 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
We count Unique Visitors!
Contact editor@heskethbank.com
Service Provider Hubmaker
© 2003 - 2008 All rights reserved
| LETTERS
- NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS |
LOCAL MEP WEDDING EXPENSES ROW
Now the original Times article did make me angry but Sir Roberts response on this matter made my blood boil. The Sunday Times piece was very clear that the rules had not been broken – and this, to me, was the crux of the article! Sir Robert is (perhaps deliberately) missing the point. The outcry is not about the technicalities of MEP allowances, it is the absolute disregard for the taxpayer and the crass indifference of our MEPs & MPs when challenged on the moral justification of their expenses. Unlike our MEP, the average person on the street does not conclude that it is necessarily acceptable just because it is potentially allowable. Leaving the impeccable timing and convenience of the invitation aside, why would Sir Robert ask the taxpayer to fund any part of the international air fare when it is patently obvious that he would be in the USA at that time for the wedding of his son. If I am asked by a neighbour to pick up a loaf whilst I am in Tarleton should I bill her half the bus fare? Regardless of all the above, there is a very easy way in which Sir Robert could clear up this matter. Even the Sunday Times failed delve too deep on why the invitation (other than the obvious) was accepted. I presume even MEP's cannot just accept any and every invitation that comes across their desk and that justification for the expenditure was submitted. It will thus be easy to tell all us all about the purpose of the visit, the itinerary of the trip and and how we have all since reaped the rewards of his enhanced knowledge of the workings of the Republican Party. If, as would be the case in the real world, he can demonstrate how we got, say, £4k of benefit from the £2k of cost I am sure all the noise will go away. Finally, I have a criticism to make about this website. Your article [see NEWS 08/06/08] about our MEP and his use of taxpayers’ money to go to the wedding of his own son makes no reference to him being a Conservative MEP. It is important; Labour MEP's have chosen to have their allowances paid through an independent auditor since 2000. J. Ball, 11th June 2008 |
|
| Crime
in the villages With the latest series of burglaries/break-ins once again our villages make the headlines for all the wrong reasons. So much for Phil Corrigan's assurances 15/01/08 that 'extra police patrols are planned' and 'we have dedicated neighbourhood and geographical cover 24/7'. Do these guys not have any responsibility at all for the hard-earned money we are all paying out? Richard Hodson, 29th February 2008 |
|
| Fight
For Village Services Probably right, John Hodson, we have a mutual great-grandfather, from Middle Meanygate,who went to Preston market with horse and cart to bring money into 'our villages' as did many others. Such a shame that you seem hell -bent on destroying the services that generations have worked hard to provide. You are also right about Dame Shirley,heiress to trillions of Tesco money who made the unforgivable political mistake of 'getting found out'. What I as a political neutral don't understand is why you Labour supporters keep on blaming the Tories for everything that is wrong in our Health, Education, Immigration, Transport, Lack of Police, Soaring Crime Rate etc. Also interesting to note the online improvements for Road Tax, Passports etc. How do you get the actual documents then? Richard Hodson, 3rd February 2008 |
|
| Post
Office Closures Dear Editor, With regard to some of the comments on this subject, I feel that some objectivity is called for. Mr. R. Hodson (distant relation?!) seeks to link post office closures with Sainsbury's Supermarket which doesn't quite scan. If you follow the logic, the most successful Supermarket has got to be Tesco's by any way of measuring. Tesco was formed by Dame Shirley Porter's family if I'm not mistaken and she ended up in some gerrymandering difficulty following her term as Tory leader of a Council - so you can draw whatever refernce to that you wish! The real reason that the Post Offices are in difficulty is the same reason that Sainsbury's/Tesco etc are as successful as they are, simply the fact that we operate in a free market economy and people spend their money in these outlets rather than others. Anyone who has used the internet to renew their Road Tax, renew their Passport or any other service which is also provided in our Post Office will quickly realise the difficulties facing the traditional format of the Post Office where you have to traipse in with all your documentation (which HAS to be in order) and queue to have it processed. Online it can be done in less time than it will take you to read this bulletin! Of course not every one currently has access to the internet but you can clearly see which direction the trend is going in. Once upon a time only one or two people 'in our villages' had a motor car as opposed to horse drawn transport and no doubt that there was resistance to the introduction of them at the time. But they came all the same. So Mrs. Fulbrooke, in her latest opportunistic way, attempts to jump on the Post Office bandwagon in order to raise her profile in time for the next Election, but what is she suggesting? endless subsidisation of a loss making service? How does that fit in with her philosophy of survival of the fittest? Yours Sincerely, |
|
Proposed
Closures of Post Offices |
|
|
No
Ifs.... No Buts... If this is the verdict of the body that is responsible for promoting high ethical standards then may God help us all. Despite all the measures that have supposedly been put in place to safeguard our interests it seems that the continuous stream of cross party "administration oversights" only ever come to light when the papers get involved. It seems safe to assume that our political leaders have no respect for the law or their electorate and their internal policemen are as ineffectual as the plastic plods they deploy on our streets. Tough on crime? No Sleaze? Transparency? No ifs... No buts... Don't make me laugh! - there is not even the faintest hint of embarrassment about such discoveries. Our politicians are above the law and rotten to the core. J. B. , 30th January 2008 |
|
|
Proposed
Closures of Post Offices |
|
| Dear
editor,
I was disappointed to see some of the comments from Chris Stringfellow about the 'lack of local news' organisations covering Tarleton and Hesketh Bank. The Southport Visiter is very keen to cover any news in this area, whether it is celebrating people's good news, raising local issues or highlighting local events. In the Southport Visiter currently on sale for example we feature a story and photos about the sewage problems suffered by residents in Hesketh Bank, and will keep on top of this issue in the hope of securing a resolution. News about progress on the new Booth's supermarket will also feature soon, hopefully this Friday. Yes, we could publish more stories from Tarleton and Hesketh Bank - and we would be delighted to do so! If anybody would like any issues raising in the Southport Visiter or Midweek Visiter, please let me know!! My direct phone number is 01704 398271, e-mail me at: visiternews@southportvisiter.co.uk or call into the Visiter office on Tulketh Street, Southport (just off Chapel Street) and say hello. At weekends, we always have a Visiter reporter available on 07919 112582. We are far from ignorant of this area here at the Visiter - my fiancee hails from Hesketh Bank and is a former pupil of Tarleton High and Tarleton primary, and I recently enjoyed the Christmas period in Hesketh Bank with my prospective in-laws. I am a regular visitor - it's a lovely part of the world. One of my colleagues lives in Rufford, which is not a million miles away (she is a big fan of the shops in Tarleton!) Thank you for raising the issue of the recent spate of crimes at the weekend, it's been a rough few weeks for people at the hands of burglars, and we will be delighted to once again raise the issue of whether there should be a police station in Tarleton? Please let us know your thoughts! Finally, I would like to congratulate the adminstrators
and users of this excellent website. Sharing information is the
most important way of maintaining any thriving community. Andrew Brown, Deputy editor Southport Visiter, 15th January 2008 |
|
Well
as I mentioned in my last letter, in November [see Letters
- Tarleton Parish Council] , I am starting on local policing
again. I don't know how many of you are aware of the spate of
burglaries which took place at local business premises in Tarleton
over the weekend. From the rumours circulating (it can only be
rumours round here now, as we have no local newspaper anymore,
unless you consider the Ormksirk/Skem or Southport biased rubbish
that claims to be local) a large number of premises were broken
into in the early morning. By lunchtime, I had actually seen two
police vehicles in the village, that's more than I saw for the
whole of last year. It's time
our local politicians demanded some answers from the police to
questions such as "Where the hell are you" and "What
are you doing about crime in Tarleton". |
|
| PACT
MEETINGS I have been unable to trace minutes from the above Meetings after February 2007. The Meetings are still being advertised so may I enquire whether Minutes are taken at the Meetings and where might the Minutes be displayed? It would be good to have a later update. J Johnston, 27th December 2007 |
|
Speed
Measurement on Moss Lane 6% of vehicles
doing over 30 mph The "Confidential"' figures from a SPIRD Speed Recorder undergoing trials - released presumably by the Clerk - now show entirely different results: 27% of
vehicles doing over 35 mph The
presentation and validity of this data is unacceptable. At the
very time of a controversial planning application requiring
traffic calming on Moss Lane to obtain permission a SPIRD visual
recorder is placed in Moss Lane immediately adjacent to the
site in question. Trevor Roberts, 25th October 2007 |
|
PUMPKINS
EVERYWHERE |
|
| GENERAL
ELECTION I am glad that the PM has decided not to call an Election. I was informed last week that one of the National Newspapers estimated the cost of an Election at more than 1 Million Pounds. Is it not time to call Elections every 4 or 5 years and to stick by this agreement? J Johnston, 7th October 2007 |
|
| PACT
BOXES I understand that a Pact Box was delivered to Spar in Tarleton about 10 days ago. I am told that the Village Police Officer will be calling at Spar to place it in a suitable position. I noticed in today's local paper there is a mention of Tarleton Beat Bobby Lee Wallbank. Are we now fortunate in having 2 local Police Officers in Tarleton? Joyce Rydings, 17th August 2007 |
|
PACT
BOXES |
|
Hesketh
Bank Scarecrow Festival There’s something for everyone and its fun. So come on, get those dapper togs out of the wardrobe, dust them down, get frocked up, strut your stuff and show off. You all know what it’s about, you don’t need me to tell you. But…… if you have had a new neighbour next door then you will need to spread the news. Who knows if you’ve not spoken to them yet, it could be a good way of breaking the ice. Let’s face it, this is all about COMMUNITY SPIRIT. Now if you’re struggling with a lack of imagination DO NOT FRET. I’m told that that the competition will have two categories, “Traditional” and “Anything Goes”.. So, if you favour my traditional “WORZEL GUMMIDGE” look then this is for you. The more “Scarecrow like” you look, the better. But let’s remember the competition is secondary, the main objective is that as many of us as possible are out there putting on a show. THE PUBLIC WANTS TO SEE US. Let’s face it, they will come from miles just for that privilege so don’t let us disappoint them. The entry form will be available to all households both within and outside the village (even parts of Tarleton). The entry form can be downloaded here or collected from Top Shop or Spar. So have a read, follow the instructions and get those forms back PROMPT. In the meantime come on visitors get your thinking caps on! PUT THE DATES IN YOUR DIARY JULY 2nd – 7th. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL SOON. Best
regards to all, W. Gummage III, 24th June 2007 Download Scarecrow Entry Form - Download "How To Make A Scarecrow" |
|
| Moss
Road Network Dear Editor, It must be election time again as the old chestnut of the 'Green Lane Link' is wheeled out yet again. [see Local News 26/02/2007] This project has been promised to the electorate by the Local Conservatives at each election without any hope of it getting off the ground, sinking without trace (excuse the pun) immediately after said Counciilors are (safely) elected for another 4 years before it is dusted off ready just in time for the next round. Just how gullible do these people think the electorate are? The report Cllr Baron refers to was published in 1999 and was kept very quiet at the time by our County Councillor, presumably because it did not fit in with election promises at the time. The report offererd three different alternatives in terms of construction design and did state that a minumum cost of £1M would at that time be an estimated starting point- notwithstanding the need for land aquisition and only allowed for excavation of up to 1 metre! A Civil Engineering Estimating Manager colleague told me at the time that a realistic starting price would be in the order of £5M: the proposed length of road was only a quarter of a mile long but passes over peat moss soil which can be as deep as 30feet in places. For the project to proceed, external funding is required - the big question is where will this funding come from? A few points readers may wish to know are : 1. This proposal has been talked about since 1995 where the very reasons why it has not been built were explained by Lancs County Council at the time. 2. What contribution is to be made by the large Supermarket chains who would be the main beneficiaries of greater access to the Moss? 3. If funding were to be found for the 'Green Lane Link', ( 1/4 mile long) who would fund the rest of the Moss Road network i.e. miles and miles of substandard road ? 4. Precisely where does this proposal sit in terms of priority within LCC's road building program? All I ask is a degree of political honesty on the subject, whilst our elected members dine out on this promise every four years, the cost of any scheme spirals even further out of reach and the rest of our road network is forgotten about. Yours Sincerely, |
|
| Re:
WLDC Ban Smoking Breaks Good news. We will be able to walk past the Council Offices without worrying about getting smoke in our eyes.I hope other businesses will follow. The Hospitals decided that the whole site should be completely Smoke Free from February 2006. I have noticed no difference when entering both Ormskirk and Southport Hospitals and when asked why this was being allowed to continue I was told that it will take time .Even staff disobey the rules and stand in front of the No Smoking Signs where the patients and visitors alike are required to pass to enter the Hospitals. If people want to kill themselves by smoking please do not inflict this dreadful unhealthy habit on those of us whose health it affects. J Johnston, 16th November 2006 |
|
| Pavements
on Hesketh Lane following Surface Dressing Further to my recent note on the state of the pavements following the recent surface dressing with tar and feathers, sorry chippings. A very nice lady at West Lancashire District Council put me through to another very nice lady at Lancashire County Council who is sending a Highways Inspector round. Hopefully it will be sorted out soon - in the meantime mind how you go. Regards Bob. Bob Robinson, 8th September 2006 |
|
| Hesketh
Lane Surface Dressing The Highway's department has just gone through the regular replacement of the wearing course on Hesketh Lane with tar and chippings. Since then there has been a couple of early morning visits by a road sweeper to clear up loose chippings. However in the meantime many loose chippings have been pinged on to the pavement by passing traffic leaving the pavement littered with sharp chippings. As a pedestrian I and my dogs find the going somewhat hard on the feet. Who is responsible for sweeping the paths after this sort of maintenance - the Council or the Contractor? Regards Bob. Bob Robinson B.Sc. F.C.A., 7th September 2006 |
|
| The
Closure of Southport Pleasureland should really come as no surprise,
Southport is difficult to get both to & from, in the past few
years planners have preferred to spend a huge amount of money on
the [Admittedly] beautiful suspension bridge, Bridging [only] the
Marine Lake!! Had the same amount been spent on a bridge across the Ribble linking Southport to Lytham, St. Annes & the rest of the Fylde Coast it would have made much more sense. [and had massive benefits to both communities] [It would have made traffic congestion in Preston & Penwortham much less and made Fleetwood "Freeport" more accessible.] Instead Southport's "Centre of Gravity" [If it has one] is focussed South into Sefton, especially Bootle with which it has little in common. The present coast road was laid on rubbish / hardcore tipped by residents in the sixties, if this had then been branched to continue towards Lytham "Tantalising Close" in plain view across the Ribble Estuary, but many miles away by road via Penwortham & Preston, All these northwest Coastal towns would benefit, including from traffic congestion. The more direct Railway links have gone, so let's have the imagination for such a road link, this also offers an opportunity to usefully dispose of hardcore rubble instead of landfill and could make recently expanded places like Banks & Tarleton more accessible. Congestion on the road links between the Southport / Ormskirk Hospitals accident & emergency departments might improve. Both Blackpool lights and Southport Flower Show would greatly benefit from larger ACCESSIBLE Catchments. If Pleasureland has gone, has the monies spent/being spent on the nearby Southport swimming baths called into question? Kind
Regards, |
|
| Dear
Sir,
I am delighted that at last, the truth has emerged about the proposals to merge Lancashire and Cumbria Police Forces, and that the idea has now been abandoned. As residents of South Ribble will be aware, I have spent the last six months challenging the Police Authority chairman to accept that the merger was a mistake for local people and their policing needs, serving police officers, police civilian workers and council-tax payers in Lancashire. I consistently put the case that this ill-conceived merger would result in: - the £23million start-up costs being diverted
from the existing budget to pay for it – which incidentally
rose from £16m to £20m to £23m within weeks Whilst the u-turn is great news, I am amazed the Police Authority are claiming they are surprised and feel “let down” by the Government’s decision not to offer extra funds to pay for the massive costs a merger would have entailed. As a result of the Police Authority’s naive approach, vast sums of our taxpayer’s money have already been wasted preparing for a merger that should never have been volunteered for, and many valuable hours of police time that could have been spent tackling crime have now been thrown away. The local officers carrying out local people’s policing needs do a superb job in Lancashire, but I believe that they have been very badly let down by politicians and bureaucrats. The former Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, attempted to railroad the merging of Britain’s forty three police forces into just twelve regional forces for reasons that had little to do with operational effectiveness and everything to do with John Prescott’s’ plans to break up our country into regions of Europe. This is another glaring example of “Regionalisation
by Stealth”. I am delighted that this battle has been won, I am just sad that so much time, money and effort has been wasted, when every penny is desperately needed in the ongoing fight against crime. Lorraine Fullbrook |
|
Dear Sir, Any dictionary will tell you that the word 'reform' means 'to improve', 'to save from evil'. But when Tony Blair says he wants to 'reform' the public services, he means 'sell-out'. He inherited one of the greatest creations of the post-war Labour government : the National Health Service. But he is determined to undermine it by encouraging profit-obsessed health corporations to take over the structure of the NHS. The Department of Health has asked multi-national companies to manage health services worth up to £64 billion by purchasing healthcare for millions of NHS patients. Of course Mr Blair and his obedient ministers pretend that the service will not change; it will continue to be free at the point of use. But these corporations have only one motivation : money; and the money which they syphon out of the health service will go into the pockets of international investors, not into improved healthcare. This is what privatisation means. Even Margaret Thatcher didn't dare to touch the NHS. We are talking about the obscene sight of a Labour government – a LABOUR government – handing the NHS over to the parasites of the finance world. The Green Party has expressed shock at the latest step towards NHS Incorporated. A spokesman said, "Labour picked up where the Tories left off and are now ploughing billions of pounds into private companies to provide health-care and hospitals under the NHS brand. This money is taken from NHS health-care provision, reducing the number of NHS nurses and doctors available, while boosting private companies' profits. The NHS is no longer about providing health care for those in need, it is concerned with providing rich pickings for large multinational companies. We should be under no illusion: patients are suffering and dying because of these 'reforms', NHS debt is spiraling and local hospitals are closing.” Of course the Conservatives will be secretly delighted to see Labour doing the dirty work of privatisation. Labour M.P.s will follow their leader without a murmur; and the few remaining members of the Labour Party sold their souls years ago by swallowing the Blair agenda without question. So what can the ordinary citizen do to oppose this sell-out ? You could write to your local Labour M.P. You could join a party which is vehemently against privatisation (guess which !). And you could make a donation to the 'Keep Our NHS Public' group at 113 Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XG. If you don't do it now, it may be too late. Yours faithfully, Maurice
George |
|
| I
agree with you Mr Bodhill regarding the location of the polling
station on Carr Lane. Unfortunately, as I understand from asking
the same question from Jane Smith at WLDC, the portable building
on Carr Lane was a last resort. This is the way it was explained
to me:- Tarleton is divided into 3 electoral wards. The Central ward polling station was Holy Trinity school on Church Road. (Mark Square as you suggested, is within the Central ward so could not be used for Hesketh Lane ward). The Hesketh Lane ward polling station was previously in the Primary school but this was unavailable this year (at last year's General Election it was in the ATC building at the rear of the High school but this was unavailable this year). The third polling station was in the school in Mere Brow. A polling station has by law to be provided in each ward. Every other suitable building in the Hesketh Lane ward was unavailable this year except one in Moss Lane and this was considered unsuitable. I was assured that this situation should not arise next year as steps have been taken to secure suitable premises. Dave Rydings, 9th May 2006 |
|
I
was disgusted at the placing of the polling station for the local
elections on Thursday. Why was a porta cabin in Carr Lane chosen?
It is very inconvenient as it is on no bus route, not central
to the village and at the end of a cul-de-sac. |
|
Dear Editor, As many of those who visit your site already know, I am totally opposed to the proposal to merge Lancashire Police with Cumbria Police. I am appalled that both the Lancashire Police Authority and Lancashire Constabulary are going along with the Home Secretary’s railroading of local forces into a merger, when they are unable to show any meaningful benefits that would be gained for the local people of Lancashire. Indeed, the facts demonstrate entirely the opposite. Last week
(24 Feb 2006), the Lancashire Constabulary was the only police
force in the country to agree to the merger, while many other
police forces throughout the country have opposed the Government’s
proposals and are fighting to stop it, as they believe it is not
in the best interests of I have written to the Chairman of the Lancashire Police Authority to challenge them to re-run their survey and ask local people the simple question, “Given the choice, do you favour leaving Lancashire Police as a stand alone force, or do you favour a merger with Cumbria?” They have refused. Instead, the Lancashire Police Authority continue to peddle that 86% of local people want a merger with Cumbria, without ever telling them that the merger will increase the police portion of their local council tax by 13%, for which they will receive nothing. Add to this the £20 million start-up costs out of the existing police budget (which has gone up by £4 million in the last four weeks), no guarantee that Hutton will remain the Headquarters of any merged force and redundancies throughout Lancashire Police; this is a disaster for local people. A representative of the Police Authority publicly admitted to me at a recent public meeting that, “inevitably, there will be redundancies”. A great number of serving police officers and civilian workers live locally. Together with local people, they are being badly let down by politicians and bureaucrats. I have therefore launched my own survey on this issue. It can be found on the internet at www.TellLorraine.com. It asks the straight question that the Lancashire Police Authority refused to, “What is the best way forward for local policing, a)
For Lancashire Police to remain a stand-alone force? I urge everyone who shares my view to complete this question, so we can try and fight this together. I will make sure the results are passed to Charles Clark, the Home Secretary, the Lancashire Police Authority, the Lancashire Constabulary and the Labour MP for South Ribble. Lorraine
Fullbrook P.S. Anyone without access to the internet can let me know which option they favour by writing to me at PO Box 266, Leyland, Lancs, PR26 7WB |
|
| Dear
Sir, Last week I attended a public meeting of the Lancashire Police Authority that was held to discuss policing in Lancashire. I did so because I am concerned at what I believe will be the consequences of the proposed merger of Lancashire police with Cumbria and possibly Merseyside forces. The local officers carrying out the peoples policing needs do a superb job in Lancashire, but I believe that they are being let down by politicians and bureaucrats. The Home Secretary has attempted to railroad the merging of Britain’s forty three Police forces into just twelve regional forces for reasons that have little to do with operational effectiveness and everything to do with John Prescott’s’ plans to break up our country into regions of Europe. Local people may wish to hear the answers I received from to the three questions I raised at the Police Authority meeting. I suspect that for many people the answers will come as a shock and a wake up call. Future of Hutton I asked if the future of Hutton could be guaranteed and if the jobs of those employed at Hutton were secure. It was made clear to everyone present that no such guarantee could be given. This raises the prospect of a merged Police Headquarters being sited elsewhere (Penrith, for example) in the region. This would put local jobs at risk and I am concerned that the Hutton site could ultimately be sold to developers. We must not allow this to happen, and fighting the proposed merger is one way of doing this. Job Cuts It was also admitted that the proposed merger would cost millions to set up and that this money would have to come from the Lancashire Police’s existing funding. Earlier in the meeting, the Police Authority representative said that due to police authority precept capping, cuts to the budget for 2006/7 would have to be made - to the tune of £2.5m. This is in addition to the £4m cuts that will be required each year for the next four years to recoup the estimated £16m start up cost of a merged force. Yet he continued to insist that the idea was to improve policing! Indeed, the Police Authority representative said, “ We will be making decisions on where the savings will be made, and inevitably, some of that will be in redundancies”. 12% increase in Council Tax Precept The third issue I raised concerned Council Tax. It was clear at the meeting that if Lancashire enters a merged force local people will see the police precept part of their council tax bill rise to cover day to day running costs. It was admitted that an increase of around 12% would be necessary for the people of Lancashire. Labour are pushing full steam ahead with the regionalisation of our Police and in Lancashire, those who support the idea are frequently quoting the “fact” that a majority of people support a merger with Cumbria. What no one is being told is that the Police Authority survey never offered the option of Lancashire police remaining as a stand-alone force. As the Conservative Party Spokesman for the South Ribble Constituency, I think that most people know that I am against this merger. I view this proposal for our police in the same way I view the regionalisation of our Fire Service, our Ambulance Service and increasingly our Hospitals. It is being done for totally the wrong reasons. Re-run the Survey I would challenge those who are attempting to push through the merger of our Police Force to re-run the survey. This time they should ask a different question. Indeed I have written today to the Police Authority to suggest that this question be put as follows. “The Government wishes to merge Lancashire Police into a Regional Police Force – this puts the future of Hutton in question; will require cuts in police jobs and service and will see the police precept in your council tax rise by around 12% - are you for or against such a merger?” In summary, I am amazed that these fundamental questions were not asked, or indeed answered prior to the Lancashire Police Authority submitting their preferred option to the Home Secretary in December – one of only a handful of authorities throughout the country who believe that the merger proposals are in the best interests of local people, serving officers and civilian police employees. Lorraine
Fullbrook |
|
Dear
Sir, |
|
The
racist graffiti was done by a few mindless people who believe
that what they write is the opinion of the majority. To tolerate
this is to agree with their naive, bigoted view. I call on the
community of Tarleton and Hesketh Bank to stamp this out. If you
see anyone doing this vandalism report it to the police. This
action would show the perpatrator and the victims what the majority
of the community really believe (don't let this racist cancer
grow in our community). |
|
Best
Kept Village? They must be joking !! If the Hesketh
Bank village group want to enter this...should they first get
the village tidy and litter free ?? |
|
Here
in the northwest a young man has just been seriously spinally
injured after using the trampoline bought from Argos. These are
available now increasingly cheaply from numerous other sources
as well. Trampolines are a serious bit of gymnastic kit that should only be used under supervision by a trained instructor. As a retired nurse who once worked in the Northwest "Spinal Injuries" unit I know from first hand the damage to neck and spinal cord[cervical vertebrae] that can occur, death is not uncommon and many who survive will potentially be permanently injured as seriously as the late Christopher Reeve. [Superman] though his injury was due to an equestrian accident. Trampolines are one of the largest single sporting causes of serious neck injury and these incidents, often to kids, are currently increasing alarmingly. Kind Regards, Arthur Wright, 17th June 2005 |
|
Dear friends, |
|
| Dear
Sir, I appreciate what Andy Parkinson says in his letter, and I have no objections to a drop in, given the constraints he suggests regarding adult supervision. However to date no one has actually come out of the closet to respond to my original queries, which leads to the conclusion that this idea, like the one in Hesketh Bank, is going to be a half baked notion with no adult supervision or control, which will simply lead to problems in the area where the drop in is located. Chris Stringfellow, 4th April, 2005 |
|
| In
reply to Chris Stringfellow, the trouble we had with the [Hesketh
Bank} shelter was caused by a minority, and to be honest was never
fit for purpose. Simply giving the kids somewhere to stand does
not cure the root cause of the supposed boredom that drives some
to do wrong. I would love to see something as positive as the TYAG
in Hesketh Bank and a youth drop in, or any facility that gives
them something to do, would be great. I think any facility would
have some kind of adult supervision, so the scope for trouble making
is less. Andy Parkinson, 3rd April, 2005 |
|
| Dear
Sir, I note in the piece published yesterday (See news 31/03/05) that the sponsored bike ride is aiming to raise funds for amongst other things, a proposed Tarleton Youth Drop In. Although a good idea, could any of your readers enlighten me as to a couple of points, namely, when and where was this proposal published, who is the publisher and where is the proposed drop in to be located? Given the recent problems in Hesketh Bank regarding the youth shelter, some public consultation before creation would be a good idea. Chris Stringfellow, 1st April, 2005 |
|
Dear
Sir, |
|
The award
to Tarleton's DIY shop is rightly deserved [see
news 21/11/04]. I will always try there first for hardware
and associated items and usually they have it in stock. Prices
also are on a par with the big stores - if not then you save
on petrol and time. The staff are always friendly and guess
what? - parking is never a problem - most times you can even
park right outside and delivery vehicles always park at the
rear. The car park next door also means that if the item you
are purchasing is bulky you don't have to carry it very far.
We should all support this very valuable resource in our village. |
|
Don't
Just Spectate - Participate! GOT SOMETHING TO SAY - EMAIL THE EDITOR Please don't forget to include your name and subject of your letter. Anonymous letters will not be published. Contact details are required. (Address and telephone number - these will not be published or kept but are required for validation) |
|
|