MAY I make a suggestion about who should give out 'litter bug' fines , and could we also add spitting on our pavements and roads. It is a filthy habit, and a health hazard. I think the traffic wardens are already good at doling out fines and well-trained
WELL, I am still waiting for Bolton Council to give the BEN a copy of the 'expert's' report concerning the location of the £53,000 statue in Daubhill. We all want to see exactly what this 'expert' said. The only reason I can see for not releasing the
THANK you for publicising our new link with patron Peter Kay, and the kind words of support in your Opinion column. The boost to our profile is very welcome if we are to support society's vulnerable people. To this end we are willing to provide speakers
22TONY Blair and Gordon Brown are spending a further £20m of our money preparing us to join the EURO, despite the fact that over 70pc of us want to keep the POUND. The number of Asylum seekers flooding into Britain is still soaring. Schools are still
READING your paper, it is full of complaints of bad services in transport, rail, petrol taxes. Farnworth Park and Cemetery vandalised! Neglected by Council and MPs. Privatisation isn't working and taxes going through the roof. Fluoridation is being pushed
MAKE sure your garages and sheds are locked -- or you could be helping thieves to help themselves. The warning goes out to homeowners from police following a spate of thefts of tools from garages and outhouses in Chorley over the past two weeks. In the
THE storm of protest over the state of Adlington's sewers is gathering force. Dozens of worried residents attended an open meeting on Monday night to support calls to improve Adlington's sewerage system. Residents formed a committee last week after fearing
A CYCLIST from Poland has lost his three-day fight for life after falling under the wheels of a bin lorry in Holcombe Brook. Mariusz Mazurek, aged 16, suffered head injuries in the accident after a cycling trip to the countryside around Holcombe Hill
BOLTON shoppers have been taking a new busker to their hearts over the last couple of weeks. But Nick Bold is no ordinary busker. In fact he recently gave up his job as a taxi driver to pursue a full-time career as a singer/songwriter. Nick's musical
A BOLTON child stared death in the face as a knifeman demanded cash from her terrified father. Ray Boddington, aged 59, watched in horror as the thug waved a blade in front of his four-year-old daughter Juliana's face, with the chilling message: "Give
A* to G (A* to G in brackets) C Bint 8(8); R Bond 9(9); A Buksh 9(9); S Cohen 9(9); C Collins 9(8); A Davies 9(9); L Dickinson 9(9); E Drake 8(8); L Edwards 9(9). S Finch 9(9); N Gorski 9(9) L Gryckiewic 9(9); K Hoyle 9(9); J Hutchinson 9(9); G Jerome
Grades A*-G C Abbott 8, N Aldred 10, M Alker 9, J Allen 10, G Allmark 9, R Andrews 9, J Arnold 9, L Arnold 10, A Ash 9, D Bailey 9, J Bailey 10, L Balchin 7, T Ballickyj 9, L Barker 10, A Barlow 9, B Barton 10, S Bates 10, T Bates 9, D Belch 9, E Benjamin
A* to G (A* to C in brackets) Y Akram 9; N J Allam 8(8); M J Appleton 9(8); C P Bajda 9(9); M Barber 8; B J Barker 9(8); M J Barker 9(1); J E Barlow 9(5); C M Barnes 9(3). K E Barnes 9(3); R Barry 9(2); C S Bateman 9(8); K L Bennett 6(1); S E Bennett
Grades A*-G Group 10.1: Andrew Balmer 9, Christopher Bent 9, Stephen Cottrell 8, Sarah Cushion 10, Philip Hawkins 9, Jonathan Else 9, Victoria Evans 10, Katya Greer 9, Michael Heaton 10, Mark Henry 8, Alix Isherwood 10, Jemma McCann 9, Joanne Murray 9
A* to G Outstanding individual results include -- Rebecca Bradshaw 3A*/6A/3B; Arina Clay 4A*/5A/2B/1C; Rebecca Ford 5A*/2A/5B/2C; Rebecca Jones 6A*/5A/2B; Laura Yates 3A*/7A/3B. Ninety-seven students achieved five or more higher level passes, the vast
TEMPEST United had a change at the first team helm right on the eve of the new West Lancs League season. Chairman Alan Westhead explained: "Our manager Tommy Burtonwood told us after one of the Goldline Trophy games that he thought it would be better
ATHERTON Colls manager Alan Lord was brutally honest with his view of the Alder House outfit's opening day North West Counties League Division One home 1-0 defeat by Kidsgrove Athletic. "We were garbage," stormed Lordie. Concensus of opinion from the
A* to G N Adam 7; N M Akhtar 9; S Akhtar 9; A M Aljilani 10; J A Ashworth 9; R Atcha 7; A M Axon 9; A Badat 8; M E Badat 10; S Baker 10; M W J Barlow 10; S Bhavaya 10; A J Boardman 10; D T Boaro 8; M Booth 10; R V Brough 9; Helen L Brown 9; Tery A Brown
I shouldn't think that many local people go to Rhyl for their holidays in these modern times (we're all too busy flying off to where we hope the sun is guaranteed!), but when this photograph of the Duckett family was taken in 1960, it was very popular
25 YEARS AGO BOLTON 'kart star' Derek Price has just helped the British racing team come second in the European karting seniors' championship in Sweden. And when Derek, aged 19, got back to his home in Walnut Street, he found that he was one of six Britons
HORWICH RMI CLUB, Chorley New Road, Horwich. Friday September 15, King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys. Ring Bolton 468085 (9am to 5pm) or Bolton 468911 (6.30pm to 9pm). MOSES GATE HOTEL, Farnworth. GYPSY'S TENT, Deansgate, Bolton. BULLS HEAD, Bury Rd,
LEISURE, SPORT AND KEEP FIT BOLTON Excel, Lower Bridgeman Street, tel: 334456: 7.30am-10.30pm. DEANE Leisure Centre, Junction Road, Deane, tel: 334432: swimming lessons, 5.30pm-7.30pm; basketball drop-in coaching, 5.30pm-6.30pm. FARNWORTH Leisure Centre
Butcher Stewart Derbyshire on the litter-strewn pavement AN angry Bolton butcher says the pavement outside his shop is so filthy and strewn with litter it is driving his customers away. Stewart Derbyshire, owner of Jim's Scotch Beef in Thicketford Road
Max gets ready for his next radio interview with owner Neil Martin MAX, the golden retriever nearly fluffed his lines when he was landed with the golden opportunity to be a radio star. And now his owner, Neil Martin, is wondering whether Max -- once destined
DOGS of all breeds were in tip-top form at the weekend when the traditional Bolton Town Dog Show show was held in tandem with Bolton Show. Over 1,000 entries came from all parts of the country, Scotland, the Isle of Man and the South of England to Leverhulme
A BOLTON police officer's pioneering scheme to help deaf folk in the town is being introduced across the Greater Manchester area. In January the BEN revealed PC Stuart Ashall's idea for special fax sheets which deaf and hard of hearing people could use
ACTRESS Christine Moore loves her husband, her son and her profession, but can identify with that patron of itchy feet, Shirley Valentine. That is not to say that Christine -- soon to open in the play Shirley Valentine at Bolton's Octagon Theatre -- is
EITHER by night or by day Bolton is the best -- say organisers of the latest festival to hit the town centre. To give visitors an idea of the range of shops and activities in Bolton the Town Centre Company is laying on a five-day festival with each of
Chorley CC 114-9 Darwen CC 114-9 CHORLEY made it to the final of the Slater Cup in the most dramatic fashion following a low scoring game at Darwen. With both sides posting identical scores, Chorley were the victors by virtue of having scored more runs
I nominate as 'Rat of the week' the person who broke into my Rover car outside the Halliwell health centre and opened the boot, stole all my tools, also a large bag of toys, bedside lamps etc. As they were proceeds for the terminally ill children at Dorian
ALL the family of Mr Frank Broughton of Whalley Avenue, Bolton, wish to thank the doctors, nursing staff, and all who cared for him on medical assessment and C1 ward at the Royal Bolton Hospital during the month of July. They were all wonderfully kind
WELL done Bolton Parks Department for winning a first prize at the Tatton Park Flower Show. I wonder if the team would like to takejudges to Moss Bank Park to see the Rock Garden and the Victorian Garden, and see how many prizes they would win? After
K H COLLEY (BEN, August 8) is mistaken in his ludicrous claim that "some clowns are proposing that homosexuals should be given carte-blanche to chase each other around public toilets". The proposal he refers to, is that gay sex in public should be regulated
TRUE to form MEP Davies comes out with the usual load of codswallop that we have come to expect from an MEP. He talks about living in two worlds, but he must be living on another planet if he cannot see the damage the European Union has done to this country
YOUR correspondent Cliff Heyes may well wonder where Bolton's music-lovers were while Leland Chen was playing at the Albert Hall. They were probably where they were for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and Mastersingers concerts on the 8th. and 9th and
ONCE again we read about heavy-handed, over-the-top tactics by the Greater Manchester Police Firearms Units, (BEN, August 8) -- Armed police in toy gun drama). This time, a young pregnant woman's home in Farnworth was raided. All it now needs is a neurotic
I FEEL I must write (I suspect along with hundreds of others) in response to the brilliant and heartfelt piece by Fred Shawcross on July 27 -- "A baddy is a baddy" -- regarding the treatment of paedophiles and other sex offenders. I was beginning to think
A MASKED maniac exposed himself to two boys after producing a kitchen knife from his pocket. Now police are appealing to the public for information into the terrifying ordeal in Astley Park, Chorley. Police revealed that four youths -- two of them female
EURO sceptics have denied they are running scared after being blasted by a political opponent. And they say they are prepared to have a public debate in Chorley. The UK Independence Party was criticised by Chorley Euro MP Chris Davies. The Liberal Democrat
A CHORLEY-based company is denying rumours of closure and job losses. Vertex Training Services says it will be moving away from its Little Carr Lane site, but that there will be no redundancies. And its parent company -- Vertex -- has refused to comment
POLICE divers who discovered hero dad David McHugh's drowned body told how they struggled to find him among the debris dumped at the bottom of the Blue Lagoon at Belmont, Bolton Passers-by who had helped rescue his seven-year-old son Daniel returned to
Bradford PA 1 Chorley 1 CHORLEY could hardly have left it any later to salvage a deserved point from this tough opening UniBond First Division fixture. Danny Mills rifled home the equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time to seal a point for the
WORKERS at Bolton's Homebase store have received news that the chain may be sold by supermarket group Sainsbury's. While a buyer has not yet been found, the group is closely studying options for Homebase which may see an "alliance, disposal or joint venture
A PENSIONER, aged 79, was mugged for £120 when a thief grabbed her handbag in Bury. She was in Whitehead Recreation Ground, off Ainsworth Road, when the thief pounced at 2.15pm yesterday. He is white, 5ft tall and aged 17.
ARMED police swooped on three teenagers who sparked a gun alert in Whitefield town centre. A shop owner raised the alarm after watching two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old boys load what appeared to be a handgun. Police were called to the Elms Square precinct
POLICE have renewed their appeal for witnesses to a three-car smash. The accident, at 8.35pm on Friday in Blackburn Road, Bolton, left two drivers with whiplash injuries. A third motorist fled the scene. Police say a Vauxhall Nova was involved in an accident
THE owners of Belmont's Blue Lagoon where a man drowned issued this stark warning: "Stay off the water." Julian Smith, managing director of Belmont Bleach Works, was speaking as search teams continued to hunt for the missing man. Mr Smith confirmed there
BOLTON Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce and forward Dean Holdsworth enjoyed a coffee at the opening of the new Marks and Spencers cafe. The Deansgate store unveiled its latest attraction yesterday and hopes to provide refreshment for weary shoppers needing
THE bravery of the "Few" who saved the country from German invasion 60 years ago will be remembered in Bolton on September 17. Local ex-servicemen and women will be joined by cadets from Bolton and Horwich air training squadrons for a town centre parade
MARK Fish revealed today that red tape had forced him to reverse his decision to quit international football, writes BEN Chief Soccer Writer Gordon Sharrock. Wanderers' South African defender, who controversially turned his back on the national squad
A* to G (A* to C in brackets) A Akther 9(2); S L Andrews 4; L A Ashworth 9(9); D Barnes 9(9); N J Barrass 9(9); M R Barry 9(9); M Beames 9 (1); S M A Beaumont 9(9); D J Berry 6; H L Bird 9(9); J A Blackley 9(9); T J Bohan 9(9); F A Botticchio 7; G L Bowman
A* to G (A* to C in brackets) C S Adamson 10; C L Ames 8(2); V D A Armstrong 10(3); M A Atkinson 6; Z M Bailey 7; A Barlow 6; A L Bateson 9(5); S J Battersby 1; Y L Baxendale 9(5); R Binks 7(1); S R Boddington 3; P J Bonner 8(3); L J Bottomley 8(4); B
(Grades A-G) Michael Abbott 10, Sara Al-Falahi 9, Stephen Allen 10, Benjamin Armstrong 10, Charlotte Atack 10, Craig Atkinson 6, Matthew Badley 10, Darren Bancks 8, Christopher Barlow 6, Kate Barnes 10, Carl Beaumont 10, Robert Beaver 10, Victoria Beckford
A* to G (A* to C in brackets) J Almond 10(6); D Anderson 3(1); L Anderton 10(5); R Andrews 10(3); M Ashworth 10(4); A Atkinson 10(10). M Ball 8(8); J Banner 10(6); K Bazley 10(10); R Bedford 10(4); W Bell 10(7); S Berry 10(10); A Betton 9(7); A Bibby
A MARK of how much the town's young golfers have improved will be tested next Thursday when the BGA Juniors take on South Lancs in the final of the Lancashire Inter-District League final. Bolton Golf Club will be hosting the event, a re-run of last year
A to E (AS-levels in brackets) V Brown 4; I Burke 3; L Burke 2; K Butler 1; N Carter 4; V Clough 2; C Davies 3; H Dillon 3 (2); L Dougall 3; J Dunn 3; L England 3; R Evans 2; A Fairclough 3; J Farrow 2; M Gias 2; M Gilmore 4; D Grant 3; R Halliwell 4;
A* to G (A* to C in brackets) C E Allen 8; E R Barber 8(1); S Barrow 7(1); T J Bastable 10(10); A N Benson 8(3); C M Berry 9(3); L J Berry 8; S J Bertram 10(10); L Bridge 9(1); B P Brooks 9(4); A J Burgess 9(9). S A Calvert 10(8); S A Carlin 9(4); L J
A* to G (A* to C in brackets) A Aitken 7 (1); D A Ashworth 9 (2); S R Ashworth 10 (10); C D Atherton 11 (11). A M Barlow 10 (8); C L Blinkhorn 10 (10); M A Booth 10 (8); S L Bourke 2 (1); M G Brindley 10 (8); M D Chaloner 11 (7); A C Chubb 11 (10); J
A to G, (A to C in brackets) Y Adamson 10 (9); R J C Addis 10(10); J A Allen 9(9); S Ashiq 10(10); H Ashraf 10(10); A Aslam 9(9); M N L Aziz 9(9); A J Benson 10(8); M I J Berry 10(7); C J Boothman 9(9); P J Boyes 10(10); J C Brady 9(9); P J Brathwaite
(Grades A*-G) Lyndsey Ashurst 9, Thomas Baker 8, Michael Banks 9, Timothy Barlow 7, Ryan Barnes 7, Dean Baylis 7, Michael Berrigan 9, Sheralee Bickerdike 9, Darren Birchall 9, Scott Birchall 9, Andrew Birtles 7, Darren Boyd 8, Leanne Boydell 8, Anthony
FAMILY FUN RUN/WALK, Bolton Adult Placement and Brindle Lodge Group family fun run/walk, Saturday September 9, 11am start from Leverhulme Park, Athletics' Stadium, Long Lane, Bolton. Choice of around two mile course (runners, joggers and walkers) or short
HUNGRY cops deny they have bitten off more than they can chew after joining the queues at a Chorley supermarket. And shoppers want to know why police are filing in and out of Morrison's at meal times. It seems the boys in blue have a real truncheon meet
A BOLTON newsagent has spoken of his relief after magistrates dismissed charges that he sold tobacco to a child. Curtis Fendlen, who runs Longsight News, Longsight, Harwood, says he endured months of worry after he was prosecuted following an investigation
A ROSE growers' society that started life as a pub joke 36 years ago and grew to be the best of British has withered and died. Membership of the Grey Mare Rose Society dwindled to such an extent that the few hardy souls left just couldn't keep it going
THE number of books borrowed from Bolton libraries has plunged 15 per cent in five years. Last year, loans dipped below the two million mark as they fell by almost six per cent -- but council chiefs say embracing new technology is just the ticket to ensure
Julie Hesmondhalgh, alias Hayley in Coronation Street with some pupils at Mount St Joseph School CORONATION Street star Hayley proved to be a class act when she joined children at a Farnworth summer school. Down-to-earth Julie Hesmondhalgh who plays the
35PUPPIES in the Bolton area are being invited to a party! The Companion Care veterinary surgery at the Pets at Home store in Middlebrook is holding regular, free puppy parties. This is to encourage young dogs of every creed and colour to socialise nicely
COUNCIL leader Bob Howarth has admitted Bolton is one of the country's most deprived areas. Speaking after new figures put the town 43 out of 354 in a local authority deprivation league, the Labour councillor said: "Industrial decline cannot be turned
