A FORMER air stewardess is flying high -- after becoming Greater Manchester Police's 8,000th officer.

Police Chiefs launched a huge recruitment drive 12 months ago to attract an extra 900 police officers into the force by March.

And they have reached their target as Laura Nagulapalli, aged 37, of Adlington, became their 8,000th.

She hopes to patrol the streets of Wigan and Leigh when she completes her training in the summer.

Born in Malaysia, Laura has worked as a model and as a sales manager for an internet company. The mother-of-one has also spent time living in Australia, Mauritius, the Middle East and the Far East. She moved to England at the age of five, then to Manchester, aged 18, before flying overseas.

She returned to study law at Lancashire University -- but says she has always wanted to be a police officer.

Laura said: "I have done a lot of things that I have really enjoyed, and seen lots of fantastic parts of the world, but I wanted a career not just a job and I am really pleased." "I am ambitious, and my dream would be to work for the mounted unit. I have always wanted to be a police officer, now this is my big chance."

Bolton is to get an extra 60 officers thanks to the recruitment campaign. But for Michael Todd, Greater Manchester Police's Chief Constable 8,000 is nowhere near enough. He said he would like to see a total of 11,000 officers just roaming the streets -- although he has admitted it may take "a couple of years."

Mr Todd visited the force's training school at Sedgeley Park, Prestwich. He said: "This is a fantastic achievement but it is still not enough. I would like to get up to 11,000 police officers out there."

He told the recruits: "Your life has just changed for ever, you have a crucial role to play in society, you are going to be out there fighting crime and protecting people, I wish you all the best of luck."

NOSTALGIA fans will have an extra chance for a trip down Memory Lane after the Bolton Evening News' Westhoughton photograph exhibition was extended.

After hundreds flocked to the first two weeks of the display, library managers agreed to add an extra week to allow more visitors to enjoy the poignant collection of Howfen images.

The pictures, many selected from our extensive archives, create a reminder for visitors of some of the town's most memorable and moving events, from the Pretoria Pit disaster of 1912, through to wartime Westhoughton and the present day.

There are also lots of photographs from the present, those which have made the headlines and ones showing the unique and rich history of Westhoughton.

The show features dozens of photographs kindly loaned to us by our readers, spanning several decades.

The show is free and is in the upstairs room at the library during normal opening hours and will now run until Friday, February 5.