♦ ♦ 48 Clitheroe Advertiser &Times, Thursday, March 6th, 2008 0a. v.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) |Clilheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified)


Tiling centre of excellence*


A NATIONWIDE shortage of skilled trades people is leaving many homeowners and property deveiopers banging their head against the wail they need paper­ ing, painting ortiiing! Now, to help tackle the prob­


lem, a major player in the UK tiling industry has set up its own training scheme based here in the North West, with places in high demand. The new tiler training centre


I


has been set up in Salford by industry leader Building Adhe­ sives Limited (BAL), in associa­ tion with Tiles UK. It is located at Tiles UK’s Man­


chester Distribution Centre and Showroom and addresses the North-West’s continuing short­ age of training facilities, having the capacity to serve hundreds of tile fixers annually. A team of experienced profes­


sionals offer a variety of tiling courses in the purpose-built cen­ tre equipped with six relevantly furnished, full-size bays, to pro­ vide a realistic environment for all training. The first five-day course began


on February 25th and already the centre is proving extremely popu­ lar.


BAL Training Centre Manager,


Dave Rowley, said: “This new centre builds on 15 years of BAL success in training the nation’s


Ian's here to make moving house easier


A NEWLY-ESTABLISHED property adviser is offering a “Location, Location”-style service to would-be Valley residents. With a decade and a half’s


experience of the local prop­ erty ladder, Ian Stanley has now set up his own compa­ ny enabling him to pass his experience on to others. A Valley resident for the


past 15 years - after moving to the area from Pendle - Mr Stanley has gained first hand knowledge of the local prop­ erty market from buying, ren­ ovating and selling a number of houses over the years. As a result he has built up per­ sonal experience of the ups and downs of purchasing properties, particularly in rural areas. Born in Blackburn, Mr


Stanley,and his partner, Susan, nioved to the Valley 16 years ago, settling for the past 12 years in the Bolton- by-Bowland area.The cou- ple have two children, 17- year-old Joriathan and Laura (15):-Jo put his' owri experi­ ence to good use, Mr Stan­ ley has nowestablished Ian Stanley Property Advisers to


help others wanting to buy properties and settle within the Ribble Valley and Forest of Rowland areas. Said Mr Stanley: “We are aiming at the entire market. We want to work for people looking to buy in and locate to the Rib­ ble Valley and Forest of Bow- land areas. Our service is available to the whole market from first time buyers to those wanting to relocate, downsize or upsize.” As well as helping to


locate properties, this new service will also as se s s areas and homes, carry out negotiations and provide an “Offer Acceptance Manage­ ment Service” if necessary. Explained Mr Stanley: ‘We can manage the entire process from start to finish or just provide one of the serv­ ices. ■


- / “Susan and I have dealt


with numerous properties and now we want to put all this experience into a busi­ ness format.” • Ian Stanley Property Advisers can be contacted


•on 01200 447810 pr by email to: ian@|anstan- leyproperty.co.uk ' ;


fixers, both at our own Stoke and Bristol facilities and through train­ ing franchises in Cardiff and Luton.” Ian Kershaw, Tiles UK’s Man­


aging Director, is known through­ out the industry for his passion for training and has for many years chaired the Training Com­ mittee of independent trade body The Tile Association. He said: “I have long believed


in professional training as the best route to tiling excellence. Just as there is no substitute


for experience, there is no substi­ tute for learning from experts and you simply cannot become a top- class fixer without training.” The centre’s full menu of train­


ing options ranges from single­ week wall-only and floor-only courses through to comprehen­ sive training of four or more weeks. It will enable those new to tiling


to progress right through to NVQ Level 2 and beyond, as well as offering experienced fixers both refresher courses and introduc­ tions to specialist areas. Full information on all BAL


training is available from 01782 591123. Our picture shows one of the


first batch of trainees undergoing expert training at the Salford facility.


The reality of rural life can be harsh!


SCENIC doesn’t necessarily mean idyllic when you’re living the rural life. Sometime the realities of


country living can be harsh, as spelt out by the Govern­ ment's Rural Advocate, Dr Stuart Burgess, in his second report to the Prime Minister. It sets out the aspirations, expe­ riences and very real con­ cerns of people living and working in rural England. During 2007, Dr Burgess


visited rural communities up and down the country to listen to rural people about what matters most, the many bene­ fits of rural living, but also some pressing con ce rn s. These included: © Finding that almost a mil­


lion rural households live below the poverty line.' • The continuing lack of


affordable homes to rent and buy. • The importance of a thriv­


ing rural economy. • The decline of numbers


of young people and growth in numbers of older people living in rural areas. Speaking about his report.


Dr Burgess said: “Rural life can offer great advantages


and I have seen many exam­ ples of real community spirit and creative solutions to prob­ lems. But I have also wit­ nessed people in real hard­ ship and struggling to get by. “The re are more than


928,000 rural households liv­ ing below the official Govern­ ment poverty threshold of £16,492 household income per annum, but because rural disadvantage is scattered it is hidden through the averaging of official statistics and a per­ ception of the countryside as affluent and idyllic.” The importance of a thriving


rural economy was noted. In the North West, 40% of all businesses are in rural areas and they employ 25% of the region’s workforce. “The lack of affordable


homes to rent and to buy con­ tinues to be the single biggest issue highlighted to me on my v is it s ,” said Dr Burgess. “I heard about growing numbers of people not qualifying for social housing, but not earn­ ing enough to afford to buy a house either. “I have also witnessed the


willingness of communities to come together to tackle the


problem and explore the potential of initiatives such as community land trusts to meet local housing needs. “Affordable homes underpin


the future sustainability of rural communities, and, while I welcome the attention to tackling the problem in the Housing Green Paper, rural housing targets need to be reflected in regional strate­ gies. “The countryside is also


facing significant demograph­ ic change, causing rural com­ munities genuine concern about their future viability. There are now nearly


400,000 fewer young people aged 15 to 29 in rural areas than there were 20 years ago, and at the other end of the spectrum the average age of rural people is getting three months older every year. “T h is will have a major


impact on the future provision of services and Government policies need to better reflect the social benefits that local services contribute, and the increased cost of providing services in rural areas. “ The loss of key services and their contribution to the


vitality and sense of commu­ nity within rural are as has been another recurring theme. I have been e sp e c ia lly


impressed, however, with many creative examples of services such as post offices being provided in pubs and community halls, as well as village shops.” Dr Burgess added: “I have


also drawn attention to the severe difficulties faced by the faming community in the wake of unprecedented levels of flooding and incidents of‘ani­ mal dise ase last year. I remain hugely impressed by the energy, industry and determination of the farmers l^n. have met. I believe the future^P for our hill farming communi­ ties merits particular attention and therefore call for Govern­ ment to consider establishing a commission on the future of - hill farming, to determine how such areas can be-managed in the future. “I would also urge'Govern­


ment to lead a debate towards a new vision for use of the land as a precious and limited commodity and the role of farming within this.”


- ,-<1 “ n €1 RIBBLESDALE SCHOOL


MR J. WOOD submhlcd this photograph of Rihblesdale School pupils in 1953. He can be seen on the next to the bottom row, second from tbe right in his leather /.ipped up bomber jacket. There are three boys wearing these so it must have been all the fashion. Pupils: Back row-left to right: E. Hudson, M. Townson, F. Poole, S. Brownrigg, M. Whitwell. Second row: T. Ward, R. Chatburn, A. Kay, G. Mercer, D. Freeman, C. Wooler, D. Robinson. Third row: D. Robinson, B. Townson, D. Taylor, D. Kay, P. Shorrock, P. Heyes, D. Hartley, J.


Wood, Miss Brock.


Front row; K. Barber, D. Burgess, C. Haworth, 0. Denby, M. Wilcox, R. Lambert, E. Porter, J. Hindle, E. Aspin.


' . , n n t L a m i n g WISWELL SCHOOL 1951


ALSO brought in by Mr J. Wood, this photograph shows pupils at Wiswell School in 1951. Mr Wood can be seen on the middle row, second from the left. Pupils arc, back row left to right: Mrs Wright, G. Irerland, E. Wood, M. Bibby, T. Poole, S. Speak, B. Seed, Miss Leach. Middle row: N. Sarsfield, J. Wood, B. Horne, K. Speak, A. Winterbottom, J. Speak, R. Wilson. Front row: A. Wood, B. Horne, D. Sarsfield, J. Winterbottom, L. Poole, A. Hodgkinson, C. Win­ terbottom, J. Winterbottom. On the mat: J. Whitwell and W. Poole.


IS can be pbtm^^ www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk Clitheroe Advertiser &Times, Thursday, March 6th, 2008 49


Thursday feature focuses on college’s twin visit Zimbabwe eye opener for pupils


by Duncan Smith


A STARK deterioration in living co n d it io n s in strife-torn Zimbabwe was witnessed first-hand by a teacher and pupils from Stonyhurst College when they visited a secondary


.flfschool in th e c a p i ta l , ' Harare.


' 'i Since the last visit two ' ' : years ago to their “twin”


'.;;j school, S t P e te r ’s Kubatana, there has been


"■'‘la dramatic change for the t^worse, with many teach- ers absent, either because '.^ i th e y c an n o t afford th e


€ : '■ i


3,500,000 zim d o lla rs needed to travel by bus to school, or because they


'..g h a v e le f t Zimbabwe to .'■j|look for work elsewhere in


'■"'W'l ..-jjtional school, run by the


Soc iety of Je sus , w ith ,-f labout 1,200 pupils > froim years 8 to 13. A typical


t S S^lass in the lower school has 50 pupils, with three pupils to one desk, and


™ '^th e re are very few tex t ­ books. C om p u te rs lie unused in th e computer lab, in p a r t due to th e


‘';^South A f r ica or T Botswana. St Peter’s is a co-educa-


never-ending round of power cu ts , or due to faulty equipment. Paul 'Warrilow, Head of


Religious Studies, who accompanied Sixth Form p u p ils Lucy Williams (17) and M a t th ia s Beestermoller (17), com­ pared the situation with th a t of his f irst visit in 2006, when he took a dif­ ferent group of pupils. He sa id : “We sp en t


much of our time visiting classes, sitting in on les­ sons, or te a ch in g th e pu p ils . I n o t ic ed th a t th e re were s ig n if ic an t numbers of classes with­ o u t te a ch e rs th is year. The pupils work quietly, unsupervised. “The roads in Zimbab­


we are in serious need of repair; maize crops have failed due to excessive rain and grain has virtu­ ally run out. Most pupils went the entire day with­ ou t eating. In f latio n is c u r re n t ly measured a t 100,000% - a meaning­ less figure in a so c iety where the price of a loaf of bread can double in a day. Fuel is scarce and most people walk th e


roads to and from what little work is available. “Elections are due to be


held a t the end of March, b u t we could f in d very few people who held any serious optimism about a change in government. Most in the ru ra l areas will vote as they are told an d Mugabe will undoubtedly continue to rule with an iron fist for some years to come. “In spite of these diffi­


cu ltie s , th e s ta f f and p u p ils are u n fa il in g ly polite, friendly and hard­ working. The pupils are keen to learn and are des­ perate to gain qualifica­ tions for fur ther educa­ tion a t university, prefer­ ably outside Zimbabwe. “Over the past year we


have managed to raise seve ra l th o u san d s of pounds for the pupils of St Peter’s. The money is used to buy new te x t ­ books and other educa­ tio n a l Items, an d more recently a new generator was purchased. “’This is already prov­


ing a God-send; during our visit the power was regularly down and th e


4 i-l


generator was able to sup­ ply e le c tr ic i ty to v i ta l parts of the school. “Fund-raising is, how­


ever, very much second­ a ry to the Companion­ ship Programme, which empha sise s th e many areas we share in common with bur brothers and sis­ ters in Africa.” Lucy and Matthias are


members of Chirwirang- we (meaning ive will struggle together), a proj­ e ct which twins Stony­ h u r s t College w ith S t P e te r ’s and aims to


improve the education of the whole person in both schools, in accordance w ith th e e th o s of th e Jesuit Missions. T h ere a re a b o u t 15


pupils in th e St P e te r ’s Chirwirangwe group, who meet ev e ry week and w r ite le t te r s and send p ro je c ts to p upils a t S to n y h u rs t, describing typical Zimbabwean cus­ toms and traditions. The p upils a t Stony­


hurst reciprocate, writing letters and projects, send­ ing photographs of life at


f I


college, along m th D'VD’s and o th e r S to n y h u r s t items. The emphasis is upon


sh a red le a rn in g ; i t is hoped th a t th e schools will be able to agree upon a sh a red cur riculum in subjects such as Geogra­ phy, Economics and Reli­ gious S tu d ie s . T h ey would also like to organise a visit to England in the near future. Mr 'Warrilow added:


“We returned exhausted, but energised, a t the end of a half-term break with


a difference. Abiding memories: smiling faces; happy people; people who suffer with grace and dig­ nity, and with little com­ plaint; sunshine, beauty and laughter. For all its shortcomings, St Pe ter ’s K u b a tan a has much to teach us!” Our p ic tu re shows


Stonyhurst College pupils L u cy Williams, from Grimsargh, and Matthias Beestermoller with some of th e s tu d e n ts a t St Peter’s Kubatana in Zim­ babwe. (s)


hr f F 3 - : r P = T . i l U E ’ j


s I \


« ' P h /


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