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Page 8 December 2025 AD SALES 01204 478812 Opening Times: Monday-Friday 9.00am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 4pm DERBY BARRACKS, FLETCHER STREET, BOLTON BL3 6NF www.emmaus-bolton.org.uk • info@emmausbolton.org.uk WE SELL RECYCLED FURNITURE AND FURNISHINGS ALL AT VERY COMPETITIVE PRICES TO DONATE YOUR GOODS AND ARRANGE A FREE COLLECTION CALL 01204 398056 UPCYCLED AND HANDMADE FURNITURE AND GARDEN FURNITURE That was the year that was! AS 2025 comes to a close now is the ideal time to look back on the year and the stories we have covered in the communities we serve. We’re looking forward to continuing to keep you in the picture in 2026. Happy New Year from all of us! JANUARY 2025 IN REVIEW THESE top dogs are full of energy and ready to take the lead in a four-legged fund- raiser for Chorley’s Derian House Children’s Hospice. It will be the third year running that whippets Skye and Violet will take part in the challenge that invites dog own- ers to walk every day in February to raise vital funds for the charity’s children and young people. The goal of the four-legged fund- raiser is to rack up 100km through- out the month – equivalent to two miles per day – while raising a minimum of £100 THE campaign to save Horwich’s Holy Trinity Church from closure because of its crumbling tower has received a vital £20,000 cash boost. The church is to share in a £871,696 urgent fund- ing payout from the National Churches Trust. The grant will help to pay for urgent repairs to the iconic tower to help make it safe again and stopping it from deteriorating any further. The church has revealed that a total of 30 pieces of masonry have either fallen or been removed from the tower, putting the Grade II church at risk of closure on health and safety grounds. CHURCH’S PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED DOGWALKERSTAKETHE LEAD FEBRUARY for Derian House. “I love that I can support the families of Derian House by taking Skye and Violet for a walk,”said owner Hayley Lawson Duffin.