Thursday, June 16th,'2005 ' No. 6,204 news and views from^tHe CentVeiof the King^dom the Ribble Valley


‘ a.. PAGE 9 can’t get wetter tMan a quick, fit vicar!


UNSEASONAL down­ pours failed to dampen the spirits of a superfit Clitherbe vicar who has been tacking a spon­ sored 60-mile charity walk in just two days. The Rev. Rodney


Nicholson, of St Paul’s Church, Low Moor, pulled on his walking boots on Monday and has managed to raise £500 for Christian Aid. .His 60-mile charity


trek coincided'with the energetic clergyman’s 60th birthday this month and he could not think of a better way of celebrating it than walking 60 miles. The Clitheroe Adver­


tiser and Times spoke him on day two of his journey, in Keighley. He said; “I am enjoy­


ing the walk very much. On Monday I set off walking from Barrow-


ford at .6-45 a.m. and walked through Burnley and Black­ burn, which completed the first 30 miles..


: , “On Tuesday, my son Richard, drove


me to East ;Marton and I began walk­ ing at 7 a.m. I walked through Skipton and Silsden and I am now in Keighley , - five miles away from Bingley Five Rise Locks.” '


' , : The kind-hearted cleric, who is also


priest-in^charge of the churches at Chatburn and Downham, said he did­ n’t mind getting drenched. Anyone wishing to sponsor Mr Nicholson can do so by calling 01200 458019. • See next week’s Clitheroe Advertis­


er to find out if Mr Nicholson complet- ed his 60-mile challenge.


I . w By Faiza Afzaal


LOCAL Muslim leaders have identified two new s ites in Clitheroe as potential places for a mosque. Ribble Valley Borough Council chiefs have worked closely with


. Clitheroe’s Muslim community to identify the two potential sites - but the locations are being kept under wraps for now. The move has been welcomed by


Mr Sheraz Arshad, spokesman of the Medina Islamic Education Centre in Holden Street. He has vowed to continue Mth the


local Muslims’ fight to establish a mosque in the town after council chiefs quashed their latest bid to build one at the former council depot on Kirkmoor Road last November. Since then, Mr Arshad, along with


the centre’s secretary, Mr Farouk Hussain, and council officials have been working tirelessly to find a suit­ able site for development. This week Mr Arshad confirmed


that two sites had been identified and he is hopeful that at least one of them will be a solution to the long- running worship dispute. “At this stage I cannot reveal the


exact location of the, sites, but I can confirm that two sites in Clitheroe


have been identified,” he commented. “Farouk and I, along with the


council, have spent a great deal of time since November looking at var­ ious places. ■ “Any decision made on the sale of


land is conditional on planning issues, therefore, when searching, we have borne in mind traffic issues, noise disturbance and financial implications that have jeopardised plans in the past. “We are hopeful that there will not


be any planning issues with the sites found and I feei Muslims will finally be able to undertake prayers in their home town.” The establishment of a mosque in


the town has won the backing of Rib­ ble Valley MP Nigel Evans, who


- praised Ribble Valley council for the help it has provided so far. Earlier this week he said: “I hope


an appropriate site at some stage is found in order that Muslims are able to have the same right of access to their place of worship as the rest of the community has. “But as in all planning matters, it


must comply with planning regula­ tions and there can be no waiving of any procedures at the planning stage. “In my opinion the local authority


has bent over backwards in giving advice and guidance to the Muslim .community.”


'


- The move has also been welcomed by the borough council’s chief execu­ tive, Mr David Morris, who pledged to work with the Muslim communi­ ty to find a suitable site for the devel­ opment of a mosque. Speaking to the Clitheroe Adver­


tiser and Times, he said: “At times I feel exasperated as to why we cannot resolve the mosque matter and I just hope we can finally resolve the prob­ lem once and for all.” The identification of the sites


comes 12 months after local Muslims were given the go-ahead to use the Ribble Valley Borough Council chamber as a makeshift mosque for Friday prayers. Prior to that, an appeal outlining a


proposal to develop a small piece of land alongside an end terrace in Holden Street, for use as a small mosque, was thrown out by govern­ ment inspectors, having been refused permission by planners in 1998,2000 . and 2002. Mr Arshad added: “Officers at


Ribble Valley have been extremely . professional and helpful and we have had a great deal of support from Mr Morris, who has always been fair and constructive in helping us discuss potential sites. . “I am hopeful that we are now at a stage that we can resolve the mosque . issue having waited for 40 years.”


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