Letters (July 8)

HOW very much I agree, and I know a lot of other residents of Western Road also agree, with Mr Ford of Magdalen Way in bringing the speed limit on the Magdalen Estate and also adjoining roads to the estate down to 20mph.

His little daughter was very lucky and I hope she makes a full recovery, but this was just one of many possible accidents that might finish up far worse unless something is done and done soon. Why is it the county council has to wait for the say so from the police before they do something?

I take it that if they get no feedback from the police they will do nothing. I wonder how they would feel if it was their children who were injured. Like many roads on the estate, Western Road is a regular speed zone for a vast majority of motorists and motorcyclists.

We had the police in the area many months ago asking the residents’ opinions regarding the speeding and were told of several options we would like to see brought in, including making Western Road a cul-de-sac from Middleton Road, but as usual nothing has been done. I feel sure if this area was part of the “Golden Mile”, the problem would have been sorted years ago. Good luck to little Kayla.

ALAN MARSHAM

Mercury website

Democracy has lost its meaning

It was very interesting to read a letter in the national press, sent to me by a relative newcomer to our town, who is appalled at the way the outer harbour project has been handled by our council, from a Wells resident describing the same problems there as we have with the outer harbour.

The spin is the same, a story of secrecy, broken promises and a trust port which goes against government guidelines by refusing to consult with stakeholders. Again, this is in the cause of wind turbines, which may be a commendable project to provide power, but the tactics completely over-ride democracy which is becoming more and more a word without meaning.

The Wells MP supports the residents’ concerns.

Apparently, the government agency charged with monitoring the harbour licence said at a meeting at Wells that if it had known what was to be built, its attitude would have been very different. An independent candidate in the May elections at Wells standing on the issue of the harbour developments comfortably ousted the sitting councillor.

I believe this would have been the likely result at St Andrews in the later by-election if Yarmouth Borough Council had advertised the vacancy in the Mercury and Advertiser rather than in more improbable places.

When the wind farms move further south will this then become an issue at Southwold?

I would say to Yarmouth borough residents and, in fact, all in Norfolk, because we are all the losers, that this campaign will not be over until we achieve a public inquiry which is the only possible way to bring the truth out of this whole affair. Please keep expressing your own thoughts in the Mercury. Question your councillor and when you do please let me know his/her answers.

Democracy and our politics should be taught in schools because ignorance in how democracy works is becoming more and more rife, second only to apathy. When will people realise the feudal system is dead and councillors are there to represent them; they are not the masters and if they don’t work for local people then vote them out at the next election.

We need more democratic independents who will represent voters and not a political party.

DENNIS DURRANT

Brett Avenue

Gorleston

Who saw Kinks at Floral Hall?

I HAVE found numerous articles concerning The Floral Hall in Gorleston in the 1960s, usually to do with Olde Tyme Music Hall.

But as a young Yarmouth teen back then I’m sure I can remember going to see bands play there.

The one I’m trying to find out about is an appearance by The Kinks, which I thought was in 1963.

The Kinks fan club assures me I could only have seen them at the old ABC Theatre possibly in 1964 or later in 1965. But I know I saw them earlier at The Floral Hall.

My question is – is there any way I can find out about this – are there any written records of bands or artists that appeared at the Floral Hall in the 1960s? Any info would be greatly appreciated. I did see The Beatles twice at the ABC in 1963 – what a time to be a teenager!

GILL EDNIE nee Hatcher

email: gilli888@hotmail.com

Please First, get your act together

PEOPLE at First Bus must be very proud of themselves; penalising the older generation again and taking away the Sunday No 2 bus.

Now lots of us who used to meet friends for lunch on a Sunday can’t do so. We don’t have cars and lots cannot walk to other bus stops.

Weekdays, when the No 2 does turn up, it is pretty often full – by the time it gets to Trinity Avenue it’s almost full. After picking people up on Selwyn Road it has had to leave people waiting at Shrublands shops.

For goodness sake, why can’t First get their act together. We deserve better than this and yes, I agree, the banana buses never let us down.

J BELL

Rambouillet Close

Gorleston

Shame on you for theft from grave

On Sunday, July 3, I placed a bunch of large-headed yellow flowers on the memorial bench opposite the Gables on Gorleston cliffs.

That date would have been my late husband John’s 58th birthday, and two days later, the first anniversary of his death. The flowers went on at around 7am and by 11am had been taken.All that remained were several petals around the seat.

After a year of desperately trying to move on with life, it gave me comfort to place the flowers there to mark both anniversaries.

It was extremely upsetting to discover the unpalatable fact that someone out there could sink so low as to commit such a disgusting act.

I can only think they have never suffered a bereavement and been in that situation themselves.

So, if anyone out there received a bunch of flowers as described, then perhaps you should check where they came from. Hopefully, by the time they reached the vase there would be just the stems left. Shame on you.

SHIRLEY SCOTT

Cliff Hill

Gorleston.

Picture of mum was a delight

IMAGINE my shock and surprise – pleasant – when I opened my July 1 edition of the Yarmouth Mercury.

There, on Peggotty’s page, was a photograph of my mother, Edith Smith n�e Steel. A picture that I hadn’t seen before. My mother absolutely loved to knit, and enjoyed her employment at Olivettes so much. She held Mrs Harvey and her family in high esteem, and looked forward to working there again after my brother David and I had grown up.

I await the second part of the Olivette’s history with pleasure.

Mrs GERALDINE ROPER

Email

Once more we take hit on fuel

Why did the chancellor fail to mention that the winter fuel payments would take a cut when he declared his budget. Those over 65 will lose �50; those over 80 will lose �100 from this year, with energy bills increasing. If anything, we should be trying to help pensioners with these costs. I wonder how many OAPs know about this.

CHARLIE PEACE

Great Yarmouth

First impression of town is poor

It is said “time marches on”, but it apparently stops at the buffers of Vauxhall Railway Station as visitors coming into Great Yarmouth realise as they exit the railway station.

Their first views of the town are of a dilapidated bridge across a river, which gives a vista to their right of even more dilapidation, in the form of an obsolete grain store, which I am sure must be the headquarters of every rat in Great Yarmouth. This gives me cause to enquire. Why has this eyesore never been demolished?

J DYE

Gonville Road

Gorleston

Untold benefits from free parking

Many of my fellow councillors will not agree with what I am about to suggest for our town. They will say it’s impossible, it’s just a dream, this council can’t afford it.

There has been a lot of worry and concern over many shop closures in the centre of town – Co-op, Select, Top Shop and Ethel Austin hanging in on a tiny thread, while out-of-town stores are maintaining a steady flow of profit in these hard times.

Has anyone stopped to think why stores like Tesco, Asda, B&Q, Comet, Next and so on, seem to flourish. Well just think, the people who survive better in recession are the more affluent, the ones in good solid jobs, the ones who can afford the upkeep of cars. Many couples still keep two cars going, these people still look after their pennies, though, and all the above mentioned stores have one great advantage over the town centre shops –free parking facility.

So why can’t we give a boost to our business people and, one day a week, offer free parking in town car parks. More people who shop in town are OAPs who use the bus, people who walk because they can’t afford to run a car. But we need to attract the more affluent people back, to stop the sad decline of our town’s businesses.

Friday would be a great day to implement this idea, because it would give the market traders a boost. If we could just give a little, it would have a knock-on effect.

MARIE FIELD

Borough Councillor

Northgate and Central Ward

Great Yarmouth

We need your input into forums

AS leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, I believe that the Mercury letters page is a method of communicating with residents that the council hasn’t used enough in the past.

However, I want to make it clear I am choosing to write when I feel there is a need to correct certain factual inaccuracies that have been made by individuals. I do not believe that the letters page is the right forum for me to get into a tit for tat exchange of opinions, week in week out, on the subject of the outer harbour, or any other.

I, and other local members, can be contacted via email, telephone and can also meet with residents about concerns they may have. We also welcome residents to attend our various council meetings and committee.

On the subject of the latter, you will read in the Mercury how we are setting up four new area forums in order to increase local involvement in our decision- making process. I hope as many people as possible get involved in these meetings, as we are looking for genuine feedback about how we can improve the services that we, or other public sector partners, offer in our local areas.

Cllr STEVE AMES

Let us know if a deal’s been done

RE: Give views on tourism fund, in last week’s Mercury. By asking for our views on how to best spend the �1m pot to improve the tourist industry in Hemsby, it implies that a deal has already been done and approved for 191 houses and a care home for Northern Trust.

As far as the people of Hemsby are aware, this is not the case. The outline planning application was not accepted by the parish council nor the borough council, and objections have been raised by the residents and forwarded to the GYBC businesses planning department to this effect.

If anyone knows differently then please let the people of Hemsby know, as they are the ones who will be affected by these plans.

P SUTTON

Hemsby

We can always turn off the lights

WITH regards to the letter in last week’s Mercury from “Name and address withheld” about the proposed lights on Hopton playing field, this is something that was requested by some of our children in Hopton.

Hopton Parish Council always tries to provide facilities for the people of Hopton, if in its power to do so. If it becomes an issue causing concern/disturbance to the area, Hopton Parish Council would have several options available including turning the lights off all together.

We should always look at ways we can accommodate requests from the people we represent rather than looking at ways to stop progress.

Cllr MIKE BUTCHER

Hopton Parish Council

We simply have too many shops

IT was good that our MP, Brandon Lewis, made a speech in the Commons.(Mercury July 1). Was anyone there listening?

Unfortunately, whenever I watch BBC Parliament, few MPs are attending and are often talking or tending their mobiles (and occasionally sleeping)! It is vital the private sector solves the problems of Yarmouth and I await the Tory solution with trepidation. A huge boost to move forward is needed. Last week, I was in Matlock and was invited to view the illuminations – how many come to view ours? How can the Gorleston seafront shelters be allowed to be derelict for the peak season – amazing and disgraceful. Fits in with the pier!

Cllr Castle may be a town centre councillor but he cannot use the Rows. They are hardly rejuvenated; several shops are empty and others serve as charity shops. There are several empty shops in the town centre as well as in King Street and Regent Road. Who will want the former Vergo/Co-op store? The facts are simple, there are too many shops.

Perhaps King Street should gradually return to being a residential area of earlier times. It is good Mr Castle wishes to see the rail station and riverside areas being considered for a revamp but it has taken over 50 years to realise action is needed! What have the councillors and the private sector been doing?

CHRIS WRIGHT

Victoria Street,

Caister

Trumpet music is far from pleasant

I AGREE with Sue Gibbs’ letter last week concerning the noise in the Market Place coming from the trumpet player.

I feel sorry for the market traders who have to listen all day long. I shop regularly on the market stalls and find the loudness of the music takes away the pleasure of shopping, and often hear fellow customers complaining to the stallholder about the noise.

I find it very excessive in such a small area. If the type of music and sound level was good for business, surely the big out-of-town stores would be playing it down their aisles.

LINDA DEAN

email

Get some pride back in our town

WHEN you enter Norfolk, you are told that you are in Nelson’s County, and yet Great Yarmouth Borough Council is ready to destroy another part of its history.

Why should a few members on the council, which we elect, decide on such an important issue? The Whickham Market gold coins have been saved with �300,000, so the public will be able to see these for years to come. The jetty is just as important. On TV recently Southwold and Cromer piers were shown, where children could “crab” and families could sit (or stroll) and all could enjoy those piers at no cost.

If our new MP wants to do something positive, he should stop the destruction of our jetty, and let the people decide its fate.

Our Queen’s Diamond Anniversary is approaching, and this with Prince Philip’s 90th birthday makes an ideal chance to mark our maritime history.

Surely, they would both be pleased to see that money was found to restore this jetty, with maybe great publicity for the town. A cry for the people of Norfolk... don’t let this act of vandalism happen.

B V BECKETT

Larch Drive,

Bradwell

Thanks for truly memorable trip

SOME members of the Great Yarmouth Choral Society joined the Yarmouth/Rambouillet Twinning Association’s excursion to Rambouillet last month for the weekend celebrations to mark the 55th anniversary of the twinning association and re-signature of the Charter between the two towns.

On arrival, any fatigue experienced on the journey was quickly dispelled by the welcome given by our hosts; their hospitality continued throughout our stay.

On the Saturday afternoon, the Chorale Saint Lubin and our choir met for a rehearsal for the combined performance later in the lovely setting of the Church of Saint Lubin. Bruno Resteghini. The musical director of the Chorale Saint Lubin, conducted the two choirs and John Stephens, musical director of the Yarmouth society, accompanied on the organ.

But these enjoyable events do not just happen! Thus, on behalf of the society singers, I should like to thank Hilary Evans, chairman of the twinning association, and the committee members who liaised with Rambouillet to make this gratifying experience possible. We thank John, our conductor, who assisted in the organisation of the musical aspect of the trip and gave up time for rehearsals – not forgetting Andrew, our driver, who carried us safely there and back.

In conclusion – Vive la Musique! Vive le Jumelage! Vive les Amiti�s!

MARGARET JERMANY

pp Great Yarmouth Choral Society Singers