The Locality

Castle Medical Group is part of The East Lancashire Primary Care Trust. The practice is based in the market town of Clitheroe, with over 20,000 people living in and around the town itself.
The Ribble Valley is a mainly rural area, with many characterful but isolated villages making up the remaining population.

The area is a popular destination for holiday-makers. With an abundance of beautiful countryside, attractive villages and low levels of unemployment, it is viewed as a relatively wealthy and healthy part of East Lancashire.

The history of Clitheroe dates back over 800 years, and the town itself features the remains of one of the two smallest Norman castle keeps in Britain, standing prominently in the centre of town.

Clitheroe developed a textile industry in the Industrial Revolution, but remained predominantly a rural market town. The mills have now all-but disappeared, and employment is focused around light engineering and cement manufacture. Unemployment levels are low, with a considerable commuter population living in the locality.

Clitheroe and the surrounding area is an attractive place to live, with excellent local amenities. The local schools are a major draw to the area, and include Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Ribblesdale High School and Bowland High School.

There is a wide variety of housing from the many attractive and well-maintained terraced properties to much newer developments. Many of the villages contain historic properties and recent conversions.

Clitheroe has its own Sports Centre and Swimming Pool at Roefield. There are also the usual squash, tennis, and cricket facilities within the town not to mention two private Health Clubs.

The town contains the usual variety of shops, but includes a number of family-run specialist shops that have received regional and national accolades: Byrne's Wine Shop has won several awards, and is famous for its wines and whiskeys (with a very interesting cellar!); Cowman's Sausage Shop is famous for...well, that's obvious!