Letters - Friday, October 31

Many thanks to Sue Hacon and her fellow committee members for all the hard work and time they put into making the Great Yarmouth in bloom competition such a success.

The presentation evening in the town hall Friday 24 October was a really enjoyable night. It is always a pleasure to meet Sue and her team and chat to fellow gardeners.

Well done Sue, here`s to many more GYIB.

George & Monica Dales

Arnold Avenue

Caister

Criminal to build without services

Regarding my letter published in the Great Yarmouth Mercury Friday 24 re “Simple question hits the blocks”.

I am glad that I did not hold my breath waiting for our local MP’s office to get back to me, “I hear nothing from that direction”.

Or, maybe, he is having to apply under the “Freedom of Information Act” to obtain what I would have thought should be in the public domain.

If peoples’ plight, and the need for more housing for them is kept secret, there is no sympathy or understanding when house planning is put forward.

Or maybe there is no need for more houses to be built and part of the reason this information is kept secret?

Houses for housing sake without the necessary infrastructure in place is, as I said before, criminal and contrary to human rights.

A right, in this country supposedly, to having access to a doctor, dentist and a school for your children is, again, supposedly, paramount and accordingly to our constitution, a God given right. Or is it?

David Morrice

Villarome

West Caister

Can you help us to level our road

Can you help us? Do you own or have the use of a JCB/excavator or similar?

We are pensioners and we need help in scraping and levelling the surface of our private road (approx 100yds) . If you can help in any way please contact me on 01493 731020.

Roy Woods

Beach Drive,

Scratby

I too was caught out by parking

I agree with Karen Halliday’s letter last week. I was one of numerous motorists caught out by the change in parking hours.

The council may have fulfilled it’s legal obligations in advertising the change in the Mercury. But it is fair to say that many motorists will not have read this.

Is there no civic duty to its citizens? A sign would have saved the pocket of many.

I cannot understand why the change has been made.

The one hour restriction is over 24 hours, not just between 8:00 and 16:00 as with other town centre parking. The spaces are now unused during the day let alone anyone bothering to park for an hour in the early hours.

Is there a bigger plan to force motorists on to pay per hour car parks and residents to buy permits?

The market place is dying. The re-location banks have clearly done nothing to increase trade in town. The council should not be forcing more shoppers away.

People who work in the town will also shop in the town. Give them some incentive rather than clobbering them with penalties.

Jenny Newcombe

By email

Help find footie pic and report

Calling anyone who played for Gorleston Juniors in the early 1950s. I was the goal-keeper for that team and I am hoping that anyone who played in that same team can help me with a couple of requests.

I have lost two things that I would love to regain.

Firstly we had our photo taken in the goal of the main pitch that was on the Gorleston Recreation ground, which at that time was the first team’s home pitch. I would love to have a copy of that photo again.

We were a very good side in the area at that time and had some good seasons.

The second item I would love to have is a copy of the match report of the game we played against Luton in the FA Youth Cup at the recreation ground.

This was in the local paper The Pinkun, I bet that brings back memories.

Anyone who can help please contact me by e-mail alanmarsham285@gmail.com or at my home, 29 Western Road, Gorleston, NR31 7QG. Thank you.

Alan Marsham

By email

Confusion over who built what

I was delighted to see the Friends of the Pavilion Theatre mentioned in the Great Yarmouth Mercury (24 October) and have already booked to see Dance to Raise the Roof, to which I am very much looking forward, I hope it will be a packed house.

However, the last paragraph of the article has gone a little awry. The architect for The Gorleston Pavilion was John Wm Cockrill, the Borough Surveyor.

That fact is much referred to in the publication, ‘Centenary - Pavilion Theatre - Gorleston 1900 -2001’ and in the respected standard work of reference ‘Buildings of England’ by Pevsner.

Ralph Scott Cockrill, his son, was articled to his father in the borough council’s offices and employed as an architectural assistant from 1899 to 1902, so he may have worked on the drawings but as Ralph did not qualify as an architect until 1902 and the work was undertaken for the borough by its surveyor the plans would undoubtedly have been in John Wm Cockrill’s name.

Ralph Scott Cockrill was the architect for Fastolff House and the Hippodrome.

The art-nouveau style of these and Ralph’s other buildings is in very clear contrast to his father’s more classical style architecture of the Pavilion.

The Town Hall, also mentioned as R S Cockrill’s work, was designed by J B Pearce and opened in 1882 when Ralph was only three years old and the year in which John Wm Cockrill succeeded Mr H H Baker as Borough Surveyor.

Les Cockrill,

Lowestoft Road,

Gorleston

Good call on better coverage

In reply to the article in last week’s Mercury and Advertiser regarding mobile coverage in Norfolk.

We live in Rollesby where the mobile signal is almost nil. My wife has our out-of-date Samsung Galaxy mobile and it is not possible to get a signal in our village. Our relatives in Martham are in the same situation.

We would be very pleased to hear that something can be done about this problem. Well done to Mr FitzPatrick for looking into this problem for everyone concerned, and good luck.

Mr and Mrs J Cushion

Meadow Way,

Rollesby

Nothing was too much trouble

We would just like to say a big thank you to all the staff on ward 12 at the James Paget Hospital who nursed and cared for our mum who sadly passed away last Friday.

Their devotion to duty was of the highest order and my sister and I were so very grateful for all the loving care and attention they showed towards Mum in her final days, nothing was too much trouble for them. The National Health Service can be very proud of them. Thank you so very very much from the bottom of our hearts.

John Norfolk / Maggie Prior

Via email

All I ‘kneeded’ at the JPH, thanks

Good food, good company, excellent treatment and a nice new knee. Thank you all at the James Paget Hospital, especially ward 7 who had me walking after only three hours. I had a nice roast chicken dinner while I was waiting. My recovery is continuing after only two days in hospital.

TREVOR AUSTIN

High Road

Burgh Castle