LEGO® sure has come a long way since I played with it, back then it mainly consisted of white bricks with a few primary colours chucked in for variety, yet as ever making stuff, or just watching your kid sister eat it brought endless hours of pleasure.

Now LEGO® has grown into a massive business, especially on the game front, with the brilliant STAR WARS series for one, and now we have the release of LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES developed by TRAVELLERS TALES and WARNER BROS INTERACTIVE.

If you’re a fan of BATMAN and DC SUPER HEROES you’re going to love this game, it features some of the best known heroes from the DC stable in LEGO® form.

For the first time the characters actually speak, and this makes for a very entertaining story, young and old will laugh along at ROBINS over excited fan boy character (he goes all-star struck when SUPERMAN appears).

BATMAN is quite serious (in fact he reminds me more of ADAM WESTS, incarnation) and his cynical resentment of SUPERMAN is hilarious with some brilliant one-liners.

The whole feel of the game brings the characters back to an era when superheroes where more interesting, and not the screwed up, dark, nut jobs that we have today, LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES really knows how to have fun.

If you’re a fan of the original BATMAN series from the 60`s you`ll appreciate the feel of this game TRAVELLERS TALES have for the first time created an open world, where you can roam the streets (or fly above) of GOTHAM CITY , the attention to detail is brilliant, with endless side missions to do.

The actual campaign is at least 15 hours long, and is 15 levels in duration, with a brilliant and funny storyline, with some real laugh out loud moments (well for me anyway) You are BATMAN, with your trusty sidekick ROBIN, you have to track down and capture the JOKER, and LEX LUTHER (who has hatched a plan to run for president) and have broken all the super criminals out of Arkham Asylum.

With the addition of a variety of different suits to perform different tasks, this game is never boring, and when you finally get to the finale it’s not all over, in fact I had only completed 25% of the game, with all the side missions to play this game is great value for money.

You will eventually get to play as the other JUSTICE LEAGUE characters but not until right near the end of the story, which isn`t disappointing , in fact a very crafty move by the developers , it is then the free roam opens up, and you can get stuck in to other things as any character you want.

I must admit I really enjoyed playing this game, with the excellent story and superb graphics you won`t feel cheated.

As with all LEGO® games collecting is a major part of it, there are endless things to collect and use to buy interesting things, and the overall feeling of fun is very infectious, kids are going to love running about playing little mini games, in fact a friend of mines young boys spent ages just playing with the little LEGO® remote controlled cars.

LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES is entertaining for both young and old and with the two player element a friend can jump in at any time and take over one of the characters.

Summary

LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES is indeed one of the best games around at the moment, its entertaining, beautifully crafted and with excellent gameplay and storyline, you can`t go wrong with this game, of course it’s aimed at kids ,but with some adult humour and a refreshing change from all the violent/swearing, dark, end of the world games that are out there at the moment.

If you’re looking for a fun game that’s also entertaining, then you can`t go wrong with this one, I give LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES 10 out of 10 because it deserves it.

• LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES

• Developers: Travellers’ Tales

• Publishers : Warner Brothers Interactive

• Xbox 360®

• Playstation 3®

• PC

• Genre : RPG/openworld

• Release Date : 22nd June 2012

THERE was heartache for Niall Ormerod this week as the Nelson junior golfer missed out on the qualifying rounds of the British Open by one shot.

The youngster fired 73 gross at Clitheroe Golf Club in the competition’s pre-qualifier but his efforts were agonisingly short of the requirements.

Elsewhere, Nelson GC junior captain Curtis Clarkin qualified for the East Lancashire Golf Association Harold Ryden Trophy play-off final but was eventually knocked out of the competition in Accrington after a superb effort.

Josh Kilbride and Nathan Gill were on form in the Town League but were unable to steer Nelson juniors away from defeat at the hands of Green Haworth GC.

Meanwhile there was joy for 13-year-old Matthew Halstead who hit a hole-in-one at the 11th hole on the club’s course.

• AT Ghyll’s Invitation Day, a very close competition saw Ian Graham from Ghyll, and his guest, Harry Bolton from Colne Golf Club, win on the back nine with 40 points from Jimmy Hunt from Ghyll and Trevor Dickinson from Nelson Golf Club.

Third was David Hartley and Brian Ollerton from Penwortham Golf Club with 39 points.

The juniors played for the John Dawson Trophy on Saturday, which was won by junior captain Sam Bugler with 36 points from Brandon Cocker (36 points), with Jack Cheetham third (32 points).

COLNE Junior Badminton Club has a secure future thanks to Comic Relief.

The junior section of the club, who play on Friday evenings at 6 p.m. at Pendle Vale Community College, has been awarded a grant of £9,000 to pay for badminton coaching for players under 16.

The funds will pay for coaching for all young people wanting to learn and play badminton.

The club has two BADMINTON England level 2 coaches, Andy Tatam and Ryan Collins, as well as assistant coaches, one of whom is a county player.

Since the junior club started in September last year, five young players have started training with county coaches at the Badminton Performance Centre.

In April, 15 players entered the first round of BADMINTON England’s East Lancshire Junior League, and the club’s first team came home outright winners.

Young players whose skills have developed sufficiently have moved up to play in the senior section of the club, and are playing competitively in the local league.

Club secretary Sharon de Maine said: “This is fantastic news.

“We can now look forward to even greater success, and the opportunity to give expert help to anyone wishing to play badminton.”

The junior club is open to anyone 16 years and under on September 1st, and plays every Friday including school holidays.

The club has Club Mark accreditation at Premier level and is affiliated to BADMINTON England.

For more details, contact Sharon (01282 860514) or e-mail {mailto:colnebc@gmail.com|colnebc@gmail.com}

BARROWFORD’S Natalie Haythornthwaite will proudly lead out the Great Britain netball team at the World University Games in South Africa next week.

The Yorkshire Jets wing attack travelled with the British party to Cape Town on Wednesday for the games, which begin on Monday.

And the 19-year-old is thrilled by the prospect: “It’s the first year netball has been in the games, and to play in the first championship is amazing.

“It’s a huge tournament and being made captain makes it even more special - it’s great that the girls have faith in me, and hopefully we can realise our full potential in South Africa.”

The former Fisher-More pupil, originally from Salterforth, is studying speech therapy at Leeds Metropolitan University in a Linguistics and Phonetics BA, balancing her studies with playing for the Jets - formerly Leeds Carnegie - in the FIAT Netball Superleague.

She was first introduced to the sport when her mother took her along to a fun day, where her talent was spotted by Ribble Valley Netball Club, and she has been involved at internartional level since she was 14.

She made the first team in the Superleague with Leeds Carnegie aged only 16, and was selected for the England Under 19s short squad which won the European Championships, and enjoyed a subsequent tour of Australia.

This season, Natalie helped the Yorkshire Jets finish sixth in their first ever Superleague campaign.

An England Excel Under 21 international, Natalie attended trials for the GB University team - the first British netball team put together since 1995 -at the EIS in Sheffield in April with all the home nations present, and earned a place in a 15-strong squad, which was whittled down to 12.

The squad then took part in the British Invitational Tournament in Glasgow in May, and two training camps in Bath followed, before the squad flew out this week for the inaugural World University Netball Championship - one of 28 sports at the 25th World University Championships, which are held every two years.

POLICE are appealing for information after a man was seriously assaulted in Colne in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Police were called by the ambulance service at 3-30 a.m. after members of the public found a 28-year-old man lying in a park area after hearing a commotion close to Hawley Street.

The man has sustained serious head and facial injuries and is currently described as being in a poorly condition at the Royal Preston Hospital.

Detective Chief Inspector Pete Simm from the Force Major Investigation Team said: “This man has suffered a violent and sustained assault and I would appeal to anybody with any information that could assist with our investigation to come forward.

“We are still at the early stages of the investigation and are still trying to establish the circumstances of what has happened. Crime Scene investigators are continuing to examine the scene and a cordon remains in place.”

A 19-year-old man and a 21-year-old man, both from Nelson, have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Anyone with any information should call Lancashire Police on 101.

People with information can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

COLNE ASC’s Karen Driver was in action at the 14th FINA World Masters Championships in the Adriatic resort of Riccione, Italy.

There were over 10,000 competitors taking part in the various disciplines of swimming, water polo, diving, synchronised swimming and open water swimming.

Karen was competing for Great Britain in the 40 to 44 years age group, and in her first event , the 800m Freestyle, she finished seventh out of 76, though she was disappointed with her time of 10 minutes 19.16 seconds.

Later, in the 200m Freestyle, she finished 15th out of 99 with a time of 2 minutes 28.26 seconds.

In her final event, Karen raced in the 400m Freestyle and finished sixth out of 62 with a time of 4 minutes 59.06 seconds, a new long course personal best.

• COLNE ASC recently hosted teams from Preston, Leyland and Wigan when they held their fixture in the Micro League at the Pendle Leisure Centre.

In what proved to an exciting gala, all four teams achieved victories throughout the course of the afternoon.

After 36 of the 49 races, there were only 12 points separating the four teams, but in the end it was Leyland B who won the gala with 129 points, from Wigan on 121 points.

Colne trailed in third on 102 points with Preston B a point further back on 101 points.

During the course of the afternoon, the Colne girls achieved nine personal bests between them and the boys managed four personal bests.

Colne’s next and last fixture is on Sunday, July 8th at the Palatine Leisure Centre in Blackpool.

They will be competing against teams from Blackpool, Clitheroe and Leyland.

The sultry hostess clubs of Tokyo’s bustling Roppongi district are like a magnet for young western women eager to make money fast.

All a girl needs to do to earn a small fortune is flirt with the city’s rich businessmen. It’s as easy as that... isn’t it?

Susanna Quinn’s dark debut novel takes us deep into the murky world of sex, drink and drugs in a gripping story based on her own experiences as a hostess in the grim underbelly of Tokyo, a cosmopolitan city where East meets West in a strange, and sometimes dangerous, cultural collision.

A former journalist, Quinn’s fast-moving and well-researched cautionary tale features characters from every level of the hostess industry – the naive western girls, the mama-sans who make a living from them, the traditional geishas and the ruthless gangsters who are ready to prey on all types of vulnerable women.

A group of narrative voices, all cleverly linked as the story unfolds, adds depth and insight to the dramatic events as well as providing an air of mystery and some original twists and turns.

When Steph arrives in Tokyo from England to join Julia and Annabel, two old school friends who reckon to be making mountains of money out of their hostess jobs, it all seems quite an adventure as well as the perfect solution to raise quick cash for a college course.

But Steph soon discovers that Julia is just a shadow of her former self. Aloof, secretive and aggressive, her work as a hostess has left her grey-skinned and dead-eyed. ‘It’s like she’s been body-snatched,’ observes Steph.

Even worse, Annabel has simply disappeared and no-one seems to care that she’s gone. As Steph searches for Annabel using her friend’s abandoned journal, in which she admits to being scared by this ‘mad place,’ she is lured into gritty, glamorous Roppongi .

There she meets Mama-san Tanaka, a charismatic and powerful hostess club owner ravaged by age and chemotherapy, who has worked in the sex industry all her life and is currently selling her story – a seedy account of abuse, sexual exploitation and fight for survival – to a British journalist.

Steph is also taken under the wing of kindly but forthright ‘Mrs Kimono,’ a one-time traditional geisha, who warns the English girl to stay strong and wary. ‘Glass,’ she says, ‘that’s what you’ll become, see-through.’

But the longer Steph stays in Roppongi, the harder it is to turn back. She must discover what’s happened to Annabel, or risk selling a part of herself that she’ll never get back...

Quinn’s character-driven novel puts the spotlight firmly on the shadowy hostess industry to which young women are lured by the promise of money and excitement, but which can so quickly ensnare them in a perilous web of vice.

Intriguing, atmospheric and bleak, Glass Geishas is a tale of our times.

(Hodder, paperback, £7.99)

POLICE have charged two men in connection with an assault on a 28 year old man in Colne in the early hours of Saturday.

Callum Shepherd (21), of Hibson Road, Nelson and Joshua Barrett (19), of Sackville Street, Nelson have both been charged with wounding with intent and have been remanded to appear before Pennine magistrates this morning.

Police were called by the ambulance service at 3-30 a.m. after members of the public found the man lying in a park area close to Hawley Street.

He had sustained serious head and facial injuries and remains in a stable condition at the Royal Preston Hospital.

Anyone with any information about this incident should call Lancashire Police on 101.

People with information can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

STATISTICS have revealed that 2,910 pieces of information were passed to the police through Crimestoppers in Lancashire between April 2011 and March 2012 – an increase of 4% on last year.

This information led to 580 people being arrested and charged with crimes in Lancashire. Drugs to the value of £2m. were seized.

Lee Threfall, chairman of Lancashire Crimestoppers, said: “It is thanks to those people who pass on information to us that these arrests are made and crimes solved.

“The information we receive is a valuable resource for the police and I must pay tribute to Lancashire Constabulary for the action officers take in carrying out investigations and making arrests on the back of this information.”

With the charity celebrating its 25th anniversary next year, these figures represent a growing awareness and trust of Crimestoppers.

Crimestoppers operates the 24/7 0800 555 111 telephone number for people to pass on information about crimes anonymously. Information can also be passed anonymously through the charity’s website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Crimestoppers visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org/volunteer.

POLICE are appealing for information after a memorial, created in memory of a man who died in a car accident in Colne, was stolen last month.

The tribute to Tom Petty who tragically died in a car accident in Colne in 2009 was stolen along with other items from a car parked on Oak Street overnight between the 16th and 17th of June.

The memorial, a presentation case containing toy fire engines with a gold plaque engraved with the words ‘In loving memory of Tom Petty’, was due to be presented to Colne Fire Station the following Monday.

Along with the memorial, a box of ‘Help for Heroes’ fundraising t-shirts and sweatshirts, a sat nav, an Ipod and a set of keys were taken.

PC Nicola Heap said, “The presentation box is of huge sentimental value so I would urge anyone who might have any information at all that could potentially lead to its recovery to get in touch as soon as possible.

“Similarly, if anyone has noticed anything suspicious in the area either on the night or in the days since the theft then I would urge them to come forward.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on the new non-emergency number 101 or alternatively, information can be passed to the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at {http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org|Crimestoppers-uk.org}. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

A “DRUNK” lout who attacked an innocent man in the street was “roaring” as he did it, a court was told.

Burnley Crown Court heard Jordan Wilcox had set upon Claude Thompson for nothing, after accusing him of laughing at him. Wilcox, who left his victim with soreness and stiffness to his jaw and neck, was at the time on a suspended jail term for taking part in trouble which led to three men being attacked and injured.

Wilcox, who also has other violence offences on his record, had admitted battery in breach of the suspended term and had been committed for sentence by Pennine Magistrates. The defendant (20), of Tavistock Street, Nelson, was sent to a young offenders’ institution for six months.

Mr Alaric Bassano (prosecuting) said Mr Thompson had parked his car and was walking home in Barnoldswick when the defendant, who was also on foot in the area, dropped his mobile telephone. It fell to pieces and as Wilcox picked them up, he asked the victim: “Are you laughing at me?”

Mr Thompson continued to walk and ignored Wilcox, but he then felt a punch to the right side of his face. He would say the defendant was roaring, with clenched fists in the air and it was clear he was very drunk. Wilcox was staggering and slurring his words. Mr Thompson went immediately to a police station and the defendant was arrested. He was drunk and aggressive.

Mr Richard Taylor, for Wilcox, said he had literacy difficulties and mental health problems. It would be his first custodial sentence.

The solicitor added: “This will be a wake-up call for him. He must use the time in custody profitably and he intends, on his release, to attempt to do his best to stay out of trouble.”

Sentencing, Judge Beverley Lunt told the defendant the assault had been “unprovoked violence on a man in the street” and had been committed 11 months after the suspended term was imposed.

She continued: “You have four previous convictions for assault or battery and one for affray and you are only 20. You do not respond to non-custodial sentences. You don’t stay out of trouble and of course there must be prison in any event.”

What is Snow White when she’s not being feted or hated as ‘the fairest of them all’... a warrior princess of course!

If you loved Universal’s summer cinema blockbuster Snow White and the Huntsman, here’s your chance to take another star-spangled journey into the exciting novel based on the screenplay.

This imaginative and daring new version, full of action, drama and romance, gives fresh impetus and a thrilling gothic dimension to the classic fairytale.

Brimming with madness, evil, love, bravery, blood and guts, it’s a story that will sweep away all true romantics whether they are in their teens or golden years.

Entertainment is the keyword in a magical, and yet grotesquely malign, reworking which places the emphasis firmly on the legendary conflict between love and hate, good and bad.

In this colourful and high impact concoction, Snow White turns into a kind of latter day Joan of Arc, the dwarfs play a much darker role and the wicked stepmother is given an intriguing back story portraying her as much sinned against as sinning.

Ten years ago, the stunningly beautiful and vengeful Queen Ravenna murdered her husband, King Magnus, on their wedding night in her determination to steal his throne.

Ravenna’s mother bestowed on her and her psychotic brother Finn a spell that Ravenna believes makes her beauty and the siblings’ power boundless.

In the evil queen’s presence, kingdoms fall, men perish and simple objects take on a magical life, revealing secrets that no one else could know.

But now Ravenna’s looks and powers have faded and her stepdaughter Snow White’s beauty has flourished. The mirror reveals that only by consuming the dead Snow White’s heart, will Ravenna gain eternal youth. Immortality without cost...

When Snow White escapes into the Dark Forest, the Queen sends for Eric the Huntsman, a grieving and haunted young widower and the only person who has ventured into the woodland’s deadly fauna and survived.

He must track down Snow White and kill her but when he finds his prey, the enigmatic Huntsman becomes her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish forever the fearsome and fiery queen...

As expected, there is a filmic quality to the action here, particularly in scenes featuring Ravenna and Eric who were so charismatically portrayed on screen by Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth. In fact, the book includes a fold-out colour poster of the film.

Snow White and the Huntsman is certainly no fluffy, Disney-style fairytale – with black magic, the forces of evil and bloody conflict so graphically to the fore, expect the unexpected.

(Atom, paperback, £6.99)

BURNLEY boss Eddie Howe has insisted that there’s life after Jay Rodriguez.

The Clarets lost their prized leading goalscorer last month following the 22-year-old’s switch to Premier League newcomers Southampton, but Howe is confident the club has the necessary firepower to find success in the Championship.

Charlie Austin, who opened his account at Turf Moor against Watford on the opening day of last season, has proved prolific at every level he has played.

The hitman scored 37 goals in all competitions for Swindon Town during a 17-month spell at the County Ground before scoring 17 for the Clarets last term despite an injury lay-off.

Former Bournemouth man Danny Ings also recovered from a lengthy spell on the sidelines and made his mark last season, scoring his first goal for the club in the 5-1 thumping of Portsmouth at Fratton Park in March.

Meanwhile, Martin Paterson is eager to bounce back from a campaign hindered by injury.

“It was a good move for Jay to get a Premier League football club and a club where I think he has a good chance of playing,” said Howe.

“For us, it was very much a case of we needed the money.

“It certainly goes a long way to balancing the books, and now we need to balance the squad and get players in to make it more competitive.”

Howe added: “We have three what I consider first-team strikers who, when they are fit and firing, are as good as anything.

“Charlie had a very good season last year, and we would like to think he can improve on that.

“Danny had an injury-hit season but when he came in he showed exactly what he’s capable of.

“And we all know what Pato is capable of, and we are hoping for a big season from him as well.”

But Howe also intends to bolster his attacking options to supplement that trio.

It’s no secret he’s an admirer of Wolves marksman Sam Vokes, who spent time on loan with the Clarets last season, scoring twice in nine outings, though Bristol City forward Brett Pitman, a former team-mate of Howe from his Bournemouth days, and Norwich City’s Chris Martin are also in the fray.

Howe said: “I think I would want four and I want to try to bring someone who will complement the other three.

“And I am confident we can do that.”

The transfer window has developed into another waiting game for Howe, a task where patience is a virtue, as he prepares to add to the signing of right-back Luke O’Neill, snapped up for £80,000 from Mansfield Town.

The Clarets are believed to have had two bids turned down for Derby defender Jason Shackell after Howe reignited his interest in the centre-back, after the Rams seemingly had a change of heart over their skipper’s future.

And Leeds midfielder Adam Clayton remains a target, though his former boss Simon Grayson is hoping to add him to his ranks at Huddersfield.

Bournemouth midfield Marc Pugh, who started his career with the Clarets, is another name that has resurfaced.

The 25-year-old is in the final year of his contract at Dean Court, and has expressed a desire to move to a Championship club.

It is also understood that Howe will be taking Australian A-League goalkeeper of the year Mat Ryan on trial at the end of the week.

With Lee Grant the only senior keeper under contract for the forthcoming campaign, with deals yet to be tied up with Brian Jensen and Jon Stewart, Howe is set to run the rule over the Central Coast Mariners stopper who was called into the Australian national squad for the first time in February.

Howe admitted: “We have found it to be quite difficult this summer to get the players we are chasing, for a variety of reasons. The market has been very slow, and good players are coveted by many clubs, not just ourselves, so we are finding it a challenge to get the players we want.

“I think it’s worth pursuing our top targets and that’s what we are continuing to do.

“We know who we want and let’s see if we can get a couple over the line.

“It’s a very competitive league. You have clubs quite evenly matched all fighting for the same players, which breeds competition and prices rise.”

YOUTH unemployment is continuing to grow in Pendle, according to figures released last week.

The figures show that youth unemployment in Pendle, which was falling prior to May, 2010, has increased since the formation of the Coalition government after the last election.

Despite a recent reported fall in youth unemployment nationally, the numbers of young people out of work in Pendle has increased by 15% since May, 2010 with just under a fifth more young people unemployed in the last year alone.

Alan Manning, North West Regional Secretary for the TUC, said: “These numbers are a further reminder of the consequences of the government’s austerity policies. Young people in Pendle are feeling the effects of these policies and they are paying a heavy price.

“Recent increases in the numbers of young people not in employment, education, or training and of unemployed graduates show that this is a crisis for all young people that must be tackled. We will be campaigning for a better response from the Government and regional coalition MPs.”

A recent survey of trade union members in Pendle found over 80% of those polled said they were unhappy with the Government’s handling of the economy and nearly 90% called for the Government to develop policies that would create jobs, grow the economy and reduce the cost of living. Only 5% of those polled felt the Government’s priority should be deficit reduction.

Mr Manning said: “These survey results reinforce what we’ve heard from the community – local people do not support the austerity policies that Andrew Stephenson has voted for and they are feeling the impact of his decisions.

“Cuts to local services and jobs mean young people cannot find work, shops and factories close and families are struggling to get by. We are asking local people to join our campaign ‘All Together For A Future That Works’ and to ask Andrew Stephenson to invest in measures that will create growth and jobs, not austerity and unemployment.”

BURNLEY boss Eddie Howe has made exciting Leyton Orient prospect George Porter his second new signing of the summer.

The winger has agreed a three-year contract with the Clarets with the move subject to completion of the relevant paperwork.

The two clubs are also still in discussion over a fee, with Orient entitled to compensation for the 20-year-old right-sided player.

Porter has spent the last two seasons with the O’s after signing from non-league side Cray Wanderers and had been offered a new deal to extend his stay in East London.

In his first year with Orient, the Sidcup-born wideman was loaned to Lewes and Hastings United to gain first-team experience.

Then after returning to Brisbane Road for the 2011/12 season Porter made 38 appearances for the League One side, often as an impact player off the bench.

Porter’s arrival at Turf Moor follows the capture of Mansfield Town defender Luke O’Neill as Howe looks to develop future talent in tandem with a Championship challenge next season.

“We believe George is an exciting young player with the potential to develop further with us,” said the Burnley manager as he steps up his recruitment drive ahead of Friday’s return to pre-season training.

“He will increase competition in the wide areas in our squad but is also one for the future.

“He has had a taste of League football and we will now be working with him to help him make the step up to the Championship and make a big impact here at Turf Moor.”

• The Burnley Express has launched a FREE football app which is now available to download on {http://bit.ly/LkG6ap|iPhone} and {http://bit.ly/P5PAfG|Android} devices.

AN independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the allocation of a charity-run property to a Pendle councillor has been called for.

Thursday night’s full council meeting decided on this course of action following a debate sparked by a question asked by BNP town councillor John Rowe and a motion put forward by his party colleague and Marsden Ward councillor Brian Parker which queried how Coun. Kathleen Shore had acquired the tenancy of a property run by the William Walton and the Mancknols Walton Cottage Homes in Nelson.

The motion by Coun. Parker called for powers vested in the two charities to be transferred from the area committee to the full council and for the current trustees to resign, but this failed to find a seconder.

In the run up to May’s council elections, BNP leaflets circulating both in Marsden Ward and further afield in Pendle alleged that Coun. Shore’s position as a councillor had had some influence on her being allocated the property.

A majority of members on the charity’s board of trustees are present or past Labour councillors.

During Coun. Parker’s speech, Labour members banged their fists on the tables in the council chamber and Coun. Mohammed Iqbal told members how Coun. Parker had been a trustee of the charity in the past but had stood down last year following the appointment of Coun. Nadeem Ahmed to the panel, saying he would not serve with another Asian heritage councillor.

“His party colleague, then Coun. Adam Grant, said he was prepared to serve but he was pressured into standing down by Coun. Parker,” said Coun. Iqbal, who called for the independent investigation.

Supporting that call, Coun. Tony Greaves said there was no evidence in front of councillors for them to make a decision, but the allegation that Labour representatives had used their position to acquire a property for one of their councillors was a serious one which needed to be resolved.

A report will be presented to the council once the investigation has been carried out.

SOME books have a personality all of their own, a uniqueness that puts them in a class apart.

Ben Hatch’s Are We Nearly There Yet? is a perfect example. A memoir, a travelogue, laugh-out-loud entertainment, a moving tale of life and death and a heart-warming affirmation of ‘familyhood,’ it should come with a label saying ‘Read me or miss out on something really special.’

In a moment of madness (or was it divine inspiration?), Hatch signed up with US travel publisher Frommer’s to take his wife Dinah and two children aged under four on an 8,000-mile road trip in a Vauxhall Astra estate to write a guide book about family travel round Britain.

For five months, they packed and unpacked the car, stayed at different hotels each night and visited four or five attractions a day. ‘You’re mad,’ said friends, ‘You’ll get divorced,’ warned Dinah’s sister and ‘One of you is coming home in that roof box... chopped up in a bin bag,’ predicted Ben’s brother.

What they did encounter was self-discovery, bad manners and kindness, sudden and unexpected illness, a car crash, bat attacks, confrontations with puff adders, a Nazi, Billie Piper’s pyjamas and, most poignantly of all, the death of Ben’s father.

The couple learned how to change a nappy using nothing but a KFC Lemonfresh wipe, how to steal hotel buffet breakfasts and turn them into lunch and what to do when your trousers are so crusty with dirt that you do not so much take them off at night as lean them up against things.

They discovered that travelling ‘en famille’ in a cramped space is an unforgettable adventure, they reassessed their lives past and present and their marriage, and they stumbled upon the things that really matter.

And amidst it all, Hatch takes breaks from the road trip to visit his father, former head of BBC network radio Sir David Hatch, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and who dies before their journey’s end.

And in turn, their readers start to hero worship parents who can take on such a venture, enjoy it and survive, they fall for the adorable Phoebe, aged four and Charlie, aged two, and become enchanted by the whole impossible, wonderful, hilarious, madcap enterprise.

For nearly half a year, normality for journalists Hatch and Dinah became getting lost on ring roads and fighting to get toddler food heated up. For Phoebe and Charlie, normality was being whisked from one strange town to the next and a growing obsession with talking about ‘poo.’

Six weeks and 2,000 miles in, Hatch noted that they were ‘starting to feel like a touring rock band minus the fans, the glamour, the adrenalin rush of performing, and with Organix Goodies Organic Alphabet Biscuits instead of hard drugs.’

From Brighton (where their home is located) to Birmingham and north to Blackpool (where Phoebe was sick in the car and passers-by ‘proffered knowing smiles as if to say, ‘That could so easily have been me in Yates’s yesterday’), the Hatch family had good times, bad times, happy times, sad times.

Are We Nearly There Yet? is an extraordinarily engaging and original book written with honesty, humour and humanity. Don’t leave home without it as you head off for your summer break, and thank your lucky stars it’s not an 8,000-mile, five-month round-Britain car trip with two tiny tots...

(Summersdale, paperback, £8.99)

A 23-YEAR-OLD Nelson woman was left “holding the baby” after drug dealers decided she should inherit her partner’s debts after he did a runner.

Blackburn magistrates heard Leah George had fallen out with her boyfriend when she discovered he had drugs in the house they shared with their three children.

She flushed his drugs down the toilet and that brought the relationship to an end despite the fact she was pregnant.

But she ended up facing his dealers who wanted their money back and blamed her for disposing of the drugs and went shoplifting to try and make ends meet.

George, of Carleton Street, Nelson, pleaded guilty to stealing spirits and clothing worth £114 from Asda in Accrington. She was remanded on bail for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

Mr Trevor Grice (defending) said after the row which ended with the drugs being flushed down the toilet, the boyfriend fled to Rochdale, leaving George to face the music.

“The drug dealers came to her house and told her she was responsible for their loss,” said Mr Grice. “She was desperate for money even after arranging a loan from the credit union which went straight to the dealers. She is now pregnant by the man who brought all this on her and then fled.”

THE Clarets have signed nine new scholars to form the core of Terry Pashley’s new-look youth team at Turf Moor.

The intake of 16-year-olds on two-year scholarship deals includes four former members of the Clarets’ Centre of Excellence, Luke Daly, who linked up with Burnley towards the end of last season, and four players recruited from outside the area.

They included one from Newcastle, one from the Republic of Ireland and two from Northern Ireland as the Clarets’ scouting network continues to bear fruit.

Midfielder Daly joined the Clarets after leaving Manchester United and played a part in Burnley’s run to the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup.

Full-back Charlie Holt, striker Lewis Nuttall and goalkeeper Callum Jakovlevs were also members of last season’s youth squad and now join the club full time, along with midfielder Nathan Lowe, who has also progressed through Burnley’s youth programme.

Central defender Alex Whitmore follows in the footsteps of Jack Errington in joining the Clarets from Tyneside-based Wallsend Boys Club.

And following their success in recruiting players from Ireland, Burnley have swooped to sign Conor Mitchell, Cameron Dummigan and Evan Galvin.

Midfielder Galvin arrives from Cork Corinthians and has been capped at under-16 level by the Republic of Ireland.

Goalkeeper Mitchell from Portrush has been capped at under-17 level for Northern Ireland, while defender Dummigan from Cliftonville is a Northern Ireland under-16 international.

The nine newcomers will join Jason Gilchrist and Luke Gallagher, who have moved into their second year, in the youth set-up.

Errington, Luke Conlan and Cameron Howieson will also still be eligible for the youth team but having signed professional contracts at the end of last season may well spend time with the Clarets’ development squad and be monitored by first-team boss Eddie Howe.

And they will be joined by the six other players who graduated through the youth ranks to sign professional deals over the summer - the target for the new youngsters now launching their Burnley careers.

“This is where it starts for them,” said Pashley.

“We have identified them as good young prospects and we are looking forward to working with them and helping them fulfil their potential to go on and have successful careers - hopefully here at Burnley.”

• The Burnley Express has launched a FREE football app which is now available to download on {http://bit.ly/LkG6ap|iPhone} and {http://bit.ly/P5PAfG|Android} devices.

COUNCILLORS have again thrown out plans to build more than 100 homes on a disused Nelson sports field.

Members of Pendle Council’s Nelson Committee had been recommended to approve a revised application from Gleeson Homes for the major development on the old James Nelson’s sports ground.

But on Monday night, they heard residents once again object to the proposals on the grounds of highway safety and over-development and voted to refuse permission.

The matter will now be referred to the council’s development management committee on July 23rd.

A previous bid by Gleeson was refused by that committee earlier this year on the grounds that there was no provision of open space within the application. Gleeson’s revised plans showed two houses had been removed from the original and a five-piece play area put in their place.

Residents say the proposed access to the site along Priory Chase will be unsuitable, especially in the winter where snow and ice have caused problems in the past.