The Champion ● Wednesday 9 May 2018
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LETTERS to the Editor
Clare House, 166 Lord Street, Southport PR9 0QA tel 01704 392 400 email editor@champnews.com
Park trust should have Waiting list for plots Keep all the roads open so better way to collect fees while some left vacant it is the same for everyone As a member of the Key Park Trust in Blundellsands, I was dismayed to find that the trust have a questionable approach to requesting fees from members. The current method is to email out notices of key swap outs in newsletters or on post notes attached gates. If the email is bounced back then it is tough luck, despite having evidence from the email provider it did not arrive. No common sense has been shown to try again or contact people via the numbers they ask for when signing up. I ask that the governing body of the park trust consider changing this hit and miss method of collection of fees to a more reliable method.
I am writing to express concerns over Sefton Council's inability to manage their allotment sites whilst somehow finding it appropriate to put up annual rental fees. The waiting lists for these valued assets in Crosby are in excess of stupid. It took me eight years to acquire mine, yet I see plots on my site being left vacant through lack of interest by those whose job it is to manage them. It is extremely disheartening. Sefton Council should be ashamed of themselves. People should be held to account and if necessary replaced. Yet, as usual I expect this call to fall on deaf ears.
Name supplied, By email
A concerned plot owner. Name and address withheld
As a non car user who lives on Amaury Road I disagree strongly with the recent letters supporting the closure of Edgemoor Drive. It is a selfish view from people only concerned about their road benefiting. What about the top end on the estate where children play outside every day? If an accident happens because of the extra use of other roads what will happen then? The problem can only be solved by opening all the roads. We all pay taxes. My point is this.
PICTURE of the week
Are Cranfield Road and Rosemoor Drive any different from any other roads? Do they pay more taxes? To me it’s discrimination. The problem is selfishness, ‘not in by back yard’ as the saying goes. It is a populated area so we all have to put up with it. So get over it and open all the roads. We are all the same. Avery concerned resident, By email
Alzheimer ’s Society invite you become a Dementia Friend I want to invite your readers to unite for Alzheimer ’s Society’s Dementia Action Week, which takes place from May 21-27. There are 18,294 people living with dementia in Merseyside and too many face the condition alone without adequate support. During the week we want people to take actions such as becoming a Dementia Friend, which allows people to learn a little bit more about what it’s like to live with dementia and then turn that understanding into action. In Merseyside there are already 38,623 Dementia Friends. Help us increase that number at dementiafriends.org.uk There will also be events taking place in Merseyside around the theme of community change. Get your family, friends or work colleagues to sign up and be the first to hear more about what’s happening locally at alzheimers.org.uk /DementiaActionWeek There are other ways to get involved, such as fundraising with our Challenge Dementia Quiz pack or taking part in research through the Join Dementia Research campaign. Whatever action you take, Alzheimer’s Society in Merseyside wants to hear about it. Share what you are planning on social media by using #DAW2018 on Twitter including @AlzSocNWEngland or like your local Alzheimer’s Society Facebook page at facebook.com/AlzheimersSocietyNorthWest
Keeping up with tradition, the Maypole Dance was one of the highlights at the Lydiate Festival held over the May Bank Holiday. Picture by Martyn Snape.
IF you’ve got a view on a topic of local or national interest which you would like to share with the readers of the Champion, why not drop us a line? Letters to the editor should be concise, preferably no more than 350 words, and should include the sender’s name, address and contact details, although not necessarily for publication. The editor reserves the right to edit all items submitted for favour of publication. Correspondents preferring not to have their name and/or their address published may provide a suitable nom de plume. Letters can be posted or emailed to the respective addresses listed at the top of this page. n PLEASE note: All views and opinions expressed in letters to the editor are solely those of the authors.
Steve Green, Alzheimer’s Society Merseyside
Expanding gym means fewer books and computers in library
Criminals are laughing at us
I would like to add my thoughts and concerns regarding the demise of the library at the Meadows Leisure Centre in Maghull. As a regular user of the library over the last few years, I have always found it puzzling how a library can be situated inside a building including a fitness club. This resulted in loud music blaring out while library users have tried to study and read in some peace and quiet. But it seems people have just got on with it. Now to add even more insult, the council have decided to add a gym which has led to the closure of the upper floor and resul-
ted in the ‘library ’ being shoehorned into half of the ground floor and the loss of many books and computers available to use. Why we need another gym in Maghull is a question in itself (I count three or four now) but the dwindling numbers of books and computers is unacceptable. It seems inevitable that the whole Meadows building will soon become a fitness centre and we will lose our precious library.
So the assistant chief constable of Merseyside tells us that crime has gone up 14% but that we’re better off than some places. Well frankly I don’t care about ‘some places’, I care about here. And if he says crime has gone up 14% I’d put money on it being nearer 20% - because a lot of minor crime goes unreported. People know that the police aren’t interested it's just more paperwork for them, and in the rare case where a petty criminal gets caught the sentences handed out are a joke. Offenders are laughing their heads off.
Christopher Sillett, Maghull
Name supplied, By email