Horwich Advertiser Issue 640

Page 2 October 2026 AD SALES 01204 478812 No part of this publicationmay be used or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure that the articles and advertisements that are carried are authentic, however the publisher accepts no responsibility for claims made. © Investors in Publishing Ltd 2026. This newspaper is publishedmonthly by Investors in Publishing, Publishing House, 3 Bridgebank Industrial Estate,Taylor Street, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7PD. Tel. 01204 478812 EDITOR Ged Henderson: ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com ADVERTISING Jayne Meadowcroft: 01204 478812 or 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk CLASSIFIEDS Teresa Bond: 01204 478812 teresa@independentnewspapers.co.uk CONTACT US IN BRIEF WESTHOUGHTON Rotary Club has a new home for its regular meetings. The group marked its move to The Hub community venue with a special celebration event. WESTHOUGHTON Town Council is looking for volunteer stewards to help with the Remembrance Day Parade on Sunday November 8. Contact the town clerk at townclerk@ westhoughtontc.gov. uk or call 07921 862 603 to sign up. HOLY Trinity Church in Horwich opened its bell tower to visitors as part of the national Heritage Open Day scheme. Historic registers were also available to view along with an exhibition by the Horwich Heritage group. AFTER more than 10,000 athletes took part across the Ironman weekend this year, Night Run Bolton UK returns on Friday, June 4, 2027, kicking off three days of world-class sport. Tickets have gone on sale this month. A BOLTON schoolgirl who went missing was reunited with her mother after “eight days of torture” for the family. GMP launched the search for Lillia, 13, after she was last seen by her family on September 11. She was found safe and well in Manchester city centre. A ROGUE retailer in Bolton has been closed for three months following court order. Tia’s Wines, on Blackburn Road, was served with a Closure Order at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on September 4 in relation to the sale of nitrous oxide, illicit tobacco and illegal vapes. Family man: David during his year as borough mayor (Photo credit: Bolton Council) ‘A TRUE CHAMPION’ TRIBUTES have poured in for David Chadwick – a stalwart of public life across Westhoughton and the borough of Bolton for three decades. They follow the death at the age of 82 of the long serving councillor and former mayor of the borough. Leaders across the politi- cal divide paid tribute to his long-service and dedication to the community and were joined by Bolton Wanderers football club and NHS chiefs in hon- ouring his memory. David, who was the borough’s first citizen in 2025/26, took over the role of deputy mayor earlier this year. The Labour politician was also a former mayor of Westhoughton. He served as aWesthoughton town councillor and a ward councillor for Westhoughton South. He held numerous council positions over the years, including Bolton’s cabi- net member for transport and chair of the licensing commit- tee. He was a school governor and had countless other roles. Bolton Council leader Akhtar Zaman led the trib- utes. He said: “A Bolton lad through-and-through, David dedicated his life to serving the community he was so proud to call home. “Our thoughts are with his wife Valerie, his children Matthew and Victoria, and his grandchildren.” Nick Peel, former council leader, described his friend as “A true champion for his Westhoughton constituents.” He added: “Despite suffering from a life-threatening illness, he recovered well enough to carry out his duties as mayor of Bolton with amazing energy and dedication. He was an incredibly strong man! Thank you, David, for all that you have done for Westhoughton and Bolton. Your service will not be forgotten. Rest in peace my friend.” BoltonWest MP Phil Brickell said: “His complete dedication to his residents and his tena- cious campaigning to protect Westhoughton’s heritage were constants of his work – as a long-standing councillor, former council cabinet member, as a school governor, charity trustee and volunteer.” David Grant, leader of Hor- wich and Blackrod First Inde- pendents, said: “I am deeply saddened by the passing of a good friend and colleague. “Having served alongside him on licensing, I got to see firsthand how he approached public service, he was always firm, completely fair, and led with absolute integrity. “David was hard-working, deeply dedicated to his bor- ough, and utterly devoted to his family. I will be eternally grateful for the short few years we served together.” A spokesperson for the Bolton Conservatives said: “He was always dedicated to improving the towns he called home.” Westhoughton Lib Dems described his death as “terribly sad news”. A spokesperson said: “David was greatly respected and liked by many people across Westhoughton and Bol- ton. He was involved in many organisations across the town who will miss him.” Bolton Wanderers chairman Sharon Brittan said: “He was a Wanderer from childhood and a season ticket holder for most of his life. He chose Bolton Wanderers in the Community as one of his mayoral charities and raised thousands of pounds for its work across the borough. That choice told you everything about where his heart was. I always enjoyed the time I spent in his company, and his kindness is what I will remem- ber most.” One of the last acts of his year in office as mayor was to hand over thousands of pounds he raised for the hospital that saved his life. David chose Our Bolton NHS Charity as one of his mayoral charities after receiving life-saving treatment in Royal Bolton Hospital’s Crit- ical Care Unit in 2024. The donation of £6,000 helped to create a special gar- den for patients on unit to enjoy the outside air in a peaceful and beautiful space during their recovery. Before he was first elected onto Bolton Council in 1998, David worked in the textile industry, and later joined Royal Bolton Hospital as a health and safety officer and computer ser- vices manager. A ROW is brewing in Bolton over the alloca- tion of £6.5million to repair potholes across the borough. The Conservative group on Bolton Coun- cil is calling on the Labour administration to share the cash from the Greater Manches- ter Combined Authority (GMCA) equally across all 20 wards. It says that dividing the funding that way would Debate call over £6.5m pothole fund mean each ward would receive £325,000. A Conservative motion to the full council also calls for ward members and their residents to have a say in which roads should be repaired. The group says that of the roads expected to be fixed in the borough, 28 out of 38 are in Labour wards. In a statement the group said: “Con- servatives believe that local wardmembers know best what roads and pave- ments need resurfacing.” It added: “Labour coun- cillors are already brief- ing the press on roads in their wards that are going to be resurfaced because of this funding allocation. “This is despite few other non-Labour coun- cillors being consulted. And they’re working from a central list, without any consultation of local ward members.” Nadim Muslim, leader of Bolton Conservatives, said: “During our time running the council, the Conservatives split £12m equally with all wards, no matter which party repre- sented them because that was fair.” James Moller, coun- cillor for Bradshaw, who is tabling the motion for next month’s full council, added: “As local council- lor, I know there aremany roads that need resurfac- ing in my own area. This is not unique. “This is why I have tabled a motion to demand the money from the GMCA is split equally amongst all wards. That is what is fair and what residents of Bol- ton expect.” The fund is part of a £60m pot for the whole city region. Bolton Coun- cil says more than 40 hot- spots will be targeted for repair by next spring. Nadeem Ayub, its executive member for highways, transport and planning said: “This funding is very welcome and will allow us to bring forward work on the roads on our priority list. “We are taking a sensi- ble, planned approach to making our roads better over the long term.” TOADVERTISE CALL 01204 478812 PLANS to convert a terraced house on Brown- low Road in Horwich into a six-bed house of multiple occupation (HMO) have been rejected by Bolton Council. The decision has been welcomed by campaigners who opposed the application, which was rejected on the grounds that the plans would not provide a high enough standard of amenity for occupants and insuf- ficient information had been provided to demonstrate on-street parking capacity was available. A spokesperson for the Horwich and Blackrod First Independents said: “This is a great result for the local community, particularly around Brownlow Road, who have seen significant rises in HMO applications.” HOLLY’S STORY IS AN INSPIRATION A MEMBER of staff at Royal Bolton Hos- pital has turned her personal experiences into a children’s book designed to help young people better understand ADHD. Holly Flynn, a hospital domestic, was inspired to write and illustrate the book after reflecting on her own experiences growing up with ADHD and the self-doubt she often faced. Holly says she spent many years struggling with focus, distraction and confidence, often being labelled as “ditzy” without fully under- standing why her brain worked differently. As she grew older and began helping friends and family understand ADHD, she realised there was a need for a book she wished she’d had as a child. Aimed at children aged four to eight, the book, called ‘When my cloud gets busy’, explains ADHD in a fun and accessible way, helping young read- ers understand why cer- tain things can be more challenging for them while also celebrating the strengths that come with thinking differently. Holly said: “I wanted children to be able to see themselves in the story and understand them- selves a little better.” HMO application turned down