YOUTH is to be the focus for the new Mayor of Rossendale Coun Alan Neal.

Coun Neal spent much of his childhood in children's homes and with foster families after his grandmother died when he was ten years old.

Together with the BBC, he motivated 80 Rossendale schoolchildren to make a record of the story of the Whitworth's solitary Christmas decorations Frosty and Chilly. The record raised money for local children's organisations.

During his year as mayor, he is planning to introduce a young achievers' scheme to reward the accomplishments of anyone up to the age of 18.

Coun Neal, 46, a father-of-two, has been a Labour Rossendale councillor since 1987, apart from a two-year break from 1994 to 96.

He works as a baker but is a trained motorcycle instructor and hopes to lead one of the ride-ins to start the Rossendale Valley Motorbike Show in September.

Before that, he will join town crier Peter Gill at what he describes as the first millennium celebration in the Valley - the British Town Crier Championships which will be held in Rossendale in a few weeks' time.

And his millennium wish? "I want the people of Rossendale to take more pride in their area and keep it clean," he said.

"We spend £500,000 cleaning up after people in this borough who drop litter - and adults are often worse than children. We really are a dirty race.

"That is money we could better spend on improving facilities for young people."

Coun Neal's wife Janet is mayoress.

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