Archive
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Pain of glass
A REGULAR caller in the days of the hard sell is the double glazing salesman, many could sell fridges to Eskimos. I heard of a man who had new windows fitted, and six months later a representative from the firm called and asked the householder why he
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Fred gets it right
IN his BEN writings, Fred Shawcross puts a finger on the ills of our society. Would that our legal system equated with justice and the punishment fitted the crime. Too may people, paid and unpaid, are prepared to be vociferous apologists for the wrong-doers
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OPINION: Bright idea
WE applaud the idea of using problem youngsters in a scheme to brighten up Bolton. Andy Hogh, a graffiti artist, has already taken workshops in graffiti for teenagers as part of the Westhoughton WASTED scheme, which deals with disaffected youngsters in
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American comedy
WHAT a shambles! Here we have two aspiring rivals for the Crown -- the Presidency of the USA -- both battling it out in such words and crude tactics, that the ghost of Abraham Lincoln must be squirming in embarrassment that his written Constitution left
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This country is part of Christendom
IN reply to S Musa's letter of November 18, in which he states 'if anyone was taking your land away from you, would you sit back and let them go ahead, or fight back?' May I tell him that has been happening in Britain for years, but we have 'laws' which
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OPINION: Heart of democracy
MUCH has been made in this newspaper of the concern felt by a number of people in the Bolton area about the closed sessions of the council's influential "cabinet". Immediately the BEN became aware of the plan to hold these important meetings of the new-style
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Release Thompson and Venables?
SHOULD Robert Thompson and Jon Venables be released from detention? Their killing of James Bulger in 1993 was certainly a terrible crime. But is it now time to release these two young men in the hope that they are reformed and can now lead a useful life
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Let's remember casualties of war in Malaya
ONCE again the newspapers gave a moving tribute to the remembrance of our dead on November 11/12. The rightful tribute was given to the men and women that took part in those dreadful wars. For the first time ever, the Korean Veterans were given the recognition
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
From the BEN, November 27, 1995 WANDERERS hit rock bottom of the Premiership as they went down by a single goal at Southampton. The side's hell at the Dell was compounded as Alan Thompson had a goal disallowed in the 83rd minute leaving them at the bottom
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THEATRES
OCTAGON THEATRE, Bolton. The Owl and the Pussycat Went To See Runs to January 13. Ring Bolton 520661. OPERA HOUSE, Manchester. The Blues Brothers. Runs to Saturday, December 2. Performances Monday to Friday, 7.30pm, and Saturday 5.30pm and 8.30pm. Tickets
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Jane Asher link a big success
LEIGH-based Victoria Foods is making a success of its association with Jane Asher and her life-long interest in baking. The reputation of the Jane Asher Party Cakes shop in Chelsea led Victoria Foods to approach the actress, 18 months ago. She subsequently
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Food inspectors check out meat
BOLTON council food inspectors have put all other work on hold while they join the drive to stop BSE-infected meat being imported. All 10 of the town's inspectors have rescheduled routine inspections to make sure all beef being sold in the town is from
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Former air cadets chief dies aged 70
A FORMER commanding officer of Bolton Air Cadets has died, aged 70. George Cox junior, who founded Firwood Concrete Products in the 1960s and the Firwood Travel Agency had been ill for some time after suffering a series of strokes. Mr Cox had joined his
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Hostel fire
SEVEN residents fled a Bury hostel after a fire broke out in a first floor flat. Some needed treatment for smoke inhalation as a result of the grill pan fire at Rachel House, Mossfield Close. The drama began around 1am this morning. There was minor damage
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Puppy trapped in 'whine' rack!
FIZZ the puppy sent her owner into a tizz after wedging her head in a wine rack. After trying to release the eight-week-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier from her trap, owner Claire Thomas gave up and had to call the fire service. The drama began just after
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Homes search for guide dog 'rejects'
CHARITY chiefs are pleading for animal lovers to adopt guide dogs which have not made the grade. The rare plea is being made by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association which needs to find homes for its more problemsome animals. The dogs require stable
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PC Courageous!
A BRAVE policeman will meet Home Secretary Jack Straw at a House of Commons reception today. The event was organised to honour PC Paul Anderson and 13 other winners of the Queen's Commendation for Bravery. PC Anderson risked his life chasing two armed
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Robert thanks his 'Lucky Star' for Madonna ticket
A STUDENT cut short the holiday of a lifetime to enter a competition to see Madonna in concert. And today, Robert Thoday, aged 18, was celebrating winning a pair of tickets to see the superstar in London tomorrow. Robert has been a Madonna fan for as
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SHAKERS: Rain spells double trouble for Shakers
TORRENTIAL rain dealt Bury a double blow on Saturday. The waterlogged pitch which forced the postponement of Bury's clash with Brentford not only hit the Shakers in the pocket but it means Steve Redmond's one match ban will be now be carried over into
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CONCERTS
ST STEPHEN AND ALL MARTYRS, Lever Bridge, Bolton. Ring 840741. KING GEORGES HALL, Blackburn. Ga Ga a tribute to Queen. Thursday November 30. Starts 8pm. Ring 01254 582582. VICTORIA HALL, Knowsley Street, Bolton. Christmas Concert featuring the Greater
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MUSIC AND DANCE VENUES
BOLTON RECORDED MUSIC SOCIETY. Just bear with the sound with Gordon Lumb. Thursday, November 30. Lecture Theatre, Central Library, Bolton. Starts 7.15pm. ALBERT HALLS, Bolton. Ring 334400. INSTITUTO CERVANTES, Deansgate, Manchester. Spain - Heart of Fire
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LIVE MUSIC VENUES AND EVENTS
HOWCROFT INN, Pool Street, Bolton. Singers' Night. Tuesday November 28. Starts 8.30pm. HILLTOPS SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB, Hill Lane, Blackrod. Budding musicians come and play your own arrangements and compositions, Wednesday evenings from 7.30pm. For more
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What's On in and around the Bolton area on Tuesday
LEISURE, SPORT, KEEP FIT BOLTON Excel, Lower Bridgeman Street, tel: 334456: 50+ bowls, 10am-12 noon; circuits, 6pm-7pm and 7pm-8pm. HORWICH Leisure Centre, Victoria Road, tel: 334488: main pool, 7am-4pm and 6pm-7pm; small pool, 3pm-4pm and 6pm-7pm; step
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GALLERIES AND EXHIBITIONS
ARC GALLERY STORE, Oldham Street, Manchester. Thomas Barwick exhibition. From November 30 to J anuary 21.Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm. Sun noon to 5pm. Adm free. Ring 0161 831 7454. ASTLEY CHEETHAM ART GALLERY , Trinity Street, Stalybridge. Open Mon to Fri
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Riders and cyclists ban at park memorial
HORSE riders and cyclists are to be banned from a tree plantation at Lever Park, Rivington, which was designed to be a haven of peace and quiet. The Pinetum, a plantation dedicated to the memory of departed loved ones, was set up six years ago by colleagues
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Health boss Barbara is calling it a day
ROYAL Bolton Hospital chief Barbara Peacock is leaving the demanding world of the NHS behind for an idyllic retirement in the Cotswolds. She will retire next month to a thatched cottage in the country after spending 10 years helping to give the best service
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Community leaders in emotional plea after taxi tragedy
MUSLIM community leaders in Bury have pleaded for order and greater racial harmony following the killing of taxi driver Tariq Javed. The call was delivered to around 2,000 mainly Asian mourners who gathered in the town yesterday for the funeral of the
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Oh brothers, it's great to have you home
BRAVE cancer sufferer Steve Lally had the surprise of his life at a special fund-raising night at his local pub. For his two brothers, Phil and Kevin, had both jetted thousands of miles to be at the do with with Steve, his family and friends. At the last
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Tattoos mean tears for Clare
TATTOOS may seem like harmless fun, but ask Clare Colgan what SHE thinks and she won't agree. Her advice to any youngster wanting to emulate pop stars like Mel C, Robbie Williams and actress Melanie Griffiths is "don't do it". Apparently it is the "in
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FOLK MUSIC
LYRIC THEATRE, The Lowry, Salford. Ring 0161 876 2000. BAND ON THE WALL, Manchester. THE MET ARTS CENTRE, Market St, Bury. Ring 0161 761 2216. PLANET K, Oldham St, Manchester. PEMBROKE HALL, High St, Walkden 0161 790 4584. HASLINGDEN PUBLIC HALL, Regent
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The chase...
I WOULD like to thank all the people concerned in the chase of the man who snatched money out of my hand in the Post Office, Deansgate, Bolton, on Monday, November 20; particularly the young man who fell during the chase and hurt his hand. Everyone was
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Festive ceremony
MAY I please extend a very warm invitation to the residents of Horwich to join me on the occasion of the lighting of the Civic Christmas Tree at the Crown Roundabout on Friday, December 1, 2000, at 6pm. The ceremony will be followed by the usual short
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Christmas crackers
AS Victor Meldrew says "I could not believe it" when I saw the picture in the BEN of Father Christmas tied up by youngsters to get money -- one of them holding a screwdriver to Santa's throat, another with pliers to his nose. This is how the evil scum
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OPINION: About time!
NOT before time, Bolton Council has decided to step up security at a Kearsley flat where a pensioner has been burgled three times in as many months. In the latest incident Mrs Shirley Garstang woke to find two hooded teenagers rifling through belongings
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OPINION: Helping asylum seekers...
IT is not a situation we would have wished on our town. Accommodating 200 asylum seekers must inevitably have an impact on services. But the council seem to be handling the matter well and have said the impact of the influx of these people will be kept
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Why Tories will be putting the interests of the patients first
AS you are probably aware, Tony Blair's Government intend to abolish your local Community Health Council, which has serviced local health needs so admirably over the years. This was done without any prior consultation, and, with little, if any, justification
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What the argument is about
GEOFF Pollitt (BEN, November 15) confesses that he has ceased to go shopping with his male neighbour, because people may assume that they are queer. I wonder whether he is acting from embarrassment or fear. If he is as free from homophobia as he (very
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Armed police patrol town after shootings
ARMED police were on the streets at the weekend after two Bolton nightclub shootings within 24 hours. A team of marksmen joined other uniformed officers, some called in off rest days and others working extended shifts, as patrols were stepped up after
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Thompsons' hit and miss
TWO ex-Wanderers stars with the same nickname had contrasting fortunes at the weekend. Celtic midfielder Alan Thompson suffered a miserable Old Firm derby yesterday when he was red carded in his side's 5-1 defeat at Ibrox for two bookable offences. But
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FAN'S VIEW: By Adrian Ford
A CONFIDENT start and a grandstand finish - but sadly no reward for Wanderers on an afternoon of frustration at Bramall Lane. Frustrating because they blunted the Blades attack, enjoyed plenty of possession and worked several promising situations of their
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OPPOSITION VIEW: Great results for us - Warnock
A FABULOUS three points. When you are a manager all you can ask is that your players give everything and I was proud of them. We had to work twice as hard as Fulham to get a point in midweek and we had to work one and a half times as hard as Bolton to
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RICKETTS: That crazy £7m price tag
MICHAEL Ricketts laughed off his multi-million pound price tag today, dismissing Sam Allardyce's valuation as "tongue in cheek"! Wanderers' 12-goal top scorer shrugged his shoulders at the manager's suggestion that he is worth £7 million in the current
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THE NEXT MATCH: Barness has a point to prove
ANTHONY Barness revealed today how he was stunned into silence by the shock of conceding the penalty that cost Wanderers the chance of stinging Watford at Vicarage Road last month. "I'm angry when I look back on what happened that night," the Reebok defender
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SAM'S VIEW: They didn't deserve the points
I'M disappointed and frustrated. Overall, we did the job correctly again and nullified the opposition. They don't lose many at home yet we carved out the chances to have won the match. But we couldn't produce the right final ball and couldn't take the
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MATCH FACTS: How the players rated
WANDERERS: 4-5-1 JUSSI JAASKELAINEN 7 Handled everything well until Sandford popped up at the back post with the decisive header. JOHN O'KANE 7 Close to an equaliser at the end, the only Wanderer to seriously test the Blades keeper. GUDNI BERGSSON 8 He'll
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MATCH REPORT: Sheffield United 1, Wanderers 0
IT was no consolation to Sam Allardyce and his players to know they were the better side, to feel they should have won and to realise the three points they ought to have taken would have put them level with Watford...In fact it was sheer torture. "We
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The Wind in the Willows. Bolton Little Theatre. Runs until Saturday
THIS delightful production, directed with a light, sensitive touch by Michael Shipley, oozes charm. Alan Bennett has adapted the play from Kenneth Grahame's much loved book and Bennett's gentle humour is brought out well by a talented cast. Stephen Stubbs
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Counterpoint. A Celebration of Christmas. Bolton School Arts Centre
CHRISTMAS came a month early to Bolton School Arts Centre but the musical favourites are welcome at any time when presented with flair as they were by Counterpoint yesterday afternoon. Counterpoint were excellent in ensemble works, as in the Opening Gloria
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Industrial units plan could mean 50 jobs
A ROSSENDALE company has acquired 13.5 acres of land and the former Beloit Walmsley Research and Development buildings in The Valley, Bolton. The buildings, which are off Union Road, were not required by the new American owners when the famous Crompton
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Markets under attack as techno stocks crash
THE MARKETS continued to take a battering last week, with the FTSE 100 again falling below 6300 points. When is the rout going to end? asks Rob Arkwright, Hargreave Hale and Co With investors anxiously awaiting a bounce and recovery before the end of
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Play and vigil will mark World AIDS Day
A THOUGHT provoking play followed by a candlelight vigil takes place in Bolton to raise awareness of AIDS. Community health workers have joined forces with their local authority colleagues to stage the event which takes place on Friday as part of World
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Barge blaze
A CANAL barge was badly damaged by fire on Saturday night. It is believed high winds fanned the flames of a stove on board the narrow boat, which was moored on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal opposite the Keyside pub, Diamond Street, Leigh. Residents from
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Riders and cyclists ban at park memorial
HORSE riders and cyclists are to be banned from a tree plantation at Lever Park, Rivington, which was designed to be a haven of peace and quiet. The Pinetum, a plantation dedicated to the memory of departed loved ones, was set up six years ago by colleagues
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Ricketts takes £7m valuation in his stride
MICHAEL Ricketts laughed off his multi-million pound price tag today, dismissing Sam Allardyce's valuation as "tongue in cheek"! Wanderers' 12-goal top scorer shrugged his shoulders at the manager's suggestion that he is worth £7 million in the current
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EVENTS
CHESNUT COURT NURSING AND RESIDENTIAL HOME, Newton Street, Bury. Market day with stalls of clothes, jewellery, gift ideas, flower arranging. Monday. Starts 2pm. BOAT MUSEUM, Ellesmere Port. Ring 0151 355 5017. WALTON HALL AND GARDENS, Warrington. Ring
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What's On at pubs and clubs in the Leigh area
The Avenue, Leigh Road: quiz night Tuesdays from 9.30pm with a guaranteed £25 to winner, plus weekly accumulator. Big screen TV with Sky and OnDigital. Boar's Head, Market Place: rock night Thursday with live band. Karaoke disco Saturday (9pm) and quiz
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MPs help with tree planting
YOUNGSTERS in Bolton have been helping to break a world record - by planting as many trees as they can in three days. And they had some VIP help when MPs David Crausby and Brian Iddon came to town to lend a hand, Mr Crausby was at Oxford Grove County
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Band singing the blues over theft
A POPULAR Bolton band may have to cancel all of its Christmas concerts after thieves stole more than £5,000 worth of its equipment. Backstreet Blues are devastated after the late-night raid on their rehearsal room left them without numerous instruments
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Doddy delight at Christmas switch-on
FUNNY man Ken Dodd made it a hat-trick of Christmas switch-ons in Leigh on Saturday. The comedian cheered the crowds who had braved torrential rain to watch the annual event. And Doddy, turning the lights on for the third year on the trot, declared Leigh
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Council blasted after OAP robbed three times
TERRIFIED pensioner Shirley Garstang woke to find two hooded teenagers rifling through belongings in her bedroom. Startled, Mrs Garstang managed to frightened them off when she started screaming and they fled. But for Mrs Garstang who lives in a council
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Theft leaves band singing the blues
A POPULAR Bolton band may have to cancel all of its Christmas concerts after thieves stole more than £5,000 worth of its equipment. Backstreet Blues are devastated after the late-night raid on their rehearsal room left them without numerous instruments
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FESTIVAL
CORNERHOUSE CINEMA, Manchester. Exposures: Student Film Festival. Runs to November 30. Ring 0161 200 1500.
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FOR THE FAMILY
MARTIN MERE WILDFOWL AND WETLANDS TRUST, Burscough. Ring 01704 895181. DOCK ROAD EDWARDIAN PUMPING STATION, Weir St, off London Road, Northwich. Ring 01257 260157. Northwich Water Heritage Trail guided walks every Sun at 3pm from the Edwardian Pumping
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BOOK EARLY
MEN ARENA, Manchester. December 1, AC/DC. Friday, December 15 and Saturday, December 16, Five, tickets £18.50; Monday December 18, Chris De Burgh, tickets £25 and £22.50. Tuesday, December 19, and Wednesday, December 20, Steps, tickets £20. Saturday,
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OUT OF TOWN
BLACKPOOL OPERA HOUSE, Blackpool. Ring 01253 292029. BLACKPOOL PLEASURE BEACH ARENA, Tel 0870 444 5566. WINTER GARDENS, The Spanish Hall, Blackpool. Tel 01253 292029. TOWER BALLROOM, Blackpool. Live music and dancing to the sounds of the Wurlitzer Organ
