A1. Clitheroe the Future was set up in 2001 as part of the Government’s Market Town Initiative programme. Following a detailed Health Check, which examined issues such as environmental concerns, employment opportunities, provision of leisure facilities, transportation and access, Clitheroe was identified as having redevelopment needs in its role as a market town and a service centre for the rural hinterland. All the partnerships in the Market Town Initiative programme were set up to address these needs.
A2. The aims are, working in partnership with other agencies and bodies, to revitalise the town and surrounding area, to improve services and leisure facilities, to develop a sustainable economy and to enhance the quality of life of the inhabitants of the area.
A3. We have supported many projects in Clitheroe, several of which are very high-profile, such as the Castle Redevelopment Scheme and some smaller ones such as funding the Citizens Advice Bureau’s Debt Advice Scheme. However, the area covered by the partnership is Clitheroe and its rural hinterland, which basically means all of the Ribble Valley. We have funded projects in the villages, and will continue to support all rural projects which meet our criteria. We hope that most, if not all of our projects, even those based in Clitheroe, such as Ribblesdale Nursery and the Grammar School, are of great benefit to the area as a whole.
A4. Clitheroe the Future began at a large public meeting held at Ribblesdale School, when out of those present, around 40 people volunteered to form the group. They elected from their number around 16 people who formed the Executive, the decision-making body of the partnership. When an application for funding is received, it is first of all appraised by two qualified appraisers (trained by Northwest Regional Development Agency), who have no personal interest in the project. The application and appraisals are then presented to the monthly meeting of the Executive, who discuss the project and vote on whether or not to approve it for funding. Anyone having a personal interest in the project is barred from the discussion, to make sure that a fair decision is reached.
A5. We feel that it is very important to be truly representative of the inhabitants’ wishes, and have always made great efforts to gather accurate information. We began by holding a series of public meetings, open to all who wished to express their views. We still hold a public Annual General Meeting in May, and make sure that this is well publicised. One of the first activities we carried out was a questionnaire of residents, businesses, retailers, shoppers and visitors to the area in order to gather information to form an action plan. We carried out a ‘Pedestrian Audit’ when we took to the streets to find out what difficulties lie in wait for pedestrians in Clitheroe. We organised a visit from 30 representatives of the Countryside Agency to carry out a survey on what Clitheroe has to offer to visitors from out of town, in order to improve tourism and bring more money into the area. We try to maintain a high profile in the press and publicise our activities as much as possible, for example, we produce a quarterly newsletter, circulated to households throughout the area, and we run our own website, so that local people are aware of us and of the funding available, and can therefore approach us with their ideas.
A6. The projects we have supported have all had to meet our strategic aims and objectives, for instance they assist tourism, create jobs, create workspace or improve the environment. We do not spend money on projects which are already up and running, or on projects outside our area.
To date we have
A7. Our small grants scheme, for projects costing up to £5,000 will continue to run. We are currently hoping to fund some major projects in the area, including Roefield, St Mary’s Centre, the Castle redevelopment scheme and a multi-sport games area at Edisford School. We are always open to new ideas and applications.
A8. The scheme was originally intended to run until 2008, but several of the market towns’ partnerships, including Clitheroe’s, are already making plans to continue beyond that date in some form. We were awarded £1.2 million pounds to spend on regenerating the town and surrounding area. Some of the projects we are supporting take longer to reach the spending stage than others, for instance when there are planning issues, so we have set money aside for those, but we do still have funding available for new projects. In order to spend the money before the 2008 deadline, we need new projects now and are always looking for ideas and suggestions.
