20 Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, April 29th, 2004 .'•A.' ',t.“


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Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified)


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t ^ Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, April 29th, 2004 21


- Write to: The Editor, Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, 3 King Street, Clitheroe BB72EW Editorial e-mail: vivien.meath@eastlancsnen s.co.uk Assembly would


give us a voice I HAVE read with interest the corre­ spondence on the proposed Regional Assembly generated on your letters page and have detected a hint of hys­ teria. There seems to be a myopic focus on


the consequences of change to the local authority status rather than a desire to explore the bigger picture and seize the opportunity of transfer­ ring control and decision making to the North West. Currently the Regional Develop­


ment Agency and many different cen­ tral government agencies each control a different piece of an ill-fitting jigsaw. They make the decisions about the


North West and spend public money, but there is no consideration of the overall picture. Scotland with a population of five


million has its own Parliament and Wales with a population of three mil­ lion has its own Assembly as does London. The North West has a population of


nearly seven million and an economy worth £60 billion. A Regional Assembly would share a


vision to make the big strategic deci­ sions which will shape the North West’s future economic performance and quality of life. Investment in our young people is


vital to our economy, yet we have fewer people in higher value jobs and the number of students obtaining five A-C grade GCSE’s trails the national average. The gap between opportunities for


people in the North West compared to the South East is widening encourag­ ing our brightest prospects to be attracted away from the region. There are strong communities in


the North West and a diversity of cultures, but it is in the best interests of all to collectively voice concerns to Westminster. An elected Regional Assembly would, for the first time, give the


. North West a strong and legitimate voice, an ability to demand a fairer deal for the region and an opportuni­ ty to take a pride in the North West and create a positive identity for the future.


LAURA FIELD, Withgill Fold, Clitheroe


Negative attitude


does not help at all CONGRATULATIONS to all at the Advertiser and Times on your new format and in recent weeks I have found myself reading the news as well as selling it. I thought your article on Kimber­


ley Waterhouse and other young businesswomen was encouraging, but the main story relating to Chatburn in this issue concerned the develop­ ment of the derelict bakery site in the centre of the village. Planning permission has now been


declined for a previous residential scheme and now for a commercial use for the site, which included some low-cost housing. This has been rejected on the


grounds of additional parking demand it would generate with a


Safe disposal of


your old batteries BATTERY collection boxes may soon sta rt to appear in every Clitheroe home after Euro-MEPs backed plans to boost recycling and halt the leaking of acid from old batteries into soil and water. The European Parliament is calling


for a minimum of 50% of all house­ hold batteries used annually per per­ son to be collected for recycling within five years. Among EU nations, only Belgium


currently exceeds this collection target with battery collection boxes a famil­ iar sight in homes and offices across Brussels. In Britain only industrial and vehicle batteries are recycled. Controversially, MEPs have also


called for the long term replacement of nickel-cadmium and lead batteries by less toxic alternatives.. They want an immediate ban on


their use in household products such as electric toothbrushes and shavers, but have supported exemptions for most other purposes until effective alternatives have been developed. It is a measured approach that bal­


ances the potential hazards of cadmi­ um with the reality that there are no effective alternatives for use in prod­ ucts such as cordless power tools and aviation control systems. Cadmium is a carcinogenic sub­


stance that accumulates in the human body and is very toxic to aquatic life. We should be looking to develop


alternatives and phase out its use, but the immediate priority is simply to make sure that we collect as many cadmium batteries as possible and ensure that they are safely recycled. Consumer organisations are press­


probable five to seven additional spaces required. You have to have some sympathy


for the developers and wonder what they have to do to return this site to some sort of use. Looking down Bridge Road on a


Thursday morning, you could not say the parking situation is horren­ dous, with ample parking outside the old bakery site and down the road towards the new Chinese takeaway. The old A59 is very wide at this


point through the village and addi­ tional safe parking could easily be generated as part of a possible traffic calming scheme with traffic speeds probably more of an issue for the vil­ lage as a whole. Chatburn is currently enjoying a


b it of an investment boom with almost all of the local businesses spending money on their premises, but you could hardly call Chatburn a thriving business or tourist centre. No one likes direct competition,


but any new business is bound to at tract more people to the village and in the end this benefits everyone. I t is our planners' job to meet


objections and reject any schemes which are flawed, but too often this seems to involve just saying "no" because it is easy, whereas finding solutions is more difficult. Unfortunately, this negative


approach seems geared to reducing all types of opportunities, but espe­ cially for young people like Kimber­


modern electronic world in which we live is also full of “electro-pollution’ , which is damaging our health and the


health of our children. By far the most well-documented and


worrying threat comes from mobile


phones. In Europe alone 380 million-people


use them and children are the group most a t risk. Today we have 27,000 mobile phone masts in the UK and it is forecast that the number will increase to 40,000 over the next two years. The Government has only now set up


an all-party mobile phone group of 75 MPs to look at the key issues for plan­ ning authorities and the public, given the large increase in masts for telecom- munications/TETRA. With low-cost protection devices


being available why are these not built into mobile phone and other communi­ cations systems? The Radiation Research Trust is


ing for the proposed restrictions to be extended, but industry groups argue that the measures will increase costs and may result in some products being unintentionally banned alto­ gether. Iron, nickel and silver can all be


recovered from recycled household batteries which might otherwise con­ taminate soil and groundwater. Incineration of batteries can release toxins and heavy metals into the atmosphere. The draft legislation must now be


considered by the EU environment ministers before returning to the European Parliament for a second reading.


CHRIS DAVIES MEP, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesman


ley, when they want to find a job, start a business or just find some­ where affordable to live.


MARTIN TURNER, Chatburn Post Office, Bridge Road, Chatburn


Starlings’ strange


antics are amazing I WONDER if anyone can explain the strange behaviour of the thousands of starlings in the Sawley area? Daily at dusk they assemble gradu­


ally until they must number into thou­ sands, circling around the valley. Standing on the Sawley bridge is the


prime place to see this aerial display for 20 to 30 minutes before terminating into the thick trees by the river bend at the hotel. A sight never to be forgotten.


JOHN R. SPENCER Abbey Lea, Sawley


Collecting data on


‘electro-pollution’ OUR lives are now so full of modern technology it would be hard to imagine a day without using a mobile phone,' cordless phone, laptop, computer, microwave oven, or hairdryer. While we all experience the benefits


of such inventions, there is an expand­ ing body of evidence that suggests the


looking to gather information from any­ one who feels that their health is or has been affected by using a mobile phone or other communication system, or liv­ ing or working near a mobile phone mast. I have agreed to help with the collec­


tion of information by phone or letter. Please let me know your views.


HUBERT A. W1LCOCK, Brock House, Willingham Lane, Grimsargh, Preston PR2 5LII


This local support


makes a difference THE local fund-raisers for Marie Curie Cancer Care, Lyn Fenton and Pat Nay­ lor, would like to thank everyone who helped with the collections on their annual Daffodil Day in Clitheroe. The collections, which took place in


the local supermarkets and in the town centre, raised the magnificent sum of £1,192.18 which will, in the coming months, benefit people living locally. Marie Curie Cancer Care Nurses are


available free of charge to patients and their families.


They nurse people who are in the very


late stages of cancer, enabling them to remain at home with their loved ones at the end of their lives.


Thanks go to everyone who pur­ chased a daffodil during the Daffodil


Appeal and to Yellow Pages for sponsor­ ing the event. Local support makes all the difference


to the care the charity can provide in the area and the proceeds will enable the charity to continue to support cancer patients during the coming months.


LYN FENTON, Community Fund-raising Manager


Help train teachers


to spot child abuse I WAS worried to discover that a third of schools surveyed by the NSPCC were really concerned that child abuse could go unnoticed because teachers lacked the necessary child protection training. And when I learned that more than


half of newly-qualified teachers, also sur­ veyed by the NSPCC, were involved in at least one child protection case in their first 18 months of teaching, I knew I must support the NSPCC’s campaign call for all teachers to have regular high quality child protection training.


That is why I wrote to the Minister


for Children, Margaret Hodge MP, to insist that the Government ensure there are enough resources to enable all teach­ ers to have this training. I want to let readers know that it is


vital they take action now too. The Government is currently looking


at how to improve child protection in schools.


We must tell them that this can only


be achieved if they ensure there are enough resources for all teachers to be supported through regular high-quality child protection training. Readers can find out more and e-mail Margaret Hodge MP by visiting


http://www.nspcc.org.uk/campaigning. It is easy and will not take much time.


It could make the Government provide the resources to ensure all teachers get high quality child protection training.


J. C. QUINN, Elgar Close, Blackburn


Stand up and fight


for our planet I AM very concerned about the results of a recent survey by Friends of the Earth, the RSPB and the WWF into the environmental record of our MEPs. I t revealed that the Conservatives


representing this area are close to having the worst voting record in the whole of Europe when it comes to supporting new laws to protect the environment. Ten key issues were identified and, in


all but one case, our Conservative MEPs seem almost wilfully to have gone out of their way to try to defeat them. There are no Green members repre­


senting the North West at present and the only one saving grace of the region’s 10 MEPs to come out of this survey is the Liberal Democrat, Chris Davies. This issue really matters, because our


representatives in Brussels shape almost all Britain’s environment laws. Every day reveals new evidence of the pace of destruction as a result of mankind’s activities. We need a change in direction if we


are to pass this planet on to our succes­ sors in a state fit for the future. We need MEPs who are prepared to


take a lead and be environmentally ambitious, not ones who seek to defeat even the modest proposals for environ­ mental improvement.


CHRIS BLACKBURN, Lancashire Environmental Campaigner,


Back Fazakerly Street, Chorley Your letters. . .


9 The Editor welcomes letters on any subject, but correspondents are reminded that contributions may be edited or condensed, must not exceed 350 words and should reach us by noon on Tuesday. Letters with noms de plume are now


only accepted for publication if the edi­ tor agrees that there is a valid reason for the writer's identity to be withheld. Letters can be sent by post to the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, 3 King


Street, Clitheroe BB7 2EW, via e-mail to vivien.meath@eastlancsnews.co.uk, via fax to 01200 4434G7 or texted to


0779969G447. Letters submitted by any of these


methods must, however, include the writer’s name and full postal address.


AN article entitled “Icy blast from the past”, in our February 26th edition, certainly stirred happy memories for reader Mrs Margaret Bennett. The photograph on page


four, loaned by Mrs Diana Croft, of Albemarle Street, Clitheroe, featured skaters on the frozen River Ribble along with specta­ tors and was taken from Brungerley Bridge.


Mrs Bennett (71), of


Pimlico Road, Clitheroe, contacted the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times and wanted to share her mem­ ories of the big freeze. She said: “The river was


frozen solid for quite a few weeks and my children just made the most of it by skating on it all day.” Pictured are the skaters


on the frozen River Rib- ble.(s)


Fun and games


MEMBERS of Clitheroe Young Farmers’ Club last week enjoyed a fun games night at Pendleton Village Hall. Next week’s meeting is a


taster session a t Focus Training Centre, Bashall Eaves. Members are to meet at the Health Centre car park at 7 p.m.


Sincere thanks to


the staff at Tesco ON behalf of Clitheroe Wolves Under- 13s, the club would like to offer its sin­ cere thanks to all members of staff at the Clitheroe branch of Tescos for sup­ porting our latest fund-raising event, assisting customers in packing their shopping bags. In particular, customer services


manageress Tracey King, along with all the checkout operators, who offered the lads help and assistance through­ out the day. The undoubted stars of the day were the customers themselves, whose support, understanding, patience and generosity in their dona­ tions were incredible. All the money raised on the day will


go a long way towards funding the travel costs when the Under-13s will shortly be representing Clitheroe Wolves on a football tour of the south coast. Once again, a sincere thanks to all concerned, and we hope all cus­ tomers managed to get their shopping home without too much damage!


STEPHEN WINCKLEY Clilheroe Wolves, Under-13s manager


And a thank-you for


purse’s safe return COULD I, through your newspaper, convey my thanks to the gentleman who found my purse and handed it in to the medical centre in Whalley, also to the staff for returning it to me so quickly.


MRS J. EVANS Whalley Road, Billington


A victory for the


people of Britain THE good news that Tony Blair has finally agreed to hold a referendum on the proposed EU Constitution is a remarkable U-turn. Some would say it is a major defeat


for the Prime Minister. Those of us who have been campaigning for this moment for years consider it a major victory, and would of course like to take the credit. But really the victory belongs to


those from all political parties - and from no parties - who have written let­ ters and postcards, who have signed petitions and who have raised the noise level progressively over recent months. Some newspapers say the Prime


Minister has been pushed into this out of weakness. He was actually pushed into it


because he was wrong. He tried to maintain that the pro­


posals from Brussels were merely "a tidying-up exercise" rather than a fun­ damental shift in the vvay the UK might be governed. The people simply did not believe him. Seven countries have already com­


mitted to holding referendums within the coming 12 months: the Czech Republic, Denmark, Luxembourg, Ire­ land, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Their timing is not yet clear, but several have indicated they want it sooner rather than later. Some are cer­ tainly looking at a date later this year, given that the proposals are due to be signed off by the Council of Ministers in June. This would certainly make sense.


The Prime Minister should note this well: the people will not be impressed


by a deliberate delay until late 2005. Meanwhile, European issues are now


certain to be headlines in the run-up to the European Parliamentary elections. If this encourages more people to vote in June, it would be good news indeed. There are important issues at stake.


DEN DOVER, Conservative MEP, North West England


Falling down is no


laughing matter I’VE made falling down a trademark of my act over the years, but the reality of having a fall in later life is no laughing matter. Did you know, for instance, that falls


are the most frequent and serious type of accident among the over-65 age group? Falls can destroy confidence, reduce independence and increase iso­ lation. That’s why I am supporting the


Help the Aged Preventing Falls Pro­ gramme, which aims to help older peo­ ple and those working with them to prevent falls happening in the first place. So here are my five favourite tips


from the Help the Aged Preventing falls Programme: 9 More falls happen in the wintry


months than in any other season, due to slippery pavements and the need to wear bulky coats that can impede movement. Take extra care when you are out and wear shoes with high sides and thin soles. 9 Improve your balance, strength and


co-ordination with a daily walk. 9 Make your home a safer place by removing clutter and keeping it well lit


and warm. Make sure your carpets and rugs are


Memories flooding back C R A FT


ABAHKAN FABRICS “ Croft mill shop


introducing' ' , * „ SECTION! NEED NEW CURTAINS!


Our Made-to-Measure Curtain Making Service is unrivalled in the area for choice, price and quality. ■Whether it’s Curtains or Blinds,Traditional or


Contemporary, we havq,the fabrics and designs to transform your home.


• Card Making • Quilting • Accessories • Braids & Fringing • Craft Fabrics • Zips


.•Threads • Craft Accessories too numerous to mention *The finest Remnant Section in the area - everything from Fur to Fleece, from Leather to Lycra, all sold by weight


BARGAINS GALORE! Please call in any time


for free no obligation quote or to take-home samples. We’re just off the A56 in Foulridge (10 mins from Boundary Mill)


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01282 869625


Croft Mill, llowther Lane, Foulridge (nr Colne), Lancs Normal hours Mon --Fri 9.30 - 4.30 - Sat 10.00 - 4.00.


fastened down with no comers to trip you up and consider having grab rails on stairs and in bathrooms 9 Take advantage of free eye tests if


you are over 60 and watch out if using bifocal and varifocal glasses outside - they can more than double your risk of a fall. Consider separate pairs for reading and for distance. 9 If your medicines make you feel


sleepy or dizzy, have a word with the pharmacist or doctor who may change your prescriptions. For more practical tips and updates


on the Help the Aged Preventing Falls programme why not visit the website on www.helptheaged.org.uk.


SIR NORMAN WISDOM A historic day for


whole of Europe SATURDAY heralds a historic day for Europe; one which rightly should be celebrated with joy. Ten more nations, seven of them formerly part of the Soviet bloc, will join the European Union. The final vestiges of the Iron Curtain are being swept away as Europe begins to reunite. How soon we forget that less than 15


years ago, two huge nuclear armies faced each other across the plains of Central Europe. The idea of war between EU mem­


ber states now seems absurd. This has­ n't happened by accident. It is the fruit of the vision and tireless work of the peoples of our continent who created those institutions we know as the European Union.


GARY ARTHURS, Regional Director, North West in Europe Prcstwich, Manchester M25 0JW


FRAMES &


PICTURES of WHALLEY


33 King Street


Whalley 01254 822620 + + + + +


Are proud to present tire latest limited editi on prints from PETER WORSWICK


featuring scenes o fPendl e anti Bluebells at Spring Wood Call on


Saturday, May I st, 2004 to meet Peter and see Iris latest work.


Also new watercolour


originals now in stock from wddlife artist


ROGER McPHAIL


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