. Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, October 7,2010


INSIDE YOUR CLITHEROE ADVERTISER AND TIMES


■ Valley M a t t e r s ; . . ..6 and 7 ■ Village News......... .‘....;.;;;.;..15,16 and 17 ■ Letters;.....14 ■ Weekendplus


26 and 27 ■ Family Notices.................... ..........28 and 29


• ■ Readersplus.....;;.:...................;..30 ■ ■ Motors Today.........31 onwards ' ■ Sport;.......................................... .;.’..45 to 48


INFORMATION


DUTY chemist: Heyes Chemist, 35 Moor Lane, Clitheroe: Sunday, noon to 1 p.m. POLICE: 01200 443344. FIRE: In emergency 999 an_d_a_sk fo_r fire service, i ELECTRICITYrO'SOO 1954'l4i.T ::


GAS: 0800111999. WATER: 0845 462200. COUNCILS: Ribble Valley Borough Council, Clit- heroe425111. Clitheroe Town Council, 424722. HOSPITALS: Royal Blackburn Royal Hospital: 01254 263555. Airedale General Hospital, Stee- ton: 01535 652511. Clitheroe Community Hospital: 01200427311. ALCOHOL Information Centre: 01282 416655. • AIDSLINE: 01282 831101 (7 p.m. to 9 p.m.). DOMESTIC Violence Helpline: 01254 879855. CRUSE Bereavement Care: 01772 433643. ENVIRONMENTAL Agency: Emergencies - 0800 807060. DRUGS: Local confidential advice and information line: 01254 226200. National: 0800 776600. RIBBLE Valley Talking Newspaper: 01200 428604. SAMARITANS: 01254 662424. MONTHLY Volunteer Helpline: 01200 422721. LANCASHIRE Rural Stress Network: 01200 427771. QUEST (specialist smoking cessation service): 01254358095. RIBBLE Valley Citizens’ Advice Bureau: 01200 428966; ■


CONTACT US! NEWS: 01200 422324


ADVERTISING: 01200 422323 Classified: 01282 422331


■


FAMILY Notices: 01282 478134 PHOTO Orders: 01772 838026 FAX: 01200 443467 EDITOR e-mail: roy.prcnton@eastlancsncws. co.uk


NEWS editor: duncan.smith@eastlancsnews.co.uk ;


festival success Workshop hits right note


Blitz O i l


A CRACKDOWN on motorists - not wearing a seatbelt.is under-;’ way.


As part of Operation Pathway, r; officers will be out in force tar- ■


. ^ ■


, geting people who do not wear , a seatbelt while driving, offering advice to motorists and when;’- necessary, using enforcement ac- -■ tion.


www.ciitheroeadver1iser.co.uk motorists who flout law


& :Tlie fine for not wearing a seat- belt is £60, biit not only that, i f ;you are involved in a road traffic collision then you are consider­ ably increasing the chances of be­ ing seriously injured.- ■' . ■ - Officers across Lancashire will also be carrying out spot-checks on parents as they drop off and • pick up their.ichildren, from;


school to ensure child restraints,. are being used correctly. , ; Insp. Martin Bishop from the Road Policing Unit said: “It’s an


! offence that is viewed as trivial by many. “However, in that moment, you need it, a seatbelt will make


-the difference between suffer-. ing a minor injury to one that is


life-threatening or life changing. Operation Pathway is also about educating people and encourag­ ing them to alter the manner of their-driving according to the Highway Code and road con­ ditions. This operation clearly shows our commitment to reduc-


. ing the number of road casualties ■ in Lancashire.”-


www.clitheroeodvortlser.co.uk' Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, Octot^r 7,2010


Police uncover cannabis factory


iZO,UUU has been seized from an industrial unit in Bar- row..'


estimated street value of over '


.............. After an anonymous tip-off, neighbourhood police


officers raided the unit in Clithcroe Road at around 2 p.m. on Friday and discovered 65 cannabis plants. ^ ^ J ’l ’yssr-old man was arrested in connection with


the hnd and released on police bail pending further in - ' quiries.


, , Community beat manager for Whalley PC Justin


Brown said: “I hope this action reassures people that' the police are determined to tackle drugs and will act


swiftly on any information given to us by members of tlie public.”


- Anyone with information or concerns about drugs


can contact the police on 0845 125 3545 or Cririiestop- pers anonymously on 0800 555 111


by FaizaAfzaal


T H R E E f o rm e r R i b ­ ble Valley students have


. wowed Edinburgh Fringe Festival goers. ■ The ex-St Augustine’s RC


High School pupils were among eight drama students from St Mary’s College, Black- bum, who had the opportunity


• to display their talents at the internationally acclaimed fes­ tival.


Jessica Tomlinson, Richard


Geogheghan and Meg Astin- Kilagallon have just complet­ ed their A-Levels at St Mary’s


. College. The trio was given the chance to perform a multi- media piece called The Piano Man, about the mysterious story connected to Andreas Grass, dubbed “the piano man” by the UK press; The piece gained critical acclaim'from The Scotsman .which said; “There’s much to


: admire in this impressionistic retelling of the story o f ‘Piano man’.” ,


,.


News online 24 hours a day, seven days a week at www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk


WEATHER I Dunsop Bridge ■ Slaidburn


lurnTTy^ A;


Wha lurnley a I Blackburn Accrington _ '


Weekend weather: A chance of light rain on Saturday, but with a strengthening wind and warmer than usual temperatures;-


Sunrise: 7-27 a.m; Sunset: 6-27 p.m. ' Lighting up time: 5-57 p.m.' , ; '


Get your saddle chipped


HORSE owners are being urge'd to microchip their saddles as part of a crime prevention drive in the Ribble Valley. ■ PCSOs Jane Pearson and Di ; Bioletti are offering to microchip saddles at a reduced rate of £9-39 instead of RRRof £19-99 as part of Ribble Valley Horsewatch. ;; .-.The officers are also offering to.


stamp bridles with postcodes free of charge.', ,


, - The road safety scheme, which


was launched 18 months ago, has alreadjf been successful in giving; horse riders and yard owners help and advice with crime prevention, security and safety issues. . .


•


, . Anyone who would like their saddle chipping or bridle stamping or for further information should


- contact Jane or Di on 01200 458766; or email RibbleValleyNHP@lanca' shire.pnn.police.uk


Oil


; Further plaudits were re­ ceived from online review site Fringeguru.com which said:


; ON SONG: Choirmaster Jeff Borradaile leads the participants in the singing workshop at the St Mary’s Centre, in Clitheroe.


SINGERS from around the


: Ribble Valley met at St Mary’s ; Centre in Clitheroe for a singing ■ workshop organised by local vol­ untary music promotional group Valley Gigs.


;: The day was presented by choirmaster and singing tutor


; Mr Jeff Borradaile, who led the singers through a series of tech­ niques to improve their singing.


Jeff taught two new songs which were performed with much en­ thusiasm and confidence at the end of the day. • A spokesman for Valley Gigs, Mr Pete Monk, felt that the day


-had-been very successful-and provided a friendly and welcom-; ing opportunity for people of dif- ’ fering abilities to come and im-, :prove their singing techniques, a


Jeff Borradaile’is currently


working'with three Ribble Val­ ley Primary Schools to produce;


: a Christmas CD, which will be ; on sale towards the end o f No­ vember.


■ One of his choirs. The Black- bum People’s Choir, will be per--


■ forming at the UNICEF Concert at The Grand, in Clitheroe, on December 4th.


' ■


‘ “This is surely what Fringe theatre is all about: inventive, ■ innovative, energetic and en­ gaging.” ;■ The success o f this inaugu­ ral residency at The Fringe, which ran from August 6th to the 17th at the,Bongo Club,


; has led to the creation of the ^ St Mary’s College Youth The­ atre, where it is hoped similar creative and exciting works can be developed and performed. Anyone interested in finding


out more about the youth the­ atre can e-mail a.williams® stmarysblackburn.ac.uk. . ■,


‘No new homes’, say residents of AYh^Iey


by Faiza Afzaal


“WE don’t want any houses built in our village” - that is the loud and clear message from angry Whalley residents.


• • Concerned villagers determined to


stop any proposals for new and “af­ fordable” housing in Whalley packed a public meeting in such numbers that dozens could not get in. Up to 200 descended on Whalley


Primary School, forcing around 50 disappointed members of the public to be turned away by Whalley Parish Council clerk Mr Fred Holland and p e s o Jane Pearson. And there was no shortage of com­


munity spirit inside as the villagers showed a united front and vowed to fight the development of any new homes in Whalley, asyRibble Val­ ley Borough Council’s: director of development Mr Stewart Bailey and forward planning manager Mr Colin


Hirst listened to the worries of resi­ dents.


Under the borough council’s Strate­


gic Housing Land Availability Assess­ ment and Core Strategy consultation, more than 800 houses could be built


on three separate sites around the vil- ’lage. Critics say development of this size


would place an intolerable strain on Whallcy’s infrastructure, particularly with regards to schooling and health . care. They also say the village’s drain­ age system requires attention and parking and traffic issues were also raised. They say these provisions should be in place before any further development is considered. However, plans for around 80 new


homes to be built on land north of Biddings Lane, Whalley, have already been submitted to the borough coun­ cil’s planning department by Co-oper­ ative Estates, part of the Co-operative Group (see article on page 29). During last Thursday evening’s


meetings, Mr Jon.Smith, who runs Whalley Warm and Dry, said: “Whal­ ley is a village, not a town. Why should' all the houses be built here? The de­ velopment should be spread out across other towns and villages in the Ribble Valley.


' „ “We have a major problem of drain­


age in King Street, and if more houses are built the infrastructure will not be able to cope and the street will flood three or four times a year.” ; ' Mr Nick Walker said; “With pro- ‘


posals to build so many houses, the . Ribble Valley is going to turn into a giant housing estate and that is dis­ graceful.” Another resident added: “There is


only one primary school in Whalley. and that is over-subscribed. The high schools in the Ribble Valley are so full that local children are having to attend schools outside the area. If more fami­ lies with young children move into the afea, the situation will get worse. We need a new primary school.” ' '


■ Meanwhile, Whalley vicar the Rev. Gillian Dyer, who is also a governor at Whalley Primary commented: “This year is the first year the school actually had to turn two children away, so, yes, there is an issue here and one primary school will not suffice. “If this Core Strategy plan is to


cover 20 years, what is going to hap­ pen when children grow older and are facing the prospect of moving out of the area because they cannot afford to buy a house in.the village?” Mr Bailey and Mr Hirst reassured


residents that the plans were still on the drawing board, and if given the go- ahead the houses would be.developed over a long period of time. . • For people who failed to gain


admission last Thursday, seats will be reserved at the next meeting, which has been arranged for next Monday, October 11th, at 8 p.m; at Whalley C of E Primary School. ® See article on page 29.


Work starts on £1.6m. HQ


WORK has started on Ribble Valley Homes’ new purpose-built headquarters in Clitheroe. Groundwork to lay the foundations for ■


the new three-storey building on land off Station Road began on Monday.


' The go-ahead for the £1.6m. head­


quarters was given by members of Ribble Valley Borough Council’s planning and development committee in April and the new headquarters should be completed by next summer.


. Ribble Valley Homes’ new base is being


built on land to the rear of the Inn at the. Station, which has previously been used as


• a carpark for staff at the nearby Clitheroe Police Station. :. ■


, . . The new building, which will be a con-


temporary mix of glass and stone, will provide parking spaces for staff and have access for the disabled. ' ’


. As well as accommodating Ribble Val­ ley Home’s staff, the building will act as a drop-in centre for tenants and provide a. -, community resource. ■


;


_ -- Afthe moment, the housing association is split between offices in York Street and •; King Lane.


- - , Since Ribble Valley Homes took over


. the control of council houses from Ribble Valiev Boroueh Council two-and-a-half


NEW HEADQUARTERS: An artist’s impression of how Ribble Valley Homes’ new base will look when finished, (s)


years ago, the housing association has been busy updating local properties. Managing director Christine Grimshaw-


expIained: “Ribble Valley Homes has'in- vested in excess of four million pounds in its properties since transfer,'with approxi-' matelv two million oounds of this beina


■ in Clitheroe and its surrounding villages. The work-undertaken has included envi- : ronraental work, re-roofing; new boilers, - new kitchens and bathrooms and £200,000 of disabled adaptations to allow residents-


to feel safer and remain in their own homes.’-.’ ' ,


' ' ' , BATHLIFTS , : " 'KV. R p O B I I IW l P f f Q P B g l i .


CANNABIS FIND: PC Justin Brown is pictured with PCs Sally Biggar and Andy Langwith the plants they found, (s)


Tories call for fight to save hospital plan


. CONSERVATIVES in the Rib­ ble Valley have called on residents to oppose the scrapping of plans for the new Clithcroe Hospital. Coun. Ken Hind, senior vice-


chairman of the local Conserva- ■ tive Association, said: “We have campaigned long and hard for the : replacement of the existing Clithe­ roe Hospital. The proposed new; hospital has the full support of Ribble Valley Borough Council, who have been vociferous in sup­ port of the need to continue and update the hospital. “It is appalling that an un­


elected body - which is about to be abolished in proposals put forward by the Government, cur­ rently in consultation phase and involving one of the most radical reorganisations of the NHS since it’s creation-should, in its death moments, be making such a' radical decision on behalf of the people of the Ribble Valley. “Under the new system the


purchasing of treatments will be


■in the hands of GPs in consortia to be approved and funded by an' NHS Commissioning Board. “All acute hospitals will become


foundation hospitals and provide health services, which will be provided to the GP consortia on ; behalf of their patients. “Public health, effectively pre­


ventative care, will be transferred to.Iocal authorities and Health and Well Being Boards will be created within local government to facilitate this service. Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Au­ thorities will be scrapped; “Before the GPs of the Ribble


Valley and local government can be involved, before the current •


consultation is complete, this defunct body is scrapping a facility that this community has cam­ paigned hard for over many years. “There is now a time for the


PCT to step back and let tomor­ row’s people decide the future of the NHS, not yesterday’s men. “We cannot and will not allow


this matter to rest here and we must continue to campaign for our new hospital.’L 0 See Letters - Page 14


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