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Advertiser and 1 imes II Tfee Clitheroe Thursday, October 14th, 1999 . No. 5,910 rn # l * h — www.eastlancsnews.co.uk : ,Price 4?p The paper that champions the nibble Valley cause *?*A^5* I 3|


NATIONAL B00|' WEEKf f lARKEB**®


A huntsman is fighting for his future and the lives of his hounds.


page 16


Clitheroe’s rail-bus interchange is being pared down because of escalating costs.


page 10


Residents of the Ilighfield area of Chtheroe are asking for action on their neglected play area.


Sabden’s famous treacles mines are to be transformed and renamed as the Witches’ Cauldron.


huubmm page 16


There is a jobs boost in the offing as a £lm. expansion plan is put forward for the Whalley Sid­ ings.


A Clitheroe man’s video of the Toich- light celebrations


goes on sale for chanty through our


office. n


page 9


FOGGITT’S WEEKEND WEATHER: A sunny but cold weekend.


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Editorial e.nnul. rebccca.sniitli@rim, co.uk


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ll' W CATHEDRAL«ENUE : ITS TOIT IS fABI OF PLAN TO I M ” J


' FOR EMM ! 8UR FAMOUS ENWIRONWENf i g Murder trial hears how a ‘gentle giant’


A JURY has been told how a Clitheroe man described as a "gentle giant", was found beat­ en to d e a th m a local


was savagely heaten and left in brook i Accrington man (24) denies murdering Anthony Leecy in April this year


stream. Preston Crown Court


heard how 29-year-old mill worker Anthony Leecy's body was discovered in Mearlcy Brook, Clitheroe. He had sustained severe head injuries. An Accrington man has


Crown, Mr Howard Ben- tham QC said: "Anthony was savagely beaten and left in the brook, where he died shortly afterwards. "He was treated with extreme violence to his


gone on trial this week accused of Ins murder. Danny Derbyshire (24),


of Burnley Road, Accring­ ton, denies murdering Mr Lcecy on April 1st this year. Opening the case for the


head, in particular." Mr Leecy was described


as a gentle giant who always shied away from


trouble. He left work at 10 p.m.


and went to the Starkie Arms pub in Clitheroe. The


defendant, Derbyshire, was


there as well. Derbyshire was a well-


known pool player in the town and was playing the game on the premises. He was said to have left


the public house several minutes after Mr Leecy. Mr Leecy was later seen on closed-circuit television,


walking through the town


centre. Around 1-45 a.m., mem­


bers of the public heard a


Dramatic twist in town’s civic cinema saga


Question mark over Trinity plans as management duo plans a surprise bid


TH E fu tu re of Clith- eroe's Civic Cinema is back in the melting pot a f te r a surprise bid to


buy it. At the eleventh hour, the


couple who have run the hall on behalf of the council for


—“ P)l Tim Procter reports


the past few years, Mr and Mrs John Williamson, have announced that they are now keen to become the owners. They are emphasis­ ing their long experience in cinema and say they would consider live shows with top artists as well, with the oper­ ation run on patron-attract­ ing private enterprise lines. Not only would there be


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no grant or subsidy cost to the public purse, the council would benefit from the sale money, emphasise the Williamsons, who have a lengthy background m the cinema world. They are cur­ rently renovating the cine­ ma at Longridge which they have owned for many years. However, officials of the


amount of effort into this project and we were just about to organise a public consultation meeting, but now we just feel that making any further progress is pointless when the council can make this kind of U- turn, and we are asking for an urgent meeting with the council's Chief Executive," added Mr Jackson. The partnership's plans


"We have put a huge


I stage of negotiation to take I over the Clitheroe building when the present agreement with the Williamsons ends in just over five months. They are very unhappy that a bid to buy has come in at what they see as a very late stage, after a council resolu­ tion gave them the opppor- tunity of running the com­ plex- It was hoped to cut the £42,000 annual subsidy con­


Trinity Community Part­ nership are at an advanced


siderably. Said


spokesman Mr Geoff Jack- son: "Our committee met on Monday and we are extremely angry about the situation. We feel we worked up to the set deadline for the bid just like everybody else. They had the chance to put in a bid at the time, just like we had, but they didn't


partnership WU n a u , UUL UIUII w.


for cinema, theatre, dance, music, a restaurant, cyber cafe, recording and rehearsal studios and even a commu­ nity radio station now appear to be in jeopardy. Money, time and effort have all been expended in looking at the cinema's potential. However, no contract has


Bullock runs amok at the Craven Heifer pub


by Ben Carlish


been signed, and the council view is that the bid to pur­ chase must be seriously con­


sidered. "We are confident that,


with complete renovation, the public can be attracted to Clitheroe," says Mr Williamson. "Our plans would cut out the need for subsidy, nor would they involve getting grants, with all the delays and conditions involved. But the public would benefit, not just from this drain on their purse stopping, but also from an attractive and well-chosen programme of entertain­ ment, in excellent surround-


mgs." Council officials arc nego­


------------ -


tiating with both parties and will present a report to the Community Committee


A LOVELORN bullock gave a local landlord plenty to beef about when it


made for his heifer. However, the confused creature had


obviously got his wires crossed as the tar­ get of his affection was the Craven Heifer


I were to open to eager Sunday-lunch diners. 1 The beast had apparently made its way into the tavern through the back door, which had been left open to dry out the


panic when the bolshie bovine went on the rampage in the bar area around 11-30 a.m. on Sunday just before the inn's doors


Inn, Chaigley. Staff at the hostelry were thrown into


floor to the rear of the pub. Landlord Mr Terry McGovern was


upstairs when he heard screams ringing out from the bar area


next month.----------------- _-------------


1 mg everywhere. The screaming just scared ' it more. One of the girls is of farming stock, so, between us, we managed to usher it out the bar, back the way it came and got it into a field - not before he had kicked one of my barmen, although, fortu­


"I ran down to see this great big bullock kicking out at tables and chairs and mess-


. ---------- PLANS to return a landmark


| h o te l in th e c e n t re of I Clith e roe to former glories have been drafted by its new


| owners. Cumbrian brewery firm Jen-


I mngs Brothers pic, which acquired the Swan and Royal in Castle Street at the end of July,


has submitted a proposal to Rib- ble Valley Borough Council out­ lining a £200,000 make-over for the once prestigious pub. If given the go-ahead, work on


nately, he wasn't badly hurt," said Mr McGovern.With the drama seemingly over, Mr , • ,:. McGovern, his wife, Janet, and their 12 shell-shocked staff set about trying to clear up the mess, while customers waiting outside were kindly asked to remain patient, while a "small problem was attended to."Tables were strewn everywhere, a stool had been smashed and all the table cloths had to be removed. Mr McGovern said he was unable to find his supply of air-fresh­


eners to mask the smell of the beast's unpleasant calling card, hut, like any good landlord, Mr McGovern is prepared for all manner of eventualities and turned to his aftershave as a solution. "When we finally came clean with cus­


tomers, they all saw the funny side of it, even though the bullock had left its mark, chuckled Mr McGovern, who has run the popular free-house with his wife for the


last 13 years. There was a second-scare when the ani­


to the meadow. ---------------------------------------------------- Ambitious hopes for town centre hotel __ , .


business for Christmas. Central to the brewery's plans


r m


the listed building will start in November and, with a six-week target for completion, the over­ hauled Swan should be back in


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are internal alterations, which will make the hotel's present lay-out and bar area unrecognisable. They include repositioning the ladies' toi­ lets and extending the bar to serve lunch-time food. With new decora­ tions and furniture, the aim of the transformation is to return a tradi­


Mavlleld Street, Off Bolton Road, Blackburn.


Nova Scotia Mills


tinnal nubtional pub ambience to the hotel, as a company spokesman explained: "We feel that Chtheroe town centre deserves to have the Swan and Royal returned to its former glory. "We want to re-create a tradi­


ai


tional feel and atmosphere for the pub, but ensure th a t it is still trendy enough to form part of the Saturday night out circuit."


j I I I ■


/ WATERCOLOUR PA IN T ING D EM O N S TR A T IO N ! f o r 'A BSO LU TE B EG IN N ER S ’ by Inspirational Artist and Tutor


/ r Invites you to a B


I HUGH TEM PLETO N (tutor of classos held on OE2) this S a tu rd a y 1 6 th O c to b e r


between 10am - 11am ‘ An event not to berries« » / . - . .


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mal again leapt over the fence surrounding the field and made for the besieged inn. This time, Mr McGovern was ready and the bullock was gently, but firmly, led back


I ^ Save d u r in g O c t o b e r . 0


fight taking place in a stream bed. Then, at 2 a m-, Derbyshire is alleged to have flagged down a taxi. He got into the private hire vehicle, soaking wet and


covered in mud. The driver told him he


wanted paying up front and was given a £10 note. While being driven, he


was said to have spoken about having been in a fight and that the other person had tried to kill him.


Police arrested Der­


byshire two days later. Mr Leecy's body had been dis­ covered face down in the water by a man walking his


dog. The prosecution claim


that jeans and trainers, thought to have been worn by the defendant on the night, were found hidden. The jury heard that a


skull fracture had resulted from severe force, possibly


stamping. ma. ears.


Dr John Rutherford said he had also found other injuries sustained by Mr Leecy, including eight lacer­ ations to the left side of the head. He felt they had been caused by blunt force trau­


Home Office pathologist B D H


THE SECOND SUPPLEMENT AS PART OF OUR LOOK BACK AT THE LAST CENTURY IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE MILLENNIUM


went to the brook where the body had been found fully clothed and lying half sub­ merged in the stream. He later carried out a post­ mortem examination and, among other injuries, found a skull fracture near the


Dr Rutherford initially sly gw HWJU la SJBlasEsjua fl ■ u ^ ^ e e k e n d p l u s


Dr Rutherford said: "It has 9 continued on page 17


Referring to the fracture,


A NEW WEEKLY FIVE-PAGE FEATURE TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR WEEK AHEAD - INCLUDING WEEKEND TV LISTINGS


Parking zones scheme is scrapped


PLANS to introduce resi- dents-only parking zones in Clitheroe have been


scrapped. A p lan n ed p e rm i t scheme


for Church Brow, Church Brow Gardens and Church Street has been deemed unworkable by Lancashire County Council officers. Canvassing householders, it was disovered that while they were disgruntled at frequently being unable to park by their homes there was a reluctance among the


majority to pay for permits. A C o u n ty Hall


spokesman explained that m order to maintain a real­ istic permit price and for the scheme to be self­ financing, the participation of two-thirds of residents was considered a sensible ratio. However, the results of the consultation exercise had indicated that this ratio would not be attained.


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