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listens to radio and TV traf­ fic updates, the name “Thel- wall Viaduct” has become very familiar over the past two years. I t seems every day brings


F


fresh reports of long delays and congestion at the viaduct, where major road­ works continue to bring trafffic to a crawl on Britain’s busiest motorway. But just what are those


roadworks, why are they tak­ ing so long and when will they be finished? For the answers we turned


to the Highways Agency, who told us of an “unseen team of experts” hard at work beneath the bridge, striving to complete a £52 million contract on time. The M6 is the main North-


Viaduct was opened in 1963 and refurbished in 1996. As traffic levels steadily increased, it became a bottle­ neck, leading to the construc­ tion of a second viaduct run­


West link between London and Scotland and carries over 160,000 vehicles a day, driv­ ing the region's economy, regeneration and tourism. The original Thelwall


As I see i t . . . by Duncan Smith


or Ribble Valley motorists who regular­ ly head south on the M6, or indeed anyone who


ning alongside and opened eight years ago. Southbound traffic was switched to the new viaduct, with north­ bound traffic using the origi­ nal one. However, the 40-year-old


northbound viaduct was par­ tially closed in July 2002 when a routine inspection revealed that one of its main bearings had failed. Initially it was hoped that repair work could be carried out quickly, but an extensive survey revealed that in fact all 148 bearings needed to be replaced. When the problem was dis-


covered the northbound viaduct was partially closed, with only one lane remaining open to maintain an exit to Warrington. All remaining traffic is currently carried on sue narrow lanes on the newer southbound viaduct. Now contractors are work­


ing towards a deadline of Spring 2005 for the viaduct to be re-opened, much to the relief of regular M6 com­ muters. Replacing the bearings is a


huge and painstaking task. It will take until next year to complete because the viaduct has to be carefully “jacked up” 148 times - once for each bearing.


Connor is our Relay Reader winner


DINOSAUR enthusiast Connor Harrison is our latest Relay Reader win­ ner. Although it was the six-


year-old’s interest in pre­ historic beasts which encouraged him to take up reading, i t was his review of “Eco-Wolf and the Three Pigs” , that earned Connor our Relay Reader accolade. Connor’s mum, Mrs


Susan Harrison, said: “He loves reading, especially dinosaur books and is able to spell stegosaurus. I t was because he wanted to know what the


After the viaduct has been


jacked up, the old bearings can be removed and replace­ ments installed with “Swiss watch” accuracy in a com­ plex and time-consuming operation. Thelwall Viaduct is a mile


long and more than 100-feet high, with 36 spans support­ ed by 37 piers. It weighs more than 58,500 tons - the equiv­ alent of more than 5,000 dou­ ble-decker buses - which puts into context the job facing engineers! The eight bearings of the


largest piers, either side of the Manchester Ship Canal, are 14 inches in diameter and two feet long, with the remaining 140 approach span bearings smaller in size. One of the many problems


engineers face is that the beams need to be strength­ ened above each bearing loca­


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A FORMER editor of the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, Mr Ray Mann, and his wife, Doreen, celebrate their golden wedding at the weekend. Mr Mann was in charge of the


Advertiser from 1970 until 1987 when he returned to our sister paper the Biimley Express as editor.


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i < - \ 7 ’OU’RE just the person I want,” the bank cashier


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telephone J o a i in e on 0 1 2 8 2 d 22% Xl


me about my account, or investments, or boring things like that. No, she wanted my help in-


solving a crossword puzzle clue, which asked: “Name a monster that is mentioned in the Old Testament book of Job”. “Try Behemoth or


Leviathan,” I suggested, after which we had a brief discussion about whether the


tion before they can be “jacked up”. Special tempo­ rary lifting brackets need to be installed to enable the viaduct to be lifted using four massive 400-ton jacks. The roller bearing is then


replaced with a different type of “slider” bearing. John Martin Construction


(JMC) was awarded the con­ tract to replace the bearings. Each of the 148 new ones is taking, on average, a month to install, but engineers are working round the clock and at multiple locations to ensure completion on sched­ ule.


Highways Agency Project


Manager David Brindle said; "Motorists travelling over Thelwall Viaduct may well be under the impression that lit­ tle work is being carried out, but this is far from the truth. “Traffic has had to be


i ia u uu ue Mr Mann started his career on the


Express in 1944. He was a former member of the Rotary Club of Clitheroe, and while in the town Mrs Mann (70) served as a governor of Ribblesdale Nursery School and was a member of the Clitheroe Mayoress’ Committee.


moved on to the new viaduct for safety reasons and whilst there are few visible signs on the new viaduct itself, under­ neath is a hive of activity. “The design and installa­


tion of these bearings is a complex technical operation, but drivers can be assured that we are doing everything we can to fully re-open Thel­ wall Viaduct as soon as possi­ ble. “We realise that this essen­


tial work is causing disrup­ tion to motorists, but the safety of the travelling public and the integrity of the viaduct are of paramount importance. “The Highways Agency would like to thank motorists for their co-operation during the repair work and reassure them th a t every effort is being made to re-open the viicaduct as soon as possiible.”


iuuci. soon u uu Golden day for former editor and his wife


office at Dawson’s ironmongers. "They still keep in close touch with


Clitheroe through their daughter, Kathryn - a teacher a t Edisford


children, Andrew, a pupil at St Wil­ frid s, Blackburn, and Lorraine,who


~ husband, Alex, and their She also worked part-time in the


attends Ribblesdale School. Their elder daughter, Carole, a maths teacher, lives in Harrogate with hus­ band David. Mr Mann (77) has another link


with Clitheroe, helping out with the parish church magazine of St Paul’s, Low Moor.


Space in our hearts for God


fearful monster represented the devil.


As I left the small queue,


which by now had formed at the cash desk, I thought about the meeting of two worlds: the world of present


day banking and the world of mythical Old Testament characters.


Most of us live in several


worlds: the world of our fam­ ily, the world of our work, the world of the golf club or WI or whatever organisation we belong to, and other worlds too, including per­ haps the world of our faith.


Yet faith can be a little


vague and not much part of the real, everyday life. We may be open to faith in


times of illness or fear and, indeed, when I offer to say a


prayer with those I visit in hospital, or who have had a


bereavement, I am rarely refused. Nevertheless, it can be easy to pass through much of


life without any real thought about God. The great C. S. Lewis once


said: “Aim for the world and you don’t get it; aim for heaven and you do get it.


with the world thrown in as well.”


In other words, if we want


the world of faith to be important to us we shall find that it is, and we also find that our other worlds become more attractive because we have peace with­ in ourselves and that affects our whole outlook on life. Jonathan Edwards and


other Christian sportsmen and Women have spoken about the difference' that faith makes to their lives. It doesn’t take away their keenness to do their best, but


it does take away the sense of


tragedy at losing. For when God replaces


sport as the “be all and end all” of their lives, everything is seen in a healthier perspec­ tive. God made us with a space


in our hearts that only He can fill. As we become more and more rooted in Christ, at home with him and eager to please him, we have a depth and a true hope in our living.


REV. RODNEY NICHOLSON


St Paul’s Church, Low Moor, Clilhcroc.


dinosaurs were called and which one was which that Connor became interested in reading.” Writing about the book, Connor, of Whalley, said


he particularly enjoyed the funny songs that the pigs sang, adding that he also learnt the word ecology and its meaning. Three facts Connor discovered by reading this book


were that Eco-Wolf got his way without using any violence and that people must take care of nature or one day there may not be any. He also found out that you get what you deserve as


the pigs did wrong and then had to apologise. To accompany his piece about the book, Connor


drew a picture of his favourite part of the story which featm-ed Eco-Wolf up a ladder. A keen footballer and swimmer, as well as being a member of the Beavers, Connor is a pupil at Whalley CE Primary School, (s)


Calling former Tosside pupils


PAST pupils, teachers and anyone connected with Tos­ side Primary School are all invited to a reunion planned for Sunday, October 23rd. Organisers ha.ve already


compiled an extensive list of names from the old school records, from its beginnings in the 1920s until its closure in 2000. They have managed to con­


tact many of the people listed, with an excellent response, and


are confident of having several generations represented at the reunion. However, they are keen to


hear from more ex-pupils and anyone who knows their whereabouts. The reunion will be held at


the new Tosside Community HaU from 7-30 p.m. with a hot­ pot supper, bar and music. Tickets cost £3 and are


available from Susan Winnard (01995 61234), Richard


Schofield (01729 840589) or Carol Hogg (01200 444119). Our picture shows pupils


and teachers a t Tosside CE Primary School in 1955. They are, from the left, back


row: P. Smith, Mrs Tomlinson, R. Sedgewick, J. Wilson, J. Snowden, I. Askew, R. Wray, Miss Mitchell, D. Ward, seat­ ed, A. Newhouse, S. Daley, F. Tomlinson, M. Sutcliffe, B. Jackson, B. Humphries, front, J. Adair, N. Adair, G. Adair, (s)


Chance to catch up on the past F


o rm e r CUtheroe classmates will be reminiscing in the Rib­ ble Valley later this month.


Girls who were educated a t


Clitheroe Royal Grammar School from September 1944 are holding a 60th anniversary reunion at the Clarion Hotel and Suites Foxfields in Billington. One of those organising the get-


together is Mrs Margaret Paynter - nee Wilson.


She explained th a t the 2004


reunion follows on from one success­ fully held a decade ago to mark the 50th anniversary of the pupils’ meet­ ing at CRGS. On that occasion one of those present brought along an old gymslip - complete with stripes awarded for gymnastic excellence - and a cookery apron. After an enjoyable afternoon the


former CRGS students decided to meet again in 10 years’ time.


However, before the reunion lunch,


Mrs Paynter and her co-organiser Mrs Edna Brown - nee Cowperth- waite - are hoping to track down more of their former classmates. In particular they are having diffi­


culty tracing June Mitchell, whose father had a shop in Northgate, Blackburn, Rhona Dowson, former­ ly of Edisford Bridge Farm; Bridget Smith and June Blackhurst. Her family had a cafe in Whalley Road.


100 years ago


THERE were record entries at the annual show of Clitheroe Cottagers’ Flower and Vegetable Society this week. Bright sunshine attracted hundreds of green-fingered enthusiasts, who were able to wit­ ness more than 100 exhibits. ■ The Borough Band competed in the annual


Darwen contest this week, but unfortunately were not successful in winning a prize. Eleven well known bands from across the region competed against each other in front of an appreciative audi­ ence. Through a mistake the borough band arrived in the ground late and were disqualified in the quick-step contest. Judge Mr John Gladney, from Manchester, awarded the first prize to a band from Blackburn — the spectators demonstrated their warm disapproval of his selection by rounds of hooting! ■ Considerable local interest was being focused


on the jubilee celebrations of the Wesleyan cause in Low Moor. A meeting was held this week, which was attended by many of the first members of the Wesle3tan committee to decide oh what form the celebration would take. It was agreed to hold a tea festival and reunion of old scholars.


LOOKING BACK “ 50 years ago


INSPECTION of properties within the Clitheroe rural district revealed that 172 houses were not rea­ sonably fit for human habitation. The detailed assessment was carried out by Mr H. Barton, Chief surveyor and Inspector. During the year, a start had been made on the long-delayed scheme for the erection of 14 houses at Barrow. With the comple­ tion of these houses, it was considered that the shortage of housing units in the district would no longer be a problem. ■ A memorial tablet in oak bearing the names of


eight men of the parish who gave their lives during the last war was to be erected in St James’ Church, Clitheroe. The Rector, the Rev. A. Lord, wrote in his parish magazine: “The work is that of one of our local craftsmen and comprises a worthy memo­ rial, linking together the names of those who gave their lives in the two great wars.” ■ King Peter of Yugoslavia who was on a private


visit to the Ribble Valley, was among the special- guests at a 21st birthday party in Gisbum. The party was held at Gisbume Park to celebrate the coming-of-age of village resident Miss Rosemary Hindley.


The CRGS class of 1944 also includ­ ed Pat Jackson, of Billington, Vera Smith, who lived in a chip shop in Greenacre Street, Clitheroe, and Judith Radcliffe, whose family lived at Lovely Hall in Salesbury, as well as Joan Ingham, of Padiham. Any of these former pupils who


wants to attend the reunion should contact either Mrs Brown on 01200 423760 or Mrs Paynter on 01772 782108.


25 years ago


A CALL for an urgent investigation by experts into the safety aspect of heavy lorries was made this week by Waddin^on Parish Council, following a horrific crash which demolished one of the focal points of the village. The accident, in which a 20- ton lorry hurtled out of control through the main street and crashed into the old smithy, shocked the whole of Waddington. Luckily no one was injured, but it brought home the risks residents face from large wagons, which they watched uneasily passing daily through the village. Parish council members called for a meeting as soon as possible between the Department of Environment, Lancashire County Council and the police. ■ Plans for a £500,000 supermarket in the rail­


way sidings in Station Road, Clitheroe, were approved - despite a warning that some small shops might be forced to close and the town’s whole pattern of shops could change within the next 10 years. Permission for the single-storey building, pro­


posed by the old-established Preston grocery company of E. H. Booth, was given by Ribble Valley planners. Strong opposition to the devel­ opment was voiced by some councillors.


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