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The Clitheroe .Thursday, April 13th, iOQO No. 5,936 :9 a _ easier mimm’mww,


LONDON PREMIERE M SONG OF CREATION’ page13


Readers write to defend the Clith­ eroe school a t the middle of a critical report by Ofsted.


m*mmm pages 8 and 9


Two Ribble Valley people were rushed to hospital follow­ ing a dramatic three-car pile-up.


The popular owners of a successful town centre tea shop retire today.


A businessman qu­ estions whether Whatley is prepared for boom times.


. page 11 A retired head­


teacher goes into print - and tries to solve a long-stand­ ing mystery.


......... page 16


Plans to open a licensed pool hall in Clitheroe have been snookered after resi­ dents protest.


m n n page 2


FOGGITT’S WEEKEND WEATHER: Becoming drier and sunnier, but still with a cold nip in the air. CALL US


News: 01200 42232-1 Advertising: 01200 -122323 Classified: 01282422331- Fax: 01200 443467


Editorial e-mail: clilheroc.editorial® rmi.co.uk


EXCITING THINGS TO SBEANDOO page 20


Hospital ‘angel’ scores in contest Carol just misses Nurse of the Year title - but wins £300


A CASH prize is winging its way to an angel at Clitheroe Community Hospital. S taf f Nu rse Carol T h om p ­


son, who h a s worked on th e hospital's Ribble Ward for the past four years, has been award­ ed third place in a Nurse of the Year com petition a f te r being n om in a te d by s e n io r s is te r Christine Sieczkowski. Originally from Helmshore,


but now living in Sabden, Mrs Thompson trained in Notting­ ham as an enrolled nurse. A cou­ ple of years ago, she successfully completed a conversion course


and became a staff nurse. fn the past, she has worked on


the Special Care Baby Unit at Blackburn's Queen's Park Hospital, as an au pair in France and on the children's ward at Accrington Vic­ toria Hospital. Before coming to work at Clitheroe Community Hos­ pital four years ago, Mrs Thomp­ son worked in acute medicine at Queen's Park. Alongside her work, Mrs


Thompson (pictured) has also com­ pleted her asthma diploma, which has enabled her to become an asth­ ma link nurse for the hospital, and gets involved in health promotion work at the Chatburn Road site.


Married to husband Martin for


four years, she has a son, Rory (15), a daughter, Leah (12), and three stepchildren, Paul (18), Hannah (17) and Simon (16). Speaking about her job, Mrs


Thompson said: "I have very much enjoyed it since I joined the profes­ sion. I keep getting more qualifica­ tions and moving on. I t is a good job to be in." She added that she intends to spoil herself with her


£300 prize money. Hospital manager Mr Peter Sell­


ars said Mrs Thompson was an excellent nurse who deserved her award, adding th a t he hoped it would help her develop her nursing practice even further.


The Nurse of the Year Award


was organised by the Community Nurses' Amenity Fund, and spon­ sored by Vernon Carus, a surgical dressing manufacturer based in Darwen and Preston, the Commu- nicare NHS Trust and the Lan­ cashire County Nursing Trust. It was judged by Mr Tom Langlands, the director of primary care nurs­ ing at the English National Board. First place went to June Daw­


son, a sister in the day hospital at Accrington Victoria Community Hospital, and second place went to Simon Smart, a community Macmillan nurse based at the East Lancashire Hospice. (120400/1/25)


Clitheroe teenager escapes in weekend death crash


Friend dies at scene of horror accident on Saturday night report by Natalie Cox________


THE prompt actions of passers-by saved a Clitheroe teenager following a road accident which claimed the life of his friend on Saturday


night. Thomas Hetherington-


Fogg (17), of Hob Green, Meilor, was pronounced dead a t the scene of the accident on Whalley Road, Pendleton. Christopher Dixon (16), of Park Avenue,


Clitheroe, who was a pas­ senger in the Nissan Primera saloon, sustained multiple internal injuries. He was taken to the inten­ sive care unit at Blackburn Royal Infirmary, where yes­ terday his condition was described as poorly but sta­


ble.


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M SUBJECT TO STATUS n Both teenagers were stu­


dents at Blackburn College and former pupils of Rib- blesdale Technology Col­ lege High School, Chtheroe. At around 9-30 p.m. on


Saturday, the car in which the pair had been travelling along Whalley Road towards the A59 left the road, collided with a hedge and came to rest in a cul­ vert. Fire-fighters praised passers-by who had fought the flames - and managed to save the life of Christo­ pher - after the car set alight. Whalley Road was closed


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for more than four hours as fire-fighters worked to free the teenagers from the vehi­ cle. Officers had to use slings and straps to secure the vehicle to trees on either side before rescue efforts could begin. "The nearside front wheel was embedded in the bank and the rest of the car was up in the air," said Sub-officer Ronnie Eatough. Passers-by, including an


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off-duty police officer, raised the alarm, contacting the emergency services almost instantly, said Sgt Nigel Walker, who is leading inquiries into the accident.' He confirmed that further analysis of the scene was being carried out this week by an accident investigator to determine whether a reconstruction would be necessary. Sgt Walker said police


officers had traced another vehicle which had been in the vicinity at the time of the accident, but said he was still appealing for any­ one who may have wit­ nessed the accident, or who saw the teenagers in the hours leading up to it, to contact the Road Policing


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FLOWERS at the scene of the accident in Whalley Road make a poignant memorial (110400/14/20)


Unit in Accrington on 01254 353764. Two people who had been


helping police with their inquiries have been released on police bail pending fur­ ther investigation. Earlier, four others had been ques­ tioned, b u t they were cleared of any involvement. Tributes to 17-year-old


Thomas have come from Ribblesdale headteacher Ms Glynne Ward, Black­ burn College principal Mrs Sheena Ewing and work colleagues a t Whalley ■ Motor Services, where he had been employed for the past 10. months, as well as attending college on day


release. Neighbours described


Thomas, as polite and well- mannered and said his death had been a terrible shock. A former pupil at the vil­


lage primary school in Mel- lor, he was the son of Mr Michael and Mrs Angela Hetherington-FOgg and had a younger sister, Louise. Ms Ward said the


tragedy had hit the school community very hard. Speaking about Thomas - known' as Tom - she said: "He was a nice lad and we


are devastated as a staff, as are his friends, that such a life has been lost at such a young age. We are proud that he was associated with the school. Our hearts go out to his parents and his sister, who is still at school. We will do everything we can to support them, in par­ ticular his sister, in coping with such a sudden tragedy." A spokesman for Whalley


Motor Services, where Thomas was working as a trainee technician, said everyone there was in deep shock. "He was a really nice lad who fitted in with all the'others. We were all good friends. Thomas really was a super lad, polite, clean and tidy and. nice with the customers. We can't believe what has happened." Mrs Sheena Ewing, the


principal of Blackburn Col­ lege, said Thomas was an outstanding student, who had stood out above the rest of his classmates. "I know his family were very proud and supportive of Thomas' chosen career," she added. "He will be sorely missed by colleagues and staff from college. We extend our sin­ cere condolences to his fam­


ily and close friends at this time." Moving floral tributes


have been placed a t the scene of Saturday's acci­ dent. Some describe Thomas as an unforgettable friend, others say he made them laugh, bringing a smile to people's faces with his own cheeky smile. Another says simply: "So young. So sad." Christopher's family said


they wanted to thank everyone for the support they have received since the accident. Ms Ward said everyone a t Ribblesdale wished Christopher a speedy recovery, sentiments echoed by Mrs Ewing, of the Blackburn college, where he is studying for a BTEC National in engi­ neering plant. 9 An inquest into the


death of Thomas has been opened and adjourned. Mr Michael Singleton,


coroner for Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, adjourned the inquest until April 28th, explaining he understood that, by that time, a deci­ sion would have been made as to whether there were to be criminal proceedings.


TV quiz show date for the


IT will be a busy weekend for the Briggs family, of Clitheroe. On Saturday, daughter


Cindy Briggs (19) gets married, and on Sunday,


the entire family appears on Granada TV's "Fami­ ly Fortunes"! Very few people know


the result of the Briggs' TV tussle with the Cus- sacks, from Birmingham. The two families were among 52 picked from 6,000 applicants for the series. The recording was made


last July and, as usual with such programmes, everyone was sworn to secrecy about the result. Presenter Les Dennis was offering cash, a holiday and a car in the light-hearted question and


Police seize tools at


market


SUSPECT industri­ al quality power tools worth about £20,000 were seized from a stall at Sun­ day's Clitheroe Auc­


tion Mart sale. Police believe most, if


not all, is stolen after suspicions were aroused because serial numbers had been ground off. "Operation Freedom",


launched to deter thieves from stealing goods from cars and vans, has seen police target various second­ hand outlets over a wide


area. "But the equipment


on this stall was mainly of a type stolen from industrial sites - it included a generator worth several thousand pounds," says a spokesman for the inquiry team. "The man selling the


goods was from Man­ chester, and we are mak­ ing inquiries around there, trying to find, owners for the various


items." Computer-based data


banks now make tracing recovered property easi­ er. But the police are keen to hear from any one who has lost equip ment and not reported it.


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answer programme. Mr Raymond and Mrs


Carol Briggs, helped by Cindy, run the pet shop in Moor Lane, Clitheroe. Also in their TV team are elder daughter Miss Paula Briggs and relatives Mrs Pamela Entwistle and Mrs Wendy Orrell, who was Miss Hud­ son when the programme


was shot. Everyone was impressed


with the hospitality received from the television team. "We had a fantastic time and were treated like royalty," says Mrs Briggs. Originally it was thought


that the programme would go out in September, but it has been delayed until now.


THIS WEEK MILLENNIUM EDITION OF TOURISM MAGAZINE


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Teacher safe as cyclones devastate


Mozambique A TEACHER from the Ribble Valley has spent many weeks dodging cyclones in Mozam­


bique. Miss Sylvi Hill, a former


CRGS sixth former whose family lives in Shawbridge Street, Clitheroe, works for Skillshare Africa Ltd. The charity is ensuring


the safety of Miss Hill and colleagues by moving them round the country, away from predicted cyclones, but more flash floods are always expected. This week, Miss Hill (28)


u vertiser an imes i the paper that champions the Ribble Valley cause


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was in the relative safety of an inland town, Nampula, as her employers appealed for more funds to help with


its varied work. The disas­ ter which hit Mozambique earlier this year was in the south of the country, away from the coastal area where she has been working. This is Miss Hill's second


stint of work overseas, as she earlier spent two years in Pakistan. Mozambique is short of people who can teach Eng­


lish, an important skill for professional and commer­ cial use in Southern Africa. Miss Hill was born in


Zimbabwe and moved to Clitheroe with her parents arid brother 11 years ago. After leaving the grammar school she trained for teach­ ing in Coventry and Lon­ don, and then joined Skill- share Africa. Before leaving for


Mozambique, Miss Hill told us: "I just love working with children, so I am con­ sidering going into teaching as a full-time career, or per­ haps development work where I would still have an input into education." Anyone who would like to


donate to the work in Africa, should telephone 0116 2542614.


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