The two faces of Whalley as residents rally around their beautiful village

By day, the Ribble Valley village of Whalley is a charming picture of historic architecture, idyllic greenery and quaint shops.

Nestled on the banks of the foaming River Calder, the village is filled with luxurious shops and a host of creative, independent traders.

With the beautiful ruins of Whalley Abbey in the background, you could say it makes for something of a picture postcard on a bright, sunny day.

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Yet the village recently listed on the Sunday Times 50 Best Places to live in Britain has a different side, it seems, with serious concerns being raised after a spate of anti-social behaviour.

Following claims of late night bars, noise and crime in the last few weeks, concerns have been raised at Ribble Valley Borough Council’s licensing committee, which is now considering making future changes to licensing for pubs, bars and other licensed venues in the village.

So with this in mind, we spoke to a range of local businesses and traders and asked them for their views on what Whalley is really like – by day and by night.

Many traders we spoke to have countered the claims, which they feel have got out of hand, and say Whalley is enjoying something of a resurgence, post pandemic.

Staff at Katie Rose Florists, which has been based on King Street for three years, say business is absolutely booming, with big orders flooding in because people want bright flowers to cheer themselves up, post pandemic.

Florist Claire Sirkett said: “We do get very good orders here – it’s in the Ribble Valley and people are so lovely in the Ribble Valley, and spend quite a lot of money on bouquets; we get some very nice customers.

Flowers in Autumn colours are topping the list at the moment, she said, while pastels are always very popular.

She added: “We are being asked to do all sorts of orders – it’s very seasonal – with Autumnal colours, and pastel colours.

“There have been lots of bereavements in the last year, so people really want cheering up with beautiful flowers, and the bouquets are a good way of making people feel better.

“There have been bars opening recently, and parties, but Whalley is a beautiful place, and while there may have been one or two instances, it is very picturesque and has a community feel.

“We have regular fund raising events, vintage fairs every month, and events going on at Whalley Abbey. It really feels very villagey to me, with a good sense of community.

“We retain the nice, village feel, and it is a pleasant community.”

Her feelings are echoed by Alex Smith, Director of Whalley Warm & Dry, specialists in outdoor clothing, who have been based in Whalley for 20 years.

He said: “The whole village is thriving – it’s really good to see. There have been a couple more drinking establishments opened, but on the whole, there have been a lot of people coming to Whalley from outside the area, which is fantastic to see.

“Our customers love to visit the historic Whalley Abbey and its grounds, explore the surrounding beautiful countryside and choose from some fabulous places to eat. As a family business we are delighted there are so many wonderful independent businesses and retailers in Whalley providing such an array of services and products.”

Sharon Counsell, manageress of The Swan Hotel on King Street, said the community had rallied round in every instance of flooding, with the hotel playing host to six families two years ago.

Highlighting the strong community spirit in Whalley, she said the village was a ‘beautiful community’.

She said: “We are a great, local community and we all come together for things like Pickwick Night, and we’ve got Whalley in Bloom, the parish council and Whalley Lions who do amazing work around the village. That’s the heart of village life really.”

Emphasising how a few recent examples of bad behaviour were isolated incidents, she said traders in Whalley pulled together all the time.

“We are really lucky; when we get the floods, everybody pulls together. Kellie Hughes, of Kellie Hughes Hair, Nails & Beauty Emporium is absolutely amazing, and always organises sandbags when there’s a disaster, when it’s needed.

“It’s a shame we had had some isolated incidents from people out of town, and it’s been highlighted more than it should be, but Whalley really is a lovely place to be, with beautiful walks and independent retailers that you don’t find anywhere else.”

Meanwhile, Martyn Watterson, director of Cosgroves, a gentlemen’s outfitters shop on King Street, praised the community spirit of Whalley, saying that business was ‘steady’ post pandemic.

He said: “A customer has just come in this morning; it’s the first time they have been back since the start of the pandemic. It’s nice to see when they have not been in for so long – we’re the first port of call.

“We’re almost an institution here in Whalley, and we’ve been here since 1990. It’s definitely a nice, community place and a lovely village and there are a lot of people that do pass through Whalley.

“There have been a couple of isolated incidents, but on the whole, it’s a nice village and there’s a huge amount of independent traders like ourselves. Whalley does not have many typical high street shops; they are all independently owned and run, which is nice to see.”

And his message is clear – Whalley is very much open for people to come and enjoy a relaxing visit. He added: “People should come back and visit – Whalley is a lovely place to visit.”

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