THIRTEEN lucky teenagers at three local schools will be the first to undertake Young Apprenticeships to prepare them for "real work". The programme allows motivated and able pupils to study, not just in the classroom but in college with training providers
CARING neighbours are being sought by vulnerable residents in the borough to slam the door on bogus callers. The Nominated Neighbour Scheme, being run across Bury, is designed to stop tricksters conning their way into homes. The scheme uses a specially
THE future looks bright for six pupils at Bury Grammar School who have been offered places at the country's top two universities. The four girls and two boys are now busy working towards their A-levels to achieve the grades required for the courses in
A COUPLE who met on on a day trip to Blackpool have certainly gone the extra golden mile! For Joan and Gordon Howard, of Walmersley Road, Bury, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Friday and received greetings galore from family and friends.
A FESTIVE drink at Christmas Eve led to half a century of married life for George and Mildred Campbell. The couple, who live in Whalley Road in Whitefield, have just celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. George (75) was originally from Salford
HAPPY couple Lillian and Joshua Brooks must have been blessed when they first met at a Manchester church. For they have now notched up 60 years of marriage and are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary today. Lillian (82) and Joshua (84) first
IT'S one long month of parties for an extended family in Unsworth! Ken and Joan Eyers, of Cunningham Drive, toasted their emerald (55th) wedding anniversary last week, but they are just the most senior members to celebrate. Ken (77) and Joan (74) were
THE centre of Ramsbottom is now a much cleaner place thanks to the hard work of community service workers. Councillor Barry Theckston asked the Probation Service to send offenders to the town as part of the community payback scheme. They spent Friday
GARDENERS and horticulturalists from across the country descended on Bacup Leisure Hall in Rossendale on Saturday when the Alpine Garden Society staged a national show for the first time there. The East Lancashire local group, which is based at Ramsbottom
LEAFLETS are being sent to parents whose children are found causing nuisance behaviour in Ramsbottom, Tottington and North Manor. BurySafe, a multi-agency initiative which includes Bury Council and Greater Manchester Police, has produced education leaflets
FIVE decades of living up to the Scout Promise were celebrated in Shuttleworth as scouts past and present shared their memories for a special anniversary evening. The 2nd Ramsbottom Scout Group came together at St John's Church Hall in Leaches Road with
A TWO-year project to provide direct access and improved safety between a Hawkshaw school and nearby church has been completed at a cost of £8,000. Now, St Mary's CE Primary and St Mary's Church are linked by the building of five new steps which lead
FREE litter pickers are being offered to Ramsbottom traders as part of a crackdown on rubbish. Officers from the BurySafe project hope that the extended tongs will encourage businesses to keep the area around their shops clean. The campaign will also
MODELS are needed for a wedding show to be held next month. Lacy Days wedding shop, in Ramsbottom, is looking for people to model wedding dresses in sizes 12 and 14. The show, at Radcliffe Civic Suite, is being held from 11.30am to 4pm on Sunday, April
RAMSBOTTOM and Tottington Peel Lions are holding another osteoperosis screening next week. The screenings, priced at £10, will take place at the Grant Arms in Market Place, Ramsbottom, on Thursday, April 5 between 9am to 5pm. To book an appointment,
A LITTLE taste of "oooh la la" came to Tottington Primary School as pupils swapped their usual English lessons to celebrate Mardi Gras. The youngsters at the Moorside Road school were split into ten groups and spent the day exercising their French creativity
IT is full steam ahead for hundreds of FC United of Manchester fans when they arrive in Ramsbottom on Easter Saturday to watch their table-topping side. A steam train, The Rammy Rattler, is fully booked with more than 300 supporters of the Red Rebels
TRANSPORT leaders have welcomed a decision to install litter bins at 30 train stations in Greater Manchester for the first time in years. Most bins were removed from stations across the UK in the 1970s following a number of IRA bombings.However, the
ANDY Bishop believes the Shakers would be clear of the relegation scrap if they had signed strike partner Glynn Hurst earlier in the season. The Bury striker is currently undergoing somewhat of a crisis in confidence after failing to find the net for
CHURCHES in the centre and south of Bury will be holding a Walk of Witness on Good Friday. Anyone who wishes to take part needs to be at the United Reformed Church on Rochdale Road by 11.50am on April 6. The walk starts at noon and proceeds via The
P-P-P-PICK up your litter! That's the message that primary school children might be hearing thanks to talking penguin-shaped bins. The Bury East area is the first to get the bins, and the anti-litter messages will be recorded by the pupils themselves
LEAFLETS are being sent to parents whose children are found causing nuisance behaviour in Bury West. BurySafe, a multi-agency initiative which includes Bury Council and Greater Manchester Police, has produced education leaflets to warn parents of the
CHARITY, community and voluntary groups in Bury are being asked if they need a helping hand from criminals. Offenders on probation carry out 50,000 hours of compulsory unpaid work each year in the borough which, based on the minimum wage, equates to
BURY is strengthening its thriving European twinning links to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and the formation of the Common Market. Tomorrow, Bury Metropolitan Community Twinning Association (BMCWA) welcomes a group from Schorndorf
YOUTH leaders are being sought to continue St John Ambulance's sterling achievements in the development of young people throughout Greater Manchester. More than two thirds of its membership is under the age of 26 and St John operates a comprehensive
MP David Chaytor was the latest high-profile guest to be interviewed by Broad Oak pupils for their radio station. High school students Nat Shaw and Tahra Edwards hosted the show on BOSC FM, following a recent broadcast with Bury FC manager Chris Casper
THEY'VE counted them out over the years but now Bury's flying aces are hoping to count them all back in again. After more than 50 years in the town, the 1005 Squadron Air Cadets is hoping to organise an ex-cadet association for past members. Anyone
A £55 million scheme to transform the heart of Radcliffe has been given the all-clear by council bosses. They have chosen Countryside Properties to develop the so-called SUN Quarter with 330 flats, new shops, and a riverside cafe and gallery. The project
SPORTY pupils at Woodbank primary school have won their own version of the cricket world cup. They triumphed in an indoor tournament run by the council's sports development team over the last two months. More than 250 boys and girls in Years 4 and 5
TINKERING with the council tax will not solve the problem of how to pay for council services, say local Lib Dems. They are calling for the charge to be replaced by a local income tax rather than, as a Government review suggests, a revaluation of homes
BROAD OAK pupils were given a warm welcome in one of the coldest regions on Earth! They visited fellow students in Siberia under a partnership organised by the Youth Sport Trust and the British Council. The school in Hazel Avenue, Bury, is one of three
INVESTIGATIONS are under way to pinpoint the cause of a weekend blaze in the outbuildings at East Lancs Cricket Club in Cross Lane, Radcliffe. Firefighters were called out to the scene at 4.20pm on Sunday.
A NEW cafe with a difference is opening in Bury - and the people who run it need your help. The venture is being launched in April 23 by Hurdles, the support group for disabled children and families which is based at the Re:d Centre. Volunteers will
IT will be a poignant return to Bury Parish Church on Good Friday for musician Ronald Frost. He will be at the keyboard for a performance of The Messiah, the last event before the organ is dismantled for restoration. It will bring back memories of 53
The moment has come! The great news received last week from the Heritage Lottery Fund means that the 125-year lease on the Arts and Crafts Centre can now finally be signed between Bury Council and the Fusiliers. The building will be formally handed over
A TEACHER has resigned from her job after complaints were made about her "lurid" gothic vampire websites. Mother-of-one Samantha Goldstone, from Whitefield, has left St Christopher's C of E High School in Accrington, where she had taught English and
SOAP actor Sam Aston is not acting when his TV character Chesney dotes on the pet dog Schmeichel. For the young Coronation Street lad displayed his love for animals by helping to launch a distribution centre for the RSPCA in Radcliffe. Sam (13), a protege
MAKING things happen in temperatures of minus 40 celsius is all in a day's work for a Bury soldier. Captain Mark Ferguson For is playing a vital role in the Army's biggest annual repair programme in Canada. Each year, 900 vehicles from trucks to tanks
A BURY-born writer whose literary output embraces poems, short stories and radio dramas has made a return visit to her home town. Chrissie Gittins is taking "time out" in Ramsbottom where her late parents lived following the launch of her latest book
TWO local women have been re-appointed to the Greater Manchester Police Authority to serve a second term. They are ex-teacher Pamela Taylor, who lives in Bury, and Gloria Oates, former chief executive of both Oldham and Rochdale NHS Trusts, who resides
A BURY town centre cafe is championing the cause of Fairtade by using tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits which embrace the philosophy. Emerson's have committed themselves to sourcing and promoting such products, a move which has taken on added significance
HABITUS Bury & Bolton is creating new jobs as part of a nationwide company recruitment drive to boost its ranks of energy assessors to 1,000. The new posts are required due to the introduction of the Home Information Packs (HIPs) which all residential
BUSINESS turnaround specialists Corporate Strategies - part of Bury-based DTE accountancy and advisory group - has strengthened its team with three appointments. Liesl Millar has joined as a business development manager while Sarah-Jane Beckett and Mike
THE Mosses Centre in Bury hosted a night of cabaret on Friday, organised by the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, Bury Law Centre and Bury Solidarity. The entertainment on show had an international flavour, featuring dancers from China and East
FAULTY electric toasters triggered two separate serious fires within hours of each other in Bury. Crews were called to homes in the Walmersley Road and Woodhill Road last week which both suffered fire and smoke damage. The first incident happened in
BURY Council's website has been placed in the top 20 of local authority sites by the national Society Of Information Technology Management. It is among only eight metropolitan councils to come up to scratch, and was top of the Google ratings for being
PLACARD-waving animal rights campaigners held a protest in Bury over Marks and Spencer's treatment of pregnant and mothering sows. The demonstration co-incided with a National Day of Action organised by supporters of welfare group Viva (Vegetarians International
WELL-WISHERS have brought a little bit of magic into the life of a three-year-old girl with an inoperable brain tumour. Ruby Stinson has been transformed into a fairy princess with wings, thanks to a colourful portrait which conjures up a world of adventure
PUPILS at Parrenthorn High are the first in Bury to go biometric when buying their school meals. Instead of using cash or swipe cards, which were first introduced six years ago, they have a fingerprint read when they visit the canteen. The scheme has
EASTER entertainment is coming to Bury and local people are invited to get involved. The extravaganza at Burrs Country Park on Thursday, April 5, is being organised by Henshaws Society for Blind People. Henshaws community fundraiser, Louise Ingham said
IT was with great interest that I read your recent article on Iceland (Blowing hot and cold on a Icelandic break', Travel page, Bury Times, March 15). I was pleased your correspondent was a guest of British Airways. On my visit in early June 1940 I
HAS anyone thought of suggesting that the borough of Bury becomes the first in the country to ban the wearing of hooded tops, face masks, baseball caps etc at any time and in any place? I'm not saying that all the people wearing them are yobs, but a
I read, with some amazement, the long winded diatribe over the name of Councillor Mike Connolly, deputy leader of the council and, believing him to be a teacher, wonder how often his pupils fall asleep listening to him if his teaching is similar to his
MAY I just say a big thank you, not only to the Editor for printing my letter about the launch of the Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association last year, but to the readers as well. The response has been nothing less than fantastic; we have had ex-Royal
So, Helen Franks (Bury Times, March 22) has beaten the bank' by getting back £321 in charges. As a fellow Royal Bank Of Scotland customer I am disgusted. I would close her account down and send her elsewhere. She accuses them of being vindictive, yet
AS Gordon Brown faces the possibility of a challenge in the Labour Party Leadership election, he attempts to out-Blair the Blairites by attacking public sector workers with the threat of a public sector pay freeze, which would mean a pay cut in real terms
AS Gordon Brown faces the possibility of a challenge in the Labour Party Leadership election, he attempts to out-Blair the Blairites by attacking public sector workers with the threat of a public sector pay freeze, which would mean a pay cut in real terms
YOUR correspondent, D F Lipson, is concerned about Council Tax revaluation. To be clear: first, should this happen (and there is no confirmation of this yet), it would not be before 2011. Second, if the last valuation is anything to go by, entrance to
I would ask your correspondent, Jane Lalor, to check again what I said (Councillor works hard for the area', Letters, March 22). I passed no comment on whether any councillor works hard or not. What I can say is that Jane Lalor's examples actually prove
I am writing to congratulate Bury Council on the work being done throughout Ramsbottom to clear graffiti from buildings and walls around the village. The work appears to be done by young people who presumably are serving time for wrongdoing by helping
SO, skint parent (Bury Times, March 8) thinks it's all rosy being a pensioner. I have worked all my life, two years serving my country while my wife stayed at home to bring up my two children. While my wife stayed at home, we only received family allowance
I write to congratulate David Chaytor MP for Bury North on his voting in a principled way in parliament against a new version of the Trident submarine. The overall cost to us all will be £76 billion. What a waste. But I would not want it if it was free
I WOULD like to thank family, friends and work colleagues from Tesco, Bury, for taking part in the Mother's Day Crocus Walk 2007 which was held at Burrs Country Park. A special thank you to Tesco, Bury for their kind donation and to all the staff who
BEFORE road charges are introduced, forcing people from their cars, we need a public transport system which serves all parts of Bury borough at times when people wish to use them. The 512 and 513 service' through Outwood, stops at 5:30pm each evening
THE letter signed by Councillor John Byrne published on March 15 informing us that the council has £4.66 million in school balances poses questions. If this very substantial amount of money is other than that held in individual school accounts brought
Building on our success WHILST I can sympathise with Brian and Kath Gee's aspirations, (Time for a proper town park', Letters, March 22), I wish they would give some credit to the council where it is due and show a bit more realism about what can be
A RUTHLESS pair of conmen who stole from the homes of 10 pensioners in Bolton could have struck in Bury. Detectives are linking the men, who pose as workmen, to thefts in Bury. It is possible the men who targeted the Bolton pensioners are working as
FIVE students have passed the first foundation degree in BA inclusive education top-up at Holy Cross College. The results are: Kathryn Bennett, first class; Patricia Hayhurst, 2:1; Janet Hurst, 2:1; Alice O' Brien, 2:2: Lisa Ryan, 2:2.
LABRINA Embreus from St Gabriel's RC High School is pictured (extreme right) offering a helping hand to give racism the thumbs down in Bury. The 14-year-old and fellow pupils from the school in Bridge Road contributed their artwork to a collage, symbolising
A PATIENT advice service usually accessed via a telephone helpline is moving closer into the community by arranging a series of face-to-face drop in sessions. Bury Primary Care Trust's Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) was launched in 2003 to
TOWN hall bosses are drawing up a new strategy to make asylum seekers and migrant workers feel more at home. There are currently 567 asylum seekers in Bury and, based on experience, some are likely to have suffered dreadfully. Mrs Pat Horan, director
WHERE have all the flowers gone? That's what council bosses are wondering after several giant daisies were stolen. A dozen ten-feet metal flowers were placed in prominent locations last week, two in each of the six towns, to publicise the impending
YOUNGSTERS on Fairfield Hospital's Children's Ward have had their playtime fun washed away after a burst water pipe destroyed thousands of pounds worth of toys. The flood happened last Thursday when the pipe burst in the playroom where all the ward's
BURY FC's Under-12s goalkeeper turned goal-getter to clinch victory and a place in the final of the Manchester Schools Cup competition. Cool-headed Cameron Lever saved three penalties in a nail-biting shoot-out before scoring from the spot to seal a
ALEX Rosser is a dab hand at karate! For the youngster has achieved his junior black belt in the martial art at the just ten years of age. He has been a member of the Red Sun Cobra Karate Club for the past three years and during that time has proved
COUNCIL bosses have defended their decision to spend £2,300 on attending a national awards ceremony in London. The council was shortlisted for two prizes in the environment and legal categories at the awards, held at the five-star Grosvenor House Hotel
DAVID Buchanan was part of the Northern Ireland Under-21 side which lost 2-0 to Romania in a friendly in Bucharest last Saturday. The Shakers midfielder will now start preparations for the European Championship qualifiers, which begin on June 1 in Moldova
A MAN from Bury was overpowered by terrified passengers on a flight from Dubai. The 37-year-old was heard to shout Bin Laden' and white scum' while in a drunken rage on a jet heading for Manchester last Thursday. The pilot of the Emirates Boeing 777
COMEDIAN Peter Kay has topped the music charts again - and helped to raise a load of cash for Comic Relief at the same time. He and fellow comic Matt Lucas have hit humber one with their version of The Proclaimers' hit (I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles, which
A CATHOLIC priest has denied he committed offences of child abuse against two schoolboys in Bury. John McCollough (61) appeared at Bolton Crown Court on Monday to plead not guilty to 12 charges of indecent assault and gross indecency with two children
A FURTHER 27 beds at Fairfield Hospital are to be axed as the Pennine Acute Trust continues to battle multi-million pound debts. The total number of beds which have closed at the Rochdale Old Road hospital will total 55 following the closure of 28 beds
STAN Ternent could be in line for a dramatic return to Gigg Lane. The Shakers are understood to have offered the veteran troubleshooter a short-term deal to assist Chris Casper and his current number two, Martin Scott, for the remaining games of the
