I


€ The Clitheroe Thursday, April 26th, 2001 -No. 5,990


Valley’s toast to St George


AT A GLANCE


A neighbour has given police a vivid description of a ram-raid on a town mobile phone shop.


- page 2


Valley runners are recovering this week after raising thou­ sands of pounds in the London Mara­ thon.


n s n u m — n page 3


A former headmas­ ter wrongly jailed on charges of child sex abuse has found­ ed an organisation to fight miscarriages


of justice. page 2


The four Valley names featured in the Sunday Times Rich List 2001 have slipped down the list.


page 20


Sixties band the Ani­ mals are performing in Clitheroe.


page 3


Police report a rela­ tively quiet Easter — apart from a session by a group of people in a whirlpool bathl


^ , 0 0 page 12


FOGGITT’S WEEKEND WEATHER: Continuing cold and windy, but drier.


CALLUS


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Editorial e-mail: ditheroe.cditorial@ rim.co.uk


U N T IL close to two years ago, Rebecca Lee was an all-round sports­


woman. She was fifth in Lan­


cashire at badminton, excelled at tennis, played netball for her school, coached hockey, played football, swam and enjoyed gymnastics


take part in drama produc­ tions and to learn to play


She even found time to the flute.


wants to travel any distance from her Clitheroe home, she has to go by wheelchair. The Clitheroe Royal Grammar School 17-year-


But now, if the action girl . h


old is one of 25,000 young people struck down with the debilitating and mystery ill­ ness myalgic encephalopa­


thy - ME for short. Her parents, Tony and


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Cath Lee, are in a team of 23 cyclists pedalling 140 miles from Whitehaven to Sunderland from May 29th to June 3rd to raise funds for the charity, the Associa­ tion for Young People with ME, and to make people more aware of ME, the ill­ ness that has laid their


daughter low. "I don't want to make


this a sob story," ordered Rebecca, one of two Clitheroe Royal Grammar School pupils to be hit by the illness. "1 am not a sob story. 1 want to be positive."


Her positiveness in the * 11 __ .atL 1 rtrl TV


rO —


her seven A-grade GCSE exams, two of them A*s. She is grateful for the


over backwards. There ™


support she has received from her schoolfriends and the staff at the grammar school, where she has returned part-time to take two A-levels. They have rearranged the curriculum with her in mind. While she was studying


for her GCSEs members of staff gave her lessons at


home.They invigilated whtle Rebecca took the examina­ tions lying on the settee in


her living room. On one occasion a teacher spent the night at the house because Rebecca was too weak to take two examinations in


a huge commitment from ™ ° "^h a t energy she had good friends who have stood the school for Rebecca


“


tonsilitis back to back. After the second bout


Life cb^ged radically for - * ^ ^ dthew)rld by he, Rebecca after two bouts of


months to learn how to con- serve wnatenegy


she just did not improve. She believes she may


are still no nearer discover­ ing the causes or cures for


id use ir wisely. Experts around the world


have made matters worse by following advice from a specialist to take some exer-


C1S"I should have rested until I got better," said Rebecca.


ness, headaches, muscle and joint pain, walking is diffi­


Symptoms include tired­ _


cult, standing still impossi­ ble and concentration is


hard.Some people are sensitive to light or temperature. Balance difficulties or


clumsiness are experienced by some sufferers. Others can have disturbed sleep and very vivid dreams.


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Guardsman died after a forbidden booze binge


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I A FORMER Blackburn Rovers soc­ cer apprentice, who joined the Scots


I Guards to be "one of the lads" when | the club released him, died afte r a i forbidden booze binge a t Wellington B a r ra c k s in Lo nd o n , an in q u e s t


I heartbroken when his football career failed to take off, said his mother, Mrs Patricia


heard yesterday. Martin James Rimmer (22) had been


1 Rimmer, of St Paul's Street, Clitheroe. i After 18 months, he joined the truants | and was chosen as the fittest new recruit


shortly afterwards. problem for him.


Dr Paul Knapman her son had been the subject of some racial "banter", but he.had never complained to her that it was a great


Mrs Rimmer told Westminster Coroner . t


He was found dead in the early morning of February 11th this year after an all-day


__ r__in the earlv morn


drinking session with fellow guardsmen. ° Pathologist Dr Nat Carey gave the cause


of death as inhalation of vomit in associa­ tion with acute alcohol Poisoning. Guardsman Rimmer had had the letter


"H" shaved on his chest, one eyebrow had been shaved off and he had been covered with camouflage cream by his drinking


C°Hovreve"!Dr Paul Knapman, recordinga verdict of death by misadventure, dismis^d


other on to drink more and more, he said. (Proceeding)


- f


suggestions that Guardsman Rimmer had been the victim of bullying or racism. "I am satisfied that the death was a


result of very, very heavy drinking by young soldiers! betting and


ME.Rebecca said: "Some peo­ ple just literally 'recover'. One girl got up in the mid­ dle of the night and said 'I


feel better'." Schoolteacher Mrs Lee


and her husband, a comput­ er expert, have taken Rebecca to half a dozen alternative therapy experts with very little effect. There are no cures at the


tunate having some very » her and kept her in


n m v j


touch." They are being helped on


the sponsored cycle ride by former ME sufferer, keen cyclist, Nick Dinsdale, training twice a week on 20-


mile runs. "We are doing the ride


because in some ways, we feel helpless as parents. This is something practical we


can do.". For Rebecca, each day is


moment, only manage­ ment, and learning how to


cope with the illness. Mrs Lee said: "She has


just lost important teenage years. She is unable to go out and do what teenage


girls do. "It is lucky she is a bub-


coped with on its merits. She is learning how to man­ age her weaknesses - and beginning to work out how she can cope with a univer­


sity course. Those who would like to


sponsor Mr and Mrs Lee to help AYME should tele­ phone 07940 479926.


Packed meeting on town’s future


PEOPLE are passionate


about Clitheroe. They proved it by turning


up at a public meeting to dis­ cuss the town's future m their hundreds. Tuesday night's meeting


tive, entitled: "Give us a future." North West Devel- opment Agency's Mrs Jen- |


nifer Wilson explained the , Rural White Paper’s Market


at Ribblesdale High School Technology College resulted in 20 of those attending vol­ unteering for further involve- ment with the Ribble Valley


Regeneration Partnership. Trinity Community Part­


nership representative Mr Geoff Jackson began pro­ ceedings, explaining the need


for the meeting. Young mem­ bers of Clitheroe Youth The­ atre performed their perspec­


Town Initiative, Mr Rupert | Swarbrick, of Longridge, explained his town's success, initially fuelled by a ques­ tionnaire, and Mr John Lan­ caster revealed that "every- thing is not grand at the | Grand," adding "for me, it's turned into a bit of a night­ mare," as he expanded on | the need for a community arts centre for Clitheroe.


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ENGLISH teacher Garth Sutcliffe has been cleared of assaulting a 14- year-old pupil a t Clitheroe Royal G ram m a r School - en d in g a 20 month ordeal with the case hanging


°VAt the end of a retrial lasting three


days at Preston Crown Court, the jury support and encouragement. Th^asseen took little more than 15 minutes to my famiiy and me through 20 very, v y


Te ~ an w ^ acquit the long-serving grammar school difficult months. ^ worked at the


t6A previous jury was unable to reach a verdict when the case w^ heard test yean The 57-year-old, of St James St »


Clitheroe, had denied assaulting the boy occasioning him actual bodily


Action


school for 32 years, was alleged to have assaulted the teenager in the computer room during a lesson back in September,


1999-The prosecution claimed that Sutcliffe t.


f f i l tickets to popular Southport Garden Festival


harm during a lesson at the school. On Tuesday, a relieved Mr Sutchf fe said. "I'm going straight back to school to start


9. lesson at the school.


tC "Onlfehalf of my wife, my daughter and myself I would like to thank the vast range of^parents, staff, pupils and friends from over the last 30 years. They have sent cards and messages and1 have shownconstat^


had suddenly gripped the youngster from behind and that his shirt button and tie pressed into his neck. It was said the boy was struggling to breathe and ended up with bruising and a small cut at the back of the right ear after falling to the floor. The defendant said he had spotted the


u a shirt button and tie boy imes The paper th a t champions the Ribble Valley c au se


Out today our monthly magazine


English teacher cleared of assault on nuDil offers thanks for vast support


told the pupil not to be disruptive and, fol­ lowing a brief conversation, started to walk


rip, asking him to get o his t


back across the room. A short time later, the teenager was seen


on the floor.


boy standing with his arms around the hark of a girl's chair and, he presumed,


around the girl as well. He walked to the far end of the room and by that time the pupil was seated at his terminal. The teacher had looked at the boy's computer screen and noticed that there were just one and a half lines of typing on it. By his actions, the boy had been preventing oth­


ers from working. Sutcliffe insisted he had merely taken , , , _


wrists. He went back to his chair and sat down. He apologised three times," said Mr


"I guided him to his feet, holding his .


Sutcliffe.The boy carried on working and there was no suggestion of anything being


wrong.


utes to reach a verdict. Afterwards, Sut­ cliffe was discharged by Judge Peter Open- shaw QC and awarded defence costs.


The jury took a little more than 15 mm- ,, .


Not much chance of the woodman sparing our trees


WHAT i t describes as "differing views" are unlikely to stop Ribble Valley Borough Council cu ttin g down 41 trees b en e a th th e keep of


Clitheroe Castle. There are some 400-plus


trees in the grounds of the scheduled monument. Letters to the Advertiser


that both local and distant views of the Castle will be


improved. Ribble Valley Borough


Council Engineering Man­ ager Mr Graham Jaggei emphasises that active management of the trees is essential to make the best use of the Castle for the


future. In a report to councillors,


and Times some months ago showed a variety of opinions about whether or not views of it are obstruct­ ed by too much foliage. But the council's profes­


sional staff and outside con­ sultants too feel that thin­ ning is required - and the work will be carried out soon. It has been ordered by the council's Community Committee and tenders are


being invited. Neverthless, the council


is seeking responses to its plan from Clitheroe Town Council, the Civic Society and Lancashire County Council. Members of the public can write in with


i their views too. - This afternoon members


o? the town council are touring the grounds to check exactly what is pro­ posed. Views among mem­ bers differ, but many are in favour of some felling. A plan has been pro­


Mr Jagger quotes consul­ tants as saying: "There should be care and concern to conserve and locally restore the quiet, preferably uncluttered and appropri­ ate setting of the Castle, the rock and the former defensive flanks with an inherited mood of subdued


parkland.” The vigorous regenera­


tion of ash and syacamore needs controlling to avoid the Castle and the rock dis­ appearing further from view, say the consultants. Their report was for the council's Lottery bid for the Castle. Several years and at least some tree growth on, i the points are seen as even


more valid.. Some 26 sycamores and


seven beeches are marked for felling, the others being common ash and prunus. Comments about the


duced by the borough coun­ cil showing where it is felt


plan need to be at the coun­ cil offices by a week tomor­ row, Friday, May 4th.


'-i- |: J[. : ® W


jHonlv criDDed the youngster from holdhold of the boy's shirt, below the collar, in a loose loose g grip, asking him to get to his feet. He


! . -•


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