Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, November 8th, 2001 11 Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley * lhireonline.co.uk


wM d r y ’


|nce Inson


(founded, claimed Iction plans at a Lrough Council,


lie project manager Inited Utilities, Mr Haynes, said that


[Existing abstraction fees date from 1880 J in modern terms,


CELEBRATING its half century this weekend is one of the area’s leading


garden centres. Barkers Garden Centre and Florist


began as a small market garden selling tomatoes and flowers. Fifty years later it has become a well-loved venue for gar­ dening enthusiasts, with a reputation for


I t on the rivers in low 1 conditions. He then Iribed how four modi- tion options, devel- [d from 23 original


. have an adverse


libilities, were now |g examined. | e said th a t three |e gravity systems one would require


■tips, adding th a t likes could be sited |e r than the present |s . This would, he |med, avoid transfer- ; the problems from Brennand and


litendale to some-


i r e else. The cost- (ctiveness of the dif- In t systems was still Jig studied. |lowever, foot and [uth disease restric- Ins have delayed blementation of the


Ins, as some survey ik , described as on- ■ data collection in


Iport of environmen- 1 assessments, could 1 be carried out. There low a reviewed deliv- | date of March, 2005, Iject to approvals and Jistruction time. |\fter the presentation, fun. Richard Sherras ggested that, as an


quality stock and excellent service. This week the Barker family and their


staff expressed their heartfelt thanks to all who have supported them during the years. Mr Bill Barker and his wife. Bar­ bara, have passed the business on to the third generation of the family, son Nic, who is already making his mark on


the Whatley Road premises. Customers have watched with inter­


est as alterations have taken place, with a new entrance into the garden centre and an imposing new entrance and look to the expansive top showroom in which spectacular water features, topi­ ary products, pots of all shapes and sizes and herbaceous plants are dis­


played. A cafe will be opening in the main


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shop at the end of this month, offering light lunches and snacks, and one of the most extensive ranges of garden furniture for miles around will be dis­ played in the upper greenhouse next


year, alongside barbecues to suit every


garden and need. With a large and easily accessible


asphalt car park, electric doors soon to replace the present sliding ones, toilets and good, wide paths between the thousands of plants on display, it is no surprise that Barkers has grown into a


leader in its field. Nic and his staff are keen to keep up


to date with current gardening trends and ensure that the garden centre is as user-friendly for their many valued cus­


tomers as possible. Throughout the seasons, the centre


offers excellent value for money deals, always well worth taking a look at. First and foremost, as ever, Barkers focuses on plants - good quality at decent


13 Nic’s life has been interlinked with the development of Barkers. As a young teenager, he followed in his fathers foot steps, helping out at nights and week­ ends. On leaving school, he attended college and then worked in Holland for a while prior to other centres in the north west. “Image is important today, says Nic. “Television gardening pro­ grammes have had a big influence. Many garden centre customers demand “instant" gardens. Gone are


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ADVERTISING FEATURE- I BA


the days when people were happy to watch their plants grow over the years.


An increasing number now require mature specimens and Barkers ensures


that they are readily available. As a florist's, Barkers has always had


an excellent reputation. Staff cater for weddings, funerals, gifts via "Flower- gram” with delivery within a day any­ where in the world, and corporate work. Bouquets designed in Clitheroe have regularly been presented to winners at Manchester’s Velodrome events. The centre’s Christmas department is


already attracting many visitors, young and old. There is something for every age, guaranteed to add an extra touch of magic to the festive season. Compost, bark chips, pine bark,


fencing, wheelbarrows, tubs, water butts and gardening equipment are all to be found here. In fact, regardless of whether your garden is patio sized or an acre or more. Barkers staff are avail­


able to offer advice and help. As an extra-special thank you to Clitheroe, the centre ensured the town's bonfire went. with a bang on Saturday night, donating £500 worth of extra fireworks. And from today until November 18th, the special coupon on this page entitles you to 5 0% off the price of any plant.


L5:';


jidge for ramblers to Biss. He said: "It would Tjlace the abomination Jiich is being planned at le moment," an appar- I t reference to the mod- |n , Y-shaped bridge loposed for the Hack-


-straction point at Binkley was still an Ttion, then should it be hsen it could provide a


I 5 Ferry site. ICoun. Frank Dyson


lid to the presentation [am: " I t seems to me | a t , as the Environ- |e n t Agency's brief is |most the same as this (mncil's brief, you lo u ld be invited back (ext year to share the Lsults of the appraisal


fith us." L Final proposals, once (ompleted, will be placed


•an revert


itial use issociated accommoda- .ion.


A similar decision has . . ,


been made for Beech House, Hesketh Lane, Chipping, formerly a nursing home, on the application of Irene


Hanley. The requests for


change of use were granted by officials of Ribble Valley Borough Council, acting under their delgated powers.


IT was on November 10th, 1951, that the Barker family moved to Clitheroe from Much Hoole, a small village six miles from


Preston. Here Mr Bill Barker recalls life half a cen­


tury ago and the first steps towards the establishment of Barkers Garden Centre


and Florists. “My mother, father, older brother, sister . . '


and myself came to Clitheroe in 1951 after buying the then rundown and derelict mar­


ket garden on Whalley Road. It was a “big flit” in those days. My par-


ents’ families thought that they were out of their minds, moving such a long way from home. My mother was one of 12 children and most of them lived within 10 miles of


the family home in Tarleton. On beina demobbed in 1946 from the


Royal Engineers, my father returned to the farfo where he worked before the war. only to find that someone who had not been fiqhting in the war had taken his job. H6 took a job with Lancashire County


Council as a roadman and kept a‘ small- holding that belonged to his stepfather to


supplement his income. Having three chil­ dren he realised he would have to do


something else in order to keep the family One day, while working on the roads, he


met one of the Tarmac wagon drivers who happened to know that my father had an interest in horticulture. The driver told him about an old market garden that was for


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sale in Clitheroe. My father had a look at the plot and. with


financial help from his stepfather and prac­ tical help from my mothers relations, the family, decided to go ahead and make the move. My mother's family were alt involved in horticulture and growing in various ways around the Tarleton, Hesketh Bank and


Southport area. Mv father's first recollections of Clitheroe


was on a cold and snowy day in November and of the remains of a bonfire on waste


qround behind our house. We soon made some good friends, Eric


and Michael Mansfield in particular, and we all attended St James' CE Primary School. My parents started work on the nursery, re-building the greenhouses and sheds and clearing the land to grow crops. Produce was sold to the public at the nurs


ery gate as it became ready. After a while, there was a surplus of flow­


ers and tomatoes, so my father started standing Clitheroe Market. In those days, the market was on the main market car


^ We had no vehicle and going to market entailed wheeling a two-wheeled truck full


of flowers, lettuce and tomatoes down Whalley Road and up Moor Lane. This was done early in the morning and involved


several trips. On some occasions, the produce on the


later loads was sold to residents coming out of their houses before we even reached


the market. In the 1950s, there were several nurs­


eries supplying fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers to the townsfolk ( Pierces, Starkies, Elliss’s, Cowling’s and Hanson's, of Bar-


row). Because market gardening was so sea­


sonal - spring flowers, salads in summer and chrysanthemums in autumn - we start­


ed selling fruit and vegetables all year round to subsidise our income. These were bought in from Blackburn and Preston wholesale markets and we took a perma­ nent cabin on Clilheroe Market and a stall


at Skipton. M h ,y*


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My brother, sister and myself worked on


the nursery as long as I can remember. We had to be there after school, weeding and side shooting the tomatoes and disbud- ding chrysanthemums until teatime, stand­


ing the market on Saturdays, preparing vegetables for the stall and serving cus­


tomers. Some of my best memories were on the .. „


market. After finishing the morning s work, we could go to the Palladium Cinema in the afternoon and then to the "Big Comic Stall in the centre of the market to swap last


week’s comics. In the mid-60s we started selling a few


trees and shrubs and roses in the autumn


and spring. This was before the days of containers, so shrubs had to be sold in the dormant season. By the late 60s, garden centres began to appear and, with the imminent opening of the Clitheroe by-pass, which we thought would take all the pass- inq trade we were so dependent on, we decided to change direction and become


a garden centre. Our first proper shop was built at the


roadside, 30ft. x 50ft. with a car park in front. This soon proved to be too small and an extension was built to make it 100ft. lonq. This too proved to be too small, so another extension was built at the back. Later, after my mother’s death and my


father's retirement, my brother, George, and I ran the business. In 1993. George retired and moved with his family to the Isle


of Man. I retired in 2001, after working for 40 ,. .


years full time in the business, leaving it in the capable hands of our oldest son, Nic, and his family - the third generation - with the fourth generation coming on nicely .


and you can b u y a n y p la n t for HALF PRItt Bring this advert into * * 1 9 ~50rrO F F ANY plant','from 7th u ntil 18th Nov '01 i JvA X '1 : . ,v L " V I - MORRIS


lughter of Mr and Mrs David id Avenue, Clitheroe, and the In of Mr and Mrs Jim Carr, of


IJharloUe Morris was married Ian Mr Ian Carr a t Trinity llitheroe.


I Atkinson conducted the cere-


| father, the bride wore a design- i rumpink satin and carried a


Ine roses with eucalyptus. were Rebecca Carr, Nicola


IPope, and they wore rumpink tried bouquets of champagne


IWhittaker. |a s the best man and Messrs


i Carr and Steve Carr were the


j at the Clarion Hotel and Suites aneymoon destination was the


(c. i live in Rosebank, Clayton-le-


Peregrine.


D e c o r a t i o n s - A r t i f i c i a l a n d F ib r e O p t l c T r e e s F i g u r e s - U d M a - C h r i s t m a s C a n d l e .


'»»» JO O 01200 421021 PEN DAILY» JUBT 3 MINUTES HWMTHEA59 Whalley Road - Clltheroe


G r e a t G a r d e n in g G i f t s f o r t h e W h o l e F a m i l y


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