4 Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, December 28th, 2006


www.clitheroetoday.co.uk


Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified)


Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified)


vmw.clitheroetoday.co.uk


Ciitheroe Advertiser &Times, Thursday, December 28th, 2006 5 - Write to: The Editor, Clitheroc Advertiser and Times, 3 King Street, Clitheroe BB72EW Editorial e-mail: yivien.mealh@eastlancsnews.co.uk We can look forward to


an enterprising future I AM absolutely delighted at the outcome of last week’s planning application for the place of worship and community partnership centre in Clitheroe. Sheraz Arshad and Farouk Hussain, on behalf


of the Medina Centre, have worked so hard, and with unstinting faith, towards achieving this goal. These are two people of tremendous character


and ability who are a real credit to the town and borough. In achieving their goal in finding a place of


worship for local Muslims they have given Clitheroe and Kibble Valley back its self-respect and they have united local people - Christians, Muslims, Quakers, Buddhists, Jews, atheists and agnostics fighting for and succeeding in win­ ning a just cause. The past few months have seen phenomenal


support in favour of this planning application, as witnessed in feedback to the local press, but particularly by the number of people who turned out in force at the planning committee meeting. There must have been almost 100 people in


the council chamber to witness and support the application. The local Inter-Faith Friendship group should


take credit for gathering a great deal of public support. PYu-thermore, the successful application has succeeded in stirring faith in local democrat­


For news online... www.cIithcroctoday.co.uk


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PUR-R-RFECT!...CHRISTMAS GIFT. A far cry from sleeping off Christmas excess!


WHILE most of us were snooz­ ing off the Christmas pud on Boxing Day, an intrepid Dinck- ey couple were setting out on a month-long 4,000-mile overland


charity adventiu-e. Peter and Julie Turner have


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already exceeded th e ir initial £20,000 fund-raising target for the “Plymouth to Banjul Challenge” and now hope to take the total higher still. The challenge will see them and


other adverturerous “chariteers” driving low-cost vehicles from Ply­


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mouth to Banjul, capital of Gam­ bia, on a limited budget. Peter and Julie have bought a “long-in-the- to o th ” Land Rover for the trip, and named it “The Blackburn Rover”. 'Their long-haul trek will raise


vital funds for Pendlebury Chil­ dren’s Hospital, the Cystic Fibro­ sis Trust and the National Autis­ tic Society - all charities close to their hearts. Their granddaughter, Annabel,


died in Pendlebury when she was 22 months old. The hospital relies on donations


Ex-Mayor on fraud charge


A FORMER mayor of Clitheroe and Ribble Valley borough coun­ cillor has appeared before Black­ burn magistrates charged with benefit fraud. John McGowan (53), of Rib­


ble Way, Low Moor, (ilitheroe, elected to be tried a t Preston Crown Court on a charge of fail­ ing to notify a change of circum­ stances that affected his entitle­ ment to disability living allowance. .The prosecution allege that he was claiming the benefit between 2004 and 2006. During that time they say he was seen playing golf a t Stony- hurst Golf Course, shopping in a supermarket and doing a paper round. The total overpayment claimed by the Department of Works and Pensions is £13,114. The case was adjourned until


March 5th for the preparation of committal papers.


and Peter and Julie have nothing but praise for the way in which the staff cared for Annabel. Another granddaughter, aged


five, suffers from Autistic Spec­ trum Disorder, which basically means that she is unable to express feelings and emotions. Peter said: “The National Autis­


tic Society does a great deal to help children like our granddaugh­ ter and we want to help them as much as possible.” They also chose to support the


Cystic Fibrosis Trust because their 15-year-old goddaughter.


Caroline, suffers from the condi­ tion. Peter added: “We think we are


raising money for three worth­ while charities. “People have been very generous


to date, but we are very keen to raise even more.” Anyone wanting to donate or


follow their journey can do so through a special website: www.theblackburnrover.org A welcome back party is being


held a t Ewood Park on the evening of Saturday, January 27th.


Naturalists’ speaker proves a hit


AN informative and humorous lecture was given to Clitheroe Naturalists by Dr Tim Melling. ■ On what was his third visit to the group. Dr


islands, 24 miles off Lands End. Due to their position and warm climate,


Melling spoke on “Wildlife on Scilly”. He gave a graphic picture of these unique


these islands attract a wide variety of birds, sometime blown off course on their migratory journeys. Flowers bloom throughout the year and are important to the economy. There are five main islands, many islets and


rocky outcrops - some submerged at high tide presenting a danger to shipping.


Mary’s. On the smaller islands, Samson and Annet,


Boats cross every day to the largest island, St


'Manx sheerwaters feed at night and the speak­ er photographed a leather-backed turtle 8ft in length, usually seen much further south. On St Agnes, as there are no bad winters, two


types of gorse flower year-round and palm trees flourish in Tresco Abbey gardens, which were developed by Augustus Smith in 1812. He trad­


ed with sailors and purchased seeds which now result in a sub-tropical paradise. At low tide it is possible to walk from Tresco to four other islands. On the smaller isle of Bryher the daffodil sol


d’or grows. Rare butterflies, such as the cloud­ ed yellow, long-tailed blue and the Queen of Spain Fritillary are sometimes caught in storms and deposited here. Another rare creature, a lesser white-toothed


shrew, must eat every 10 minutes to survive. On St Agnes, the most westerly island, six


small patches of Lithuanian adden tongue are the only examples to be found in the entire British Isles. A rarity was a slide of four magpies and the


speaker ended with two magnificent shots of sunsets bringing to an end a fantastic evening. Chairman Prank Mason expressed thanks on


behalf of the society. The first lecture of 2007 will take place at the


library on Thursday, January 11th at 7-30 p.m., when the speaker will be Malcolm Roberts and his subject “Light of the Land”.


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ic processes. The outcome of over four years’ hard work is not only a successful planning application for a place of worship, but the devel­ opment of a Community Partnership Centre- altogether a unique prospect that has been put together by local Muslims.


:'. Their leadership and their willingness to meet concerns of local residents will prove to be a cohesive force in community relations in Clitheroe.


We can be sure th a t Sheraz Arshad and '


F ^ u k Hussain, the men and women of Muslim faith, and the Inter-Faith Friendship Group will be a positive influence locally over themext few years. ■'


: The development of this centre, along with!


other local initiative, will mean that the market town of Clitheroe can now-look forward with confidence to a cohesive and enterprising fiitUra ,


GEOFF JACKSON, Chief Executive, Trinity Partnership


; ' Appalling lack of support


visited by any of the planning councillors or ., even Sheraz Arshad, the planning applicaiit.,1 myself had to gatecrash two of Sheraz’s meet­


for nearby residents ' I AM absolutely disgusted with the lack of sup­ port the residents got throughout the applica­ tion of the Medina Islamic Centre.” Prior to the nieeting the residents were no t;


ings just to get a look at the Mount Zion Chapel and hear what discussions were taking place about the building. I also sent letters and photographs out to


every councillor, along with an invitation to visit my property and see what all residents are now going to live with. Not one came, but all jumped at Sheraz’s invi­


tations several times. One councillor at the meet­ ing said he had visited the building four times. As I am only next door, why could he not have popped in to see me? ; The decision has now been made and although the council has made 40 Muslim families very


-• Our councillor, Mr Sutcliffe, was very much in ;favour of this application and could not see a problem with the parking, traffic congestion and noise, so as he is so in support of this application.


KATHRYN SNAPE, HighricIdRoad


How much is this going to cost the taxpayers?


: NOW the-decision has been made to allow a mosque in Clitheroe, would the council be kind enough to tell the local council tax payers how much this decision will cost.


■Jiappy, they have probably made 400 other fam­ ilies in Clitheroe very unhappy.


Will the initial cost of renovations and ongo­


ing costs be met by the users, or is this going to be another burden on the working population and pensioners of the town.


JOHNWIDDUP, Ncwlands Avenue, Clilheroe


Why not reinstate the


old street names? THE rumblings go on and will go on for ever­ more about street names. So instead of making them up (Strang Stee


C Any pinblems I get from the Medina Commu- i'riity Centre ! will be straight on the phone to "him and'the police any time of day or night.


and Paradise Lane), why not reinstate Russell Street (Whalley Road), Salford (also Whalley Road and now lost because the Post Office has closed), Briggs Entry (ginnel to Lee Carters), Wilkin Street (Highfield Road), and Factory Lane (Greenacre Street). Why can’t these names be reinstated, as they have more history than Strang Stee etc. One of the reasons why they will not be


brought back is that it would create a lot of has­ sle, with changes of address etc. and some of the names are not nice or pretty sounding. The council, or whoever has thought this one up, has not, in typical official practice, done the job properly.


ALEXANDER KNAPP, Whalley.


-i.i,., ‘


by Faiza Afzaal _____


POLICE have unveiled their latest weapon in the war against pickpock­


ets and bag dippers - a bell! Shoppers in the Ribble Valley are


being handed out mini bells by officers to prevent them becoming victims of purse thefts. The bells are attached to the purse and


the jingle sound is aimed at alerting the shopper when opportunist thieves attempt to steal the purse. According to PC Peter Wareing, Crime


Prevention Officer for Clitheroe Police, the initiative has been trialled in places like Blackburn and Burnley and proved highly successful. He is confident that the bells will play


a vital role in cracking down on the num­ ber of purse theft incidents in the Ribble


Valley. “There have been incidents in the past


where shoppers, especially senior citizens, have been in a supermarket and left their handbags open in the shopping trolley,” he said. “In situations like these, purse snatch­


ers take seconds to pinch the purse with­ out anyone noticing. “The bells will make people aware of


who’s around them and remind them never to leave bags unattended.” PC Wareing stressed that although


Clitheroe is a safe place to shop, he has renewed his plea to shoppers to beware of


Seasonal bells will help deter festive pickpockets


what is going on around them while they are out and about. He added: “The idea is also for people to feel more reassured with the bells on their handbags when they are out shopping.” The initiative has been welcomed by


70-year-old Clitheroe residents Mrs Lily Pratt. She said: “Shoppers cannot always notice the thieves dipping into their handbags. With the help of the bells, we will hopefully be able to hear them jin­ gling if someone tries to snatch the purse. “I think this is an excellent idea and


more people should fasten the bells to their purses to prevent becoming victims of purse thefts.” The move also follows a poster cam­


paign warning people to keep an eye on their handbags and purses while shop­ ping in supermarkets. The campaign, which was the first of


its kind in the Ribble Valley and was launched last summer by Clitheroe police in conjunction with the town’s supermar­ kets, followed a spate of handbag thefts where thieves had targeted mothers and elderly people who had left their bags unattended in a pram, pushchair or trol­ ley.


The free bells can be collected from the


front counter at Clitheroe Police Station, King Street. Throughout the festive peri­ od, officers will be seen outside Tesco, in Duck Street, and Sainsburys, Moor Lane, Clitheroe, handing out the bells to shoppers.


• WALK off those festive calorics with a good old hike. Members of Clilheroe Ramblers’ Association will be meeting on Tuesday, January 2nd, at Chester Avenue car park at 10 a.m. for a walk at Hoghton Tower. Leader is Jane Donnelly on 01254 248713. On Saturday, January 61h, the walk will be at Grindlelon, leaving the car park at 10 a.m. Leader will be Eddie Ross on 07906 965 165.


Drink seized in crackdown


ALCOHOL seized as part of a crackdown on Christmas crime has been put on display. More 300 cans and 153 bottles of beer and


lager have been seized in the Ribble Valley, Blackburn, Darwen and Hyndbum as part of Operation Shepherd, which focuses on drink-related crime and disorder and will continue until January 7th. Chief Insp. Richard Morgan said: “The


evenings and nights leading up to Christmas are traditionally the busiest periods for towns. With an increase in the number of vis­ itors to the town centres, whether to the shopping centres or to drink in the local pubs, it is important to ensure that the people who wish to enjoy themselves, do so in a s^e envi­ ronment. “Large groups of youngsters who gather in


specific areas and act in an anti-social man­ ner are disrupting the quality of life for mem­ bers of the public and local residents and Operation Shepherd aims to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour occurring in our neighbourhoods. “This operation sends a strong message out to those intent on causing trouble this Christ­


mas that alcohol related crime and disorder will not be tolerated in our communities.” Since the operation was launched on


December 1st, police have visited 11,064 hotspots across the division and carried out a number of te s t purchasing operations in licensed premises. Police have also issued 62 Penalty Notices for disorder and made almost 100 seizures of alcohol from young­ sters aged under 18. Chief Insp. Morg^ added: “We want peo­


OUR picture shows Mrs Pratt with PC Wareing with the mini bells at the launch of the handbag safety campaign(A111206/l)


ple to enjoy the festive celebrations, but not at the expense of others. To those who will be having a drink, our message is to do so sensi­ bly and think about how your actions may impact upon others.We want to encourage people to be responsible and respect others.”


PANTO comes to Clitheroe on Saturday, when the St Mary’s Centre stages the time- honoured tale of “Little Red Riding Hood”. Professional company Chaplins Pantos has designed the pantomime specifically for three


St Mary’s Centre plays host to ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ to 12-year-olds, and it is packed with quality


" fun and excitement.For 75 minutes, children will be transported to the Magic Wood where they will meet Little Red Riding Hood and all her friends for songs, adventure and loads of


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laughter. The show runs for one day only, starting at at 2-30 p.m. Tickets, priced at £4 (under-threes free), are available at the St Mary’s Centre Office, Clitheroe Tourist Infor­ mation Centre, or by calling 01200 427162.


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