A Place To Call Home
Jane Miller sings the praises of her hometown of Clitheroe, a place that has instilled a deep sense of loyalty and where her family history runs deep
Sometimes you’ve got to leave a place to appreciate what you’ve got and it’s fair to say that many of us who once moved away in search of the bright lights either wish they could move back, but can’t for work reasons, or like ourselves, eventually did come home.
We’re incredibly lucky to live in Clitheroe as the town has got everything! In the wisdom of my years as a parent I can appreciate what the estate agents tell us – it’s quiet, safe, has low crime rates, excellent schools and transport connections.
Yet the teenager in me still appreciates that I can easily escape too – to Manchester, Leeds, even London thanks to improved, faster trains. And as a businesswoman now in my home town, there’s a sense of loyalty and straight talking that sits well with me. People ‘get’ you.
I love the fact that I know exactly where we fit in in this town, with a deep-rooted sense of where we belong. Cut us in half and it says Clitheroe. Family history runs deep, and I’m incredibly proud of my (to me) fascinating family history that’s been traced back generations in the town and surrounding areas. I love the fact that I can walk through the town and know people, that people know me, know my parents, my in-laws and knew my grandparents.
I’m hardly old but I’m beginning to look back on my childhood years with the rose-tinted glasses you are granted in middle age. How many of us remember the open air swimming pool up the castle, the giant rhododendrons in Brungerley Park, now long gone, where my sister and I would play hide and seek for hours? Or, visiting the funfair on the ‘rec’ by the demolished gasometer and the torchlight processions – every year, surely? I remember fishing for minnows at Upbrooks when that was the very edge of the town and parading through Clitheroe carrying flags and banners down from St. Mary’s Church. And let’s not forget the Enid Blyton school years under the late Miss Bingham at CRGS – for girls.
It’s fond memories like these that instil a civic pride in people and Clitheroe is blessed with individuals fighting the corner for the small man – the Civic Society, the Friends of Brungerley Park and the Clitheroe Rail community, just a few organisations where individuals are striving to retain what the town has and means to us.
Growing up in a family of photographers meant that we are fortunate to have imagery dating back longer than many other families – things we can pass on to our children and instil this same pride and sense of place. Take a look at my cousin’s website www.oldclitheroe.co.uk for a glimpse of what the town was, and to marvel from this glass plate photography taken by my great grandfather, the late Edward Pye, and see how much it has changed.
Change itself is good. But what is better is to appreciate what you’ve got and keep on doing so. Shopping local is just one way of keeping Clitheroe alive and kicking, the food festival is just one event where we get to show our town off at its best and, yes, be proud to say this is where we’re from.
