Letters, February 12 2016

Following the Mercury article regarding Great Yarmouth having its own Monopoly Game, what a great opportunity this would be for tourism. Simply by issuing complimentary copes of the board game to various institutions across the country as well as marketing them everywhere it could add more to draw visitors to the resort and neighbouring vicinities.

The players could comprise local points: Donkeys, Landaus, Road Trains, Offshore Boat, Lifeboat, Friendly Policeman, Old Great Yarmouth Bus, Market Stall, Mobility Scooter. With the four main areas covering the well known features, ie Britannia Pier and Wellington Pier, The Market, and Vauxhall Railway Station. The next level of expense could relate to Market Gates, Regent Road, Kings Street and The Rows.

Then there could be St Nicholas Minster, Nelson’s Monument, The Waterways and the Town Hall.

Another level of value could be the entertainment facilities, The Golden Mile, The Pleasure Beach, Joyland and Amusement Arcades.

Yet another level of interest could relate to the River Bure, River Yare, Norfolk Broads and Breydon Water. As well as the usual corner jail another corner could include the gaining of a bonus by landing and boarding a road train.

To make it more attractive perhaps in place of houses, expensive or otherwise these could be for guest houses with hotels and holiday camps making up the numbers.

Holiday camps chosen would subsidise the games cost by using their names on the board. With the casinos having future additional competition they could be presented as another facet of Great Yarmouth, again with their subsidy for inclusion on the board.

The community chest and chance cards could relate to “litter louts fines”/Free tickets to shows (interactive with access to internet points for tourist interest, giving dates of shows, etc, including access to vouchers for Sea Life, Pleasurewood Hills, Joyland and Cinemas.), possibly include apps which can be downloaded to display Great Yarmouth attributes as well as attractions, combining reductions by using the railways and/or bus services to reach Great Yarmouth

No doubt many readers will have input suggestions relating to their own likes, such as inclusion of St George’s Theatre, the Hollywood Cinema, and named night clubs represented on the board.

Hopefully my input has helped towards developing The Great Yarmouth Monopoly Board more attractive for manufacture if and when any decision is made.

COLIN BRADISH

Princes Road,

Great Yarmouth

Ideas to replace Amazonia site

As the Amazonia building is on the main seafront on Marine Parade, its replacement should be something for the holidaymakers and the locals and something new Great Yarmouth has not got.

I think an ice skating rink would be fantastic, especially after the success of the temporary ice skating rink we had in the Market Place in December. It would be fun for people of all ages and the tourists and locals.

JAMIE GARDNER

Albion Road, Great Yarmouth

With regard to the defunct Amazonia building. An amenity that could be used all year round by tourists and locals alike would be a really top notch soft play area. We lost the one in the Winter Gardens, but this time it could be with a difference. The wall on the sea-facing side should be able to open in sunny weather leading on to a grassed play area with chairs and tables where an ice cream of soft drink could be enjoyed. It could reflect a Lord Nelson theme.

MARIA COLEMAN

email

In place of Amazonia, the council should replace with entertainment and bring back the bandstand with lighting and seating. It would liven up the seafront through the day time and night time.

E A EGGLETON

Ashwood Close, Caister

Return Winter Gardens to past

Your item about Amazonia reminded me about the abandoned Winter Gardens. Is anything happening with that Grade II listed structure? It is time to return it to its original purpose.

Sheffield opened their own Winter Garden in 2003 displaying 2,000 plants and then there is the Eden Project, not to mention Kew, all of whom could provide advice. Renewable energy could be used as far as possible to keep the building going.

It would be a great attraction for locals and visitors alike. Returning to the Amazonia site, would there be a demand for it to be used as an open-air exhibition space? I am thinking in particular of local artists being able to display their works.

MICHAEL ZEGERMAN

Ormesby Road,

Caister

Great experience at the Paget

I would like to share the great experience I had at the James Paget Hospital. I was admitted on January 19 for another total knee replacement, I was dreading it as I’m not a great lover of hospitals and try to avoid them at all costs.

After hearing so much negativity in the press and on the news really fed my anxiety. But I have to say I was made relaxed right from the start and looked after so well by all staff in ward 7.

I was in bay 4 and I would like to praise the staff who work exceptionally hard in such a professional and extremely polite manner.

From the time I was admitted I was reassured and I felt in safe hands from the professionalism of the very friendly and polite surgeon to the exceptionally hard working nurses, trainee nurses, auxiliary nurses, to very pleased to the tea lady and cleaners.

Thank you for making my stay on your ward a fantastic experience, it was so inspiring to see the great dedication and passion go out to their patients.

TERRY NIXON

Email

Network event open to all

Great Yarmouth Older People’s Network is holding a Building Caring Communities event on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 from 10am to 2pm at St George’s Theatre.

The event is open to all who are interested in Identifying and meeting the needs of local older people in the borough.

The day will include a presentation of the findings and recommendations of the Network “Strong and Well” project. Many of you may have completed the questionnaire.

There will be an opportunity for local health and social care providers and local people to discuss how identified support needs can be better met together and from within communities.

Speakers will include Catherine Underwood, director of integrated commissioning Norfolk clinical commissioning group, Norfolk County Council deputy director adult social services, and Vicky George who is group nanager of housing, health and wellbeing at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, plus updates from local providers.

The event is free and a free buffet lunch will be provided.

We invite anyone interested in the future of local older people, whatever their age, be they older, a carer, a friend, a support worker, a provider to come and join us.

For details and to book email: sarah@norfolkandsuffolkcare support.co.uk or call 01603 629211. The Strong and Well project was funded by Norfolk County Council.

VALERIE PETTIT

Chair, GYOPN

c/o ComeUnity, King Street

Great Yarmouth

Winter Gardens is a disgrace

I am delighted to hear Yarmouth is going to get rid of the old Amazonia building, however I am really annoyed the council is bothering to spend money on something that closed so recently rather than doing something with the old Winter Gardens. It is such an eyesore.

I understand it is a listed building but it has no purpose standing there looking hideous. You say the Amazonia building is unsafe, but the Winter Gardens building closed because the panels were falling on the inside; the panels are glass and could easily kill someone if they fall and it would do more damage than a splinter from a piece of wood falling off the other building. How can the council not work this out yet I can, I’m 14.

The flimsy fence put around the Winter Gardens isn’t going to stop unruly teenagers and drunks from getting in and causing more damage. I love the idea of what the council is doing with Amazonia because it will be a nice site for people to stop and look at the scenery, but it will be an ugly scenery if that awful Winter Gardens building stays there. I know lots of traders in the town think the same as I do, and I know the early morning dog walkers are scared for their pets when they walk past in case a piece of glass is shattered on the ground.

The building looks derelict, and it is a big space that can be used, another building could be put there, or it could be cleaned and be a nice picnic type area.

Also why knock down Amazonia when it could be made into something like a jungle gym, or a café, or just somewhere that people can go to sit if the weather gets bad or they want a break, or somewhere for their kids to play while they sit and socialise. A new type of attraction will bring people into the town and that is what we need. This needs to be made public because I’m sure people will agree.

AMBER DOCWRA

Email

Starlings foul the pavement

It seems a great shame that walking through from Howard Street, to and from the Market Place, a pavement nastily covered with bird droppings has to be crossed by people of all ages. The users of the Friends Meeting house are aware of this.

It is in a large tree in their grounds that flocks of starlings foul from. These are a protected species and the borough council has been contacted without result. A warning notice would hardly suffice for children and elderly.

Could perhaps the tree be removed to solve the problem? The starlings will have more natural perches in St George’s Park.

ROY WALDING

Mill Lane,

Bradwell

Embarrassed at tea no show

I hope people who read the letters would like to know how the Marina is treating the bowls club. Today, February 8, we entertained the Acle Ladies Bowls Club in the form of a county game.

After such competitions it is practice to provide tea or coffee. Bearing in mind our membership funds and game costs should entitle us to hot water. We provide our own tea bags, sugar etc.

Having completed our competition, staff arrived with an urn of cold water, an hour and a half too late – too late for the ladies of Acle to have any refreshments. How embarrassing, as other clubs entertain us well.

Evidently, no-one was responsible for this happening, and not for the first time, and there was no apology. The snack bar in the front entrance was also closed.

Myself and others have paid £30 membership and five lots of £27 since October so how much does an urn of hot water costs? Where is the consideration and who is in charge?

M ORAM

Royal Naval Hospital

Great Yarmouth

Thanks for help after accident

My father, mother, sister and myself would like to sincerely thank everybody who helped my father on Friday, February 5 when he was involved in a road traffic accident on Plane Road/ Beccles Road, Gorleston.

Everybody - including local residents and other road users who stopped and helped him, called emergency services and waited with him until the emergency services arrived were extremely kind in all they did.

We would also like to thank the police and paramedics who attended the scene and the staff at the James Paget Hospital accident and emergency department. My father is still in hospital receiving treatment but will hopefully soon be on the road to recovery.

Thank you again to all of you who helped.

JO GRIMMER

Email

Pigs might fly, not cormorants

In response to the mystery of flocks of birds in flight. The answer surely must be flying pigs, indeed a posse of pigs, high in V shape flight, returning from a day’s feeding at sea! Returning to roost in the trees.

Seriously I do not believe they are as your readers reply that they are cormorants flying back from feeing.

I have yet to see flocks of cormorants, however, I am no expert. It should be put to Chris Packman to answer this mystery.

Probable more likely to be Brent geese returning to Loud reservoir of Haddiscoe marshes. I visualise a cartoon of pigs perched in trees, roosting!

Thaas Norfolk for ya!

ANGIE HAWORTH

Station Road,

Hopton

More 30mph signs for Belton

Regarding a report in the Mercury, February 5 regarding Norfolk County Council and the reduced speed limit along Beccles Road between the vicarage and the Belton crossroads to 30mph.

I was pleased to see the council has just realised there is a village just passed Bradwell off the new roundabout along New Road and called Belton that comes under its control.

They must have been so excited by their discovery they thought we must do something for the people who live here.

After much thought they decided to reduce the speed limit on the said road to 30mph. How good is that? Not very, as the speed limit on this road is already 30 and has been for as long as I can remember.

May I suggest to Norfolk County Council if you want to do something good for our village more 30mph signs on New Road from Church Lane to Bracon Road would be helpful.

Also some much needed major refurbishment of the highway and footpaths in the village would be much appreciated as they are in a deplorable state. I have lived in the village some 40 years and all we get is silly little patch ups which I might add are not done very well.

I know someone goes round to check for places that need repairing may I suggest that they take a little more time after all these places almost jump up and bite you.

NAME WITHHELD

Ranworth Close,

Belton