Archive
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Top marks from a lollipop lady
COULD I through your paper, thank Bowness Primary School and Little Lever High School, for the wonderful gifts I received on my retirement as lollipop lady at the Church Street crossing. I have had 15 good years working for both schools, thank you all
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Name and shame these fraudsters...
I AGREE wholeheartedly with the BEN's stance on weeding out the fraudsters who pursue claims for compensation against Bolton council. As I am a Bolton taxpayer, I am not entitled to ask who the claimants are? The money paid out in claims would be better
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Shopping in Bolton really is too costly
BOLTON Town Council advertise "All the great shopping facilities of Bolton". I am an ex-Boltonian with very fond memories of growing up in the town. Yes, I remember flying down Wigan Road on the tram, walking with a pram full of coke from the gasworks
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THE BEN SAYS: Three cheers for schools' success
THE state of Bolton's primary schools has made the headlines for the past few weeks for various reasons, mostly gloomy. So, it is heartening to hear of three local primary school which have been singled out as among the country's top performers. Turton
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Chinook crash pilots cleared
TWO RAF pilots blamed for the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash which left 29 people dead, including a high-ranking Bolton soldier, were today effectively cleared of causing the disaster. A House of Lords inquiry concluded there was no justification for finding
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Teen killer's care inquity
AN independent inquiry is being held into the supervision of a Bolton teenager who brutally murdered her friend while in social services care. Nicola Faughey was 16 when she stabbed 35-year-old Joanne Whitelegg to death on Valentine's Day 2000. She was
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Tranmere in wait for winners, plus TV games
WANDERERS will take on the old enemy in the next round of the FA Cup - provided they overcome Spurs. Tranmere Rovers, who were something of a nuisance side for Wanderers when both sides were in the First Division have been drawn to come to either the
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Vital West Ham clash keeps Sam occupied
WANDERERS manager Sam Allardyce stressed the importance of the vital Reebok Premiership clash with West Ham as he prepared his depleted squad for tonight's FA Cup fourth round clash at Spurs. It looks like he could be without defender Simon Charlton as
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Car smashed
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after vandals smashed the rear window of a Volkswagon Golf car parked Greenarms Road, Turton, on Saturday afternoon. Contact Darwen police on 01254 353844.
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Resurfacing work
AN overnight Bolton Council scheme to resurface a stretch of Trinity Street has begun. The work, from Newport Street to Bradshawgate in Bolton town centre, is expected to be completed tomorrow.
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Forum for residents
WHITEFIELD and Unsworth Area Board meets on Thursday when local people will have the chance to raise and discuss issues of concern. The meeting is at Whitefield County Primary School in Victoria Lane. Copies of the agenda are available from Amanda Hewitt
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Coins for charity
MODEL Rachel Hunter is appealing to Bolton people to donate their foreign coins. British wildlife charity Born Free has linked up with girls' fashion store Tammy to collect coins that will no longer be accepted because of the introduction of the euro.
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Big sell is capital idea
A CAMPAIGN to sell London to the rest of the UK under the banner "The Greatest Show on Earth", is underway until mid-March. Managed by the London Tourist Board and Convention Bureau (LTB) on behalf of the Mayor's London Tourism Action Group (LTAG), the
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Long live the king
ELVIS takes to the stage with Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly next month -- in Bolton. The town's own hip-swiveller, Elvis Williamson, will be performing with rock 'n' roll legend tribute stars Dave Ward (Orbison) and Scott Lewis (Holly) at the Derby Ward
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Access road
NEW access roads will be built at a Little Hulton housing estate if planning permission is granted. The housing services department wants to remove some grass verge in four places at Wicheaves Crescent in Gibson Lane and Longshaw Drive to make room for
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Mother fined over truancy
A MOTHER who failed to keep her two daughters in school has been fined £1,000. Bolton Magistrates heard how Phyllis Budgeon, of Rawsthorne Street, Halliwell, had received numerous letters about Stacey and Sara Budgeon's lack of attendance at Little Lever
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Youngsters to rescue after mock disaster
THE lifesaving skills of Bolton youngsters were put to the test when they faced a mock crash scene. To make it as realistic as possible, actors wore gory make-up to play the part of the casualties. The 999 Challenge Day on Saturday was organised by Greater
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Mayor's Ball goes off with a swing
FRANK Sinatra was among 250 guests dining and dancing at a four-star hotel in Horwich. The legendary singer -- aka impersonator Phil Fryer -- entertained Bolton's mayor Cllr Kevan Helsby and a host of other civic dignitaries during a Hollywood themed
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Salesman cut free after car delivery smash
A CAR salesman had to be cut free after the new Peugeot 206 he was delivering crashed into a lamppost. The 28-year-old suffered a broken leg in the smash on Rishton Lane, Great Lever, and was taken to Royal Bolton Hospital yesterday afternoon. He had
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Children's storysacks make good reading
CHILDREN can look forward to bags full of surprises thanks to the hard work of members of a family learning community project. A group has been meeting at St Chad's Church Hall in Tonge Fold to make storysacks for Breightmet library. The storysacks, which
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A festival of colour brings communities together
IT was fun and games for all ages at a colourful festival at Bolton Excel leisure centre at the weekend. The Hum Saath Chalen (meaning We Walk Together) party is now in its third year and the proceeds of the evening are going to The Cancer Research Campaign
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Neighbour denies campaign of fear
A "NEIGHBOUR from hell" carried out a campaign of fear and intimidation against a young nursery teacher, a court heard. Christopher Harrison, who lived next door to Heidi King, used to shout obscenities and followed her when she drove to work. When warned
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Banding together for birthday 'do'
THIS gathering will be giving Bolton Hospice a special birthday next month. They represent the organisers and groups taking part in the hospice's 10th anniversary celebration evening at the Victoria Hall on Saturday, March 2 (7.30). Jane Hampson will
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£30,000 cash boost for Christie
WHITBREAD staff in the Bolton area have raised approximately £30,000 for Christie Hospital. Marriott Worsley Park Hotel collected an amazing £22,000 alone, from a ball, fashion shows and many other activities. The money raised will support research into
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Youths get another chance
YOUTHS banned from a community centre will be allowed back now that an £8,000 refurbishment is finished. Cawdor Residents Association in Farnworth shut its youth club after a group of children ripped down shutters at a Halloween party last year. Since
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Prison proves to be a good sport
A ROUNDERS team advertising a prison on their shirts might seem like a bit of a batty scheme. But that is what Rose Lea ladies rounders team will be doing this season after persuading Forest Bank Prison at Agecroft to be its sponsor. The team, which trains
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Derby boss gets Reebok ban
NEW Derby County manager John Gregory has received a three-match touchline ban and a £12,000 fine which means he will be sitting in the stands when his team plays at the Reebok on March 16. Gregory had been hoping the fact he was no longer in charge at
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Taxi driver made up kidnap story
A GOOD Samaritan who claimed he had been kidnapped and robbed in Cheshire after stopping to help a couple in distress has been revealed as a fake. Taxi driver Wayne Sadiq told police he had been driving along the A500 near Nantwich when he stopped to
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Double booking for Sinatra singer Andy
HEADLINE act Andy Prior was so good at the Albert Halls they booked him twice... The orchestra leader and singer hailed as Britain's Sinatra was appearing at a concert sold out weeks in advance. That made no difference to an over-zealous traffic warden
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School governor cut above rest at spade ceremony
A SOD-CUTTING ceremony is an important event to mark the start of a any building project. And all you need for a successful ceremony is -- a spade. But that unfortunately was forgotten when local dignitaries gathered to start work on The Gates primary
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Workers receive 90 day notices
WORKERS at Westhoughton aerospace company Bellhouse Hartwell have been issued with redundancy notices. Factory bosses yesterday announced plans to close the Leigh Road factory but said there would be a 90 day "consultation period" before a final decision
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'Tell us the real reasons for school closure'
THE planned closure of Longsight Primary School will continue despite strong criticism from opposition councillors. Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors demanded to know exactly why the Harwood school had been earmarked for closure and claimed
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MMR expert takes the family test
CONTROVERSY still surrounds the debate on the mumps, measles and rubella vaccination. Bolton's communicable disease expert, Dr Robert Aston, invited BEN health reporter Gayle Evans, to watch his granddaughter, Emily, have the triple jab in a Horwich clinic
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Derby boss gets Reebok ban
NEW Derby County manager John Gregory has received a three-match touchline ban and a £12,000 fine which means he will be sitting in the stands when his team plays at the Reebok on March 16. Gregory had been hoping the fact he was no longer in charge at
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Excellent clinic is let down by public
I HAD occasion recently to visit the podiatry clinic in Horwich. The service, as usual, was excellent, but I was disgusted once again to read the notice from Community Podiatry in Bolton stating that during last year they carried out 82,000 treatments
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Don't treat these captives as PoWs
THE recent article by Mr Pittock was very interesting, if only for the Taliban propaganda and inaccuracies that it contained. The exact number killed in the New York atrocity of September 11 may never be known, but 3,000 seems to be on the low side. Four
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Old favourites return to star
SPURS website - www.spurs.co.uk - today contains an interesting look at the footballing life of Wanderers boss Sam Allardyce. Here it is: THERE is a key paralel between Spurs and Bolton Wanderers - the return of a former crowd favourite signalled a significant
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Rubbish fire at market
YOUTHS set fire to rubbish at Farnworth market last night. Firefighters were called at 10.20pm and put out the flames before any damage was caused.
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MP's advice session
DAVID Crausby MP will hold his next advice surgery in Bolton Town Hall on Friday, February 15, 4.30pm to 6.30pm, and NOT February 8 as originally advertised. No appointment is necessary. For further information phone 303340 or call into the new office
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Street trading ban
ALL street trading in Horwich is set to be stopped on the dates of the Commonwealth Games events. The cycling events are to take place in Rivington and will attract large crowds into the town on Saturday, July 27 for the Cycling Time Trials, Monday, 29
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New Lottery face needed
CAMELOT is looking for a new face to front the National Lottery when draw master John Willan retires in May. They will be responsible for running the draw on live TV every Wednesday. Experience is not necessary but the person will have essential star
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Big sell is capital idea
A CAMPAIGN to sell London to the rest of the UK under the banner "The Greatest Show on Earth", is underway. Managed by the London Tourist Board and Convention Bureau (LTB) on behalf of the Mayor's London Tourism Action Group (LTAG), the campaign is the
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Garden party invite for Young Citizen
BOLTON'S Young Citizen of the Year has been nominated to go to the Queen's Gold Jubilee Garden Party. Rachel West won the title for her extensive voluntary work which includes counselling bullied youngsters and helping at Zac's youth bar in Farnworth.
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Soccer legend in store visit
FORMER Manchester United legend Frank Stapleton will make a guest appearance at Asda in Brackley Street, Farnworth on Sunday to launch a children's football competition. Hundreds of budding youngsters are expected to gather at the store from 10am to 4pm
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'People in fear' of unlit passageway
LACK of lighting along a popular passageway has left women and children facing a walk of fear, a Sharples resident claims. Stephen Cummings says a walkway running between Nevis Grove and Cameron Street is so poorly lit pedestrians cannot see a few feet
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Suicide was down to depression
A LONELY mother who turned to drink after her son suffered brain damage in an accident 30 years ago hanged herself at her home in a bout of depression, an inquest heard. Norma Douglass, a binge drinker, was found by her husband, Malcolm, when he returned
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Marine dies in bike accident
A ROYAL Marine was killed instantly when his motorcycle was in collision with a car on a remote Scottish road. Father-of-two Sgt Paul Owens, aged 33, from Kearsley, who was based at RM Condor near Arbroath, was trapped under the car after the accident
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Selling drugs a 'victimless crime' says jailed dealer
A MAN who sold Ecstasy and cannabis said he was providing a kind of social service for those who took drugs. A court heard how Keith Smith told a probation officer that selling Ecstasy and cannabis was a victimless crime and that, in his view, selling
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Church clocks off
TIME stood still at Bolton Parish Church this week when the clock had to be stopped. On Sunday, as the clock struck midnight there was the usual peal of eight bells -- followed by another and another. In fact, the bells did not stop ringing for 20 minutes
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Teenage pilot flying high
A TEENAGER from Bolton School has proved to be a real high flier after been awarded a prestigious scholarship by the Royal Air Force. Lynsey Allen stunned her school friends and family after learning to fly a plane solo, thanks to the RAF scholarship.
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Trees saved for future
TREE Preservation Orders have been confirmed by Wigan Council planners in Leigh and Wigan. Among the latest sites to benefit are Cemetery Lodge in Manchester Road, Leigh, and Sandy Lane and land at Marsh Brook Close, both Hindley. The new orders were
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Walker Gallery's £4.3m facelift
A FAMOUS North-west art gallery reopens to the public on Friday following a £4.3 million makeover. The refurbishment of the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool has seen a 1930s extension to the Victorian building transformed into state-of-the-art gallery
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Action call on 'forgotten' site
ANGRY residents and councillors in Harwood are demanding action over an "eyesore" area they claim has been forgotten. Developers Gleeson Homes submitted plans two years ago to build 46 retirement flats on the site of a disused sawmill in Bradshaw Brow
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MP slams Spielberg over war film
A NORTH-west Labour MP today criticised a planned Steven Spielberg film which he says will "ignorantly" portray the wartime liberation of a Greek island by United States forces rather than the British troops who actually freed it. Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle
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John's Mohican a snip for £700
A FATHER had a Wanderers Mohican haircut to raise £700 for a charity close to his heart. John Freeman, aged 42, of Gorses Mount, Darcy Lever, ditched the usual David Beckham design for one in the shades of his beloved Bolton Wanderers. The cut was the
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The school we all love
LONGSIGHT Primary School in Harwood has been earmarked for closure in a controversial move which is being strongly opposed by parents. Reporter JANE BULLOCK went into the school to experience a day in the life of the teachers, pupils and parents THE bell
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Robinson gets Blades job
SHAKERS chairman Terry Robinson, who sensationally resigned last week, has been appointed football executive at Sheffield United. Robinson will work alongside chairman Derek Dooley and John Thurman at Bramall Lane and maintians the club's links with Bury
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Pledge on hunting must be honoured
IT is now one year since the fall of the Bill to ban hunting, and the Campaign to Protect Hunted Animals involving the RSPCA, IFAW, and League Against Cruel Sports, are asking that the public write to the Government, requesting it to honour its pledge
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Why are fears being ignored?
ONCE again, the MMR/Autism debate assumes national importance with the disclosure that a measles outbreak in South London is probably due to a low up-take (73 per cent) of the MMR vaccine. No doubt our resident medical expert. Dr Robert Aston, will attribute
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Put safety and the future first
AS a resident of Heaton, I would like to express my wholehearted agreement with opinions expressed in your recent article about the over-development of Chorley New Road and its environs. Of course, there is a case to be made for stopping the destruction
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Should Ricketts be picked for England? Vote now
MICHAEL Ricketts has a great chance tonight to show the watching Sven Goran Eriksson whether he deserves an England call-up for the friendly against Holland next week. But what do you - the fans - think? Vote in our special fun poll on the right!
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Taricco out, Ferdinand late test
GLENN Hoddle has talked about his nightmare run of injuries ahead of tonight's FA Cup fourth round clash with Wanderers at White Hart Lane. Mauricio Taricco has joined Spurs' ever-growing casualty list and Hoddle told the Spurs' official website - www.spurs.co.uk
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That's my kind of music
A COMPOSER whose music was unwittingly used in several film blockbusters without his knowledge was celebrating today as he enjoyed his royalties scoop. The theatre and club performer could earn a fortune from his long lost success. As a budding musician
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Weekend traffic delays
MOTORISTS in Little Lever have been warned to expect traffic delays this weekend as Bolton Council launches a re-surfacing scheme along a section of Radcliffe Road. The carriageway will be completely closed from Park Road to the first Bolton-bound corner
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Employee celebrates
RADCLIFFE woman Ann Swire is celebrating after winning second place in the "Employee of the Year Awards" for 2001 at jmc.it, one of the North's leading IT specialists. She joined the company, which provides IT solutions to organisations throughout the
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New face needed
CAMELOT is looking for a new face to front the National Lottery when draw master John Willan retires in May. They will be responsible for running the draw on live TV every Wednesday. Experience is not necessary but the person will have essential star
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Schools' green awards
THE race is on for Bolton schools to enter the Barclaycard LivingLand Awards for the chance to win an all expenses paid environmental trip worth £40,000. Run in conjunction with the Young People's Trust for the Environment (YPTE), this is the first ever
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Soccer delight for primary pupils
THREE children at Affetside Primary School were delighted to have their names drawn to help with the launch of Ability Counts, a national football coaching programme supported by Bury FC's Football in the Community programme. The children -- Lee Johnson
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Youth club cleans up
A youth group is brightening up the lives of youngsters in Halliwell -- and helping to clean up the area. The Halliwell Action for Working Alongside Youth (HAFWAY) hold a youth club for children aged up to ten on Tuesdays from 5.30pm to 7pm at St Paul's
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National award for beauty therapist Lisa, 19
A TEENAGE therapist has beaten off tough competition to win a national award. Lisa Fury, aged 19, has been awarded the Northern Skills Therapist of The Year, which is open to all Saks employees nationwide. Lisa, who works at Saks on Churchgate, was picked
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Outlook sunny for job hunt entertainers
BOLTON performers with a flair for entertaining could have their passport to the sun. An international agency, working closely with the Employment Service, is scouring the town for people to work as holiday entertainers at resorts in Majorca. The Dutch-based
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Town gets cash boost for improvements
FARNWORTH has landed a cash windfall to help transform the town. A quarter of a million pounds will be spent on better parking, leisure facilities, new walkways and environmental improvements. The North West Development Agency has just approved a grant
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Spare those trees, plead residents
A ROW has sprung up over a cluster of threatened trees in Tonge Fold. Residents claim that up to 30 trees have been felled in Nelson's Pen, a well-known hollow off Bury Road, since the beginning of December. They have started up a petition to protect
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George Harrison tribute concert date
A TRIBUTE concert in memory of the late George Harrison is to be staged in his home city of Liverpool. The show, said to be the only UK memorial show for the former Beatle, is scheduled to take place on February 24 at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. Spokesman
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More chaos for rail commuters
RAIL commuters faced travel chaos again today as many train services ground to a halt at the start of a second wave of 24 hour strikes. Arriva Trains Northern services were expected to be crippled today and tomorrow as hundreds of train staff nationally
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Living to work or working to live?
It is an old saying but never has it been more relevant in the light of depressing new figures which reveal more people than ever are burning the midnight oil at work. One in six employees -- almost four million -- are working at least 48 hours a week
