Letters. July 29 2016

The Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Allotment Association is holding an open day at its Selwyn Road site tomorrow (Saturday). The event will be opened by the Mayor and Mayoress, Cllr Malcolm and Mrs Donna Bird at 1pm and will close at 4pm.

Plant stalls, teas, books, fresh produce and a few second hand tools will be on offer. On hand there will be quite a few gardening experts to offer advice on any problems.

This is also an excellent opportunity to talk to association officials on how to acquire an allotment in the borough.

There are well over 800 allotments in the borough covering from the racecourse in the north of the town down to Wood Farm in Gorleston – 14 sites in total, so wherever you live in the borough a site will be close by.

Come and meet the experts and see the lovely allotments at Selwyn Road. Feel free to walk around and talk to many allotment tenants.

ARTHUR FISK

Chairman

Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Allotment Association

Remain campaign was telling truth

Immediately after the referendum result, the government spent more money in supporting the pound than a whole year’s worth of UK contributions to the EU. This effort failed. The pound has dropped substantially against the US dollar and the Euro.

In the old days we called this devaluation and avoided it like the plague because it is always followed by higher prices, lower wages and inflation. Other devaluations have been forced upon us. The devaluation is self-inflicted.

The new chancellor has said he will re-order the UK’s priorities in the Autumn Statement. This is code for the abandonment of six years financial policy – but not an emergency budget.

The share of businesses that reported feeling pessimistic about the UK economy almost doubled in the week after the Brexit vote. The figure jumped from 25pc the week before the referendum to 40pc, according to YouGov, and the Centre for Economics and Business research. It has since increased further to over 70pc.

It seems now that the Remain campaign was smeared by the tabloid tag of “project fear”. They were, in fact, telling the truth.

DEREK LEAK

Brasenose Avenue,

Gorleston

Eight-hour ordeal getting treatment

I found my mother, who is 91 years old, lying on her living room floor naked. Couldn’t get her up. I believe she had been lying there all night.

She has bad dementia and didn’t buzz her alarm for help.

It took two phone calls and one hour and 50 minutes to get an ambulance. It was thought she had a neck injury so she was placed in a small pod. The ambulance driver said she should be in the pod for 10 minutes maximum. Two hours and 20 minutes later, yes, still in it.

On arrival at A&E at the James Paget Hospital we were fifth in line to be seen, over one hour later we were admitted.

I cannot understand why five ambulances are waiting with two paramedics in each when they could leave the patients in a huge corridor inside A&E. That’s five ambulances and 10 paramedics not in use for other emergencies.

There may be some brains up top but not a lot of commonsense. From my phone call at 9.50am I left the James Paget at 6.05pm.

HELEN PLANE

Filby

Wedding party a wonderful sight

What a wonderful sight I saw as I drove past the Town Hall last week. A large wedding party was just leaving after a wedding ceremony had taken place in one of the rooms.

It looked stunning and made everyone that witnessed it feel very good. The Town Hall and the surroundings looked at their very best. Special thanks for the gardeners.

The flower displays in front of the Town Hall are stunning and the photographer was getting some wonderful photos which will be remembered forever. The little bridesmaids wore brightly coloured dresses which added to the effect.

Norfolk County Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council are often criticised but for once they got it right after a public outcry by Yarmouth people to remove most weddings from the Yarmouth Library, it being not fit for purpose, to the new grand rooms of the Town Hall. It is doing an excellent job in giving a first class venue and experience to brides and grooms from across Norfolk and the country.

J SALMON

Palgrave Road,

Great Yarmouth

Beach Road is a danger to children

As a static caravan owner at Newport Road, Hemsby, we use Beach Road on numerous occasions. We cannot help but notice the road seems to be a no-go area for traffic police as cars and all sorts of vehicles park on double yellow lines every day.

It is a danger to people and children trying to cross this road.

B L BULLOCK

Dereham

Cockrill family’s history continued

Thank you for the interesting July 8 article on the Cockrill’s of Gorleston. Whilst researching the Brooks of Great Yarmouth I came across Harold Woodruff Cockrill (1879-1965) son of Joseph James Cockrill.

Harold studied at Yarmouth School of Arts went to South Africa 1903-1905 and returned 1907 to marry Lillie Beatrice Brooks before emigrating to Vancouver and becoming a well respected architect in Canada.

E NORMAN

Email

Yawn, it’s exciting living in this town

The photograph which was the wrong way round; the lady who couldn’t watch TV for two days as a seagull had flown into her aerial; the imminent arrival of a London bus this week; and an inflatable football pitch sometime soon. All of these items featured in last week’s Mercury. No wonder it is so exciting living here. I’m heading for the darkened room again for a lie down.

MIKE SPRAGG

Collingwood Road,

Great Yarmouth

We enjoyed our holiday in Norfolk

For the first time in many years we decided to holiday at home, and by that I mean in the UK instead of going abroad. There were several reasons: peace of mind came top of the list and next was we would be visiting somewhere different.We decided on Great Yarmouth and Norfolk in general as we had never travelled there. Living in Swansea in Wales it’s a heck of a distance to travel, literally from one side of the country to the other.

But we broke our journey stopping off at B&Bs on the way twice, and arrived in Norfolk on the Monday morning. We were surprised to find there was only a narrow road leading into Great Yarmouth, similar to getting to the Cumbrian coast! However, once in your fine town we found plenty to do and see. We couldn’t believe some of the parts were as old as they were; it’s a shame the tackiness takes away what a great heritage you have.

Back to our holiday, the hotel was very comfortable and accommodating, we had lovely meals and made several new friends. My wife said we should have done this earlier. We will be back, but one piece of advice, please don’t rip off hungry holidaymakers with inflated prices, our money is just as hard-earned as yours is.

T PEARSON

Swansea, Wales

Lucky to be on the doorstep of Paget

In life, I have been very lucky, I’ve never needed to go in hospital, until this year. Having had some tests and finding I needed an operation, I feel very lucky to be on the doorstep of the James Paget University Hospital. The staff were professional, efficient and very caring.

Through politics you get to meet many health professionals and those at the JPH I can’t praise enough. Thank you.

Cllr ALAN GREY

UKIP Bradwell North

Why do people shout so much?

Why do young people have to shout at each other all the time, even when they are just having a conversation. Are they all deaf or just trying to make themselves heard?

Walking behind a couple of young men along King Street last Friday I could hear every word of their conversation about their plans for the afternoon and of course that conversation was littered with many swear words. Is that a modern thing?

I never heard my father or mother swear, nor my husband, but I know he did when he was in the company of his mates. Now it seems swearing and shouting in public is acceptable. Not to me.

I’d like to know if other readers feel the same because sometimes it can be very threatening.

Name and Address withheld

In my day there would be protest

So the furore about the bus services has calmed down and people appear to have accepted that were brought in by First only a couple of weeks ago. These letters pages were full of readers complaining about not being able to get or seat or having to pay twice to get from Yarmouth to Bradwell/Belton.

That’s the trouble with people these days, once something is brought in there is lots of fuss and moaning and groaning and then it goes all quiet. I would have thought a boycott and placards and demonstrations – even a protest march to the town hall might have made someone think again about the decision.

Why do we all appear to accept things these days? I remember the 1970s when we would go on the march about all sorts of things holding placards and protesting.

A DUNNERMAN

Email

Thanks for care of my ill husband

I would like to express my grateful thanks for the excellent care and treatment my extremely ill husband received in A&E, in the EADU and on Ward 16 at the James Paget Hospital. The kindness and skill of all the staff were much appreciated.

JILL BRUCE

Email

Are we always first for cutbacks?

Once again another bright idea to improve the draw to Great Yarmouth appears to have been put on the back burner ie the planned casino, and the planned third river crossing. Why is it we faff about until the price of the item suggested trebles, interest is lost, and the price eventually is out of reach.

We seem to desire the one with the least acumen and thought ie parking metres. In short, the easy way out which we find often leads to financial suicide. The outcome I fear of our chance of control from borough council to county council puts us at the tail end of allocation.

Why not a layout on South Denes as has been done at Norwich riverside with cinemas, restaurants, fast food outlets with east running parking facilities with assisted fees?

Surely our turn must come some time, or are we always the first for cutbacks.

JACK DYE

Gonville Road,

Gorleston

Why not clear the weeds yourself?

It is getting boring listening to the views of people about weeds, litter and the road cleaners not doing this work. I live in the Central and Northgate ward and I walk my dog in the morning at 5am.

I witness one of the council men picking up litter and he does a really good job, unfortunately he has not had his mechanical sweeper for whatever reason so the task is taking much longer and he is not able to clean so well. I know we are always being told the council have to cut down on certain jobs as money is short, but it’s no good moaning about it, this is fact and it will not change.

I personally try to do my own bit in the area I live, I pick up litter and put it in my own bin, I clear weeds not only from outside my own property but from properties where I think the residents are unable to do so. I also clear weeds/grass on a walkway that is probably 10 metres in length, I use shears and it takes about 20 minutes.

If you are able, instead of moaning, try to clear just a small part of your area, and thank you to the men and women who are clearing up for us, it is much appreciated.

JOSIE FITZGERALD

Email

Workers from EU still be welcomed

Great Yarmouth has a small, but much-needed group of EU citizens living and working amongst us. They are understandably unsettled since the vote to leave the European Union.

Contributing to this is a rise in hostility towards people of many backgrounds since the referendum.

The government must do more to condemn intolerance and to reassure people their rights will be protected. For now Europeans retain the same rights to work, study and travel as before the referendum.

These rights should be unaffected until a new agreement is negotiated and the UK officially leaves the EU. But, it is natural people are considering the long-term future, their job prospects, their children’s education.

People’s lives must not be used as political bargaining chips. The government needs to send a clear message that we are grateful to these people, that they will continue to be welcome, and their rights will be unchanged.

This long-term certainty is also vital for our public services which depend on workers from other countries.

The Green Party has a proud history of standing up for migrants and we will continue to champion free movement whilst recognising that the benefits must be shared more equally.

We need urgent long-term security for the millions of people who have made their lives in the United Kingdom and who contribute socially, culturally and economically to our society.

KEN PETERSEN

Great Yarmouth Green Party