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TbeClitheroe Thursday, July 20th, 2006


Down Your Way


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rp dvertiser and 1 imes No. 6,260 news and views from the Centre of the Kingdom www.cIitherqetoday.co.uk Price 60p n


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PAGES 24 and 25 PAGE 9


Ultraframe: we will stay in town


_______by Julie Magee_______


ULTRAFRAME’S new owner, double glazing multi-millionnaire Brian Kennedy, this week con­ firmed he is committed to keep­ ing the company’s operations in Clitheroe. Mr Kennedy (46), whose firm,


Latium Holdings, bought Ultra­ frame for around £29.3m. last week, told the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times: “The worst thing we could do for the business is to close Clitheroe.’’ He added: “Our first priority is to


turn the business around and do whatever we have to do to make it profitable again. “They’ll be necessary revolution­


ary changes, but certainly one of these would not be closing down Clitheroe.’’ Rumours have been rife th a t


Ultraframe’s Clitheroe headquarters at Salthill Road would be closed and sold off for housing following its sale to Latium Holdings, which is owned


by Mr Kennedy and accountant Mr Stuart Lees. Fears of impending redundancies


have also been raised along with pre­ dictions that Ultraframe’s UK man­ ufacture will be transferred to one of Latium’s other businesses, Wendland Roof Solutions, based in Chel­ tenham with Ultraframe continuing as a brand name only. However, the Sale Sharks rugby


team owner, scoffed at the rumoiu^, commenting: “We are looking to put more manufacturing into Clitheroe and to make Ultraframe more prof­ itable. “We will do everything we have to


do to ensure Ultraframe survives. “If that means cutting our manu­


facturing costs, that’s what we’ll do, but it’s far too early to talk about redundancies.” The company will continue to be


run by Ultraframe UK under its existing management team led by managing director Vanda Murray, who will be working closely with Mr Lees. Mr Kennedy, who has visited the


Clitheroe site several times, added that his role was as the investor, and he would be investing and relying on his management team at Ultraframe to run operations. Speaking just before he was due to


jet off to visit the management team at Ultraframe’s American arm. Four Seasons, yesterday, he added that the heady days of Ultraframe’s huge profits under founder John Lancaster were unrealistic in today’s market­ place. “I t was a unique position when


John Lancaster was at the helm, with Ultraframe having a monopoly in the market. Profits were ridicu­ lously high, that will never return, i t ’s the law of economics,” he explained. “If Ultraframe had carried on like


it was, it would have imploded and gone bust following the same rocky road as MG Rovers. “We’ll do our utmost to turn the


company around from a loss making business to a profitable business to secure jobs and future jobs.” • As I See It - page 6


We will do everything we have to do to ensure Ultraframe survives.. -


new owner FIRST-EVER W EEKEND DA TE FOR ROA


PIN badges promoting the Clitheroe Castle Heritage Scheme will be on sale throughout the town from next week. The smart enamel badges feature a winning design by 12-year-old Justine Porter, a pupil at Bowland High School, together with the “Keepers of the Castle” logo. Each badge sold - with a suggested


donation of £1 - will boost the appeal to fund the ambitious project to make Clitheroe Castle and Museum a major tourist attraction for the 21st Century. The appeal is spearheaded by Ribble Valley Borough Council, which still needs to raise around £500,000 as the community’s contribution to the £3.2m. scheme.


YL LANCASHIRE SHOW - TW


Show your support for Gastle The pin badges, which could become


future collectors’ items, are already selling well at Clitheroe Tourist Infor­ mation Centre and the Castle Muse­ um and from next week they will be available from a wide variety of local shops, including the Clitheroe Adver­ tiser and Times. A total of 2,500 have been produced


so far, but more could be ordered if they sell-out. Our picture shows council staff, from


the left, Melissa Watts, Theresa Rob­ son, Rebecca Kay, Rebecca Midgley and Adele Curtis sporting their badges and Keepers of the Castle collecting boxes (CR180706/5) and, inset, a close-up of the pin badge.


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