Special reports

X Factor: Diana Vickers

ACCRINGTON'S Diana Vickers has wowed the nation with her performances on the X Factor.The 17-year-old singing sensation, supported by the Observer, was rated among the favourites to win the competition.See the stories below which follow her progress ...

Save the Pals' chapel

THE OBSERVER launched a major fund-raising appeal to save a memorial to Accrington's greatest heroes, the Accrington Pals, and the beautiful historic church in which it is housed. Keep track on our campaign here.Click here to read more about the Accrington Pals in the Special Reports part of our News section.Official St John's website - http://www.stjohns-accrington.org.uk/

Accrington Pals

ON 1ST July 1916, more than 230 members of the East Lancashire Regiment died less than 20 minutes into an advance near the French village of Serre, part of the notorious Battle of the Somme. They and their comrades became known as the Accrington Pals, and - 90 years on - we look back at their bravery and their legacy, and how they are being remembered today.

Stanley - the day a club 'died'

ACCRINGTON Stanley is one of the most famous names in football. Forty years on from the club's demise from league football, we chart how it 'died' and then rose from the ashes.