10 ' Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, Juiy 10th, 2008 Home needs more


staff not fewer I AGREE wholeheartedly with Denise Laurence-Beard’s angry


' response to the reduction of overnight,: staff at Castleford home for the elder- ■:


ly. My mother had dementia. She


■spent the last 18 months of her life being caired for by Castleford’s won­ derful staff. They were hard-pressed then, as patients with dementia need


, a higher ratio of staff both day and night, as the condition worsens, r For two days and nights, prior to


her death, the staff supported and’-. comforted our family. As a result of-' this outstanding care and compassion, my mother died with great dignity and in peace on January 19th, 2008. . I doubt if our positive experiences


. could be replicated,-if the proposed new initiatives are implemented. They need more staff not less! The residents in Castleford were


born before the NHS came into being. They are among the most -vulnerable members of our society and deserve the best. -


- • ' The trust needs to reassure their


families that the staff caring for them ■ are valued and have enough time and energy to perform this most impor-, tant work.


TONY O’DONNELL (Mrs),' Baldwin Road, Clitlieroe


Helping hand for


these great lads MAY I through the letters column bring to your attention two super : young men, Scott Helme and Mark Ashworth. They featured in last week’s


Clitheroe Advertiser as'-they are embarking on a five-week trip to Mongolia in a car they have bought and kitted out themselves in order to drive and then to leave the car for a charity to use. In a “climate” of doom and gloom


and some young people being slated for all sorts of anti-social behaviour, it is so uplifting to recognise two lads who are giving up their summer to travel in what will be very cramped and not at all a “holiday” as it will be very hard going and when they arrive , they will give time to work in an orphanage. I happen to know that Scott cele­


brates his 21st birthday on July 15th, so it would be wonderful if we could get behind these lads and donate what we can to help and make Scott’s birth­ day one to remember.


, The lads are putting so much into the organisation of the trip and what a send off we could give them. For those who have access to the internet, they can donate by logging onto www.thebirtbdaybus.co.uk. However, . I am aware th a t not everyone has access to the internet so I am sure they can also help by handing their donations to myself at the address below.


PAMELA KENT, 1 Croasdalc Drive, Clilhcroc, BB7ILQ.


Not the greatest


career move Mr T IF Mr Jagger is “generally pleased” with the changed rubbish collection ■


; arrangements, I feel he should be less. .'complacent and -less apologetic towards the contractors.the council has engaged.. '


' ' ’ : At the time of writing this letter, on -Write to: .The Editor, ChthcroeAdvcrtiser and Times, 3 King Street, ClithcroeBB72E^y ore-mail. \ i\icn.nicalh^c*istlancMic^^^


the morning of-Monday, July 7th 2008,1 have received no bins and no notice as to what I should do with, them if and when this contractor delivers them. I know of at least two other households in Newton who have. been similarly treated and there may be more. We are not in an “outlying or difficult-to-find area”, but in the mid­ dle of the village of Newton, just seven miles from Clitheroe.


r Lam aware th a t as an ordinary


council tax payer I am a person of no consequence to a council officer such as Mr Jagger. However, one of the other households that has been treat­ ed like this is that of Coun. Mrs Rosie


- Elms. I venture to suggest that leav­ ing her neglected and bin-less might not be a good career move for him.


J.D. PARKINSON New(on-in-Bowland


I am still waiting for an apology.. .


• T'WO weeks ago I was informed that the black bin liners provided by the council would be changed and only waste in the newly-provided pink bin liners would be collected in future. I t is already tbe case that an old age


pensioner in-my locality has to walk three-quarters of a mile to dispose of recycled waste. Imagine my displeas­ ure that the new rules, dictated to us


.by an unknown person via a flyer tbe week before, would be implented immediately, with many of the old waste-containing black bin liners left on our street last collection day. These unused bin liners themselves


are of harm to the environment and so should be put to good use, and more fbrewarning of the new system imposed on we “customers” would have been appreciated. I await an apology in these pages


from the council official concerned. NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED


'p.' ■ ’ Y Elected members


did indeed decide IN 1973 the (elected) British Govem- ment joined the European Union which had been set up after the Sec­ ond World War to bring peace, stabil­ ity and prosperity to Europe.


■ I lived with my family in The Netherlands (no landfill sitesl) from 1976 until 2000 and my daughter lives and works in Germany. I have experi­ enced f irs t hand the European lifestyle and more importantly as environmental issues became more obvious how the Dutch and Germans dealt with them and built up expert­ ise in practical solutions.,Our local Dutch Council collected bottles, cans and papers in 1976 for recycling. Pre­ pared chilled meals are hard to find, fresh produce is sold loose with mini­ mum packaging in all of the super­ markets, and no free plastic carrier bags. Supermarkets have long had automated systems for collecting glass and plastic bottles and paying out the deposit on them. Recycling centres


.were set up many years ago.to pror duce useful goods;'15 years ago I vvas


■ putting my rubbish into bio degrad-: able bags partially made from recy--


' pick up free compost for his garden or allotment. -


;; - Strange, that Mr Rawsthom in d^- cussing recycling outside Britain


' quotes China, whose current situation regarding pollution is because of a" combination of political and socio eco­ nomic reasons that bear no compari­ son to Britain. Why did he not look


. closer to home at proven examples in ’ Europe? ,


- ' • The commercial and business


• worlds improve their profits by bench­ marking and looking to best practice in their industry. The EU is a partner-


- ship of 27 different European democ­ racies in a unique position, with rep-, resentatives from all countries, to dia­ logue and debate issues democratical­ ly. Everyone is able to benefit from shared experiences and solutions to common challenges. Are EU bureau­ crats faceless? Well, our local region, the North-West has nine elected MEPs including Mr John 'Whittaker, from Lancaster, who is a member of Mr Rawsthom’s own political partyl MEPs work closely with British MPs and NGO,s as well as the European


•, Commission and we can contact them easily a t any timeon the following: www.europarl.org.uk. Many of our bright graduates from top British Universities choose to work with the


. European Parliament. They are all striving to improve the living stan­ dards of the European people in the


•• 21st Century - not trying to overturn a democratic decision made in the 20th Century. The EU does not tell anyone exact­


ly how to meet their policies. Individ­ ual solutions are to be worked out within the guidelines. I t is the Ribble Valley Council who decided how, when and where to collect the rubbish! This is not about costing us dearly in taxes, but about finding the best local solution to what is a major global problem. Clitheroe has a very well organised and managed Recycling Centre. We should be building on that success to 'mo've forward on this issue, using our skills to' improve current solutions not continually looking back , and criticising.


‘ -


Westminster has agreed to abide by EU decisions in the due process of


' democracy. The EU decisions regard- ■ ing the environment and pollution are in place to aid Westminster in dealing with these issues using best practice. Perhaps, Mr Rawsthorn should


reflect that Britain, as part of the EU, is a democracy which allows him free­ dom of speech ivithout fear of retribu­ tion.


Via c-mail. Name and address supplied


UNISON: why we


are going .on strike UNISON members in local govern­ ment have voted to take strike action on July 16th and 17th over the employers’ offer of 2.45% for most members and an extra £100 a year for the lowest paid. This is way below inflation and is


■ ; actually a ’pay cut rather than a pay offer.


• ...Coming on tpp of 10 years below- • inflation pay rises, it’s no wonder that


; cled materials. Every ratep'ayer can .' . we are saying this is the last straw. Mortgages are up 8%, petrol up 22%;


•fuel bills up 15%, inflatioii up 4.3%,: but council workers are being offered 2.45%, it doesn’t add up.


: We are taking strike action not because we want to. Many UNISON members are low paid, part-time women workers struggling to pay the bills so losing two days pay is not something we are doing lightly. We know the services we provide,


are essential to the Ribble Valley coin- munity, and that shutting these serv­ ices down will cause disruption and for that we are genuinely sorry if you are inconvenienced, but we cannot afford another pay cut.


: ' . : ■ Unless we get a fair settlement on


bins, clean your streets, care for your parks, check the safety of your food, teach your children to swim, promote tourism to mention a few of the serv­ ices we provide. Our colleagues in local government at county council level look after and care for your children in nurseries, schools and in care, main­ tain the highways and street lighting - the list could go on. Ironically the Local Government Association last week launched a “My Council” cam­ paign to tell people about the vast range of services that their council provides and h ow they get value for money. Efficiency sayings of £1 billion


more than the Government required was made by councils last year and • none of this has been passed on to us- in recognition of the extra work we have taken on. We are effectively doing more for less. In exchange, all we are asking for is


your support for a fair pay settlement. Local government employees have


the worst pay, holidays, parental rights and sick pay in the public sec­ tor. Some 250,000 employees earn less thatn £6.50 an hour - and most of these are women. We believe tha t our case for an increase which helps at least maintain our current standard of living is just, . fair and affordable. • ■ , Enough is enough to bargain base­


ment pay and conditions. Please give us your support.


.


LINDA JONES, Branch secretary, UNISON Ribbic Valley


Keep faith within


your own homes I FEEL the need to respond to the article “Mark of Faith” in your “Thought of the Week” column dated July 3rd by Sheraz Arshad. As an atheist I beheve that I have a


right to express an opinion about the ide^ of faith. It is clear that religious' beliefs dominate many people in posi­ tions of responsibility. I myself do not believe in any type of God in any of tbfi world's religions. Hence I can be vilified and shunned by society and be regarded as d^picable and my worth


to everyday life can be largely disre­ garded.


, i ■ - I ha.ve no objection against any , : .


www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk ■*> Follow the debate


Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) dominates entire governmental


www.c!itheroead\ertiser.co.uk - : thought-that I object; This is the ca*


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


in today’s world. The enforced do ' nation of faith into people’s li\A


norm. Is this'the way of Allah and the doctrine of-Mohammed? I am sure it


is not meant to be. A divided society and hatred and mass bombings are


proclaims.


: The idea of faith does not confine itself to Islam. Tony Blair, the former leader of the Labour Party, states that it was his Christian faith that caused him to lead Britain to a war against Iraq, leading to many deaths and mutilations. Sheraz Arshad mentions many tiiiies the love of Mohammed


I I


caused so much misery in the^rid I with routine bombings being the


certainly not in the interests of lowng | the prophet Mohammed as She'raz


I I I


I I


I I I I I I I I


but:try,telling that to homosexuals! routinely hanged in Iran. Or to the [ vyomen of Saudi Arabia who are not


pay, local communities Mil suffer too. • Afghanistan before the west invaded. In the Ribble Valley we empty your


. allowed to freely associate with mem- j bers of the opposite sex due to this j faith. And let us not forget that it was j a blind allegiance to faith that would not allow women to be educated in


______ _____ ____m I


I I


What matters is the idea of good-1 ness, which is not to be viewed as the same thing as faith. I regard myself as a good human being and have done


I I I


voluntary work in my time, but do not feel the need to have faith in God to display my goodness and generosity | to fellow man. In some areas of the world not to I


“believe” or being seen not to have | “faith” can lead to death by govern­ mental decree. The mass indoctrina­ tion of millions of people in faith and I religion, backed up by governmental miUtary force, seems, at least to me, to be a contradiction to tbe true mean-1 ing of faith in God.


BILL MORTON, Bawdlands, Cliliicroc


Finders keepers,


losers weepers ON a recent Sunday afternoon, we I walked up Moor Lane, Clitheroe. Our | destination, Brungerley Park. We noticed that some kind person I


had left a number of items on the doorstep "of the Age Concern shop, at the top of Moor Lane. There was a small portable television set, anda | pile of bags. After a walk around the park, \ve |


. : Later th a t week we visited Age j .Concern, to alert them to this.AVe | learnt that i t has happened before, and that the Police are unable to take action, as technically, no crime has been committed. I t seems that items left on the doorstep of a chanty shop are deemed to have been “found , until the moment that they are actu-


- ally taken into the shop, and then become the property of the charity. _ So, the message and the moral of this story is: to'leave any unwanted


items for a charity shop in th e j l^ i when it is open, to make s u r e ^ reachjhe intended destination, i.e. to


■ be sold for the benefit of a deserving |


good cause.- ................. Doesn’t the old adage go: Finders |


Keepers, Losers Weepers? •


,. : Not such a happy ending to a Sun­ day afternoon brisk and windswept |


individual wanting faith in God as long as they do it in the privacy of-' their own homes. I t is only when ■ blind, unreasoned and fanatical faith'


walkinthepark.: ■ . SHEILA AND BILL GOODMAN, Somerset Avenue, '• ■


■Wilpshire • ' - ■


headed back, and couldn’t help notic­ ing that, of all the things that had | been left, only the T'V set remained. Please draw your own conclusions, as j we did.


i


www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk Calling creative types in the Ribble Valley


lEATI'VE people in the Ribble Valley are being urged to promote


their talents on a new website. - Since last October the Ribble Valley


Arts Alliance has held a number of meet­ ings to find out what support the people of Ribble Valley would like to see going into the arts. One of the main items to emerge was a need to have a website devoted purely to artistic activities going on in the Ribble Valley. Now the alliance is in the process of


putting that website together and is keen to include as many local artists, crafts­ people and performers as possible, together with information about what they do and their contact details. As well as a list of arts groups which'


: exist in the Ribble Valley, the new web­ site will include a “what’s on” section, to be updated weekly, and links to other rel­ evant sites (such as Lancashire Artists Network and Creativity Works) where information about funding, job opportu­ nities, exhibition spaces or venues, cre- • ative business support and awards can be


found. ■ The new website (www.ribblevalle-


yarts.org.uk) should be fully operational by September, but its creators need details now for anyone who wants to be featured on it. The information should include: • the name of the artist, business or


organisation. • contact details listing, one or all of


the following: phone number, fax, e-mail and postaladdress. • a description giving a brief overview


Taxi driver was assaulted by her boyfriend


A FEMALE taxi driver was assaulted after she had gone to pick up her own boyfriend from the pub. Hyndburn magistrates heard that Andrew Lamb complained that it should not have taken her half-an-hour


to get there.. And when she tried to get out of the


car, Lisa Daffem was grabbed around the neck and dragged back before her mobile phone was ripped from her hand. Lamb (37), of Bam Croft, Clitheroe,


pleaded guilty at Hyndbum magistrates to assaulting Miss Daffem. He was remanded on bail for the preparation of


a pre-sentence report. Mrs Philippa White (prosecuting)


said that Miss Daffern was working in ■ the early hours when she received a call


on her mobile from Lamb. ■


He had been out for the evening with


family and asked her to pick him up. ■


“She explained she was in the middle of a job and would come when she had


finished and his response was that she had better hurry up,” said Mrs White. Mirs Deborah Morgan (defending)


said Lamb’s behaviour was totally out of character and he was extremely ;:.;


remorseful.


■' W ch ild ren while his partnerjvas out :; v earning. .


' She said Lamb had lost his job and ' iB l


“He says he has been feeling rather , . ■ ,


paranoid about her and whether she was having an affair,” said Miss Morgan. “He was at home 24-hours-a-day and


' she was away from home and working a lot, but he had no evidence that any­ thing was going on and he agrees this . was more an issue to do with him rather


; than her.” :• . staying at home looking after , .


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of the group/artist or the work pro­ duced. • a website address of any other site


that the group/artist already has, so that a link can be set up to that site. • one image, either of the


group/artist, an example of work pro­


duced, or a logo. • any information on forthcoming


events happening from September onwards,'including how to book tickets if applicable.


I I #


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