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advertiser and 11imes The Clitheroe S-^J: V ^'/Thursday,-May 6th, ^:1999 .1 ^9^5,887


The parents of a Clitheroe toddler who died in his sleep are being com­ forted by family and friends.


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Youthful folly is said to have led to a mechanic blowing up a rural telephone kiosk with a bin liner bomb.


There is a chance that a game invent­ ed by local pupils


could be made by a major manufactur­ er.


Looming car park­ ing chaos is causing much concern in Whalley.


Crowds flock into Waddington for its best-ever village fair.


The row rumbles on over a quarry’s wild life.


FOGGITT’S WEEKEND WEATHER: Remaining windy, with the chance of scattered showers.


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Pat wants to unravel mystery of serviceman’s message home


by Ben Carlish


A CLITHEROE knitting enthusiast who has discov­ ered a stitch-in-time mys­ tery in a piece of old cro­ chet she bought from a charity shop is keen to


unravel its origins. Mrs Pat Smith (63) wan­


dered into the Help the Aged Shop in Moor Lane to have a


browse. When she found a half-finished piece of old cro­ chet in a bag, she decided to buy it and finish it off at


home. On taking the crochet from its


bag at her house, she found it was wrapped around an old letter from an RAF serviceman to his little daughter, dated June 14th,


1945. "I was amazed that it lasted so


long. I thought it was very poignant because I would have been a little girl at around the same time," said Mrs Smith, who came to Clitheroe from Belfast at the age of 16, and whose husband, James,


served 12 years in the Royal Navy. The touching letter from LAC


Healey, stationed with 5201 squadron, based at an RAF base in Mill Green, Hertfordshire, is addressed to a girl also called Pat and starts: "A tew lines from daddy hoping they find you in the pink


and that you are having nice sunny days at home so you can go out to


play."


The letter touches on a father s loving concerns about his daugh­ ter's well-being many miles away. One passage suggests the little girl n


m coum-iy.


the letter, Mrs Smith found a sketched crocheted pattern on the back of raffle ticket for a "Grand Xmas Prize Distribution" from the White Lion Hotel in West- houghton," priced 2d. Now, Mrs Smith (pictured)


was at home in the country. The wants to reunite the letter wit ,h its t .th . ,w r l te -H a ,e y o » b „ p ly -


---------------;


ing with the twins down at the farm this week? I bet you have had a good time too. I hope you didn't walk in any more cow-muck, Pat, or your shoes will smell." He goes on to gently fuss about


. some sentimental value to whom ‘ ^


ever it belongs. Mrs Shirley Kendall, manager of


the girl's time-keeping at school. He concludes: "I hope you are being a good little girl for mummy and please give her a big kiss and hug and all my love from daddy, and to you my little darling." Along with


Jobs concern Castle Cement gets new owners


But company says it is looking to a strong and secure future


"HOW will it affect us?" was the main question being asked locally yes­ terday after Castle Cement was sold. It became part of one of


TIM PROCTER REPORTS


the world's biggest cement conglomerates in an inter­


national big money deal. Scancem, the parent


company, went to German- owned Heidelberger Zement for £2.4bn. This price, suggested by some industry commentators as too high,was reached after bidding from RMG, the British firm best remem­ bered as Ready Mixed Con­


M n


crete. A price of £1.5bn had


been suggested earlier, with French and Irish potential buyers having dropped out. Scancem is a privately- owned company, so has not been involved in the type of share scrambling sale neces­ sary for ones in which the public owns shares. Heidelberger has 23,000


on the road “£v:.''‘l-■'••I


employees at 45 plants in 18 countries, producing a wide range of cement products. Its acquisition of Scancem will move it from fourth to third largest producer in the


world. Speaking from Castle


Cement's Birmingham headquarters, managing director Mr Michael Lodge said: "We have a supportive new owner with consider-


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I able resources and a high degree of expertise in cement manufacturing. I am confident that Castle Cement can look forward to a strong and secure future." The buyer's chairman


was quoted as saying that the price, about seven times Scancem's annual cashflow, was justified for his compa­ ny because Scancem fitted so well into its strategy. Unofficial estimates put the


value of Castle Cement and its several F-nglish plants, which meet a quarter of the country's cement needs, at


£350m. The deal is subject to


various regulatory condi­ tions, but none are expected to cause any problems. The sale has been forced upon Scancem because of monop­ oly concerns in its own area of operations. Meanwhile, back in


Clitheroe, Castle Cement employees were well aware that it was tar too early to be certain how the sale would affect them, either in the short or long term. Many takeovers result in production facilities and distribution networks being closed and merged with those of the buyer. Howev­ er, employees do not see this situation as likely - Heidel- burger has little or no pres­ ence in Britain at the moment and the highly profitable Castle Cement complex and its valuable, with-planning-permission raw material quarries are


not portable. The company is in the


middle of a major capital spending reorganisation.


Until the new owners make their intentions plain, spec­ ulation will continue as to whether they will alter the programme. But Castle Cement made careful plans, lining up with production capacity, material availabil­ ity and new legal require­ ments for next year. It has set the entire European industry an example with its leading edge technology emissions scrubber.


I Beware ‘you’ve won prize’ letters


PEOPLE tempted to answer "You've won a prize" letters are being warned by Lancashire Trading Standards Department that obtaining refunds for money sent will be


very difficult. People are advised to ignore the letters. Advice can be . , . ,


obtained from the Trading Standards Hotline on 0845 6001352, calls charged at local rates.


CLITHEROE'S St James's CE Pri­


mary School football team is hoping for a hat-trick with a difference next season after winning the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times Trophy for the


second year running. Captain Philip North and his team, made


up of leading goal scorer Tom Hibble, Richard Slinger, Dale Underwood, Matthew Hanson, Marcus Pratt, Sam Johns, Liam Gidlow, Andrew Orr and Mark Leach, proved once again that they arc the kings of


the seven-a-side primary school league. The ten and 11-year-olds played seven


matches, winning five and drawing twice, and culminating with the final at Edisford


County Primary School, Clitheroe. Now the youngsters, expertly coached by


teachers Katherine Pickup and Michael Oddie, are gearing up to keep the cup in their trophy cabinet for a third time. Our picture shows Philip North holding


the trophy, with Tom Hibble, front right, and the team. (040.599/11/18) Picture by Colin Horne


Staggering response to Kqsovo shoebox appeal


A SHOEBOX appeal to help the Kosovar refugees has met with a fantastic r e s p o n s ^ f r o m


were left at the area's local collecti15n point, at Clitheroe's Ian Boocock's, as part of the Rock FM cam­ paign, which ended on Fri­ day. 'The sljear volume of donations meant that those collecting on behalf of the Preston-based radio station had to make several jour­ neys to^the_^^ Clitheroe


1 garage. 1 a big thank you to everyone


ed: "We could not believe how many shoeboxes were donated ai»d they virtually took over the garage, upstairs and down. Ian even went out to local schools to pick up those donated by the children. ^ "We woul^ just like to say


Mrs Boocock comment­ ' '


who has taken the time to put a shoebox together. They will all be greatly appreciated." Shoebox appeals have


A staggering 2,000 boxes been organised all around news about whether or not - -


kind-hearted Ribble Valley residents. ^ the country, with the dona-


tions from the British peo­ ple achieving phenominal heights. The support is expected to continue, with Home Secretary Jack Straw revealing that up to 1,000 refugees a week could enter the country within the next month. Some of the refugees


could bo found temporary homes at Calderstones Hos­ pital, Whalley, depending on whether or not the sale of land for housing is deferred. It is not known whether the owners, the NHS Executive, would be willing to do this. The currently empty


the Government is looking at the complex as a poten­ tial "home" for a new influx from Kosovo. Numerous major housing


developers are preparing bids for about two-thirds of the site, which after many


delays and a public inquiry has planning permission for


330 new houses. Bids have to be in within


wards would be suitable for housing hundreds of now residents after some renova­ tion work and recruitment of staff. Otherwise, the buildings face demolition for housing. Yesterday there was no


a few weeks - and the money paid by the end of July. It was not clear this week if temporarily shelving of the sale, for an unknown length of time, was an option for the NHS. It has a duty to maximise its assets and whether accepting whatever profit could be made from housing refugees, and so delaying the influx of mil­ lions of pounds into its cof- | fers for the land, would be legally sound is not known.


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the Help The Aged Shop in Moor Lane, says it could belong to some­ one outside the area, as donated items are collected from people all over Lancashire. But anyone who might have information about the mystery letter is asked to contact Mrs Smith on 01200 423139. (030599/3/24a)


Local footpath closure gets a TV airing


GLORIOUS Ribble


Valley countryside again shown on televi­


sion this week. Unfortunately, it was


confirming the closure of the controversial footpath on the river bank at Sawley. The Ramblers’ Associa­


tion is expected to announce in the next day or two whether it will appeal against an inspector’s deci-


1 sion that the footpath 1 should never have been declared public in the first


place. The association cannot


understand how this deci­ sion was reached on the evi­ dence given to many hours of public inquiry hearings. "Counsel's opinion has


been taken, but it is a very complicated issue," said official Mr Frank Parrott


I yesterday. ' The BBC programme


featured several local people and made clear that an alternative route to the closed stretch of path is available.


1 AN £80,000 roof replace­ ment at St Paul's Church,


Roof repairs for church


Low Moor, Clitheroe, is not 3 i !•<


I going ahead. I Instead, work will be done on the portion which is


I in poorest condition, on the Edisford Road side of the


■ 4


I The vicar, the Rev. Rod­ ney Nicholson, says that doing the whole roof is just


building.


too big a project. Extensive scaffolding will


be needed and, if all the slates are taken off, the roof timbers will have to be renewed, says Mr Nichol­


son. The serious condition of


the lower part of the Edis­ ford Road side has only just become apparent and esti­ mates are now being sought.


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