Thursday, September 18th, 2003 No. 6,115


Crowds flock to big show


pages 12. 13 AT A GLANCE


There is a bombshell at Shaw- bridge as Clitheroe FC chair­ man Dave Burgess resigns.


1 ' ■ ■■ page 42


Prison is a possibility for motor­ cyclists travelling at speed through the Ribble Valley.


— page 2


Meningitis found in a Ribble Valley woman (33) was not the cause of her death, an inquest


hears. — — — ■


— page 5


A devoted family man who was keen to help in the community, dies aged 57.


■i ...—— page 8


A prestigious Ribble Valley hotel celebrates its 21st1 birth­ day in spectacular style.


page 14


Market stall holder Sheila Fer­ guson is a “lady in a million”, says a charity chief. '


— — — '


WEEKEND WEATHER:


Mainly wet, although some su n sh in e is 'p o s - r sible on Sunday.’


SUNRISE: 6-46 p.m. SUNSET: 7-21 p.m.


LIGHTING UP TIME: 7-39 p.m.


ilttTj,- ..W"'


news and views from the Centre of the Kingdom


On the ball In


page 3


Cutest child contest


page 10


Snagged cable caused Valley fatal glider crash


;by Tim Procter


A CABLE picked up by its tailwheel caused a powered glider tragedy at Chipping which killed two men, one from the Ribble Valley. An official report says that a launch cable laid on the


ground became hooked on the machine's rear.^heel, probably in a small undulation. The report describes how the recommends the British Glid-


aircraft yawed, went into a ing Association to issue new steep, spiralling dive from guidance about powered take- about 100 feet up and rotated offs when glider-tow cables are


90 degrees even after smashing down. into a field.


The report says that it was Mr David Rukin(44), of. not possible to determine


Whalley, and Mr Martin Moss which of the two men was han- (55), of Preston, were both key members of Bowland Forest Gliding Club, and Mr Rukin was its deputy chief flying


instructor. They died instantly in the club's Super-Falke on Sunday, February 15th. A senior valuer in the civil


page 3


Whalley Tennis Club is cele­ brating a double success.


»■ page 41 CALLUS


News: 01200 422324


^ Advertising: 01200 422323 Classified: 01282422331 Fax: 01200443467


Editorial e-mail: vivien.meath@ eastlancsnews.co.uk


"SKULKING.in back lanes stopping people" is more effective in catching criminals than patrolling the main street of a village, says Ribble Valley police's


Insp. Bob Ford. Residents in one or two villages complained at a


police authority public meeting that they never saw an officer on patrol, although the community sup­ port officer in the mobile station had visited. The inspector recalled several recent arrests, emphasising that, as a result, two well-known crimi­


nals caught ready to commit crime were in prison. Arrests were usually at nightr, when things were hap­ pening. Thefts of diesel fuel, stone and similar items were involved and more cases were pending. Insp. Ford emphasised: "I am not saying we are always getting it right. But crime is dynamic and we have to change with it - we are out and about when the criminals are, professionals who sole aim in life is to commit high-value crime and get away with it.


o "They don't lie down and let us lock them up - could not quietly drive their vehicles off. value a an a


Double success in best-kept v: by Duncan Smith


TAKING pride in their village


i has paid off for residents of pic­ ture perfect West Bradford. After years of trying, the


Sale Must End


This Sunday, September 21st, 4pm


)aWSON'S & e fu w tm e 7 it d lo v e •'


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Telephone: 012001


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Ribble Valley beauty spot was this week announced as the best-kept small village in the whole of Lancashire. Meanwhile, nearby Harrop


Fold completed a stunning double for the Ribble Valley, winning the hamlet class in the annual Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition ■ West Bradford Parish Coun­


cil chairman Coun. Marilyn Wood said the village’s success was due to a fantastic team


effort. ‘I t ’s thanks to everybody


doing their bit,” said a delight-


i ed Coun. Wood. “We sent out a request in the village newsletter, asking peo-


| pie to make a special effort for; this year’s competition and there was an excellent response. I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone.” .


. . . . Coun. Wood said that persis­


tence had paid off, with the close-knit community entering the small village class in the; competition for several years. It has been praised by judges in the past and previously won the village hall section,- but this year’s success is unsurpassed. _


' Coun. Wood explained that


WEST BRADFORD residents celebrate their success in the best-kept village competition. (C16090^/7) champion village class. “We


having now won the small vil­ lage class, the stakes would be


; raised next year when West Bradford would compete in the


will have to work doubly hard next year!" she said. ..-. Sponsored by Lancashire •: County Council and the Lan­


cashire Tourism Partnership, the annual competition is keen-. ly contested by villages across the county. This yearthere, were 96 entries, all visited by.


teams of preliminary judges in , June and July. Finalists were shortlisted land . v is i ted . in August by, the finals judge, continued on page 2


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they run away, across the countryside, taking cloth­ ing off to confuse dogs and hiding to avoid the heli­ copter. These people travel in twos and threes and have no hesitation in attacking the police." Insp. Ford said that, in general, crime rates in vil­


lages were low and the police were doing all they could to keep it that way. People could help by not leaving doors and windows open, securing cars and not leaving their keys downstairs at night so burglars


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service, Mr Rukin came from Burnley but had moved to Pen- dle Drive, Whalley, some two years before the'tragedy. He was a magistrate on the Bum- ley bench. Mr Moss, formerly involved


aviation circles, and there were PAcked.congregations at their


funerals. An Air Accident Investiga­


tion Branch report into the tragedy describes what hap­ pened, points out tha t club rules were being followed, and


instructor for some five years that the cables were not easily and had just taken up a new seen when in their normal posi- post in Scotland. Both men were highly regarded, both inside and outside gliding and


with information technology, had been a professional gliding


tion. A coroner's inquest, with a


.next;month and is expected to. last iip to two days. The investigation report


jury, into the deaths of the two men is to be held in Clitheroe


describes how several other Bowland Forest members saw the tragedy. One, who had already flown twice in the


dling the aircraft as it took off. Its commander, Mr Rukin, was aware that the cables were on the runway and the fact that the aircraft continued for take­ off indicated th a t he had approved the take-off with cables on the runway. '.'Therefore, he must have


been confident that he knew the location of the cables and was confident that the take-off run of the machine would be clear of the cables," says the report. The investigators consid­ ered, on inspecting the runway,


THE scene of the fatal glider crash at the Bowland Forest Gliding Club (s) the tailwheel. The machine. "


'


climbed straight ahead, turned 90 degrees, seemed to start a . further turn and then banked sharply to the right and spun into a field. some


Some witnesses at the glider tu gnum ----------- launch point, says the report, ®


the aircraft took off. Examination of the ground


DAVID RUKIN (s),


machine with Mr Rukin that day, approached it before Mr Rukin started the engine and


acknowledged this, informa


tion. , ■ " The same member saw the


aircraft start its run from a point further down'the runway than he expected. Another member saw a cable snagged on


revealed tracks crossing over the line of the cables. This was in a region of undulating ground where, in several places, the cables were raised by as much as 10 centimetres, or four inches, above the ground as they bridged the undulations. A large loop was found in one cable, passing within a few


the upper surface of the axle," said the report. It was of a type characteristically produced by a heavy sliding engagement with a stranded steel cable. It was clear that the cable had become hooked over the outer


, , . saw one of the cables moving as dently occurring as the t nd °f the a . vwTt}’


wheel descended into an undu­ lation on the runway, allowing it to hook beneath the cable. The investigators say that


the cable would produce an increasingly large downward pull on the aircraft's tail, tend­ ing to pitch the nose up, ulti­ mately overpowering efforts to prevent this and causing a stall. If the aircraft had crossed a


Thieves’ £52,000 haul


THIEVES drove off with £52,000 worth of property after using a scaffolding pole to point


a security camera skywards. The well-organised raid was at a compound


off Lincoln Way, Clitheroe, between Sunday teatime and Monday morning. The intruders got over the fence, apparently using a ladder. They drove away in an Iveco truck equipped


cable on even ground, it was possible that the cable, flush


machine at some.s ta g e u iu in g ^ tne CaDie/tne u evciupiiig ou.ua- ?the take-off. and had remained ' tion q u ic k ly became'critical;


so until shortly before ground and, the report adds: "It is


impact. "Clear evidence of a cable


contact was found on the left side of the tailwheel assembly, comprising a wear groove on


probable that the pilots could not understand what was hap­ pening in the short time before the aircraft impacted the ground."


with a crane and worth £30,000. They had loaded it with tools plus a mower


worth £17,000 and a JCB accessory valued at £1,700. ■; '


.


Police are making inquiries over a wide area.. l-'fib-iil' / / ■ *


£4,000 car damage


SOME £4,000 worth of damage was caused when the bodywork of five cars parked in Greenacre Street, Clitheroe, was damaged, probably by a sharp instrument last week. On Brownlow Street, a car had a quarterlight


window, valued at £66, broken. Police are appealing to any witnesses to sus­


picious events and criminal actions, or anyone with knowledge of such incidents, to contact


them on 01200 443344.


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ORDER YOUR COPY NOW! Hotel fire evacuation


TEN residents and staff had to be,evacuated from the Hark to Bounty, Slaidburn, when smoke affected much of the premises just after


1 5 a. m. on Sunday morning. . An overheated glasswasher caused the prob­


lem, but the fire soon burned itself out and peo­ ple were able to return safely to their beds. Smoke damage to the downstairs meant that


the pub was shut on Sunday, but on Monday the bar was re-opened. A quick cleaning-up and redecorating effort


was expected to allow the rest of the pub’s facil­ ities to be brought back into use by yesterday.

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