4 Clitheroe Advertiser STimes, Thursday, July 14lh, 2005
www.clitheroetoday.co.uk
Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified)
Clitheroe-422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley422331 (Classified)
www.clitheroetoday.co.uk
Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, July 14th, 2005 = -3 Letters to the Editor - \ Write to: The Editor, Clilheroc Advcrliser and Times, 3 King Street, Clilhcroc BB72EW Edilorial c-mail:
vivicn.niealh@casHanceno'
Vs.eo.uk Needs of area
were ignored RESIDENTS of Rowland from all walks of life will be delighted by the demise of the proposal to build a visitor centre in the For est of Rowland. The intense local opposition
to the scheme should have come as no great surprise to the bureaucrats of County Hall. They chose to pursue their
own agenda -ivithout any mean ingful preliminary consultation with local communities or busi ness interests. The results of the survey car
ried out by Rowles Green Ltd in 2003 (commissioned at great expense by Lancashire County Council) showed that the over whelming majority of visitors enjoyed, above all else, the peace and tranquillity of the area. They now know the opinions
of local residents and business interests and must accept the comprehensive rejection of this grandiose scheme. The whole exercise, financed
by huge amounts of public money, has failed to recognise the real needs of the area and has been a public relations fias co on the part of Lancashire County Council. The scheme was essentially a
property development in unspoilt countryside and more over, in an architectural style totally alien to Rowland. Let us hope that Lancashire County Council now realises that the
residents of Rowland will not stand by and allow their coun tryside to be destroyed in this way.
ALLAN HEYES, Reck House, Tosside
We face a local
housing crisis THE situation that developed in Tosside when a person was granted a place of residence above those living in that village was reported recently. The issue of fairness is of
some concern to those like myself who are on the waiting list for homes. Having been on the council
list for well over a year now - a single person who wishes to be accommodated in a suitable home or flat in the area he was born and raised, like so many others unfortunate enough to be unable to afford either the rental rates or, indeed, the scandalous cost of housing due to its post code popularity and popular aspects etc - I have concerns now regarding who local homes are being allocated to. Unless you have a child or
family it seems you cannot have priority status. As demonstrat ed in Tosside, there is something wrong. I, like many in the region still
on the housing list, wonder when we will ever be housed. I am aware of the alleged housing
Your letters. . .
• The Ediior welcomes letters on any subject, but correspondents arc reminded that contributions may be edited or condensed, must not exceed 3,50 words and should reach us by noon on Tuesday. Letters with noms de plume arc now only accepted for publication if the ediior agrees llial there is a valid reason for the writer's identity to
be withheld. Letters can be sent by post to the Clilheroe Advertiser and Times, 3
King Street, Clilheroe BBT 2EW, via e-mail to
vivien.mealh@eastlanc-
snews.co.uk, via fax to 01200 4434G7 or texted to 07799G9G-M7. Letters submitted by any of these methods must, liowevcr, include the writer’s name and full postal address.
shortage, but that is not the fault of those on the list. I have very grave concerns
about the fairness of allocation and the system itself. How many other cases have gone unnoticed or unreported where housing has gone to people from outside the area with no ties or family here? I also discovered recently
tha t Kibble Valley Rorough Council is to hand over its run ning of the housing lists and current accommodation to a private housing company or group. Exactly where will that leave those on the lists? I have not been notified of this change in writing, nor I imagine has anyone else. These are real wor ries for some I would imagine - will it make our situations bet ter or worse? Our local MP seems even less
interested in the state of local housing by not offering his sup port to this crisis - and it is a crisis. One day no local people will live here as they will either have passed away or will have been forced to move outside the area that is theirs by rights to live in.
STILL WAITING! Name and address wilheld
In the pink
thanks to you! WE would be delighted if we could offer a rather large “thank-you” via your letters page. Many of you will have
seen/heard the coverage offered by the local media on our recently launched charity part nership with Rreast Cancer Campaign. Our "In the Pink" candle is now dedicated to rais ing funds for their vital research into preventing or cur ing this terrible disease. These campaigns do not
stand on their own two feet - they rely entirely on members of the public becoming involved and seeing an opportunity to join with us in raising funds. The "In the Pink" campaign went live this weekend and will continue to run for a full twelve months. Due to your incredible support, we have already sold 6,500 candles, which has so far raised £12,000 for Rreast Can cer Campaign. Thank you for taking the
Lots of
bargains from £1.99
Sale offers var/ at ether Daby Factofy Shops. • Salt ends 3lst July 2005. .
DENBY FACTORY SHOP BOUNDARY MILL Burnley Road, Colne, Lancashire. Tel: 01282 865229
time to visit us, or one of our stockists, and for joining us in this campaign. We clearly could not run it without you. With many thanks
CHERYL HOOK, Melt, Badiridge Farm, Twitter Lane, Wacldinglon
Grateful for
your support CLITHEROE and District Girl Guidos would like to say a huge thank-you for all who helped and .supported our street
party to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. We would especially like to
thank the ladies and gentlemen who came along and shared their wartime experiences with us, St John Ambulance for their first aid support and for dress ing up in 1940s uniform. Com munity Police Support Officer Mark Dixon for showing us all his WW2 memorabilia and entering into the spirit of the occasion, Nicola Howarth for fantastic catering, and to every one who gave up their precious Saturday to make the event a success. You may also like to know
that we have been granted an award from Home Front Recall (the lottery) to help with costs of the event. Thank you every one!
MICHELLE SMITH, Rainbow Guidcr, Clitheroe and District Girl Guides
What about my
human rights? WE are always reading in the press, seeing it on TV and hear ing on the radio about various nationalities including prison ers of HM Government who have gone to the European Court about their human rights. I must ask the question: Do I
have any human rights and can I go to the European Court for having my peace destroyed? I have just returned from
Rerkshire where a group of Irish travellers on two occasions in the space of three hours, invaded my lakeside haven, ( a private estate) destroying my quiet solitude. The local wildlife, especially the cygnets and Munjac deer were dis tressed by the behaviour of these people. After a long con frontation with them I eventu ally managed to eject both groups. Of course they left behind a pile of rubbish which I had to clean away. Most were under the influence of drink, but this didn't stop them driv ing off in four-wheel drive vehi cles. I stayed on the lake for the rest of the night, but decided I didn't want my blood pressure to rise any more and left for the peace and quiet of home. Is it not time we stopped these peo ple from invading our country side and claiming benefits. They are not fleeing persecu tion.
.MARTIN .lAMES, Kingfislicr, Griiullolmi
Dog thieves: a
little advice THERE have been so many reports in the newspapers of dogs being stolen recently that 1 wanted to give your readers some advice on how to beat the dog thieves.
Sadly, all too often we hear of
pedigree and crossbreed dogs being stolen; for breeding, for hunting, for selling on to unsuspecting members of the public, held for ransom and worst of all, for use by dog fighting rings. Only last week a young Staffordshire Rull Terri er called Lennox was stolen from one of our Rehoming Centres. It is estimated that up to
50,000 dogs may be stolen in the UK every year. I t can be very difficult to get your dog back if he or she is stolen, so prevention is definitely better
than cure. Here are a few steps you can
take to help ensure your dog's
safety: 6 Have your dog micro-
chipped. Dogs Trust offers reduced price microchipping, please contact us for more information. Alternatively (or additionally), get your dog ear-tattooed. 0 Make sure your dog has a
collar and tag with your name and address on it. This is a legal requirement anyway. Also include contact telephone numbers. 6 If your dog has been
neutered (which may put off certain types of thieves - espe cially if your dog is a pure- breed or pedigree) have a tag made which states this. You may also want to state if your dog is microchipped. ® Never tie your dog up out
side a shop and leave him - this is one of the easiest places for your dog to be stolen from. 9 Never leave your dog
alone in a parked car for the same reason as above. Remem ber also that dogs can die in hot cars very easily. 0 Re ware of strangers tak
ing too'much of an interest in your dog. 9 Don't let your dog go out
of your sight on walks. Consid er using an extending lead, do some extra recall training, or actively play and interact with your dog on walks if he is like ly to wander too far away. Vary your walk routes and times. ® Make sure your garden
fencing is secure and high enough. 0 Keep your dog in view
when in the garden. Avoid leaving your dog in your gar den when you're not there. ® If the public have easy
access to your garden via a gate, consider adding a warn ing system, such as a cowbell, to let you know when tres passers enter. ® Keep clear, up-to-date
photographs of your dog; from different angles, head and full body shots. Make a list of any unusual or distinguishing marks.
If the unthinkable happens
and your dog is stolen, report this to the police and then con tact your local dog warden. There are also groups such as Doglost
www.doglost.co.uk
and Petsearch UK
www.pet-
searchuk.org.uk that can also help you trace your pet, and if your dog has pet insurance, your policy may cover the expenses of looking for your pet. I do hope this advice will be
useful to all dog owners out there and we can help keep man's best friend where he belongs - safe and sound.
VICTORIA HORSLEY, Dogs Trust Information Officer. (
www.dogsfrust.org.ukj
Wonderful walk
for good cause THE Meningitis Trust, the UK’s leading meningitis chan ty is calling for people from the North West to join us on Sun day, July 31st 2005 for a Sun day afternoon sponsored walk across the sands at Morecambe Ray, a trip described by many as one of the world’s most won derful journeys. I t ’s only possible to walk
across Morecambe Ray a lew times a year because the path is usually obstructed by tlie sea. but on July 31st, weather per mitting, we will have enough time to finish the eight-mile route before the tide comes in. Escorted by Cedric Robinson
- the Queen’s Guide to the Sands - who will use his knowl edge of the area to lead our walkers safely across the estu ary, we should have a fantastic time. The Morecambe cross bay walk is being partly organ ised by Grange-over-Sands Tourist Information Manger, Tracey Ingram. Tracey under stands only too well the devas tating effects meningitis can have, after catching meningo coccal meningitis hersell m 2002. Fortunately, Tracey has
made a good recovery, but the disease did leave her deaf in one ear. She says: “Ry taking part in the cross-bay walk and rais- ,ing sponsorship money for the p charity you will be enabling the ® Meningitis Trust to educate the public and health profes sional on the dangers of menin gitis as well as allowing it to provide care and support for the thousands of people every year who are affected by menin gitis.” The walk starts at the Arn-
side Promenade at 2-15 p.m. on Sundays July 31st and arrives at Kents Bank Station, Grango-over-Sands at approxi
mately 5-30 p.m. Registration costs £5 for
adults, £2 for kids and just £1
for canine companions. We ask tha t participants
raise as much sponsorship money as they can. CHRISTINE HUGHES,
Meningitis Trust Regional Development Organiser for the Norlli West
IS
PICTURE shows from left to right Stephen Aspin, Gareth Price, Linda Fishie and Spike and Bill Wells (s)
I Happy ending to Spike’s rabbit run! By Julie Magee
THE next time Spike the dog gets wind of a rabbit, he might just “paws for thought” before setting off in chase! For the dog’s last attempt resulted
in five days on the run, a broken toe and a rescue from a ledge with a 30- feet drop. The eight-year-old spaniel-collie
cross discovered life without his owner was anything but a dog’s life, but thanks to the alertness of two Castle Cement quarry workers, the “tail” has a happy ending. The story began when Spike’s
owner, Linda Filshie, took him for a Sunday evening stroll along the River Ribble. They got to West Bradford ■Bridge when Spike caught wind of a rabbit and ran off, a regular occur rence, but one which normally sees him return shortly aftenvards. This time, however, despite Linda spend ing the best part of the night looking, there was no trace of him. “I was
Cricket enthusiast breached order
A 61-YEAR-OLD Clitheroe man who was said to have encouraged “thousands of boys” to play cricket has plead ed guilty to breaching a sex offender order. Blackburn magistrates heard
th a t an order made in March banned John Gidlow from commu nicating with boys under the age of 16.
He was seen by an off-duty police
man at a Ribblesdale Wanderers match talking to a 14-year-old boy. Subsequent inquiries revealed
that he had written to and tele phoned a 15-year-old boy and pros ecutor Clare Fanning said one of the phone calls included discussion about masturbation. Gidlow, of Chatburn Road,
Clitheroe, pleaded guilty to three breaches of the order. No plea was entered to a fourth charge which was adjourned until tomorrow and the district judge dealing with the case refused to allow Gidlow bail in the meantime.
Claire Fanning (prosecuting),
said Gidlow had been sent to prison in 1985 for indecent assaults on boys. The sex offender order had been sought by the police because of their concerns about his more recent behaviour. She said under the terms of the
order Gidlow was specifically allowed to attend Ribblesdale Wan derers cricket club, but he was not allowed to have any unsupervised contact with youngsters. He was seen talking to the 14-
year-old boy for 40 minutes. Richard Prew (defending), said
the order had been imposed by Hyndburn magistrates following a four-day contested hearing. “It comes down to his love of
cricket rather than his love of young boys,” said Mr Prew. He said Gidlow had been
involved with Ribblesdale Wander ers for 15 years. “For many of those years he had
been involved in the coaching of young men, probably 3,000 of them and in all that time there were no
allegations of a sexual nature,” said Mr Prew. “He came to the atten tion of the police when he moved his allegiance to Clitheroe Cricket Club.” He said that after the hearing at
Hyndburn the district judge who heard the case decided that an act of grooming had taken place and imposed the order. “Despite th a t my client was
allowed to continue watching Rib blesdale Wanderers,” said Mr Prew. On the day of the incident Gid
low had been talking to two adults when the boy joined them. The adults left and (Jidlow was left with the boy in full view of everyone. “He didn’t want to walk away
and appear rude.” He read a letter from the father
of the boy who received the letters and phone calls in which he said he did not believe his son was at risk. “The communication was about
playing cricket and my client is adamant there was no mention of masturbation,” said Mr Prew.
Threats of violence to police
and fire-fighters end in court A CLITHEROE man threatened fire fighters and police with a knife and a hammer during a stand-off at his
Clitheroe home. Blackburn magistrates heard that Michael Richards (39), initially refused to allow fire officers into his yard to extin guish a fire he had started in an oil drum.
. He told one he would “cut his head off” and when police arrived he retreated inside and refused to open the door. A second fire was started half-an-hour
later and this time, Richards leaned out of a bedroom window brandishing a knife and a hammer. He claimed to have a loaded gun and
said he would kill the first officer who ramp into hi.s house.
Eddie Harris (prosecuting), said the
stand-off came to an end when Richards leaned out of a downstairs window and an officer was able to grab his arm. Richards, of Brownlow Street, pleaded
guilty to affray and was committed in custody to Preston Crown Court for sen
tence. Andrew Church-Taylor (defending)
said that whatever threats had been made towards the fire officers and the police there had been no attempt to carry them out. “There was no gun in the house,” said
Mr Church-Taylor. “There are mental health issues in this case and these are behind this incident rather than any malevolent intent towards the police.”
Pink Floyd
tribute concert RE-FORMED for Live 8, interest in Pink Floyd is current ly high. Now local residents can sample the music first hand during a performance by a leading Pink Floyd tribute band in the Castle Grounds on August 6th. The borough coun
cil’s Community Committee has agreed to a request to stage the evening event, with the band stand and surround ing area closed. More details next week.
absolutely distraught,” said Linda (24), of West Bradford. “I had posters made up and spent the next three days looking everywhere for him but without any joy. I thought I’d lost him for good.” Fortunately for Linda, and Spike,
one of the posters had been put up at Castle Cement’s Ribblesdale works and on the Thursday, eagle-eyed quarry worker Stephen Aspin, spot ted a dog in the quarry. “I had just finished work and was
in the canteen when I saw a dog quite a long way in the distance. At first I thought it was a puppy. Me and a colleague, Bill Wells, got in a Land- Rover and headed off in the direction of the dog. As we approached the dog it started growling and then ran off. It jumped in a lagoon, swam to the other side and started walking along a ledge,” said Stephen. At this point Stephen and Bill
returned to the main office. They remembered seeing a lost dog poster and, when they checked, realised the dog in the quarry was Spike. They
phoned Myerscough vets where Linda works. She was not there at the time, but two colleagues who knew Spike said they would come go the quarry. When they arrived, they were
given hard hats and high visibility vests and taken off to where Spike was last seen. By now, the adventure hound had manoeuvred himself on to a ledge with a 30-foot drop into the quarry below. The challenge was to coax Spike back before the ledge ran out. Fortunately, Spike knew Linda’s colleagues and eventually he was cajoled to join them. Linda added: “He looked a bit
dishevelled, but apart from a broken toe, was OK after a good meal and rest. I can’t thank Stephen and Bill enough for their help.” The rescuers declined the reward
money, so Linda is donating it to the local dog rescue home from where she acquired Spike two years ago. Instead, Stephen and Bill gratefully accepted a crate of beer Linda sent to them.
Parking refund system to be reviev/ed
THE removal of the parking refund system for users of Roefield Leisure Centre and Ribblesdale Pool is to be re-assessed in six months. Members of the borough council’s Community Committee agreed to review
the system in 12 months, with an interim assessment in six, to consider attendance, income etc. Full story - read next week’s Clitheroe Advertiser and Times.
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