I am sure that holidaymakers visiting Yarmouth will be surprised to see M&Co is still advertising a “closing down” sale since they visited the town last summer, with a large banner proclaiming the fact. I was told the sale could go on until August.

This is next to a family-owned department store, Palmers, which recently celebrated 175 years in business. Contrast this with the town of Holt, where North Norfolk District Council’s Development Committee have threatened a premier store in the market place with an enforcement notice due to complaints about its shop front being “tacky” and a “visual blight”.

There are many people with independent businesses in the town who would also like to advertise a year long closing down sale to bring in more customers.

Mrs JULIE GRINT

Springfield

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I am writing regarding the story of bullying on page 18 of the Friday June 7 edition of the Mercury. I was not familiar with this case until I read it, but I am afraid to say it did not surprise me at all having been bullied myself as a child at school.

Bullies often target those who are weak or vulnerable or are in some way different to others around them. The reason for this is unclear but it is a very distressing experience for the person on the receiving end as well as the victim’s family. It is common for schools to say that they do not tolerate bullying and for some this is true but for the majority it is smoke and mirrors as there is no law in this country which prohibits school bullying.

However a petition has been launched to make bullying a criminal offence in memory of Ayden Olson who lost his fight with bullies which can be signed on www.aydenslaw.org. Maybe readers could sign it and make a difference.

Name and address withheld

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I agree with Ned Hewitt, Gorleston Rangers were probably a better team than Catfield. All the teams he mentioned had several had several players that had ex Eastern Counties League Experience. I don’t think Catfield had that quality of players against teams that had kind of quality either and late Derek Brown ex manager of Gorleston Rangers would endorse that.

RON RUMSBY

Ex Gorleston Rangers player

Great Yarmouth

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I would like to point out that according to my nominees I am being investigated by the police on the nominees for the last county council elections.

May I through your column say that I have stood for elections on 14 separate occasions over the past ten years and not once have my nomination papers been investigated. It seems that since I got elected as county councillor for Lothingland and defeated the Conservative sitting councillor these investigations against me have taken place. Is it not a coincidence that other UKIP councillors are also being investigated and the main instigators seem to be the other main political parties.

If this is what these other parties think of their constituents then maybe they were right to vote them out.

I did not hear anyone of them complaining about UKIP nomination papers when we came second in the borough elections last year, perhaps these parties have nothing better to do then insult the voters of Norfolk.

COLIN ALDRED

County Councillor

for Lothingland

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In the Mercury, I saw details of the guided walk of St Nicholas churchyard with Paul Davies as the excellent guide. There is a lot of hidden history to find. Brilliant restoration work has been commenced with enthused workers. It is a disgrace it was allowed to fall into ruin. Some litter bins may help! Likewise, the splendid efforts of the Prince’s Trust on the Winterton lifeboat restoration shows the huge potential of the unemployed.

I cannot understand why government continues to borrow to pay unemployment benefits when there are so many local projects which could create jobs and training to help people get back to work and benefit the community. Many of the unemployed would be keen to take up paid community jobs.

I estimate for £1m, 1,000 jobs could be created locally. This would be funded by benefit savings, existing training budgets and grants (like Heritage Lottery and Children in Need for example). Perhaps, some landscaping around the railway station could even be funded as it is not just the building that could have a revamp!

If the four million unemployed were working, there would be less being spent on benefits and tax receipts would go up! The government obviously does not care much about ordinary workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and school leavers who cannot even get started. If it did, some creative thinking would see job creation schemes, like those that created the seafront in the 1930s. Unfortunately, this government and many MPs are too engrossed in their own interests to care.

CHRIS WRIGHT

Victoria Street,

Caister on Sea

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My husband was taking our boxer dog for his nightly run on Crab Lane green in Gorleston (?) where out of nowhere a staffie ran up the green and attacked him and latched onto our boxer’s face and wouldn’t let go. The only way we could release him was throwing a bucket of water over it.

What if it had been a child? I dread to think. Even my dog couldn’t shake it off. Why can’t these people keep their dogs on leads? There should be a law to keep all dogs in open places on leads. As for my boxer, he had some nasty gashes on his face where the dog’s teeth went in. Thanks to the owner who did this!

Name and Address withheld

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Through your paper, I would like to thank two people, my niece Diane and a photographer named Chris.

As my brother is not well, and his twin great grandsons (three months old) were coming over from Australia, I thought a family photo would be nice. I had a word with Diane and she organised the family, and that left me to organise a photographer. What a job that was, four phone calls and a trip to the Mercury office proved fruitless until a young lady told me about Chris.

He has a shop in Broad Row and he was great. He asked what I wanted and when it was to be. I told him 3.30pm on Saturday, he gave me a price, I accepted it.

He turned up on time and as some people were missing said he would wait. When everyone had arrived he and his assistant organised them into some sort of order and took some great shots,

The family and I are more than satisfied with the results and very pleased that I was told about Chris. Visit Chris in his Broad Row Studio.

B HARMAN

Arundel Road,

Great Yarmouth

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At the moment Gorleston High Street is nice and quiet when normally there are buses and lorries going down there all the while - it’s busier than the M1! Maybe others agree with me that it would work as a one-way street?

MAX BEDFORD,

Bradwell.

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