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, Clitheroe Advertiser &Times, Thursday, May 5th, 2005


INSIDE YOUR CLITHEROE ADVERTISER AND TIMES 9 Valle)' Matters --------


www.clitheroetoday.co.uk


Clitheroe'422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) : i-i' , ,-.s r , n 6,7


H Village News ... ......................... 11,12,13 H Letters ............................. HWeekendpliis ....................


.18,19,20


H Weekend TV ..................................24,25 9 Family Notices ............................... 22,23 HReadersplus..............................


20


HJobs........ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5 to47 H Propertyplus .............................29 to 44 H Motorsplus.......... ......................51 to 67 HSport


AT A GLANCE ...


Decade of youth theatre - page 8 Plough match success - page 12 Roefield price rise - page 16 Award for midwife - page 22


INFORMATION


Duly chemisl: Buckleys Chemist, 4 Railway View Road, Clitheroe, Sunday, noon to 1 p.m. Police: 01200 443344. Fire: In emergency 999 and ask for fire service. Eicdricily: 08001954141. Gas: 0800 111999. Water: 0845 462200. Councils: Ribble Valley Borough Council, Clitheroe 425111. Clitheroe Town Council, 424722. Hospitals: Blackburn Royal Infirmary: 01254 263555. Queen's P a rk H o sp ita l, Blackburn: 01254 263555. Airedale General Hosp ita l, Steeton: 01535 652511. Clitheroe Community Hospital: 427311.- J ■Alcohol Information Centre: 01282416655.


,


Aidsiine: 01282 831101 (7 p.m. to 9 p.m.). ■ Domestic Violence Helpline: 01282422024.


Cruse Bereavement Care: Ribble Valley 01200 429346. ’ Environmental Agency: Emergencies-0800 807060. Drugs: Local confidential advice and information line: 01200 444484. National: 0800 770600. Ribitic Valley Talking Newspaper: 01200 428604. Samaritans: 01254 602424. Monthly Volunteer Helpline: 01200 422721. Lancasliire Rural Stress Network: 01200 427771. QUEST (specialist smoking cessation service): 01254 358095. Rihble Valley Citizens’ Advice Bureau: 01200 428966.


CONTACT US! News: 01200 422324


Advertising: 01200 422323 Classified: 01282 422331 Family Notices and Photo Orders: 01282 426161, e.\t. 410 Fax: 1)1200 443407 . editor e-mail: vivien.meath@easlliincsnews.co.uk news editor e-mail: dunciin.smilh@eastlancsnews.co.uk sport e-mail: edwar(l.lee@easllancsnews.co.iik


WEATHER HSLAIDBURN


DUNSOP BRIDGES.


GISBURN


CHIPPING B CLITHEROE


LANGHOB' 7fC BLACKBURN I


WEEKEND WEATHER: Saturday is set to remain dry with sunny spells, while Sunday is expected to be bright all day.


SUNRISE: 5-‘ 29a.m. SUNSET: 8-45 p.m. . LIGHTING UP TIME: 8-45 p.m. . r c " ^ . a CHATBURN .


h e r o e h ; , - \ C . ‘ hw h a l l e y ■' — 7^ “^


;)■; BREAD' I BURNLEY I ACCRINGTON


and some 1km north west of TurnerFold. By a bizarre coincidence, and


creating another Ribble Valley link, the exact centre of England and Wales is now near Sutton Coldfield, a t a property called Hurst Green Farml Many people wrongly believed


the exact Centre of the Kingdom (GB+401) was the public tele­ phone box in Duhsop Bridge. In


Change of heart over centre of the kingdom


fact, the call box contains infor­ mation quoting the Grid Refer­ ence, so walkers in the area can find it, but as Mr Thorpe points out, that information will now., have to be revised. The good news for walkers, he adds, is that “if also means that if you stand at the Centre GB-t-401, you are no longer sinking into Brown Syke


/Moss!” : According to Mr Thorpe: “The


Ribble Valley’s ‘exact heart’ was transplanted twice during 1991 as


news broke that we were at the Centre of the Kingdom. Claims that it was. at a barn near Chaigley, or the Redder Bridge, were superseded by the official preference of the Ordnance Survey Office for the site 500 metres west of the Whitendale Hanging StoneA “Now, it Seems, the Ordnance


Survey Office has changed its mind and the exact centre is on the move again!” On hearing the news, Coun.


John Hill, leader of Ribble Valley Borough Council, said yesterday: “It is clear that the Centre of the Kingdom is moving towards my parish of Read and Simonstone all the time! But seriously, it all just goes to show that \yherever you are in the Ribble Valley, you are never far from the Heart of the


; Kingdom.” ■ For more facts and figures, you


can visit the Ordnance Survey website on the Internet at: www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk


I ’ f 16,17


Bid to stop bogus callers at doormat


by Faiza Afzaal


ELDERLY and vulnerable residents in the Ribble Valley are being given doormats with the message “locked, stop, chain, check" in a bid to stamp out bogus callers. Specially-designed doormats are


. . .6 8 to72


being distributed to over 600 homes in the Ribble Valley and Hyndburn following a number of distraction burglaries and bogus caller crimes. The innovative scheme designed


to raise awareness about the perils of bogus callers has been launched by local police in partnership with Rib­ ble Valley Borough Council, Trading Standards and Hyndburn Commu­ nity Safety Partnership. The yellow and blue printed mes­


sage “Locked, Stop, Chain, Check” means people should lock their door before they answer because bogus callers often barge in, stop and think if they are expecting anyone, put the chain on before they open the door and then check for identification. Spearheading the campaign is PC


Andy Liptrot, who is keen to help prevent this type of crime. He said: “Often the most simple


solutions are the most effective and the doormat is a visual reminder to , elderly people that when they open their door the person on the other side may not be what they seem. ■ “I t is a sad fact that dishonest /


people will prey on the elderly and vulnerable and we want to empower householders to take simple steps to make their homes safer and prevent becoming a victim.” The novel idea has been backed by


local police, who stress that it any­ one has any doubt about a caller they should not let the person into their home. PC Peter Wareing, of Clitheroe


police, said: “During the past six months, we have had a number of distraction burglaries, in which eld­ erly residents have been targeted. “In one incident, an 83-year-old


Woone Lane resident was sold three panic attack alarms by a conman at her doorstep at £90 each, when the actual price was £5 each. “In another incident, a 70-year-old


vulnerable man collected his pension from the post office and was followed home by two tricksters who made their way into the house and stole his pension. .


' “The message on the doormat is


loud and clear, it should stick in their minds every time they open the door. I t urges pensioners not to let bogus callers walk all over them.”


PC Wareing added that free door


chains and security packs were also being offered to senior citizens to raise awareness of the serious crimes and to make sure people knew what to do. Extra funding was being sought for additional doormats. He added: “These mats are not


just for people who have been a vic­ tim of bogus caller crime, but it is for people who are in doubt of opening the door to strangers. “When the elderly generation was


young everything was bought by sales people on the doorstep. , “Times have changed. Please


check a caller’s identificatioii before letting them in. Always remember that a genuine caller will return by appointment if asked to.” ’The scheme has also been backed


by Age Concern. Twelve months ago, Age Concern in partnership


with WRVS and other domiciliary- care delivered 15,000 paper napkins. The paper napkins, covered with a


printed warning “Don’t be sorry, be safe when someone knocks at your door make sure you know who they are before letting.them in”, were delivered with Meals on Wheels to raise awareness of distraction bur­ glaries. The borough council’s Crime and


Disorder Reduction Partnership Ini­ tiative officer, Mr Bill Alker, said; “This is another initiative aimed at allowing elderly and vulnerable resi­ dents to make them secure and safe in their own homes.” Anyone requiring further informa­


tion about the doormats should call PC Wareing on 01200 458711. Our picture shows PC Wareing


with one of the doormats. (B030505/4)


-r.-i.-M! V Pendle Club


BRIDGE winners at the Pendle Club were: Mrs Anne Cooper, Mr Harvey Jackson, Mrs Eileen Had- field, Mrs Eva Velvick.


Mr K. Holding, Mr S. Holden, Mrs M. Holding. Domino results were: 1


Solo whist winners were:


( jo in t), Mrs M. Davies and G. Berry; 3, Mrs V. Giles; ,4 (joint), Mrs M. Tomlinson, Mrs R. Kid­ die, Mrs H. Simpson. ■ Sequence dancing is held


every Tuesday at 7-30 p.m. and line dancing every Thursday at 1-30 p.m.


Bridge results


WINNERS on Monday at Clitheroe Bridge Club


;were: N/S Mr and Mrs R. Atkinson, Mr D. Mor­ timer and Mrs B. Wilson; E/W Mr C. Pollard and Mrs S.'Johnson, Mrs I. Park and Mr B. Guha. On Thursday, winners


were: N/S Mr C. Pollard and Mrs M. Lawley, Mr J. Pawlicki and Mr B. Guha; E/W Mrs B. Wilson and Mr J. Renton, Mr G. Wharfe and Mrs R. Spencer.


WMJ CPRE meeting


THE Campaign to Pro­ tect Rural England’s Rib­ ble Valley District Group w'ill hold its next meeting on Thursday, May 12th. It will take place at Mit-


ton Hall Country House Hotel’s Conference Room at 7-30 p.m.


Cycle stolen


THIEVES rode off on a black and blue pedal cycle from outside Woohvorths in Clitheroe. The Carrera mountain


bike, worth £100, was left insecure outside the busy store in Castle Street when the offenders struck at 2 p.ra. on Saturday.


For the result from the


Ribble Valley


constituency in today’s General Election, log on to the Glitheroe Advertiser and


Times website at:


. www.ciitheroe today.co.uk


By Julie Magee


HUNDREDS of con­ cerned Ribble Valley voters have been bom­ barding the council with calls after not receiving their polling cards. Less than 24 hours


before this year’s General and County Council Elec­ tion, the cards had still not been delivered to a large number of residents in Clitheroe and surrounding villages. As the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times went to press, council staff were delivering some of the cards by hand. In the run-up to an elec­


tion, everyone listed on the electoral register receives a polling card. Although there is no legal require­ ment to produce this card, many people still think they must, while others rely on it to tell them where and when to vote. Ribble Valley Coun.


Michael Ranson, who is also an agent for Clitheroe Conservative Party, said


he had received around 200 phone calls from concerned residents during the past week over the issue. “I had 22 messages on


the answerphone one night - 90% of which were about this,” he commented. “Some people think they need the card to vote, while others are concerned they are not on the electoral reg­ ister. Elderly people and people new to the area who might not know where their polling station is have also been worried.” One such concerned resi­


dent, who lives at River Lea Gardens, Clitheroe, contacted us about the matter. She said the council had


informed her that many of the polling cards had been posted first-class on Fri­ day, while others would be hand delivered from Tues­ day onwards. “It seems a bit late, and


that Ribble Valley Bor­ ough Council has been a bit slow off the mark. Also, is hand delivery cost effec­ tive?” she asked. I t seems other local


voters’ electoral numbers and their nearest polling station. "People do not need


them to vote, but neverthe-. less we are confident they Mil all have been delivered


' by Thursday.” He added: “There is no


V V i , . v


statutory deadline for the delivery of poll cards. Rib­ ble Valley Council is not the only local authority to hand-deliver the cards. In fact, the majority of local authorities do so.” Mr Timson denied there


had been any problems with printing the cards and said they were being deliv­ ered as planned. Meanwhile, council


authorities have npt felt the same pressure as Rib­ ble Valley Borough Coun­ cil to deliver the cards. Burnley Borough Coun­


cil officers set themselves a provisional deadline of April 22nd and confirmed on Tuesday that all the cards had been sent out. Craven District Council,


which deals with an area almost twice as big as Rib­


ble Valley Borough Coun­ cil (450 square miles in total) and has a similar population to the Ribble Valley at around 54,000, met the deadline it set too - delivering all its polling cards by April 20th. Ribble Valley’s legal


director, Paul Timson, said: “Local authorities have a statutory duty to issue polling cards detailing


leader John Hill praised council officers who have been working flat out to hand-deliver the polling cards by Thursday. “There really is nothing


to worry about. People don’t need polling cards to vote, although council offi­ cers have been working round-the-clock to ensure they are delivered by elec­ tion day. .


0


4-


The Clitheroe vertiser and 1 imes utwero Thursday, May 5thi 2005 No. 10


Fury at thugs’ actions


PAGES ns including Barrow, Billington, Langho, Calderstones and Brockhail www.clitheroetoday.co.uk Price 58p. ■ ■' ■ ■


Scary/: M M time In * village! \ ■


PAGE 14 Residents’ fears at


Heart transplant proves painless!


by Duncan Smith


A HEART transplant has been carried out in the Ribble Valley ... and nobody felt a


thing! The heart in question


was the “heart of the kingdom”, which has been transplanted some 400 metres east of its pre­ vious position. News that the official


Centre of the Kingdom has moved was passed to the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times by Norman Thorpe, footpath officer for Clitheroe Ramblers. According to Ordnance Survey, the Centre of Britain plus its 401 asso­ ciated islands (GB-i-401) was previously at Grid Reference SD 63770 56550, approximately 600 metres west of Whitendale Hanging Stones, on Brown Dyke Moss. But now the Ordnance


Survey website gives the new position of GB-i-401 as Grid Reference SD- 64188.3 56541.43 - some seven kilometres north west of Dunsop Bridge, on Whitendale Hanging Stones, and about 400 metres further east of the previous position.


So how could the cen­


tre move, you might ask? Perhaps if a bit dropped off the edge - maybe one of those 401 islands erod­ ed away by the battering sea - the centre would shift? But the answer, it


seems, is far less exciting. It is simply that new and more accurate technolo­ gy has allowed Ordnance Survey to revise its calcu­ lations, leading to slight shifts in a number of key locations. Also on the move in the


Ribble Valley are: • the centre of Great


Britain mainland only, now at Grid Reference SD 72321.72 36671.1. This spot has jumped parish from Little Mitton to Whalley and is now at Nethertown, about 350 metres due west of the bridge taking the A59 bypass over Mitton Road. • The centre of Great


Britain plus its seven major islands (Isle of


.Wight, Anglesey, Arran, Mull, Jura, Islay and Skye), now at Grid Refer­ ence SD 68123.7 41406.29. This point lies on the eastern edge of Longridge Fell, 1.5 km. south east of Walker Fold


• continued on page.


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