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21 Church Street, Clitheroe 0 1 2 0 0 2 2 2 6 4


The Clitheroe


THURSDAY, JULY 18th, 1996 No. 5,741 Price 42p


vertiser andTiimes The paper that champions the Ribble Valley cause


= a t a GLANCE


CCTV is working at last and local police


are delighted with the monitoring operation, which is helping to catch criminals and van­ dals.


page 11


MP Nigel Evans earns a rare pat on the back from the


Labour camp — for voting against a massive pay rise for MPs.


page 14


There is a warning that the “dumping” of kittens is a crimi­ nal offence — after five, plus two cats, are found aban­ doned in woods.


— page 2


Local businesses are told to beware of h ig h - p r e s s u r e callers asking for money for charity publications.


— ™- page 3


Dog owners who allow their animals to foul footpaths and parks could be brought to heel.


page 11 FOGGITT’S


WEEKEND WEATHER: The summer sun is here a t last and it looks set to be with us for a few weeks.


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A CLITHEROE father who was on a life-support machine after being hit by a vehicle during a charity bike ride spoke to his fam­ ily this week for the first


time since the accident. Garage owner Mr Mark Pre­


ston was on the critical list for four days a t Pres ton Royal Infirmary’s intensive care unit. A hospital surgeon believes the father-of-two’s protective cycle


helmet could have saved his life. Mr Preston suffered a blood clot on the brain, a fractured skull and


chest injuries when he was knocked off his mountain bike by a horse box trailer on a country road near


Chorley. Last week, doctors decided to take


him off the life-support machine after he started showing signs of improvement. He has now been transferred from the intensive care unit to a ward. Mr Preston, of Langshaw Drive,


was taking part in a charity ride between Manchester and Blackpool


for the British Heart Foundation. His family have been keeping a bed­


side vigil since the accident on July 7th and the latest news has brought


new hope. Father-in-law Mr William Rimmer


said that on Sunday, and for the first time since the accident, Mr Preston spoke to his wife, Cathy (36), and their two children, Ross (10) and Chloe (6). I t is understood that Mr Preston’s


condition is now stable and his fami­ ly hope he is on the first steps to recovery. Friends have rallied round and this has helped the family get through


the last two weeks. Mr Rimmer, who lives in Sabden with his wife. Merle, said: “ I t has been a very stressful time for Peter’s wife and the whole family. However, we have had a lot of support from family and friends. Also, the staff a t the hospital have been marvellous.”


Castle Cement in bid to re-open beauty spot Bellman Quarry


limestone lodged with county council today by Theresa Robson


CONTROVERSIAL plans to extract 30 million tonnes of limestone from a Clitheroe beauty spot were lodged with Coun­


ty Hall today. Castle Cement wants to re-activate and extend Bellman Quarry, off the Pimlico Link Road,


over a 30-year period. Plans to excavate the site


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two years ago met with fierce opposition from local residents and were ditched by County Hall amid accu­ sations of greed. The new plan is also expected to meet a storm of protest, which we are unable to reflect this week due to embargo restrictions. Castle Cement proposes to


cut the life of the quarry from 50 to 30 years, reduce its size from 40 to 30 hectares (a difference of about 12 football pitches) and reduce extraction from 50 to 30 million tonnes. The reduced area will allow


for a landscaping scheme and the construction of a


new hill, overlooking the A59, called New Bellman Knoll. If the plan is approved, a


tunnel will be cut between the site and Lanehead, Cas­ tle’s existing quarry, and stone transported by this means, rather than by pub­ lic road. Mr Peter del Strother, the


al restoration." Landscaping would


include cliffs, rock tumbles, a dry valley, lengths of rockface and grassland slopes running to a lake. A hill, resembling Crow Hill, would be constructed in order to shield the site from Worston villagers. Mr del Strother (pictured)


Controversial plans to extract 30m. tonnes of


LOTTERY BID ASSURANCES


THE leader of Ribble Valley Council has defended the proposed National Lottery bid for improvements to Clitheroe Castle and


claimed the proposal gave careful consideration to the concerns of local people. “Compared to other quar­ ries, Bellman would be attractive, sympathetic and environmentally- friendly,” he said. Castle Cement claims re­


activation of Bellman Quarry will provide job


security for the 420 workers employed at its Ribblesdale


plant, as well as the 1,200 or so employed by the firm indirectly. Mr del Strother said: “The


The reactivation of


Bellman will extend the life of our


company’s production development manager, said the original plan had been substantially revised, with a switch in emphasis from engineering works to land­


scaping. He said: “A plan of pro­


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gressive restoration will be implemented, meaning that, if quarrying were sud­ denly to cease, the site would be in a state of virtu­


Ribblesdale plant supplies cement to the whole of the North-West. Transporting stone by road is expensive and it is not economically viable for the firm to trans­ port reserves to Clitheroe from other p a r ts of the country. “Only about 14 years of


limestone is left in Lane- head Quarry and a cement


works cannot operate with­ out raw materials. The re­ activation of Bellman will extend the life of our Rib­ blesdale plant by 30 years, or it will almost certainly


Ribblesdale plant by 30 years, or it will almost certainly close down ^


- Peter del Strother


close down." Castle Cement is to deliv­


er a glossy newsletter out­ lining the plan to every


household in Clitheroe and the surrounding villages. The Ribblesdale works, in West Bradford Road, will also host a public exhibi­ tion, from August 5th to 9th, between 5 and 8 p.m., with a preview exhibition


Flight of fancy for microlight couple


A CLITHEROE cou­ ple are to get off to a flying s ta rt this sum­ mer when they take to the skies for a perilous 1,300-mile microlight


aircraft flight to Spain. Flying enthusiasts Mr


Trevor Gate and his wife, Maureen, will be keeping their fingers crossed for fair weather conditions for their flight of a lifetime. The couple are taking


their two-seater microlight aircraft — powered only by a two-stroke engine — to heights of 6,000 feet as they cross the Pyrenees. They are part of a seven-


by Stewart Pimbley


strong squadron of micro­ lights and will be using


sa tellite technology to guide them across the English Channel and south to Spain. Mr Gate (57), a retired


Accrington College head of physics, will pilot the air­ craft. He said the five-day flight — involving around 30 hours’ flying time — should not be too danger­ ous if people stick to the rules. He said: “ I t is a challenge and a big adven­ ture. I t might seem awful­ ly dangerous, but we are


not going to take any more risks than on any normal flight.” This will be the furthest the couple have ever flown


before; they have only pre­ viously flown as far as Carlisle and Caernarfon on day trips. Good weather will be the


essential factor in ensuring they do not have a rough flight. Mrs Gate (58), a retired


• Continued on page 3


on August 3rd, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., attended by consultants who worked on the plan. Regarding the family cur­


rently farming the Bellman Quarry site, Mr del


Strother said Castle Cement had been negotiat­


ing with them in an a t tem p t to reach an acceptable solution.


O MEANWHILE, Castle Cement gets ‘green’ award - page 3


Coun. Howel Jones answered criticism from Second World War veteran Brin Joynson, who claimed that many elderly people in the town are suspicious of the scheme. Mr Joynson has urged tha t any development of


grounds. At a council meeting,


the site should be in keep­ ing with the fact that the entire castle and grounds served as a war memorial. Coun. Jones, addressing a


meeting of the full council, said he was concerned at the views expressed in the press about the scheme, adding: “Any development of the castle must be han­ dled very sensitively. The area in question is a memo­ rial, but not to upgrade would fail to honour the memorial.” And he vowed: “All the


grounds as a memorial.” Coun. Jones said th a t community participation


in formulating the scheme was essential. He pointed out that Clitheroe house­ holds were receiving


* by Sheila Nixon


requests for suggestions, while other people, includ­ ing tour is ts, could also make their views known through a questionnaire published in the press and


/ AA/HAT'' i. W E d U O T E


available at other outlets. He said that councillors


were concerned th a t the Ribble Valley Council should be seen to act sen­ sibly over the matter and they were now awaiting the response from the pub­ lic.


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Mrs Preston is the manager at the


Clitheroe branch of the Marsden Building Society and the couple’s


children attend Sabden County Pri­ mary School. Her husband has run his own garage


unit, Mark Preston Car Repairs, in Waterloo Road, Citheroe, for two years. His parents, Les and Mollie,


live in Austwick, near Settle. Described by his father-in-law as a


sports fanatic, Mr Preston was wear­ ing a protective helmet at the time of the accident. Mr Rimmer said: “The surgeon tre a ting Peter said he believed the helmet helped save his life. I t shows how important they are when riding a bike.” During the charity ride, Mr Preston


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Life-support machine man talks again


was cycling with his friend, Mr Peter Clark, of Langho, and a number of other Clitheroe cyclists. Police officers in Chorley are still


investigating the accident, which took place in Woods Lane, Heskin,


at 10-35 a.m. Insp. Simon Atkinson said it was


believed that a Land-Rover towing the horsebox trailer was overtaking Mr Preston, but was forced to pull in


when a car came in the opposite direction. Mr Preston was hit by the


trailer and thrown from his machine. Chorley Police have questioned the


driver of the Land-Rover. They are still appealing for witnesses to the accident.


NOW off a life-support machine, Mark Preston spoke for the first time this week since the accident


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