Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) 4 Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, March 10th, 2005w Plea for pictures of
the area’s old mills DO you recall the days when mills provided employment in Billington and Whalley or, more to the point, do you have pictures of those days? If so, then two friends who have set up a
new computer website want to hear from you.
ated the new website, now live on the inter net. You can find it at the following web site:
www.webspawner.com./users/magstwist/ However, they would love to include more
photographs of the area’s past and are appealing for anyone with photographs of the old mills, shops and street scenes to get in touch. Any items loaned to them will be returned
and you can telephone Margaret on 01254 823754.
Margaret Twist and Gail Lyon have cre
www.clitheroetoday.co.uk Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) Club’s new lease of life
A NEW lease of life h a s been given to Whalley Cricket Club thanks to a three-year sponsor ship deal by officials a t The Three Fishes in Mitton. Budding Ian Bothams and Darren
Goughs will now able to nurture their talent in style at the over 125-year-old club, situated at Station Road, Whal ley, near the tennis club and bowling green. The club is renowned for staging
the first Roses Match in 1867, and has embarked on the road to achiev ing Sport England’s Clubmark status. The sponsorship deal means excit
ing plans are afoot to improve and develop Whalley Cricket Club over the coming seasons. The Three Fishes - which is an
m m m m W ^ M - p i niiliiiilll Thursday! M is s it, miss out!
associated company of the highly renowned Northcote Manor - is fully committed to helping the develop ment of junior and youth activities in the local community and feels that it is essential that good sporting facili ties are available. Commenting on the new initiative,
Ribble Valley resident and managing director of The Three Fishes, Mr Craig Bancroft, said: “We are delight ed to have the opportunity to assist in raising the profile of Whalley Cricket Club by offering financial support, helping with fund-raising events and encouraging new members of all ages to join such an enthusiastic club. “We very much looking forward to
a tremendous season for Whalley and hope that our support will benefit both the club, its members and the
community of Whalley as a whole.” Similar views have been expressed
by Mr David Westwood, chairman of Whalley Cricket Club, who feels the sponsorship deal will help the club go from strength to strength. He commented: “This is a major
step forward for the cricket club. “We are extremely lucky to have
found a locally based sponsor whose ambitions mirror ours - namely the development of local facilities for the community. “I look forward to working with the
The Three Fishes over the next three years to everyone’s mutual benefit.” Also pleased with the announce
ment of the deal is villager and bor ough councillor, Coun. Joyce Holgate. She claims the club will encourage young people to take part in sports and keep them off the streets of the village - hence out of trouble. She added: “I feel this is the right
way forward. Whalley lacks sporting facilities and this deal will mean more money for the club - hence will encourage more people to become members and take part in sports that they enjoy. “I t will also reduce anti-social
behaviour in the village and keep young people off the streets.” The club has 12 committee mem
bers who meet once a month and has four qualified coaches, who are Crim inal Record Bureau checked. This season, the club is planning to
run junior teams at four age groups. These include: Under-11, Under-13, Under-15 and for the first time, Under-18. All the junior sides com-
pete in the Ribblesdale Junior Cricket Club League and, for the first time, Under-11 and Under-13 teams will compete in coloured clothing, which will be available to buy from the club soon. Mr Westwood added the sub stantial amount donated by the spon sors will also improve facilities for
both the members and spectators. He s tated: “We will be buying more equipment for junior members, but on the other hand striving to improve facilities for spectators as well.” Our picture shows Mr Westwood
(left) with Mr Bancroft outside Whalley Cricket Club. (B010305/3)
Police are aiming to improve your quality of life
HELLO and welcome to the first Community Beat Column in your new look Whalley edi tion of the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times. I will be using this space in
mea//i High class, traditional butchers selling:-
• Quality best beef • Pork, lamb, chicken, sausages and burgers • Selection of organic meat • Lakeland Beef (cattle reared in Cumbria) • Friendly Service • Telephone Orders • Free Delivery
Lakeland
d l i s c o i in i : with this advert
/ would like to take this opportunity of thanking Louise and Gary at the Swan Hotel for temporarily using their car park due to roadworks being undertaken.
S. Tyldesley & Son
Quality Butchers Ltd 5 a Accrington Road, Whalley
01254 823399
the coming weeks to update you on the goings on and actions of your local officers and to let you know of any future events that we have planned for the village and the surrounding area. It is my hope that this weekly
feature is as short and brief as often as possible... as the saying goes, no news is good news - especially from a police perspec tive! With your help, we aim to
improve the quality of life for local residents and resolve the issues that are affecting you in your area. If you need to con tact us for advice, assistance or even just a chat about matters that are important to you and your home, you can do this by contacting us on our voicemail service. Please leave a message for PC
p e s o Jason Taylor introduces his new column -
Whalley Beal’
Geoff Pennal on 01200 458727, or for myself on 01200 458772. Please note that these numbers are not for urgent matters and if you require immediate police attention, you should ring: 0845 125 3545 or 999 if it’s an emer gency.
Parking The parking problem in the
village does not appear to be easing and is not being helped by drivers “abandoning” their vehicles whilst they “pop-in” to shops around the village. There is a lot of maintenance
work being undertaken at pre sent so drivers are encouraged to show consideration at this busy time. Please be warned that Fixed
Penalty Notices will be issued to offending vehicles... especial-
ly to those who park in the fol lowing areas!
• In the bus stop on King
Street, outside the paper shop and sandwich shop. • On the yellow lines at the
corner of George Street/King Street junction. • On the junction of King
Street and Accrington Road, next to “The Swan Inn” and “As Times Goes By”. • On George Street, adjacent
to Maureen Cookson and the Spar shop. With regard to George Street, we are currently working with the local council with the aim of erecting bol lards along the edge of the path. Although this will not stop
drivers parking on the yellow lines, i t will ensure th a t the path is kept clear for wheelchair and electric-car users and for parents with pushchairs. Drivers - please show consid eration for pedestrians.
A WEEKLY glimpse through the archives of Whalley Parish Council (with thanks to Whalley resident and parish councillor Eric Ronnan). Following a Government Act, the parish
Blast from the past through Whalley Parish Council archives 1903: Decision taken on footpath across
Clayfield and Smithfield, with a vote showing 144 for and 16 against. 1906: The provision of allotments (now
council was formed on November 5th, 1894. There were 13 candidates put for ward of which seven were chosen following a show of hands. 1899: Permission was sought from a
Whalley landowner for the bridge to Billington, later known as the iron bridge.
a statutary duty) was possible - proposi tion lost by two votes to 23. 1908: Bridge - still waiting for estimate. 1908: September - agreed to levy a rate
of between 3p and 4p for a right of way over the bridge. A new bridge was installed recently and was named Old Sols, but that is another story.
1 F ‘" with p e so Jason Taylor 3v 1.
www.clitheroetoday.co.uk Tributes pour in after death of Mr Leigh Morrissey
N ewspaperman in every sense
by Roy Prenton
LEIGH MORRISSEY was a newspaperman in the truest sense of the word, who had to deal with the greatest of adver sities in the latter stages of his life. Leigh passed away peacefully
on Friday under the wonderful care of staff at Pendleside Hos pice after suffering for three years from the ravaging effects of motor neurone disease. Dur ing those testing times, he had retained not only a magnificent sense of humour and compas sion, but ensured the limited time he had left was not wast ed.
For years, Leigh (62), a for
mer assistant to the editor on the Nelson Leader, Colne Times and Barnoldswick and Earby Times, who eventually moved on to what he described as his "dream job" of editing the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, allied his love for news papers and writing to enjoying life to the full via food, drink, music, films and theatre - it was all about having fun, he would say. He was forced to retire
through ill-health after 16 years of award-winning achievements for this newspaper. When he was eventually diagnosed with the terrible muscle-wasting dis ease a t the age of 59, his life
entered a potentially sad and tragic era. With the devoted care of his
wife, Maureen, and family, Leigh fought a battle he knew he was never going to win, but with that resignation came a determination and spirit which tilled his family and friends with admiration. His spirit was threatened on
many occasions, but never bro ken, and in terrible adversity he remained the perfect host to callers a t his Thornton-in- Craven home. . Medical staff and carers who
had not known Leigh previous ly were also filled with admira tion for the way he and Mau reen dealt with the disease. They, too, have been left with a great sense of loss. Leigh was a proud man and he intended to retain that pride whatever the disease threw at him. During his various talks to
organisations throughout the Ribble Valley he would tell of the time in the 1960s when he met and interviewed the Beat les at Nelson’s Imperial Ball room. The fact that he had his picture taken with the Fab Four, notebook in hand, was, to me, the stuff of legends. 'To Leigh, it was another
piece for his Young Ones col umn which ran in the Nelson Leader series in the sixties. I never forgave him for telling me
they were just a bunch of "cocky Scousers". Unlike the hundreds of others there that night, Leigh was not impressed by the greatest band of all time. He had started work as a
copy boy on the Manchester Evening News and joined the Leader-Times series of newspa pers around 1960. He went on to be chief reporter and assis tant to the then editor, Noel Wild. During his editorship in
Clitheroe, Leigh always vowed to retain and uphold the high est qualities and best traditions of journalism, as well as intro ducing new ideas to the paper, including the award-winning Valley magazine. He believed in "evolution, not revolution", and, following this, he ensured that the sales of the newpaper grew each year. Actively involved in the
between the newspaper and the Ribble Valley Chamber of Trade, and also actively sup ported the reopening of the Ribble Valley railway line. Leigh was the force behind
the Ribble Valley Explorer, the tourism newspaper which is now distributed throughout the country and abroad extolling
Sham Mayor of Worston chari ty committee, he was a former member of the Rotary Club of Clitheroe. He encouraged relationships
the virtues of the Ribble Valley in conjunction with the bor ough council. Ribble Valley MP Nigel
Evans paid tribute, saying: "I am so sorry to learn of Leigh's death. He was such a tremen dous and enthusiastic person. He took our newspaper to new heights and ensured th a t i t remained loyal to its readership. We will all miss Leigh’s humour and dedication - his smile was infectious and his warmth all- pervading." Leigh regarded himself, proudly, as being from the old school of journalism, and sought to instill these qualities into present-day staff and new recruits. He was always sought out if a piece of management or advertising copy needed check ing for spelling and punctuation and was highly respected by fel
I owe so much to his patience
REFUSED official permission to join the Normandy landings, celebrated war corre spondent Martha Gellhom tricked an offi cial into letting her board a hospital ship, then locked herself in the vessel’s toilet. Unlike her husband, Ernest Hemingway,
who was an accredited reporter for the American magazine. Collier's Weekly, Martha made it to France and filed her dis
patches. On her return to England, howev er, she was promptly arrested by military police and sent to a training camp for nurs- GS.
So it was during the 1990 Gulf War that
I marched into Leigh Morrissey’s office, notebook in one hand, a copy of Martha Gellhorn’s "The Face of War" in the other, proclaiming: “You don’t know me, but I’ve
got your front-page lead. I must not be lost to journalism!” A smiling Leigh set me to work writing up my interview with a Clitheroe oilrig worker who had ju s t escaped war-torn Kuwait and the front page lead was duly mine. The rest, as they say, would have been
advice you'll understand, honest,
1911: Resolved to levy a rate for the cel
ebration of the Coronation, March 27th. Use of the cricket field sought. Bells to be rung.
1917: Parish council notice board
agreed. 1919: Peace celebration. A 2p rate was
rejected (£70) and a subscription list started for the celebration on September 13th.
1922: The council agrees to see if electric lights could be obtained.
i i lK i l i l lU
So give us a call. Geoffrey Isherwood is now located at the Preston office on 01772 220022
Ribchester House, Lancaster Rd, Preston .Tel: 01772 220022 ^ ^ ^ ^ Gothic House, St James St, Accrington Tel: 01254 872111 13-15 Cannon Street, Accrington Tel: 01254 872111 T
73 Northgate, Blackburn Tel: 01254 580000 • Offices also in Chorley& Leeds
I O r D C S S O l (G IC O fS .
www.forbessolicitors.co.uk
Free Legal Advice Every Saturday Mqriiing;
_________________ lage than merely how to chase fire e n g in e s .L e ig h called me into his office on many a Friday afternoon, when after much heated discussion! would emerge with a list of people I “might consider apologising to.” Thanks to his
history, were it not for the fact that I subse quently learned more under Leigh’s tute-
- \~r '' T '-->^>5’
At Forbes we believe, in friendly and straight forward legal advice. Whether you’re buying a house or settling a divorce, we practice the law but we won’t preach to you.
patience (and how I stretched it!), I not only became an aw a rd -w in n in g journalist, but more of a human being than I ever thought possible. In my book, th a t ’s defi nitely something to write home about. Theresa Robson,
Corporate commu nications officer, Ribble Valley
Borough Council . . J
low journalists, and newspaper staff and management in gener al.
He has been sorely missed by
colleagues at East Lancashire Newspapers since his enforced retirement, and they now mourn his passing with great sadness, but delight at the happy times they shared with him. Leigh leaves his wife, three
children, Paul, Paula and Emma, son-in-law Phil, daugh ter-in-law Sabine, and four grandchildren, Rebecca, Pas cal, Amelia and Eleanor. The funeral will take place on Tuesday. A service to celebrate Leigh’s life will be held at St Peter’s Church, Stonyhurst College, at 10-30 a.m., followed by cremation at Skipton. • "We will miss him". As I
See It, page 8. M 'I®'. ■ n I ft?'
Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, March 10th, 2005 5
Newspaper his epitaph
LEIGH MORRISSEY came to be editor of the Clitheroe Adver tiser and Times some 16 years ago. Although he still lived the other
side of the hill, he felt th a t he needed to be local and have that local contact with the Advertiser and Times’ readers. He addressed this by making the newspaper a very active and supportive mem ber of the Clitheroe and District Chamber of Trade. He also accepted an invitation
to become a member of The Rotary Club of Clitheroe. In both organisations he was a valuable and contributing member, using his expertise for Clitheroe events. However changes in the media
world meant that, editorial and commercial demands of centrali sation took over his life, meaning he spent less and less time at his desk in Clitheroe and, in conse quence, more remote from the Clitheroe people. I know he did not like or agree with this, but that had become the job. As a result of these changes,
Leigh felt he could no longer fulfil his commitments to Rotary and sadly resigned, a loss to Rotary. Over the years I have had many
contacts with Leigh through Rotary, Chamber of Trade, Town Crying, and the Trinity Methodist Church when acting as their press officers. In all those years he was always professional, whilst being a good friend. He will be missed, but to use that well- kno\vn quote, "the good that men do lives after them". His epitaph is the thousands of
words put together week by week, which is The Advertiser and Times.
y o u r f r e e d o n n withmobility
• adjustable beds 7 • rise/reejine chairs • helpful appliances for the home
• scooters • wheelchairs • bathlifts ' • walkers
Roland Hailwood
[Approved S
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