d 5'i.V ,(i'3 V r i i is ‘(,E:c . ‘s Oir,u1 r .HiliT.i' A i,u^ir.£u!iA f joia. l. in 4 Clitheroe Advertiser STimes, Thursday, September 8th, 2005


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o'.eT.l'J '.v.'rv www.clitheroetoday.co.uk Letters to the Editor -I Write lo; The Editor, Clilheroe Adverli-scrand Times, 3 King Street, Clitlieroe BB72EW Editorial e-mail: viricii.meatli(geastlancsnews.co.uk Housing transfer:


KEITH, preparing for his challenge (s) : i


why I resigned THROUGH your columns I would like to clarify the position, as briefly as possible, with regard to my recent resignation from the Conservative Group of Ribble Val­ ley Borough Council and the rea­ sons behind it. Firstly, I believe that the views of


the tenants are most important on this issue and although there is a tenants’ jury of 16 people I do not see how they can speak for all the tenants. It was for this reason that I pro­


This annual challenge aims to help save lives


I AM writing to you to ask your readers to take part in the second annual British Heart Foundation (BHF) Heart of the Kingdom Challenge on Sunday, September 18th, as part of ITV's National Walking Day. ITV's cameras will be filming the walk


which will once again take place in the very Heart of the Kingdom, at Dunsop Bridge, in the beautifully picturesque Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The challenge is a superb way to raise


funds for the BHF, so that they can contin­ ue to fund pioneering research into the caus­ es and treatment of heart disease. I suffered a heart attack five years ago


and had triple bypass surgery in 2002. It was a terrible time for me and my family, but I have worked hard to get fit and regain my strength. Last year I took part in the Heart of the


Kingdom Challenge, which gave me the opportunity to give something back to the BHF and help other sufferers. In all, 156 of us took to the hills in 2004,


to raise money for the BHF and we had a fantastic day out. This year, the challenge route is different, it begins a t Dunsop Bridge again and heads up the valley toward Whitendale Fell, then a t the Salter Fell Road, walkers tvill turn right through Croasdale and the Upper Hodder Valley before returning back to Dunsop Bridge. There is also a four-mile circular route, as well as a four-mile route with wheelchair access. Registration for the event is only £5, but this only covers administration tor the event, so if you could ask your friends and family to sponsor you, hopefully you will raise lots of money for the BHF. And apparently there are some superb


incentive prizes for the highest fund-raisers. If you're interested in joining the chal­


lenge, please contact the BHF Regional Office on 0151 236 6988 or email region7(gbhf.org.uk for a registration form. You can also register online a t bhf.org.uk/events


KEITH, British Heart Foundation supporter


posed at the Housing Committee on July 21st that we send to each tenant the information that we had and the options so that they could decide. After all, the council had the information and was expected to make a decision based on it on August 23rd at the Special Council Meeting and I believe the tenants are capable of making a decision on facts available. We may have had no response, or


only limited returns, but we may, just may, have had a significant response either way and been bet­ ter informed as to the views of the tenants. However, this course was denied


to us due to the pointless and mis­ chievous decision of five Conserva­ tive members who decided to call in the decision of the Housing Com­ mittee, which meant no survey was sent out. Added to this, at a recent meet­


ing of Tory and Lib-Dera council­ lors the Tory group was not pre­ pared to show a united front with the opposition to come up with a strong action plan to fight this ludi­ crous Government policy, which has put us in the position we are in now. The council has already spent


around £150,000 on consultants and to hold an official referendum we must go down the road of trans­ fer and then the cost for this refer­ endum will be somewhere between £150,000 and £300,000 and, more importantly, the sale price of our council houses will be less than £1,000 each. This cannot be acceptable when


-^ ’> 7 H.11 i from ' Riser from 4


so many are in need of low-cost, affordable housing. Social housing is essential to the welfare and well­ being of the community and we should strive to retain our housing stock and fight the legislation, along with the other 70-or-so authorities nationwide who wish to retain their stock. In the Ribble Valley we have


Recliners from the areas leading Mobility Company MUL T ICARE


good-quality housing stock and should not be afraid to wish for retention. I realise there are obvi­ ously implications both financial and otherwise to be considered for retention and transfer, but we have been dealt a stacked deck by the Government and must come up with a way to retain the stock and maintain it over the coming years. Finally, due to my resignation I


have been removed from the Plan­ ning Committee, both as a member and vice-chairman, and, ironically, from the Housing Committee, along with outside bodies of Trini­ ty and Clitheroe the Future, which will make life a little difficult for


me. My punishment was much more severe than I imagined, but I could not give an assurance that I would support the Tory group in all future decisions as it would have been impossible to uphold. In 2007 I will stand as an Inde­


pendent, as I would rather do this and lose than stand under the umbrella of a Conservative Party that has acted as it has over this most important issue.


COUN. IAN BROWN, Chalburn Road, Clithcroe


Charming journey


into family’s past I READ with great interest the let­ ter headed “My memories of Lamb Row” from Doris Brown. All the places she mentions are very familiar to me and my young


' sister, Wendy, who now lives in Perth, Western Australia. We lived at Bramley View, which


I seem to recall was formerly known as Lamb Row, very near the Spread Eagle pub, a favourite haunt of my dad’s. My sister and I attended Barrow


Village School in 1945. Mr and Mrs Clayton from “Wizwell” were head­ master and headmistress a t the time. We rented our house from two


spinster ladies - Misses Polly and Ada Ashcroft - who lived next- door-but-one. They were very strict and kept an eagle eye on us at all times. There was much twitching of


their lace curtains whenever we went out and woe betide us if, in sunny weather, we forgot to hang the sun-blind on the front door. There would be a sharp rap at the


door and an irate Miss Polly demanding that we hang the blind now before the paint started blis­ tering. Our poor Mum was quite intimi­


dated by them. There was Bob Little’s farm, just


behind the Spread Eagle, and always a big attraction for us kids, not to mention all those fields to go


.at. We spent happy days picnick­ ing, fishing and swimming. When it was safe to cross the railway line, we searched and were delighted to find the huge elephant hawkmoth caterpillars, which lived on the wil­ low-herb, and then we would pick the wild strawberries. We were never bored and didn’t


get a television set until I was 13 years old, as not many people had television sets then. I well remem­ ber family members and friends cramming into our little living room in order to watch the Queen’s Coronation. I’m glad the house where I was


born is still there, I often pass it on my way to Clitheroe.


MRS P. SANDERSON, Valley Gardens, Haplon


Happy childhood


memories return I READ with interest and happy memories the letter of August 25th regarding the area known as Lamb


Row between Whalley and Barrow. My grandfather and his two sons


built the garage in question, which was opposite th e Spread Eagle Hotel. My father was one of the sons (W.


Blackburn and Sons) and I spent the early years of my apprentice­ ship working there. There was a mill next door to the


garage, which was a corn mill not a cotton mill (F. Ashcroft and Son). The Spread Eagle and the farm


behind were owned by the brewery and at one time the same family ran both the farm and hotel. The cottages lower down from


here were demolished for the bypass, which was originally planned to go through the garage and cross over Whiteacre Lane and behind the print works, but the plans were changed due to objec­ tions. In those days (early 1950s) there were no houses in Whiteacre Lane after the stone terraced hous­ es until you got to Wiswell village. I was born and lived in Whiteacre


Lane before moving to Blackburn. My grandfather lived in the first terraced house across from the garage. Mr Fred Ashcroft (of Ashcroft


and Son) was proud of the fact that he lived in the only house in Barrow with a bay windowl The house next to the corn mill


was built by Mr Edward Ashcroft and is set back due to the original bypass plans. Oh happy days!


H. BLACKBURN, Grasmere Avenue, Blackburn


A famous piece of


sporting history THE sale of a cricket b a t for £2,400 reported in today’s (nation­ al) Times reminds me that there ought to be a similar, but slightly older bat in the possession of the Clitheroe Cricket Club. The bat in question, made by


Duke and Son, Penshurst, is the subject of a photograph taken by the late Ted Pye. It is inscribed with the signatures


of the England and Australian Test Teams for the season 1924. Most of the names are entirely


legible on the original photograph with the names of Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe being recognis­ able on the English side. On the bat is an adhesive label


which carries the following inscrip­ tion: “To the Clitheroe Crick­ et, Bowling and Tennis Club, Rock House, Clitheroe, Lan­ cashire.” The question


is: where is the bat now? I am told that


the cricket club knows nothing about it.


TONY GOODBODY,


Wadclingfon Road, Clitheroe


A TALENTED Whalley woman with a string of theatrical success­ es behind her has celebrated her 90th birthday.’ Vale House resident’ Mrs


Dorothy Duckworth was fasci­ nated by theatricals from a very


young age. Born in 1915, in Tottington,


Bury, she appeared on stage for the first time at the age of two and gradually became a key' member of the Tottington Ama­ teur Dramatic Society. In her teens, she played


straight and comedy roles and during her time at Bury Stage Society, she even took the starring role in a production of “Waters of


the Moon”. She was renowned as one of the


stalwarts, who worked in every field of amateur theatricals to restore dramatic activity to.the


town. One of her proudest moments


were winning the title role in the Tottington St. Anne’s production of “Miss Hoot of Holland”. She married Albert in 1940 and


the couple moved to Whalley in 1960 where they managed the vil­ lage’s Swan Hotel. A few years later, Mrs Duck­


worth worked as a manageress at the Higher Trapp, Simonstone, before taking up the role of area supervisor for Kenyons Bakery Shop and Butteries until retire­ ment in 1980. Her move to Whalley didn’t


stop her from pursuing her pas­ sion for theatricals. In 1963, she was awarded the


National Operatic and Drama Association long service medal for her services to the community. She also won tour trophies for individual performances at regional festivals.


On retirement, she produced


more than 100 shows for Whalley Primary School including “Pinoc- chio” and “The Wizard of Oz”. In addition, she successfully


carried out the daunting task of designing all the costumes. Mrs Duckworth commemorat­


ed the milestone birthday by hav­ ing two parties. Members of the Whalley


Mothers’ Union gathered to wish her a very happy 90th birthday and a celebratory party was held at her daughter, Carolyn Taylor’s house in Clayton-le-Moors on Sunday for family and close friends. Our picture shows Mrs Duck­


worth cutting her 90th birthday cake with friends and members of the Mothers’ Union, Sylvia Ire­ land, Sheila Pountain, Mary Winifred and Ann Avery. (A010905/2)


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■■if f = . A - m i m


r e f t r i ! i i : . Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) Ciitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) wtww.clitheroetoday.co.uk Thursday, September 8th, 2005 w Clitheroe Advertiser 8:Times,


Long wait is over as drop-in centre opens


by Faiza Afzaal ________


FED-UP young people in Whalley are delighted to finally see the new drop-in centre up and running. Since the official opening in May by for­


mer Blackburn Rovers hero David Dunn, volunteers have experienced delays because of CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) checks. The delay resulted in the youth cafe,


which is in a building that houses Ribble Valley Taxis, to be open only occasionally over the summer. This led to concerns from parents and


youngsters as to why the facility was closed. However, officials at the brand-new com­


munity facility - which has yet to be named - are pleased to announce that the cafe is officially open, allowing youths in the area to “hang o u t” in a safe, fun and friendly place. Open to 11 to 16-year-olds in the Whalley,


Billington and Barrow areas and staffed entirely by volunteers, the premises have been kindly provided by local businessman, Mr Peter Street. I t has been a year since traders joined


forces with the police and identified the need for youngsters to have such a venue. The traders felt there was a decline in facil­


ities for the young people and they were hopeful that the venture would create more opportunities for them. They also felt that this was a way forward


to crack down on the little anti-social behav­ iour in Whalley and something to beat bore­ dom. The project has been spearheaded by


Whalley Community Beat Manager PC Geoff Pennal, together with Mr John Ather­ ton, of Athertons Estate Agents and the Rev. Chris Cheeseman. PC Pennal said: “We have experienced


delays due to the CRB checks. “However, we have had great interest from


local volunteers, who will now run the cafe.” Among other things, the centre is current­


ly equipped with a pool table, audio-visual equipment including a wide-screened televi­ sion, DVD, video and a CD player. Mr Atherton said he was grateful for the


large amount of support from local business­ es and volunteers. He added: “We are extremely pleased that the centre is up and running and there is now


a safe place for local youngsters to meet. “We are currently waiting for the com­


puters to be delivered, when the youth cafe will provide exactly the sort of activities youths have been asking for.” Mr Atherton stressed that the drop-in


centre was not only available to youngsters, but to a number of other organisations. He commented: “The venue will be used


to hold Police and Community Together (PACT) meetings, it will be a place where First Responders can meet and the Christ­ ian youth club as well.” He also thanked all the local organisa­


tions which have supported the project and paid tribute to the hard work of all the vol­ unteers involved. Groups th a t have sup­ ported the project include Whalley Cham­ ber of Trade, Pickwick Committee, Lan­ cashire Constabulary Eastern Division, Ribble Valley Borough Council, churches in Whalley and Clitheroe Round Table. The drop-in centre is open Monday,


Wednesday and Friday between 6 and 9 p.m. and is supervised at all times. If anyone wants to get involved with the


club as a volunteer, they should contact PC Pennal on 01200 458727.


Star of stage celebrates a milestone


FLASHBACK-to the official opening in May by footballer David Dunn, pictured with Whallcy PC Geoff Pennal and pool players Jim and Megan Atherton. (S27050.5/5)


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