TWO colleges, an NHS trust and a primary school are among the East Lancashire organisations awarded prestigious Charter Marks for public service by the Government today.

Public services minister David Clark said the winners were "the trailblazers of the 21st century" at the awards ceremony in London.

He said: "Those who have won charter marks today have reached out to their customers, listened to them and set out to provide a service that is what their customers want.

"They are the modern, forward looking organisations that the Prime Minister has called for - the trailblazers of the 21st century." The winners included Coates Lane Primary School, Barnoldswick, the first primary school in Lancashire to win a Charter Mark. A parent nominated the 150-pupil school for the award.

Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust won two Charter Marks - for the radiology department and hotel and site services.

In the radiology department, feedback from customers is encouraged and a series of patient information leaflets in several languages is available. Hotel and site services has 500 staff working in areas such as housekeeping, cleaning and portering. It has a range of special provisions for patients with sensory impairment, including audio loops in day rooms and publications in braille.

Castleford Day Centre, Clitheroe, also won a Charter Mark. The Lancashire County Council-run centre offers day care to 30 elderly people 365 days a year and uses specially adapted buses to take people to and from the centre, often from isolated and almost inaccessible places.

Two colleges won awards - Accrington and Rossendale College and Nelson and Colne College.

Accrington and Rossendale College enrols 20,000 students each year, many of them on adult education programmes sponsored by the local education authority.

Nelson and Colne College, has 1,700 full-time and 5,700 part-time students and is one of the largest employers in Pendle with 640 staff.

The county's fire brigade won a Charter Mark for its service. The brigade dealt with more than 30,000 calls in 1996/97 and rescued more than 300 people.

And the network of Lancashire County Council County Information Centres , which tell the public about county council services, also won an award.

Other Lancashire winners include Bishop Rawstorne C of E International Language College in Preston, Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust, Kirkham Prison, New Progress Housing Association, Leyland and South Ribble Borough Council, and Woodlands Conference and Training Centre in Chorley.

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