I CLITHEROE ADVERTISER&TIMES


www.clitheroeadvartiser.co.uk Thursday,April30,Z015


Thursday, April30,2015 www.clitheroeadvertiserxo.uk CUTHER0EADVERTISER&T1MES I


5 r. : ■ Musical celebrations are the theme o f ‘Springtime in Slaidburn'' *


Gold stars all the Calderstones


by Court Reporter ' www.clitheroeadvertiser.c6.uk ' Twitter: ®clithadvertiser


The trial of a 56-year-old Slaidburn womanaccused of animal cruelty involving horses and dogs has begun at Blackburn Magistrates Court.


Rachelle Peel has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges arising out of discoveries at her prop­ erties at Brookhouse Green Farm, Dale Head, Slaidburn, and at a barn in Knotts Lane, Tosside, in March 2013. Opening the case for the


RSPCA, Iain O’Donnell said representatives of the Horses and Pony Protection Associa­ tion (HAPPA) attended Peel’s home address at Brookhouse Farm following a report of a dead horse in a field. There was nobody in so the


officer drove back to Slaid­ burn to phone to request the presence of the police and a vet.


Later that day they went in­


to a field at the farm and found the carcass of a horse. There were a number of livinghorses feeding from a large bale ofhay which was next to the carcass. Shortly after, the officials


went into the farmhouse where there were a number of dogs. The police officer said the


house smelled so strongly of urine that his eyes were wa­ tering and there was dog fae­ ces all over the floor. There were also dogs tethered out­ side which the prosecution say were in a poor condition. The group wasjoined by an


RSPCA inspector and while they were on site the police officer spoke to a farmer in a nearby field and as a result


. they went to the Knott Lane site, which comprised a field and a large barn which was locked. The officer went to Brookhouse and returned with a key. There were two living


horses in the field and what appeared to be the remains of at least two more horses. Inside the barn there were three horses which were liv­ ing among the remains of four dead and decomposed horses. • “One of the dead horses was


in the same pen as the living animals,” said Mr O’Donnell. A number of horses were


removed immediately and more the following day. One horse became upset in


transit and suffered injuries which meant it had to be put down.Twootherhorseswhich were removed were put down in the days that followed. RSPCAInspector Kat Ham-


lyn attended the farms the day after the initial discoveries and organised the removal of more horses and dogs. Giving his evidence on the


second day of the trial, Mr Pe- ter Bartlett, of horse and po­ ny charity HAPPA, told howhe found horses sharing a mud­ dy field with the carcasses of dead horses. Other horses living in


buildings around the remote Slaidburn farmhouse were- kept in “appalling” conditions, although their bodily condi­ tion was good. Mr Bartlett said he had at-


Defendant Rachelle Peel pictured outside Blackburn Magistrates Court


tended at Brookhouse Green Farm after the Horses and Ponies Protection Associa­ tion (HAPPA) received infor­ mation that there was a dead horse in a field. He saw seven living horses


in a muddy field that he de­ scribed as “bottomless”. He set off to walk up the field but had to turn back after sinking up to his knees. He then went up the side and when he reached higher ground discovered the


. carcasses of two horses,'one with a rug bn and the other without. Mr Bartlett went back to


the farm were he saw numer­ ous other horses and several dogs. Unable to get a mobile, phone signal, he drove back


to Slaidburn to request as­ sistance. We are a small char­ ity dealing specifically with equines,” he told the court. “It was my view this was a


matterbeyondourlimitations and the RSPCAmay have been better able to cope.” After summoning assist­


ance Mr Bartlett returned to Brookhouse Farm and found a large bale of haylage had been put in the field close to where the carcasses of the dead ani-


. mals were lying. “It was so close the live


animals were almost stand­ ing on the carcasses,” said Mr Bartlett. “I thought it had been


. placed to mask the view from theroad.


• The case is proceeding.


The 2015 Ribble Valley Jazz Festival has received finan­ cial help towards its market­ ing costs from local home builders, Taylor Wimpey. Currently working on


Clitheroe’s Ribble Meadows development, the property


■ company has donated £500 towards help with market­ ing the popular musical event which is now a firm annual fixture for the Rib­ ble Valley. Chloe Dunn, Associ­


ate Sales Director at Taylor Wimpey Manchester said: “The jazz festival is a huge highlight in the Clitheroe calendar and clearly a fan­


tastic community event, so we're absolutely delighted to have been able to help out.” There will be more than


30liveperformancesmaking up this year’s festival, involv­


ing more than 350 musicians ’ and artists, with events run­


ning from Friday to Monday, covering the whole of the bank holiday weekend. Festival organiser Ge­


off Jackson commented: “We usually welcome more than 4,000 visitors to the


jazz festival and marketing is critical for us to drive this footfall, so’we are delighted to have received this assist­ ance from Taylor Wimpey.”


Stop press: Rotary’s collection for Nepal


With close connections to a village near the epicentre


vof the Nepal earthquake, the Rotary Club of Clitheroe has organised an emergency street collection to support two ofthe charities involved in the disaster relief. Club President David


Evans said: “We have been actively supporting a Ro- taryproject alongside Os-


• waldtwistle Rotary Club, to bring water to a school situ-


ated in one of the worst af­ fected areas, Maikot. Until basic human needs are met, the rebuilding work cannot start, so we are keen to offer whatever help is needed." The collection will take


place in Clitheroe town cen-' tre this Saturday, May 2nd. To make a direct con­


tribution, please contact Howard Blackburn on 07977 042867 or any other club member.


Green light given to ‘Save Our Pinnacle’! -) FROM PAGE 1


Lancashire County Council, the Rotary Club of Clitheroe, the North Lancs Clarion Cy­ cling Club and a number of private donors. The project will not only


repair and consolidate the pinnacle, but will also pro­ vide improved on-site infor­ mation of its history, so that visitors to the castle canbetter understandwhatitisandhow it came to be there. Clitheroe Civic Society will


lead and co-ordinate the pro­ fessional, educational and community project partners in this venture, which is the first project that the society has undertaken in its 53-year history! Project partners already include pupils from Pendle


Ground Penetrating Survey by


a specialist team from Salford University, will be vital in pro­ viding accurate and detailed information to the,conserva­ tion architect and specialist


masonry contractor appoint­ ed to carry out the work. Meanwhile local histori­


an Steve Ragnall will lead re­ search into Sir William Brass and his involvement with the


Similar pinnacles on the roofline of theHouses of Parliament


Primary School in Clithe­ roe who have visited the site and had talks by Civic Society members on the history and significance of the pinnacle. They will play ah active part in working on and developing an improved interpretation of the pinnacle from a primary schoolperspective. Post Graduate MSc Stu­


dents from the University of Central Lancashire’s Building Conservation and Regenera­ tion Course have also visited the pinnacle and some will be basing a module of their coursework on the repair project, while the whole de­ partment will be involved in a crucial 3D survey of the pinnacle. This work, and a


•pinnacle. Relatively little is known locally about Sir Wil­


liam and the Civic Society will be working with Steve to pro­ vide more information about


Clitheroe’spreandpost-World WarllMP. The Architect appointed


to deliver the project is Ivan Wilson, DirectorofClitheroe- based IWA Architects, which works across a wide range of sectors with a particular fo­


cus on conservation projects, historic churches and listed buildings. Ivan brings a great deal of experience and knowl­ edge to the project team and he has already been of invalu­ able assistance. Leading and co-ordinating


the Interpretation and Project Presentation part ofthe ini­ tiative is another local man,


Chatburn-based Dr R. Martin Seddon. It is hoped that the repair,


conservation and improved interpretation of the monu- ment can be completed by the end of this year, the work re­ corded on a dedicated project website and a “blog” designed


to encourage wider public in­ teraction. Though the Lottery grant


and other funding enable the project to start, more funding


isstillneededtoseeit through. Two fundraising events have already been organised to help meet the shortfall. On June 20th there will be a Cheese and Wine Evening


at Downham Hall, courtesy of Lord and Lady Clitheroe and as a part ofthe Ribble Valley’s


Annual Food Festival. And on June 26th a grand Summer Concert will be held at The Grand in Clitheroe. We will carry more information on these events nearer the time. Anyone else who would like


to get involved in the project in any way - including provid­ ing historical information and old photos ofthe pinnacle or Sir William Brass - can do so via Clitheroe Civic Society's website (clitheroecivicsoci- ety.webs.com) or by email to: aidi@live.co.uk


Springtime in Slaidburn


The village of Slaidburn will celebrate the arrival of spring over this bank holiday weekend with a variety of musical events, activities and floral displays'. The weekend’s theme is “The Hymns We Love”, many of which are depictedin the church displays, from Jerusalem to hymns about happy butterflies. St Andrew’s Church will play host to a spring time concert at 7 pm on Saturday (May 2nd) and after the votes are counted ' over the weekend, a special hymns of praise concert will be held on Sunday evening (May 3rd) at the church, where the top 10 voted for hymns will be played andsung. Events will take place from 10 am to 4 pm at the church on


both days, with floral displays, organ demonstrations on the recently restored church organ and bell ringing from both the church’s bell ringers along with other visiting guest ram, panologists. Church organist and Conductor John Cowking will be on hand to play hymn requests for visitors in return for a small donation and Slaidburn Silver Band will play more favourite hymns at the church from 7 pm on Sunday night. Local artists will display their work, which can also be bought and refreshments will be available throughout the weekend. For more information, contact Pauline Darby 01200446478.


A Whalley hospital has been awarded a “Triangle of Care” gold star by a national char­ ity.


Calderstones Partner­


ship NHS'Foundation Trust received the prestigious ac­ colade from Carers Trust in recognition for their com­ mitment to include and sup­ port carers. Havingbeenamemberof


their Triangle of Care for two years, extensive work with carers has enabled the Whal- ley-based hospital to receive a gold star for demonstrating their commitment. This has proved especially challeng-


. ingasCalderstonessupports people in secure settings or detained under the Mental Health Act. Triangle of Care project


leader Ruth Hannan said:. “Well done Calderstones for achieving their Gold Starfor the Carers Trust Triangle of Care scheme, demonstrating their commitment to ensur­ ing carers are properly in­ cluded and supported. “The Triangle of Care is a


model which creates a ther­ apeutic alliance between


carers, service users and professionals.” When commissioners a r - .


range for someone to be ad­ mitted to Calderstones, the Trust ensures family mem­ bers are given full details about the organisation so they can easily visit, contact ward staff and understand the therapeutic work done by specialists. In the last year, the Trust has made improvements to facilities to make visiting easier and more relaxed. There have also been more invitations to events around the Trust including religious services and information days. Mark Hindle, chief exec­ utive, said: “It is extremely


, important for service users to maintain their links with family members. Often fam­ ilies are the only constants in their lives as people move around various services and we believe it is essential for us to have the very best links possible with them.” Mark and senior staff


hold regular meetings with carers, including sessions with guest speakers.


Builder told pay up or go to jail


Benefits cheat must pay back more than £11,000


A benefits cheat Clitheroe builderhassold his Audi Quat- tro and personalised number plate to help pay back the £11,000 he owes the public purse,acourt was told


Paul Bialecki (45), has now got six months to hand over the £11,085.69 he got fraudu­ lently, or face seven months behind bars. B ia le ck i appeared at


Burnley Crown Court on Fri­ day for a proceeds of crime hearing. Recorder Paul Reid QC found he had benefited by that amount and made a confiscation order for it. The court was told he had available assets of £23,049.03. Bialecki’s barrister Mr


Karl Berry told the hearing the builder, who was self- em­ ployed, fully intended to pay the full amount within the she months, At the earlier sentencing


hearing, the court had been told how Bialecki got money he wasn’t entitled to by claim­ ing he didn’t have a wife. He was said to have had an on/


off relationship with spouse Janet, but she had never per­ manently moved out of the home they shared in Clithe­ roe. When he was found out, he was to tell the Department for Workand Pensions he and his wife couldn’tlive with each other and couldn’t live with­ out each other. Bialecki, who was said to


sometimes suffer serious de­ pression, had admitted three counts of fraud, committed between January 2011 and July 2013, and had been com­ mitted for sentence by mag­ istrates. The defendant, of Whittle Close, Clitheroe, had been given a community order with 12 months supervision and 150 hours unpaid work. The DWP prosecutor told


Burnley Crown Court that B i- . alecki claimed Employment and Support Allowance, to which he was not entitled, on three separate occasions. Investigations showed the


defendant and his wife had neverpermanently separated. Mrs Bialecki worked at Sains- burys for 25 hours-a-week


during the period of the de­ ception. The couple had been on two holidays together and the bills were paid out of Mrs Bialecki’s bank account. The prosecutor said the


defendant was questioned twice, on September 3rd and October 8th. During the first interview, he accepted it was important to give correct in­ formation and accepted his


- wife had not officially left. On the second occasion, he said he felt sick after the previous interview. He told officials he and his wife couldn’t live with each other and couldn’t live without each other. They never had any particular in­ tention to split up definitely. Mr Berry had earlier told


■ the court Bialecki had expe­ rienced a number of unfor­ tunate instances in his life which had a profound effect upon him. He had long-stand­ ing difficulties. The barrister had added: “He is at pains to confirm he wishes to make full reparation. He has also indi­ cated his personal shame at the offending.”


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