Letter

I FEEL I must respond to a recent letter from a passenger who used our X1 service from Norwich to Great Yarmouth. In this letter your correspondent claimed there was a delay of 45 minutes between these services on the afternoon of December 17.

I was concerned to read of this passenger's dissatisfaction with our service, as we strive very hard to always deliver a safe and reliable level of service. As a result of reading this letter I carried out a detailed investigation, which resulted in me becoming rather confused, as I could find absolutely no evidence to support such a wait.

The vehicles operating on this particular service, similar to the majority of our fleet, are fitted with quite a sophisticated satellite based tracking system. This system provides us with live, as well as historical, information relating to running times etc.

On that afternoon it could be seen, from the historical information available, that there were some minor delays due to roadworks along the route, but our records show that the maximum waiting time between the services was no more than 20 minutes.

I was also a little concerned to hear your reader felt the bus was dirty. If that was the case I can only apologise. This is an area we take very seriously and we clean each of our buses, both inside, and out on a daily basis.

However, we would respectfully point out that, despite this, when we operate in adverse weather conditions, such as those experienced during the winter months, it doesn't take long for a vehicle to get dirty.

Many of our vehicles leave the depot as early as 5am and as a result, can often be a little dirty by the time many of our passengers travel on them later in the day.

Please be assured First are committed to providing the best possible service to our customers and I would always encourage passengers to give us feedback through our dedicated customer service team on 08456 020121.

GUSSY ALAMEIN,

Marketing and Communications Manager

“SO topsy-turvey is our system” says Rachel Moore. Well Rachel, you can thank all those politicians and non-elected bureaucrats who over the past decade-or-so have largely succeeded in imposing, upon a largely acquiescent electorate, their politically-correct, no-discrimination, everyone's-a-victim, risk-averse, we-know-best agenda.

Contrast where we are today with the world that Valerie Jordan described (Letters, January 4).

When a thug breaks into your house they now apparently deserve equal “rights” to you, the householder defending your property. Catching a 12-year-old throwing a sausage is treated statistically the same in the crime clear-up figures as solving a vicious murder. Self-discipline, ie the idea that we are actually accountable for our own actions, also seems to have been thrown out with the bath water; we have a nation of increasingly obese children so we blame food manufacturers' advertising; we have an increasing problem with girls of 12 to 15 getting pregnant so we make the morning-after pill more readily available. I could go on and on and yet I see no end to this madness.

For each and every minority group in society, whether those groups be drug-addled or drunken vandals, immigrants from totally different cultures, or just plain odd-balls, to have identical “rights” as the majority will, I'm afraid, throw up more and more such ridiculous and bizarre anomalies. Regrettably, not one of our mainstream political parties seems to wish to do anything radical about reversing this long slide into chaos.

Where is Screaming Lord Sutch when we really need him? Welcome to our brave new world Rachel and happy New Year!

DENNIS BEAN

The Stables

Burgh St Peter

I AM sorry your correspondent Janet Forsyth (Letters, January 4) was disappointed by my review of The Wizard of Oz by the new, young, RKS Productions. I stressed in my report how impressed I'd been by their talent and energy; I praised both indidividuals and the chorus work and concluded "...it was a promising debut, and we can only look forward to this new group going from strength to strength in the future".

I really admire what they achieved however the fact remains that the interval didn't arrive until 9pm and the evening became simply too long. The Marina Centre may be excellent for a big event like the Salvation Army Toys and Tins concert, and we are lucky to have it, but it is not ideal as a theatre.

Clearly my review was too long and, like the show, needed a bit of cutting to fit the space allowed, which is, of course, the editor's right. But it did mean that my sentence about other venues was removed. In my original I had said this production showed how much we need St George's back in action again, as indeed we do. The Wizard of Oz would have sat very well in there.

It's been heartening over Christmas to see so many talentented youngsters performing (some indeed for the first time) in this show; the Ops and Drams pantomime and at the Hippodrome Circus. Long may it continue and I'm looking forward to more from RKS (or Dusmagrik Productions as they want to be known) including the musical Annie.

Tony Mallion

Lowestoft Road

Gorleston

I HAVE been looking for two friends of mine, sisters, who I haven't seen for 50 odd years, Winnie and Joyce Swann. Last time I knew of Joyce she lived in Cobholm, (by the way her married name was also Swann) and Winnie had moved to Sutton in Coldfield in the Midlands, both I last saw in the late 50s, Winnie had married but I don't know her last name. Anyone know of these ladies?

I can be contacted at 1557 Maryan Avenue, Amelia, Ohio, USA 45102

SHIRLEY HAYES (nee Stolworthy)

I WOULD like to write to defend the actions of most of the regular dog walkers that use Mill Lane field Bradwell.

It's all well and good moaning about dog mess being left by irresponsible owners but take a look at the rest of the field. It is relatively clean. It is the actions of a minority which is spoiling the reputation of the rest of us and to my mind it looks to be done by the same people in the same area each time.

Also why do the footballers always leave bottles everywhere for dogs to pick up and choke on the tops. That's irresponsible also together with using the fencing at the back of the field as a vaulting fence rather than using the stiles provided to get over to retrieve balls. So stop blaming all dog owners for lack of responsibility.

We hate it when people don't clear up after their dogs, we want a clean environment where our dogs can play and also our children.

SUE INGRAM

Address withheld

READERS have probably heard about the proposed new sports pavilion and community room for the New Road Sports Field in Belton.

I have been recruited by Belton with Browston Parish Council to manage this project on their behalf and would like to request, through the letters page, that readers contact me if they are involved with a local group who would benefit from moving to new premises or perhaps thinking of starting a new group but have not identified a suitable venue in which to hold their activity.

The building will include four changing rooms with showers and toilets, official's changing facilities and a new community room with kitchen and separate toilet facilities. The size of the community hall will be approximately 90 sq metres in total, however we are looking into the possibility of providing a moveable partition to reduce the hall size by half as and when required.

A separate application is currently being discussed to provide flood lighting so the field can also be used for evening training and evening community activities.

To ensure appropriate funding is sourced for this project the parish council need to determine the number of community groups likely to use this space, how frequently and how much space would be required.

Therefore, if you are involved with a group seeking a new venue, be it for sporting or other community activities, or perhaps you are thinking of starting a new group and have nowhere to hold your activity, would you please contact me for further information. I would like to add, there will be no commitment on the group at this stage to sign up for designated space, however, we do need to ensure the size of building plus outside space will meet the needs of the groups interested.

I can be contacted on 01493 852085 or email sandk.jarvis@virgin.net or you can write to me, Sandra Jarvis, 38 Havelock Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 3HJ

SANDRA JARVIS

I WOULD like through your letters page to say thank you, to the kind individuals who saw fit to take the passenger wing mirror off my car while parked on Jellicoe Road just before New Year.

After finding out the cost of replacement and repair, it's all too obvious why these low life's didn't want to purchase one themselves and waited until I left my vehicle unattended.

If only you had waited for my return then I could have thanked you personally. Needless to say I'm writing this in the hope that you can actually read.

MARTIN ANDREWS

Wight Drive

Caister

I HAVE just read Rachel Moore's article about Dr Who and I am very annoyed about her comments. I am a great Dr Who fan and I also have many friends who are too. I am not forced to watch Dr Who by my parents at all. I choose to watch it because I enjoy it. I don't know anyone who is forced to watch it.

I looked forward to the Christmas special for months and I really enjoyed it. I cannot wait to discuss Rachel Moore's comments at my school's lunchtime Dr Who club!

GEORGE LOVELAND, age 9

Youell Avenue

Gorleston

I'M writing with reference to Mrs Moore's comments on people enjoying fantasy. Given what we see in the news every day and read in even this paper I feel that everyone including children need an escape and what a better way than sitting down and watching hp etc.

Are she saying then that because people watch Lord of the Rings, The Golden Compass, Star Wars, Star Trek or indeed anything else that lets people use their imaginations have simply succumbed to the great marketing con? Top gear is one of the best marketing cons as it tests nearly every week £100k plus cars (that very few people can afford) screaming round the test track by Clarkson and Co doing speeds that on the public highway would have you banned instantly.

And as to not liking HP, that's like saying you don't like rice, how can a billon Chinese be wrong!

R Durrant,

Southtown

Great Yarmouth

I GAVE up reading Rachel Moore quite some time ago but the sight of Dr Who and Harry Potter at the top of this week's page tempted me to read the attached article. I totally disagree with her of course as I, and the majority of her readers, are meant to do, how else could she qualify the “most talked about” part of her sub-title. What saddened me was her boast that her children do not like fantasy. They must as she says be “odd” or take after their “lack of imagination, jump on any bandwagon” mother.

Sylvia Catchpole

Rollesby

ON behalf of the children's ward at the James Paget University Hospital I wanted to say a huge thank you for all the kind and generous donations we received over the Christmas holidays. We've had everything from toys to chocolates and computer games, given to us by the public and local companies and businesses. I cannot emphasise more strongly the great difference this makes to children and their families who spend Christmas in hospital. Thank you to everyone for thinking of us!

TRACY McLEAN

Matron

Neonatal, Children and Young Person's Services

ON behalf of Norfolk Broads Lions I would like to thank all those who so generously donated to our charity fund when we visited the villages of Caister, Ormesby, Scratby, Martham, Hemsby and Winterton with our Christmas sleigh. Grateful thanks also to Tesco at Caister for allowing us to collect at their store on the two Saturdays prior to Christmas. Also the Hemsby inshore lifeboat crew for towing the sleigh on three occasions. A total of £4,657.82 was raised and will be used to help deserving causes during the coming year. May I take this opportunity to send good wishes for the New Year to all your readers.

JOHN FIDDY

President, Norfolk Broads Lions Club

I WOULD like to express my most grateful thanks to the people of Great Yarmouth for their kind support over this Christmastime.

Whether giving to the Salvation Army Band in the Market Place or supporting our Toys and Tins Appeal the generosity has been overwhelming. All donations given to the local work of the Salvation Army go to help needy people in this community. So thank you to all who gave for investing in Great Yarmouth by supporting our work.

NIGEL BYRNE

Commanding Officer