daughter would lift the age trophy and tried to register
CORONATION Street's "lovable rogue" Charlie West - alias Keith Clifford - will be the star of the show when he hosts a musical evening in Leigh on Sunday, August 8. It is being arranged by officers from the Leigh sub-division of Greater Manchester Police
I AM writing in response to an article which recently appeared in the BEN concerning parents refusing to send their child to Withins School after being turned down for admission to Turton School. I would like to ask these parents, and many others of a
MOVES by the Government to relax proposed controls on herbal products and vitamin supplements have been welcomed by Bolton MP Brian Iddon. Health Minister Baroness Hayman has decided not to proceed with a tight crackdown on food supplements and health
25 YEARS AGO HOSPITAL workers, with 18 to 20 per cent pay increases under their belts, today resumed normal working and ended the threat of a laundry crisis. A FOUR-day 'twinning' visit by Bolton councillors and officials to the German town of Paderborn
EDUCATION chiefs will decide today whether Harper Green School at Farnworth will be spearheading the fight against youth crime in its surrounding area with a special project to deal with problem pupils. No doubt the people of Farnworth - highlighted as
LAST week (July 20) I cast my first vote as a new member of the European Parliament. Those who accuse the Liberal Democrats of being too close to Labour might like to know that, on this occasion, I voted to elect a President of the Parliament, Nicole
THEATRE, MUSIC & DANCE THE Farnworth Aces Morris Dancers is holding a practice night for girls age 15 and upwards at the New Bury Community Centre, Buckley Lane, Farnworth at 6.30pm. A CHOIR practice session is held at St John the Evangelist, Wingates
FOR the growing number of informed and other objectors to Britain's full membership in the European Union, it may come as some consolation that the European Union Commissioners have apparently decided, not surprisingly, that English will be the preferred
THIS is a copy of a letter I have sent to Tony Blair. "The Working Party at the local council were banded together to look at the proposed reduction in places in primary schools over the next few years. They seem to have failed to look at the objections
I WONDER who the ghost men are who are claiming this increase for their duties. You never see them from one year to another. The BEN wants to know - are they worth it? I, for one, say "No". What I would like to know is why we need 66 councillors, when
SPECIAL green bins are being delivered to 6,000 Bolton homes to encourage householders to recycle their rubbish. They will be about a quarter of the size of wheelie bins and residents will be asked to put glass and plastic bottles and drinks cans in them
A LOCAL secondary school could be spearheading the fight against youth crime in the surrounding area with a special project to turn around problem pupils. Harper Green School at Farnworth wants to set up a special unit to clamp down on teenagers vulnerable
JONATHAN Pendlebury, of Everest Road, Atherton, was with his nine-year-old sister playing with a ball on the beach at Blackpool yesterday afternoon when the ball drifted out to sea and the pair tried to catch it. A 14-year-old boy nearby saw the two of
PLEASE pass this message on to Mrs Daphne Clarke of Durham who wanted a cafe without loud, background music. When next in Bolton, find the Octagon Theatre Cafe where she will get a very good pot of tea and good snacks - and, may I say, without any horrendous
I can't believe my eyes! Many thanks to the person/persons who have stuck danger notices "Save our Trees" along Crompton Way. Why would anyone want mature trees down? We need all the oxygen we can get. Wake up Bolton Council. Where are your green policies
AFTER a 35-year career in local government, Bury's director of Personal & Community Services, Alexander Wright Rennie Paterson - better known friends and colleagues as 'Sandy' - is to retire from service on the stroke of the new Millennium. Mr Paterson
BOLTON's under-pressure eye unit is considering setting up a mobile theatre to cope with growing demand. The plan - which has still to be costed - has been revealed after complaints that a baby girl born with a blocked tear duct has already been waiting
BOLTON Tories have come up with a rescue package which they claim will wipe out surplus places in primaries without closing any schools for good. Today they will put forward a package of alternative proposals to the education and arts committee which
RACHEL Preston is 21, blonde, bright and determined. One day she plans to become a pyschology teacher. At 18 she had the world at her feet. A top student out of Turton High School she left Loretto College in Manchester with four good A-Levels in pyschology
BOLTON West MP Ruth Kelly enjoyed a tour of the Bolton Training Group premises in Chorley New Road, Horwich. BTG, which has established an Advanced Technology facility, has joined with Bolton Institute and Bolton College to form CRAL - the Bolton Centres
DEAN Holdsworth is refusing to let speculation over his Bolton Wanderers future stifle his enthusiasm for the game or dilute his commitment to the club. "If something's going to happen, it will happen," Holdsworth said with a shrug of his shoulders. "
ON the day that we learn that 20 people are feared dead after being caught in a flash flood in a Swiss ravine, we also find out that two local boys have drowned. One of the boys, Gary Lomas, aged 15, had gone to the High Rid reservoir to enjoy a swim
A GIFTED young balloon artist from Anglesey will attempt to blow the minds of visitors to this year's Bolton Show. Adam Goodwin, aged 14, is dyslexic but making a name for himself with a series of remarkable balloon sculptures. Organisers of the Leverhulme
I wander with my dreams down memory lane, And ponder there a while. Where did they go? Those days of yesteryear. Happy times remembered when no-one lived in fear. Gone are the days of my childhood, Life has changed the years have sped. We don't walk alone
TV dinner lady Maxine Peake returned to her former school to dish up some food for thought. The young actress told youngsters at Westhoughton High School about her difficult struggle to pursue a career on stage and screen since leaving school nine years
MOVES are being made to ban mobile phone masts from a radius of 200 yards from Bolton's schools. Bolton's planning and environment committee councillors are set to ask officers to prepare a report on how they could go about insisting that they are sited
I AM a retired engineer and have been reading the BEN since I came to live in Westhoughton. I was born in Altrincham and also lived in Firswood, Stretford. I acquired another car with power steering, so I wanted to sell the car I had, which was advertised
LABOUR chiefs on Bolton council could be set for a clash with their representatives in Parliament over the closure proposals. Bolton West Labour MP Ruth Kelly has not made any public statements on the issue, but has sent a letter urging members of the
