CLITHEROE'S bus and rail interchange is celebrating its first anniversary.

Members of Ribble Valley Council, Great North Western Railways and Ribble Valley Rail met for a cake-cutting and presentation ceremony.

Held at the Old Post House, in King Street, the gathering of dignitaries reflected on the success of the bus and rail amenity which has won four major awards in the past year, including The Countryside Agency Award for Planning for People and Places in rural England category of the Royal Town Planning Institute's awards for planning achievement, in February.

The latest was received just a matter of weeks later, when representatives from the organisations involved were invited to a ceremony at the Savoy Hotel, in London.

There they were given the HSBC Rail Business Award 2000 as winner of the Integrated Transport Scheme of the Year award, presented to the interchange staff at the first birthday get-together by First North Western group manager David Baxter.

Mr Baxter said: "The success of the interchange is a result of everyone concerned making a concerted effort. The interchange itself expresses the need for public transport in the rural community. I hope it will be a fore-runner for more awards in the Ribble Valley and Lancashire and thank everyone for an excellent job well done."

Ribble Valley Mayor Coun Chris Holtom, called it a great success story made possible through the partnership of the organisations involved.

At the ceremony are (from left): Brian Johnson, from the county council, David Baxter and The Mayor.