276 chairs were set out, the seats were crowded and there were people standing at the back and in the entrance way, providing a total close to 300 persons.
 

The four main speakers, in order, were:

Mary Horner, a resident of Clitheroe, whose whole family can speak of adverse experiences since the introduction of the burning of hazardous waste by Castle Cement, showed a video which graphically displayed a night time dust emission of some  magnitude. She then went on to develop the theme of lack of response from the Environment Agency.

The second speaker, Dr Vyvyan Howard, a specialist in human embryo patho-toxicology, gave a scientific; cohesive; and  thoroughly understandable presentation on the worldwide effects of the man-made chemicals, created by industry and which did not exist 50 years ago, the traces of which can be found within humans on a worldwide basis. He explained how the traces of heavy metals, some of them carcinogenous and the dioxins and furans associated with incineration of these man-made chemicals have effects upon the immune systems and also, in small particle form, create inflammation and congestion in lung tissue. He also drew attention to the heavy doses of these damaging substances passed on to infants feeding at the breast, resulting in the infant acquisition of some 15% of the tolerable lifetime limits in the first few months of existence.

The third speaker, Dr Dick van Steenis, dealt at some greater length with the effect of the particulate matter on the body, generally, and rounded comprehensively on the suppression of information from authorities, mis-information from multi-national companies, and what he personally regarded as the inadequacuies and inefficiencies of the Environment Agency.

The fourth speaker was Ralph Ryder who spoke from the point of view of an ordinary, average, working man suddenly stricken by ill health. Coincidentally, he had lived many years within 300 yds of a licenced incinerator. An incinerator which was supposedly state of the art and operating within permitted parameters.
 

In two hours of speaking and displaying data, the combined delivery of these four speakers created a visible impact upon the audience. Arising from that, a series of pertinent and wide ranging questions were raised which the panel answered to the satisfaction of the enquirers.
In the spirit of fairness and openness with which CANK operates, Mr Tony Allen, General Manager of Castle Cement at Padeswood, was invited to respond to two questions relating to distribution of employees and the useage of coal in the planned new kiln. His response to  the coal question was challenged  and rather comprehensively destroyed by a CANK member.
 

Such was the impact of the presentations that over 100 of the people present signed up as CANK members before leaving the building. Many have since made contact asking for literature; further information; enquiring how on earth an application such as this could have been going on for a year without them previously being aware of it; and offering support in varoius ways.

The evening can only be described as successful from CANK's point of view and highly educational for those who attended.
 

Arnold Woolley
Chairman
CANK