cut h em e 22112/, (E d i to r ia l ) , 2211211 (A d v e r t ism</). H t tr i i le i /1,2211111 (C la s s i f ie d ) I Letters


Sad th a t he should die in this way


IN your newspaper of May l()th, an in q u e s t s ta ted that a suffering pensioner took his own life while liv­


in g alone on a c arav an site. This gentleman was in


receipt of a war pension, w h ic h m a k e s h im an ex-serviceman. For hundreds of years, th e B r i t ish so ld ie r has


proved himself the best in the world. We present the Chelsea


pensioners as an example of how we t r e a t our ex- servicemen and women, as living a life of luxury, but this is not so. I t is so sad th a t th is country should


have le t him die in th a t way.


A. DICKINSON, Whittle Close, Clitheroe.


Thanks for help with folk event


WE wish to th an k the tow n co u n ci l, b o ro u g h council and chamber of trade for their sponsorship and assistance with Clith- eroe’s first Great Day of Folk. Given the unknown nature of the event, their decision to support i t was visionary. Our initial assessment is


th a t the events over the F r i d a y e v e n i n g a n d


throughout Saturday were warmly received and well supported and this gives the organisers the confi­ dence to ru n th e ev en t again next year over the same weekend. This year’s festival was pu t together in a relatively short time and we are now confident th a t , with 12 months to plan, next year’s event can be bigger and better. Any constructive com­


ments towards this from a n y o n e who a s s i s te d , attended or simply stood, looked an d l is te n e d in Clitheroe’s sun-drenched s tre e ts would be greatly appreciated. Finally, our thanks to all


the marshals who assisted on the day, to the individ­ ual businesses who sup­ ported with sponsorship in k in d a n d , o f g r e a t e s t importance on the day, to w h o e v e r o r w h a te v e r d e te rm in e s the climate. You were all great.


PHIL BROWN, ST EV E BURKE. Castle .Gate, ,,


C litherbe.'r


• LETTERS for publica­ tion are accepted only on the understanding that they may be edited


Must fight desecration of children’s heritage


ALTHOUGH there has been no recent publicity, concerned Kibble Valley residents and friends should be aware th a t C a s t le C em en t is p re p a r in g a n o th e r application to reopen and extend Bellman Quarry. We should be prepared, ourselves, to


contest this new attempt to extend the devastation of the area. As the CPRE planning officer said in 11H)3, the proposal “would undoubtedly


spell disas ter for this lovely area of countryside” and “the site would be devastated for a t least 50 y e a r s . . . im­ possible to ju s tify on social or eco­ nomic grounds.” Compared with 1993, the new pro­ posal will cover a shorter period and


so, I believe, will be made to appear smaller. I suspect that great care will


be ta k e n in p r e s e n t a t io n , w i th emphasis on landscaping, lakes, etc. This must not be allowed to blind us to the fact that the quarries and asso­


ciated plant will, in my view, be eye­ sores from Sawley Brow to Parlick, from Pendle Hill to Waddington Fell — for miles around. Chatburn could be a tiny island surrounded by a huge, dusty, ugly and noisy mess. In effect, the new proposal will be a


smaller first bite than the 1993 applica­ tion, more carefully decorated and con­ cealed, but a first bite nevertheless. We must not allow it to re s ta r t the desecration of our children’s heritage.


ALLAN RICHARDS, Mount Pleasant,


Chalburn.


• Castle Cement confirmed that it is preparing a planning application for Bellman Quarry to be submitted later th is summer. The company will be holding a public exhibition and distri­ butin g a n ew s le t te r explaining its proposals fully to local residents — editor.


A r e w e t o b e “ q u a r r y t o w n ” ?


DUE to the fact that Cas­ t le C em en t in te n d s to spend SAV-i million on emis­ sion-reduction equipment, has the company already been given planning per­ mission to open another quarry, i.e. Bellman? Is Clitheroe going to be


k n ow n a s a “ q u a r r y town”? Surely the owners of properties in the sur­ r o u n d in g a r e a s m u s t object to the environmen­ tal impact created by such a quarry. Do we need to move out now? C an s om e o n e a ls o


explain what is the dis­ posal ro u te of the du s t from the kilns. Is it sold for animal feeds, lime­ spreading or landfilled? The public have a right


to know what is happening in their environment.


CLITIIERONIAN Dirty Man of Europe?


I WOULD like to thank “T. C.” for his informative article on the BBC Radio 4 programme, “Face the Facts", which highlighted the burning of toxic waste fuel by Castle Cement. The most telling p a r t of th e pro­


gramme was the elongated pause by Mr Peter del Strother, Castle Cement’s


works manager, when asked about the “clean bill of health” statement a ttri­ buted to Dr Steven Morton, Director of Public Health for Eas t Lancashire, and the Department of Health. Both par­ ties had denied the assertion! The Government has rejected all but


one of the nine considerations made by a select committee, on June 7th, 1995, on the burning of waste as a fuel. J u s t remember, i t is Government policy to use waste in this way and,


therefore, i t is in the Government’s interest to make it as easy and free from regulation as possible for the companies involved. Money is at the root of the matter.


Imported waste helps our balance of payments. Fur thermore, i t is much cheaper for companies to dispose of waste in cement kilns than in incinera­ tors or by recycling. “Easy Option” and “Dirty Man of


Europe” spring to mind — both true. The people of the Ribble Valley do not want to be sacrificed a t the altar of Mammon!


LYNDA ENGLAND, RATS (R e s id e n ts A g a in s t T o x ic Substances), The Meadows, Worston.


W i n d f a r m s u b s i d y w r o n g


HOW many times do we have to read th a t some­ thing th a t puts money in someone else’s pocket is good for us? (Mr J . T. Cul- shaw’s letter of May 16th). Apparently, we must be


. or condensed at the Editors discretion.


V- How much longer; will the wind farm “con” go on, without intervention from th e G o v e rnm e n t? Th e Cornwall coastline, Snow­ donia, the Yorkshire Dales and now the Lancashire fells are being polluted. Wind tu r b in e s h av e been around for 100 years,


prepared to suffer the loss of our beautiful country­ side to the “Friends of the Earth”, etc.


so why s in ce 1990 h as there been a sudden need to build them everywhere? The a n sw e r is “ su b ­ sidy” . The la st Govern­


ment provided a guaran- t e e d m a r k e t a t a subsidised price reg a rd ­ less of need or commercial viability. The forme r managers of


the National Electricity" Research Centre say that, despite their vast size, the amount of electricity pro­ duced by wind farms is so small th a t their only real p u rp o se is to g e n e ra te money for their owners. I t appears th a t the 24 wind farms b uilt in the


Joint bids statement extremely unhelpful


e Clitheroe Advertiser d Times la s t week, in licli Mr John Heap, then ting chief executive of bb le Valley Borough


>imcil, made statements garding the lottery bids am Queen Elizabeth II ay in g F ie ld s and th e halley Sports Club.


He stated th a t the two ganisations should join rces to succeed in their :1 for lottery funding. Is i suggesting th a t if we do it join forces we will not cceed? I f he is, how does


i know? His statement is, in any


ise, out of order, because decision was taken a t a


eeting on April 28th that .e two bids should go irward in d ep en d en t ly id should be considered 1 their own merits. This eeting was attended by l- Heap and by Mr Har­ es, from the North West iiorts Council in Man- iester. Also present were eeted members of the >rough council and Wnal- V Parish Council, includ- ig C o u n . M rs M v ra I'egg, who w a s th e n lairman of th e Ribble alley Borough Council


lE F E I l to an article in


Recreation and Leisure C om m i t te e , a n d Miss Rachel Rootes, the lottery bid adviser.


Andrew Ronnan, chair­ man of the QEII Trust, and myself, as chairman of W h a l ley S p o r ts Club, exp la in ed th e d if fe ren t needs and s tru c tu re s of the two organisations and the necessity of indepen­ dent lottery bids.


A t th e m e e t in g , Mr The final decision taken


by the meeting was that th e lo ttery bid from the Q E I I T ru s t , which was s u b m i t t e d b a c k in F e b r u a r y , sh o u ld go forward as i t is and the bid from Whalley Sports Club should go fo rwa rd independently when i t is completed. Both bids will be judged on their merits by the L o t te ry A ssess ­ ment Board.


in g s t a t em e n t s a b o u t “joint bids” a t this stage is e x t r em e ly u n h e lp fu l , because to implement this s tatement would require the QEII Trust bid to be withdrawn, scrapped and rew r i t te n from scratch. This is obviously totally im p r a c t i c a l a n d w a s


For Mr Heap to be mak­


rejected by the meeting on April 28th.


s tate th a t he desperately w a n t s to g e t l o t t e r y money in to th e Ribbie Valley. I f th a t is the case, he could do no better than give his full backing to both lottery bids being put forward by the sporting associations in Whalley.


Mr Heap go e s on to A f te r all, we a re not


asking for funds from the borough council, which we know has budgetary prob­ lems of its own, and all the work in formulating these complex bids has been car­ ried out by members of Whalley Sports Club and the QEII Trust.


Our objective is also to


bring lottery money to the R ib b le V a l le y , b u t to achieve this objective we


do need the unreserved support of senior full-time


officers of th e borough council, such as Mr Heap. I hope he will consider


retracting, or at least clar­ ifying, the statements he made in th e newspaper article and look forward to his response. M. It. DOUGLAS, (C h a i rm a n , W h a l lc y Sports Club).


T h r o w i n g m o n e y d o w n d r a i n matter any thought, but blindly vote


afford the luxury her we need one, recent letter. I


fficer, Mr Keith most important


; years you quote people wonderful iy wife and I, are Va had no opposi-


j r idea of forming Cinema Society Does the cinema ;p us informed


on?


le Valley Council ndant? I wonder .-torate study the •amlidates when


io few to give the


j continue throw- drain when peo-


politically. The old borough council was well


stocked with business people .and the town reaped the benefit of their ability


and experience, unpaid, I may add. I suggest that we all seriously consider a c an d id a te ’s occupation and s tu d y whether his qualifications are suitable


years, their judgement leaves a lot to be desired. I suggest, councillors, that before submitting your names for re-e­ lection, you seriously consider whether you are qualified and have the neces­ sary business acumen. You arc well paid as councillors, but fail in many aspects. Unfortunately, you cannot be made redundant.


GEOFF SAINSBURY, Beverley Drive, Clitheroe.


to administer our town. Judging by the mistakes in recent


first round of licences have a life ex p ec tan cy of 25 years.


During the whole of that


time, they will have pro­ duced the same amount of electricity as Drax Power Station produces in three months.


cations .are* now rejected b e c a u s e o f p o t e n t i a l damage to the landscape, but that is not enough •—1 the subsidy which spawns these monstrosities should be stopped forthwith.


Many wind farm appli­


.1. BROUGHTON, Fairfield Drive, Clitheroe.


WITH regard to the resig­ nation of Coun. Allan Kay, I would say that as a mat­ te r of urgency he should resign as he cannot sud­ denly become an indepen­ dent a f te r being elected u n d e r th e Conservative banner. By taking this course, it


Utmost respect for Bert have known B e r t fo r a


will give the people of the ward a chance to express their preference. As there are th re e ye ars to go to the next local elections, this situation must not be allowed to continue. Finally, I was most con­


cerned to read the attack by Geoff S a in sb u ry on


Coun. B e r t Jo n e s and would comment thus : I


long time now and, while I sit on the opposite side of the political fence to him, I b e l iev e he h as a lway s worked hard for the peo­ ple of th e a re a and has worked tirelessly on their behalf. I have the utmost respect for him and would r a th e r h a v e one B e r t Jones than 10 of any of the other councillors.


Local politics should be


about the people, not polit­ ical point scoring, some­ thing which a lot of our councillors have forgotten,


IAN BROWN, Chatburn Road, Clitheroc.


B u d g e t r e f l e c t e d p a r t i e s ’ p r i o r i t i e s


BILL FLEMING will be painfully aware th a t his failure, along with two col­ leagues, to secure re-elec­ t io n la s t May b ro u g h t about the hung council to which he refers in his let­ t e r in th e C l i th e r o e Advertiser and Times of June 6 th.


, As a result, the budget


.both,parties,^ancl.the, deci-, ‘sioh'vtd” im p lem en tC ca r parking charges was one consequence. N ev e r th e ­ less, decisions on locations and charges were taken a f te r consultations with interested parties, and it is to be hoped that when they are implemented the benefits to both trad e rs


fo r th is y e a r , with th e regrettable but necessary reduction in spending of some £450,000, had to reflect th e p r io r i t ie s of


and visitors will become


apparent. On r e c y c l i n g , th e


£30,000 Mr Fleming refers to is a capital sum, which compares with a similar sum included in the capital


budget for 1994/5 set by th e co u n ci l u n d e r Mr Fleming’s control — a sum underspent by £18,500.


^Valley to b e n e f i t th e i r organisations arid the com­ munity generally and are dete rm in ed to enhance, n o t h i n d e r , t h e s e activities.


and the officers concerned are well aware of the recy­ cling activities carried out by v o lu n t a r y g r o u p s th ro u g h o u t th e Ribble


P E T E R R E D P A T I I (Coun.), George Lane, Read.


I WRITE to correct some of the points raised in the Blackburns’ letter in lastweek’s Advertiser and Times.


Y e l l o w l i n e s n o t e n f o r c e a b l e . ..


Firstly, if the Blackburns had correctly read the previous week s article about ,, , , ,


yellow lines at Langden Intake, they would have realised that my main concern was about Lancashire County Council’s authority to put the lines down. As someone brought up less than three miles from the place in question, I was concerned that the council, which is supposed to protect the rural environment,


can come along and make a yellow box junction without any authority and without even consulting the local parish council and borough council. The junction, with its 5ft long “No Parking” white lettering, is like those in the middle of Blackburn. The lines are not enforceable and I could have


parked my Land-Rover and trailer there all day and a traffic warden could not have done anything. In practice, I would not do this and I have always


pointed out to anyone parking near the gate the need to leave the access clear. I f we accept the excuse that these lines are to ensure


access to North West Water, will we now be seeing yellow lines , on all the many entrances to company’s sites in this area? The road to Whitendale is a single- track access; will this now be hatched with yellow for the several miles it runs up the valley? I am also reliably informed that the land where the


lines were painted is, in fact, neither highway nor North West Water property and permission was not


obtained to put them down. I discussed the county council’s proposals at length


with the officer responsible for putting the lines down, but he refused to change his mind. He would not allow us, as we have done in the past, to point out to anyone blocking the gateway that they are causing an obstruc­ tion. There has never, to my knowledge, been a prob­ lem with cars or motor cycles deliberately blocking this access. During the conversation, I asked why the ser­ vice is a 44-seat Ribble bus. I was told that it may pick up a party of 30 ramblers, but in my experience this size of party has its own bus. The minibus, referred to in the footnote to the


Blackburn’s letter, does not turn round at Langden, but goes through to Lancaster. On the question of the sheep, they are the local farm­


ers’ livelihood and have more right to be there than anyone else. This is open fell land and, perhaps, Mrs Biackburn has encouraged the sheep by feeding them ham sandwiches during her previous visits to the area. I would be very happy to assist in the finance of


toilet facilities, especially if a permanent kiosk could be incorporated into the s tru c tu re , so alleviating the necessity for an offensive mobile snack van! Perhaps, the Blackburns could visit the permanent kiosk a t Bea­


con Fell to see if we are blending in there. I have in the past offered to provide rustic picnic-


style bench tables for the use of the public in this area, but my offers were turned down.


JIM METCALF, Clitheroc Road, Whallcy.


T h a n k s f o r w o r k o n b e n c h


WHEN the memorial bench for my husband was van­ dalised in April, I was so grateful for the repairs being attended to promptly. I have le a rn t since th a t Ribble Valley Borough


Council provided the timber and Roger and Peter Hargreaves, joiners, gave up their working time to rep air the bench free of charge out of respect for Jim. Thank you so very much.


MOIRA TIIWAITES, Pa rk e r Avenue, Clitheroe.


m . v sirs ’V*3


T e l: ( 0 1 2 0 0 ) 2 9 2 8 7 M o b i le : 0 8 3 6 6 4 0 0 0 8 F a x : ( 0 1 2 0 0 ) 4 4 4 4 0 1


CLITH E GLASS LTD HAVE NOW MOVED TO


ERO /f'n fe r p M s e ,


fo/ori#, /Ce,no(a.f ■tiiterMer


, ’Ktmlal - J . SfrOO* | Royal Oak |


Albion I Court I TOCoj


. 1 K • 1 I COULD HAVE


BEEN CAPjTAIN Kl IF I'D GONE TO


BURNLEY COLLE A number of councillors


CARPET MILLSHO


G e n u in e 8 0% W o o l , 2 0% N y lo n , 3 4 o z Tw is t p i le in 8 C o lo u r s . rrp £15.99 OUR PRICE £10.99 /0.84m2 jlyrd2 = 0.84m2)


D E S T R U C T I V E C L A P - T R A P


I DO not usually respond to n e g a t iv e c r i t ic ism . However, since Mr Sains- bury has had two goes at me, the absence of com­ ment from me might lead y o u r re ad e r s to believe that there was some sub- ta n c e in h is r em a rk s . Nothing could be further from the truth.


ical career (I have been a town councillor since 1970) I have n ev er e v e r sup­ ported any measure which I considered was not in the best interest of the people of Clitheroe and I deeply resent the suggestion by Mr Sainsbury th a t this was not the case.


F u r t h e rm o r e , ‘ a n y actions I have taken have,


in th e main, been th e result of discussions with my Socialist colleagues and there has never Been


In the whole of my polit­


an occasion when these sam e p eo p le h av e n o t accepted my explanation for anything I have said or


Sainsbury wants to know what Ron Pickup thinks, he should telephone him (Clitheroe 24705) and I am confident Ron will put him right.


done. Can I suggest th a t if Mr


Clitlicroe Advertiser & Times, June 1.1th, 1996 11


T h e L o c a l C o m p a n y y o u c a n t r u s t ! !


**• inflate prices so that we can


WE DO NOT F in a lly , Geoff, can I


suggest that, if you want to know how I perform in com m itte e s on council, th a t you a t te n d th o s e meetings, instead of rely­ ing on someone else. Then you will know what you a re ta lk in g a b o u t and then, maybe, ju s t maybe, you will produce some p o s i t iv e c r i t ic ism , no t destructive clap-trap.


BERT JONES (Coun.), Kemplc View, Clitheroc.


In other woids business as usual


inexpensively as possible,


products and installations as


OFFER...top quality


offer huge discounts.WE DO


Proprietor owned and run with personal service assured.


For the ultimate in quality, fully reinforced white orwoodgrain UPVC windows, doors ana conservatories.


Hardwood and Aluminium windows, doors and conservatories. Manufactured and installed by our own craftsmen.


Conservatories designed to individual requirements. . ■ Large Selection of:-. Vertical, Roller and Venetian Blinds.


S sMPliONi (MASS


- Fitted by|our own Craftsmen 10 Year,' Guarantee FREE no obligatiohjQuotation


Established 1983


SNAYGILL IND. ESTATE. TEL: 01756 799318 SHOWROOM OPEN 6 DAYS A WEEK * FREE Planning and Design Service


C A R P E T S


"You can buy direct from Accrington's only Broadloom Carpet Manufacturer"


1 M


D O N 'T Y O U M I S S O U T .


E N R O L N O W F O R A L L S E P T C O U R S E S . 0 1 2 8 2 4 3 6 1 1 1


Butnlty Colltit It »n tduetlientl tktnltb!* Im ulisn pending Qiuhlg tdiKiVon grid mining hr m


Burnley College, Shorey Bank, Ormerod Road, 8urnley BB11 2RX. M


dnidugti *nd oigtnittlnnt. le g e


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31