A CLUB singer from Bolton has told of the "horrible" choice she had to make as she made her debut as a TV talent show judge. Jean Gillies, aged 46, had to decide which of three Cher tribute acts deserved to progress through to the next round of the BBC's
FORMER Hear'Say singer Suzanne Shaw has been unveiled as one of the contestants for the new series of Dancing On Ice. And already ice skating and Olympic aces Torvill and Dean are said to be tipping her as an early favourite. The 26-year-old from Bury
A CAMPAIGN to introduce an extra Bank Holiday has been met with a mixed response from Bolton politicians and employers. Travel company Thomas Cook is screening television adverts urging the Government to create an extra public holiday. Britons get just
POLICE are seeing an increase in "extreme" behaviour from town centre revellers high on a cocktail of booze and cocaine, says Bolton's top policeman. Chief Superintendent Dave Lea said the increasing availability and affordability of cocaine meant the
WINTER rounders returned to Harper Green with a number of teams forced to field depleted teams. Adlington were worst affected by the player shortage in the Farnworth League and had just six players to face Little Lever AFC, who were one short. Despite
AMIR Khan has been challenged to fight for the British lightweight championship by holder Jon Thaxton. The Norwich boxer claims that Khan is running scared but hopes that promoter Frank Warren will bid for the official purse for the title fight before
WANDERERS have rejected a £11million bid for Nicolas Anelka from Chelsea this afternoon. The Londoners finally made their move for the much sought-after striker, but their approach was rebuffed by the Reebok side. But Chelsea's opening offer is now
TRANSPLANT surgeon Titus Augustine is swapping his scrubs for a steering wheel as he prepares to drive 4,000 miles for charity. The consultant at Manchester Royal Infirmary will drive from Portsmouth to the Gambia in a 13-year-old 4 x 4, with just a
FIRMS in Bolton have the chance to compete in an annual IT and digital technology award programme. The Big Chip Awards for North-west companies now include new categories, including a "green" award for technology designed to help protect the environment
CHANGES in dismissal and grievance procedures are under way for local employers. But Bolton legal employment experts KBL advise companies to continue to follow the current rules. Statutory Dispute Resolution Regulations, 2004 are to be abolished by
A FIRM of solicitors has been incorporated into an international professional body which provides business advice to fellow members. CLB Coopers Chartered Accountants has joined the Leading Edge Alliance, an international association of independently-owned
WHEN national newspapers and television programmes talk about a boom in housing they almost always refer to London and the South. Conversely, when a downturn in the market is predicted, the usual Northern towns are trotted out as examples of places in
MAY I compliment the honesty of Cllr Morris in his letter to the people of Bolton, "Starting the New Year in good shape" (December 28). He was praising the work of the authority in Bolton town centre. Apparently this leader has overlooked the fact
WE would like to thank all the under-fives across Greater Manchester who took part in the Barnardo's Big Toddle last summer. These tremendous toddlers joined youngsters from across the UK in a sponsored half-mile walk and helped to raise over £21,854
I would like to point out to Cllr Hornby, with regards to the article "Car smashes into home for elderly" (December 24), that residents, like myself, of the area around that mini-roundabout at the junction of Church Street and Redcar Road, Little Lever
SOME people may scoff at the idea of a a cemetery for pets, but they would be wrong to do so. Britain is a nation of pet lovers, and people often treat their cats and dogs as if they are members of their family. A planning application has been submitted
I READ with interest Mr Eyre's letter, "Confusion over the bins" (December 28), regarding Christmas refuse collections. He has my sympathy. Residents of Harwood had similar experiences. My husband got our bin out in the nick of time. I had seen no
When someone asks for your opinion, he or she usually wants you to confirm theirs. Bolton PCT want our opinion on the reorganisation of urgent care services in the borough. They have plans to spend a vast sum of money building several new, extra large
I read with interest the article, "God's place in politics" (December 26), referring to Bolton Councillors stating that religion plays an important role in politician's decision making in response to the Lib Dem leader declaring himself to be atheist
TOWN Hall chiefs are calling on the Government to stand firm over plans which could net Bolton an extra £3.2 million over the next three years. The proposals would see extra cash diverted from councils in the south, which have historically received more
Police are trying to trace a man who helped the victim of a gunshot wound in Burnage. At 8.20pm on Saturday a 25-year-old man went to the Manchester Royal Infirmary with a gun shot wound to the upper part of his right leg. Earlier that evening
Detectives are appealing for information after a woman was violently raped in Moss Side. A 48-year-old woman was walking along Moss Lane West at about 5.30am when a man approached her from behind, outside Hydes Brewery. The man grabbed hold
HE may be the heir to Bolton's premier pastie empire, but for Liam Carr, life has taken a slightly more rock and roll twist. The former Thornleigh pupil is a multi-instrumentalist, and one of the founding members of The Lazy Browns, who will be playing
A SPECIAL gig this Saturday hopes to reignite people's political fires. The event, at Bolton Socialist Club, on Wood Street, will raise funds and awareness for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament's Stop The War protest. Bands and performers on the
The president of world football's governing body has voiced his surprise that England have named another foreign coach to manage the national side. On the day Fabio Capello officially starts work, Fifa boss Sepp Blatter said England had "broken a principle
EDUCATION watchdogs say children at St Catherine's Catholic Primary in Lowton "thoroughly enjoy school." Inspectors from schools' standards organisation Ofsted visited the Cranham Avenue primary to look at all aspects of life and learning. They found
BOXER Amir Khan has been fined £1,000 and banned from driving for six weeks for speeding after a court heard that he reached speeds of up to 140mph on a motorway. The 21-year-old was spotted in his £45,000 BMW coupe on the M62 and followed by a police
MEMBERS of a gym have raised more than £2,000 by taking part in a marathon exercise session. Virgin Active gym at The Valley in Bolton held the fundraising fitness day on Saturday to raise money for Chemo Mums, a Bolton charity helping support mothers
Here are the questions - and answers, below - to our weekly footie quiz. 1.So far this season this weekend's games did't count!, who is the leading English goalscorer in the Premiership? 2.Who scored the goal the last time Wanderers beat Derby County
Leyland 10K: 4 J Kevan M 32.18; 9 B Bolland M35 33.09; 13 P Muller 1st M50 34.06; 14 D Massey 2nd M45 34.18; 22 G Kay M 35.02; 51 S Norgate 1st L35 39.02; 89 P Bland 3rd M60 42.06; 91 D Kay M60 42.13; Finishers 266. Whinberry Naze Fell Race: 5 G Schofield
The six mile, 900ft ascent Auld Lang Syne Fell Race held on New Year's Eve at Penistone Hill country Park, near Haworth, Keighley saw Dave Milliken end the year in fine style with first over-40 and 12th overall in 43.19. Chris Heys was hot on his heels
The Ribble Valley 10K road race at Clitheroe saw 11 Horwich RMI Harriers finish out of 841. First was Brendan Bolland in 27th (33.17). Gary Priestley finished 37th and recorded a new personal best time of 33.54. Guy Heyes ran a personal best time and
HORWICH RMI Harrier James Kevan had a great run in the Boxing Day 10K Road Race at Leyland, finishing fourth overall and reducing his personal best by over a minute to 32mins 18secs. There were fine performances from the other Horwich men, including
PLANS to build seven super surgeries will be the "death knell" for small, community GP practices, according to a leading family doctor. The new health centres will replace GP surgeries, which health chiefs claim are "out-dated". But Dr Ian James, who
BARCELONA have put Jussi Jaaskelainen top of their wish list as they chase Real Madrid for the Spanish title. But the Catalan giants look like being frustrated in their attempts to lure the Wanderers keeper to the Nou Camp. Jaaskelainen is determined
THE average home in Bolton will increase in value by more than £4,000 over the next 12 months. That is the prediction of one of the borough's housing experts. Will Saunders, regional sales director for Bolton-based Miller Metcalfe estate agents, made
A 46-year-old man is in a critical condition in hospital after a serious crash in Bury. Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which happened in Heywood Street at around 6.30pm last night. A red and white Yamaha motorbike was in collision
THE neighbour of a man whose home was destroyed in a fire has spoken of his anger at damage caused to his own house. David Bailey and his wife Barbara live next door to a property in Townsfield Road, Westhoughton, which was wrecked last week when equipent
PLANS to build two homes on land in a conservation area have been submitted to Bolton Council. The applicant wants to demolish the existing house at Woodlea in Knowsley Grange, Lostock, and replace it with two detached properties. But the plans have
A MAN was rescued by firefighters after a pan of food sparked a blaze at his home. Crews were called to Kent Street, Bolton, at 8pm last night after a neighbour heard the smoke detector activate. Firefighters broke down the front door and dragged the
A CAR crashed into a fence post at a notorious accident blackspot. Police said the incident happened on the A675 Belmont Road, between Belmont and Abbey Village, when the driver swerved to avoid a motorcycle travelling in the opposite direction. The
Wanderers' playing future will be on show tomorrow night when the under-18s play Port Vale in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup at the Reebok Stadium, kick off 7pm. The young Whites will be hoping to produce a performance similar to the last round
ALI Al-HABSI is determined to keep the pressure on Jussi Jaaskelainen as he waits patiently to make his Premiership bow. It is two years to the day since the Oman international joined Wanderers from the Norwegian club, Lyn Oslo, and, although he has
El-Hadji Diouf landed himself with a two-match ban when he picked up his tenth domestic booking of the season on Saturday. But he is unlikely to miss any Premiership games through the suspension. He is expected to serve the ban while away on African
ARMED raiders targeted four shops across Bolton during a 26-hour spree of violent crime. Detectives are hunting for three gangs and have confirmed two of the incidents were connected. In a day of terror: Thugs armed with knives and an axe robbed
GARY Megson has warned his fringe players that they are running out of chances to establish themselves in his survival squad. The Reebok boss insisted he had no regrets about fielding an under-strength team, despite seeing the gamble fail miserably as
Radcliffe Borough 2 Harrogate Railway 2 RADCLIFFE Borough stretched their unbeaten record to six games as they came from two goals down to secure a point against Harrogate Railway. Boro were down to the bare bones - with eight players missing from
