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Village Ditches "Where's That?" Tag |
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David Schaffer When Councillor Eileen Doran saw two men outside her house trying to drag a young girl in to a Land Rover she immediately dialled 999. But when she told the operator the incident was taking place in the village of Ulnes Walton in Lancashire, she was met with a "where's that?" response. "I really didn't know what was going on outside, it really did look like this girl was being abducted," said Mrs Doran, former chair of Ulnes Walton Parish Council. "It was awful to see what was going on and I thought ringing 999 was the best thing to do. The operator didn't really say much apart from 'we'll sort it out' and rang off." Fortunately police in Chorley contacted Mrs Doran a short time later saying no crime had been committed, the girl had run away children's home and had been legitimately pursued. People have continually got confused because they couldn't find it on the map. "But where's Ulnes Walton?" has been a common question for years because until a few months ago the village was nowhere to be seen on maps. Despite it being known as a parish, the dispersed nature of the large community of more than 600 has had no focal point that could be used to mark the spot. Other confusion has led to deliveries to a local company going as far as Cumbria because the driver thought he had to go to Ullswater, and countless visitors to nearby Wymott and Garth prisons regularly getting lost. "People have continually got confused because they couldn't find it on the map," says Dorothy Todd, vice-chair of the council. “Being constantly associated with nearby Leyland and some residents having a Preston telephone code has not helped matters.” Two years ago the Parish Council decided something had to be done. Contacting Chorley Borough Council in the first instance they were met with what they feel was little interest in the bid for map status. Without the authority's endorsement, however, Ordnance Survey was not prepared to respond to the request. Until they enlisted the help of Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle and Borough Councillor Margaret Iddon, the prospect looked bleak, however with their help Ordnance Survey immediately agreed and the name went on the most recent maps to be published. Of course, the details of how it all happened aren’t all that important, what’s more important is the fact that being on the map appears to be drawing people together. Robert Ward, who runs Nook Farm in Holker Lane, says it will help the village move forward. "Wherever you live you want it to have an identity, so getting on the map is good for that." Other residents cannot see why there is such a fuss about the news, but even they do not describe themselves as dissenting voices. Woodturner Peter Royle, who has lived in the village for 26 years, said: "It is no bad thing for those pushing the village to get on the map and give it firm identification. "But just doing that won't create the identity alone - we still don't have things like a village green, a pub, or a shop. But if this happening gets more people involved in the area, then I'm certainly not against it."
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