/ -r-'-T*- -■'iV ------ H f.Vi-V *


A = GLANCE AT A


An elderly woman is terrified when a robber snatches her wallet.


page 22


A man who put the Ribble Valley on the national racing map has died at the age of 41.


page 3


A Ribble Valley pri­ mary school is bursting with pride as OFSTED inspec­ tors say it is among the best in the coun­ try.


page 22


There is another spectacular bird’s- eye view of the area - this time of Whal- ley.


page 23


The campaign to save a leafy thor­ oughfare gathers momentum.


page 3


A garden centre owner is on TV talking about the mild winter.


page 25


FOGGITT’S WEEKEND WEATHER: Rain should ease towards the week­ end, although it will continue to feel chilly and remain misty over the hills.


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LANCASHIRE EVENING POST AT NO EXTRA COST


mm Shock news from by Sheila Nixon


THE v is ito r s are gone, the "mines" are silent and the lov­ able furry characters that inspired a children's TV series


have had their day. The local business family which launched the nationally-famous Sab-


den Treacle Mines as a tourist attrac­ tion 14 years ago has decided to shut


up shop. And the Dewhurst family's closure


announcement has finally ended months of speculation in the Ribble Valley about the future of the treacle


Tamers. In a statement to the Clitheroe


Advertiser and Times, Mr Bill Dewhurst, the man behind the initia­


tive, blamed the rise of the Teletub- bies and persistent vandalism at the business premises where the miners were manufactured and displayed as


the reasons for the demise. Although the mines have been


closed to visitors since October, it was not until a few days ago that the final shut-down decision was announced. Meanwhile, London Weekend and


Granada TV will not be showing their own Treacle People series, based on the Sabden characters, for two years, said Mr Dewhurst (pictured). At the height of its fame, the walk­


by 30,000 a year. "Our treacle miners were exported


all over the world and we are very proud of our achievements," said Mr Dewhurst, whose wife, Barbara- Anne, daughters Christine and Helen and son Philip, joined him in the busi­ ness, with Helen taking on the design


work.


what I set out to do from start - to get our characters on television. But the Teletubbies explosion has taken over and it appears there is little point in doing another Treacle People senes for another two years." In its early days, the business was


He explained: "We also achieved


through tourist attraction in the cen­ tre of the village was estimated to boost the Ribble Valley visitor figures


LIKE the light shining at the end of a tunnel is how a Chtheroe family describes the against-the-odds fight to fitness of a loving husband and dad


____from the brink of death


they thought they had lost forever. t i , 1 * 1 ^ L ! « L a 4 (1 a f/vi*


But while his battle for


survival has overwhelmed those closest to him, so has the support, care and love they have received from


local folk- ..


In a tribute to well-wish­ ers, as much as to cement


.


• worker Mr John Steed, whose life hung in the bal­ ance for almost a month, wife Christine and daugh­ ters Kelly (20) and Amy (12) want Clitheroe to


exclusive story by Julie Frankland -


know th a t although i t is still a case of taking one day at a time, things can only get better! . . . I t was on a cold Januaiy


tea-time that John (51) set out on his moped for the short journey to work at Castle Cement. . An hour later, police were knocking at the door of the family's Croasdale Drive home to tell Chris­ tine th a t John had been involved in a road accident, a head-on collision, which had catapulted him oyer the railway bridge in Pim­ lico Road on to tracks 22ft.


below. Conscious throughout


his ordeal, John had been asking for his family. At the intensive care


unit a t Blackburn Royal Infirmary, doctors pulled no punches and told Chris­ tine it was touch and go as to whether John would live. His catalogue of injuries


included a broken shoulder blade, hip and five ribs, a punctured lung and wounds to the elbow, thigh and knee, but it was inter­ nal bleeding and damage to his kidneys and liver that were giving most concern. Under heavy sedation, John remained on the criti­


cal list for more than three weeks, with his family mounting a round-the-_ clock bedside vigil. To be with her dad,


Kelly temporarily gave up her music course at Cardiff University, remaining in Clitheroe for the full seven weeks he spent in intensive


care. After that, he was trans­


ferred to a high dependen­ cy and then a general ward, before his latest move to Clitheroe Hospital. Although John is yet to


receive a discharge date, he is now back on his feet, walking with the aid of a frame and undergoing one and a half hours' daily physiotherapy. Said Christine, a home-


■ carer for Lancashire Coun­ ty Council: "This is the light at the end of the tun­ nel. I t is such a relief to know we are going to get


John back. "The stress of not know­


ing whether he would live or die for so long was shat­ tering, but everyone - friends, relatives, neigh­ bours, Castle Cement, the fire service, paramedics and the police - have been wonderful. I can't thank everyone enough for their care, love and support. It's


THIS striking picture of Mr Steed won a major prize in a national photographic maga­


zine competilfon for cameraman Dave Pomfret, a friend and Castle Cement c°1,e“g“®- Mr Steed had to stay still for the 30 seconds it took to record the background on film


- then he was lit by a flashgun. The picture has also won local prizes.


been overwhelming." ■ Now on the mend, John,


who can remember little of the accident, is especially appreciative of the visits from work colleagues and is looking forward to cele­ brating his 25th anniver­ sary as a Castle Cement employee at the end of the


year. A keen Burnley FC


supporter, he also received a boost when players Andy Cooke and Paul Weller turned up as sur­


prise visitors. Said Christine: "During


the team's good spell a few weeks ago, John was too poorly to take any notice but he is now following the results, and told the play­ ers it was about time they started winning for himl Their visit was like a dose of medicine and we are so


. The family is also grate­ ful for the speedy recovery currently being made by daughter Amy. Having


grateful."


spent much time as a hos­ pital visitor, she herself ended up a patient when sshe was rushed to the operating theatre just over a fortnight ago with a rup­ tured appendix. Added Christine: "I'm


full of praise for the brav ery of both of them. We're now looking forward to getting back to normal and giving the people who have been so good less to worry aboutl"


Air quality deadline nears by Tim Procter


A KEY deadline date in the local air quality controversy


is only days away. Castle Cement has until April


1st to ensure that persistent haze or offensive odour does not fall outside the site boundary. If it fails, campaigners are certain to demand p a r t or even total clo­ sure of the plant, which employs several hundred people. The Environment Agency has


repeatedly said it will take enforce­ ment action if the company fails to meet this requirement. But it has been cautious in revealing just how far it will go in using its pow­ ers if the need arose.


Castle Cement general manager


Mr Ian Sutheran told us this week: "We are working with all speed and are within weeks of producing


a long-term solution which is designed to tackle haze and odour. "Completion of the gas scrubber


in s ta l la t io n will p rovide th e answer and the cone added to the chimney serving kilns five and six has made a significant improve­ ment to exhaust gas dispersion." Local campaigners, predictably


enough, are doubtful about the firm's ability to meet the condition and are in no doubt about what should happen if it does not. Mr J. D. Mortimer asserts that


"there is not the faintest chance of the requirement being met". He claims that the cone fitted on to one of the chimneys is "clearly use­


less - the plumes if anything ground more than ever". "The rules are clear and the


. _i____ :r r.n.. th ;nrr doosA nm»rations in any of t


agency has the power, so let's make April 1st the day the Ribble Valley loses its title as the home of the biggest unofficial hazardous waste incinerator in the UK1" Mr Mortimer says he finds Cas­


tle Cement's suggestion that most of the complaints are about Kiln 7 very strange. This is the stack on which the new £5m. scrubber is being fitted, but Mr Mortimer says th a t the majority of com­ plaints have been about the other chimney, on which the cone has


been fitted. Air Watch spokesman Mrs


Mary Homer asks: "Will this Gov­ ernment now apply the force of the law to Castle Cement and make it


cease operations in any of the three kilns if either chimney’s emissions ground offensively?" The organisation is calling on all


residents to make a stand. "Ensure that the Government does not let


this deadline slip.by without enforcement, just like all the rest,


urges Mrs Homer. There has been some doubt as to


whether persistent haze or offen­ sive odour are legally defined in any way which could be useful in court. But an Environment Agency spokesman told the Adver­ tiser and Times this week: "There is no legal definition but there is case law on the subject which can be used in court, if need be, about this or any related issue.


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the Treacle People TV series, featur­ ing the voice of the late Willie Rush- ton, was nominated for a BAFTA nomination.


Mr Dewhurst said that the Treacle


People were now appearing in a series of programmes in New Zealand, Ger­ many and even Poland.


Go-ahead seems on cards for new store


APPROVAL of the major plan to build a J. Sainsbury store in Clitheroe appears likely to be a formality. The company has a large


team of experienced advis­ ers - and liaison with Rib­ ble Valley Borough Council of ficials has resulted in a set of proposals for the Moor Lane-Sun Street junction which are, in effect, being recommended for approval. Technically, Tuesday's


meeting of the Planning and Development Commit­ tee will be asked to defer the plan and delegate approval to the Chief Executive. This is often done when a legal agreement, as distinct from a planning approval, is


'fs’belng asked to commit r^acceptabIe/**~


needed. .^ In this.case, SairesburyS


They’re going for the ‘Full Monty’


OSCAR-winning film "The Full Monty" is about to be stripped to its basics by a group from Clitheroe with a


full-frontal approach to fund-raising. Taking to the stage as the Virgin Soldiers, five mem­


With a one-off performance full of bare-faced eh6® , . .


bers of the town's Rivesaltes twinning association, the French Connection, are planning to strut their stuff all the way in a raunchy debut at the Memorial Hall, Hurst Green, on Easter Saturday.


*1’


Bart Dinsdale, Mick Cox, John Bennett, David Bush and Jim Tierney are hoping to swell the coffers of the hast Lancs SuperScan Appeal while, at the same time, impress­ ing Rivesaltes visitors who amve for a Ribble Valley hol­


iday on Good Friday.


Tickets for the performance are available from visit co­ ordinator Mr Peter Hargreaves on 01200426731.______


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itself to providing 162 park­ ing spaces. As this appears on the figures to be more than needed, the firm has undertaken to allow park­ ing for two hours to anyone. A report to the commit­


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