AN EAST Lancashire council has received praise for having the healthiest staff in the North West. Staff sickness levels have plummeted due to a ‘wellbeing’ scheme at Hyndburn Council which provides regular keep fit classes and special stress relieving
MORE than £1million is needed to keep Haslingden Pool afloat over the next five years, campaigners have been told. Council bosses in Rossendale undertook a survey of their buildings stock and found they needed £3.3million of repairs or maintenance before
THE parents of a disabled nine-year-old girl are appealing for urgent help so their daughter can continue to receive treatment. Erin Bater has an undiagnosed condition causing her to suffer from learning difficulties and low muscle tone. She, along
SAY hello to the cast of Clitheroe Parish AODS’s annual musical. Helllo Dolly runs at St Mary’s Centre until Saturday at 7.30pm, plus a 2.15pm matinee on Saturday. Company chairman Brian Haworth said: “It’s definitely going to be a show
BURNLEY have raised season ticket prices by around five per cent as they bid to cope with a significant reduction in their Premier League parachute payments next season. The Clarets are offering a special price for those renewing their season tickets
A SPECIAL youth version of the family favourite Annie will be staged by Haslingden’s That’s Entertainment. Annie Junior runs at Haslingden Primary School from Wednesday, February 15 to Saturday, February 18, 7.30pm with a 2pm Saturday matinee
A TROUBLED estate filled with empty properties and derelict land is to be revived into a new community. Contour Housing Group are planning to carry out a £5.2million regeneration scheme with a scheme to build ‘affordable, high quality design’ homes
NEW Accrington Stanley boss Paul Cook has extended the loan of Everton defender Toto Nsiala for another month. Nsiala's initial loan spell ended after Tuesday's defeat at Rotherham but Cook, who was at the Don Valley Stadium to watch the game
KIND-HEARTED Burnley residents have raised over £200 for an 83-year-old who was mugged on her own doorstep. The woman was targeted as she returned to her home off Woodbine Road. Police said a man knocked on her back door and forced his way in, pushing
TEENAGERS across the county will be told the story of an East Lancashire man killed by a single punch during lessons on violence. Pat and Dave Rogers, the parents of 24-year-old Adam Rogers who died in July 2009 following unprovoked violence in Blackburn
A RIBBLE VALLEY pub will be the first to hold a special event celebrating locally sourced produce. The Millstone, in Church Lane, Mellor has been selected to host the Taste Lancashire Produce evening because of the variety of local products featured
A NELSON man has been cleared of encouraging rioting or looting via Facebook during last August's civil disturbances. Christopher Milligan, 26, was accused of intentionally encouraging or assisting rioting through a post on the social networking
A HOMELESS man was badly beaten in a town centre attack in the early hours of this morning. Police sealed off an area close to the Post Office in Ainsworth Street, Blackburn, after they were called to the incident around 3am. The victim, a 37-year-old
A GRIEVING community has come together to pay for the headstone of a popular mum who died suddenly. Voluntary youth worker Maureen Paton was found dead at home in Lomax Street, Darwen, by her partner Bob Crawford. She had been treated in hospital
POLICE are missing a third of crime reduction targets as £42million cuts begin to grip, according to Lancashire’s Chief Constable. The figures, released at a Lancashire Police Authority (LPA) meeting, show the number of violent crimes in particular
DEFENCE giant BAE Systems has reported a drop in annual sales after military spending in the US and UK was cut. Revenues fell 14 per cent to £19.2 billion in 2011. Underlying profits dropped seven per cent to £2 billion. The company
A BLACKBURN man who garrotted a neighbour in California has been told he cannot serve his life sentence in the UK. Andrew Sharkey is facing more than 32 years in jail for murdering a pensioner near San Francisco. The 38-year-old, who
A GROUP of dementia patients has been left feeling ‘bitter’ after a brewery called last orders on its weekly singalong. Burnley-based Crossroads Care had agreed on a trial basis for around 20 of its clients to use a meeting room at Moorhouse's
A MAN threatened to set himself on fire following a domestic dispute at a home in Blackburn last night. Firefighters and police were called to a home in Lynwood Round around 11pm. However, they said that when they arrived it became apparent that the
WILPSHIRE rally driver Matt Griffin claimed a class victory in his first event of 2012 at the Wyedean Forest Rally. The 21-year-old was first in the BTRDA N3 class at the Gloucestershire event at the weekend after switching to a Ford Fiesta SF for this
* The Blackburn Road Runners are hosting the re-scheduled 10K Winter Warmer on Sunday. The annual event – which was postponed due to poor weather – takes place on the athletics track and runs up past Witton school, then up Buncer Lane before moving on
CLITHEROE Grammar School student Rhiannon Wickham was the leading female and junior at the Andrew Steele Olympic Bid race in Littleborough on Sunday. The Blackburn Harrier U15 athlete was seventh overall in the five-mile event, which was won by Salford
A FUND-raising event for promising Haslingden rider Tom Carne will take place in Rawtenstall tonight. The event takes place at the Rhythm night club from 7pm to help the 18-year-old raise funds for his tilt at the British 125cc Championship in 2012.
THE latest Junior Production Car Autotest event will take place at Blackburn Services this weekend. The event, organised by the Under 17 Motor Club North West and Accrington Motor Sports Club, will run from 11am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday at the M65
ACCRINGTON driver Hazel Johnson picked up eight awards during a weekend of presentation ceremonies for local motor sport. The 19-year-old enjoyed success during 2011 as she starts to make her name in the autosolo and stage rally disciplines, and collected
CHORLEY Harriers enjoyed a fine day at the hugely popular Norman Matthews Winter Hill Fell Race on Sunday. The race, named after Horwich RMI’s former national fell race champion, featured 2,749 feet of climbing spread over 11 miles of dank and foggy
COACH Noel Finucane has spoken of his pride for Pendle Athletic Club’s youngsters after they defended another cross country title in stunning fashion. The Nelson-based club’s U13 boys have not put a foot wrong in holding onto their Mid Lancs Cross Country
The second leg of a challenge match between Blackburn and Darwen and Burnley, Nelson and Colne takes place on Sunday, February 26, at the Alexandra Hotel, Darwen. The teams are tied at 5-5 after the first leg in Burnley.
CHARLIE Austin is gunning for Reading after putting the worst goal drought of his career behind him. The striker scored the second in Burnley’s 2-0 win over Barnsley on Tuesday, ending a run of six games, and six weeks, without a goal. Austin, who had
Minus 30 man Eric Catlow will play -39 potter Simon Blackwell in the quarter-finals of the Burnley and District Snooker League Individual knockout. Favourite Faraik Adjaib, who plays off minus 60, tackles Howard Murtaugh (+14) in another attractive tie
EIGHT clean sheets in 13 games, five in seven at home – it’s not bad going for a goalkeeper. Yet Burnley fans are still finding fault with Lee Grant. Call me a cynic, but it’s as if they are looking for it. Some may berate out of loyalty to ‘The Beast
JUNIOR Hoilett is understood to be attracting interest from Italy as he nears the end of his Blackburn Rovers contract – but Steve Kean has not given up on the Canadian remaining at Ewood Park. Hoilett’s Rovers deal expires at the end of June and talks
ACCRINGTON Stanley chairman Ilyas Khan hopes Paul Cook and Leam Richardson will remain at the club for as long as John Coleman and Jimmy Bell – insisting he would proud to have either of the new management duo as sons. Cook and assistant Richardson have
PAUL Cook knew he had to go to Ireland if he had any chance of fulfilling his managerial dream, but he believes he arrives at Accrington Stanley much better equipped to succeed in England than he was the first time around. Cook left a coaching role
AS far as chilling warnings go, Chris Samba did not need to look far this week. “David Bentley will look to reignite his faltering career by joining ambitious League One outfit MK Dons until the end of the season,” a national newspaper article read.
PAUL Cook believes Accrington Stanley can continue to compete on a limited budget after being unveiled as the Reds’ new boss yesterday. Cook will take charge of Stanley for the first time when they host Plymouth on Saturday, with the club only three
Young cricketers from Clitheroe Cobras are in the UAE to support England in the one-day series, in Day Four of his blog, coach FAROUK HUSSAIN describes how his charges coped on a day without cricket... A lazy morning for all as it was the
THE M65 was closed for an hour last night after a drunk man was spotted hanging over the edge of the bridge at junction 11 near Burnley. Police said the motorway was shut at around 1.45am after a passer-by reported seeing the man near the roundabout,
NEW exercise equipment is planned for Burnley’s St Peter’s Centre and a major engineering project is scheduled for the town bus station during the coming year. Plans were confirmed as Burnley council’s executive backed a freeze for their portion
