Letters October 8

IN response to the letter Call out a waste of money (Letters, October 1), I am a young mum with a seven- month-old baby and was visiting a friend on Fern Gardens, Belton, when the locking system on my car malfunctioned, locking my baby and all my belongings in the car. We called the AA who advised us they were sending someone to assist us and if the baby became distressed in the meantime to call the fire brigade.

After 25 minutes of trying to gain entry into the car while waiting for the AA to arrive and listening to my baby screaming the whole time, we called the emergency services for advice. They told us they would dispatch someone to assist us as soon as possible.

Although this was not a burning building, it was not just a case of someone locking their keys in their car either. If it had just been locking the keys in my car I would have smashed a window to get them. But there was a seven-month-old baby inside.

Anybody would realise the emergency services are called that because they only respond to emergencies. I would like to praise the fire brigade for their assistance on that day, and say what true, kind-spirited people they are. It is thanks to their help that my son is safe and doing well. Yet it could all have ended so differently.

It is such a shame the reader who complained did not get their facts straight.

I will be making a donation to the fire service involved. I cannot express my gratitude enough and I sincerely hope the reader who complained never needs the help of any of the emergency services and never has to go through what my family and I experienced that day.

YVONNE RICHARDSON

Belton

There is a way to beat the vandals

I AGREE with the reader from Hemsby, who is saddened at the wanton vandalism which has damaged the bus shelter on Yarmouth Road; but this is not an isolated incident. There are too many bus shelters being regularly damaged by the mindless morons who roam the streets.

It is becoming commonplace, in the mornings, to see shattered glass across pavements and highways, posing hazards to pedestrians, motorists and animals; and there seems to be no deterrent. Some suggest that the only solution is to revert to four simple posts with a flat roof, but this would penalise the general public who appreciate the shelters. So, perhaps concealed CCTV is the answer, just like those used to secure evidence of the idle wasters who fly-tip.

Might I suggest, if the reader has access to the internet, there is a very effective site called Fix My Street which can be used to report and highlight such problems anonymously? I have used the site several times and the responses have been effective.

Name and Address withheld

Halloween is far from harmless

HALLOWEEN is almost upon us again, with shops selling devil outfits, witch hats, plastic skulls and other symbols of evil and death.

But how can anyone imagine this is just a harmless, fun event? Are you a parent, and do you allow your child to get involved? Do you know what you expose your child to every time October 31 comes around?

A festival for the dead, Halloween (Samhain) is the most important of eight annual nights of real human sacrifice celebrated by real witches who call up real demons.

The Lord God warns, “Those who practise such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Holy Bible, Galatians 5:21).

E BARKHUIZEN

Albemarle Road

Gorleston

My commitment is not in doubt

IN response to Jackie Page’s letter last week, Support For Villagers, I would welcome a turbine in my back yard, I have no qualms whatsoever about them.

As for not attending the SLP meeting in the village hall through lack of courage or convictions, some of us lead very busy lives and it’s impossible to fit in every meeting and every event going on in the village.

I personally do try to support most events, as a lot of Hemsby residents and organisations will verify. I, too, love this village of Hemsby as I was born and bred here some 64 years ago and I hate to see all the vandalism and neglect occurring around the village.

Like Jackie Page says, if those people who grumble or are a cause of the vandalism and don’t like it here, they are welcome to leave.

As for getting involved in politics? No thank you, I would prefer to have my say through this media without being hamstrung by bureaucracy and red tape.

In response to P Page’s letter Footing The Bill, the allotments are supposed to be self-financing and therefore not a drain on the villagers’ resources. The allotment holders will be paying for the water, land rental, administration and so on. This is why the allotment holders pay rents of �100 per year, which is far higher than any other allotments in the country. As for the allotments being an eyesore coming into the village, the biggest eyesore you ever did see already exists not a million miles away from the allotment site.

The allotments will be neatly fenced off, gated and secured, and shrubs, hedges and so on will be planted to mask them from view of the road. The next meeting for parishioners who have applied for an allotment will be tonight, Friday, at 7.30pm in the village hall. This is to discuss the lease of the land.

Unfortunately, yet again, I will be unable to attend due to prior commitments.

P SUTTON

Hemsby

So sad to see pub close its doors

ANOTHER one bites the dust. We wish to express how sad we are that yet another great local pub with such a warm welcome has closed its doors and ceased trading recently.

The young couple who took on the lease at the Kings Head in Filby worked so hard to make it a pub that provided the perfect environment, with excellent food and beer and an open roaring fire that made winter’s evenings bearable.

The irony is that their efforts had just been recognised by the pub’s entry into the 2011 Good Beer Guide. A local pub quiz once asked: “What is the commonest pub sign in England?” Unfortunately the answer at the moment seems to be “For Sale”.

The Filby Kings will be greatly missed.

On a more positive note it is heartening to see the Kings Arms in Fleggburgh open again and seemingly trading successfully as a free house offering good beer and an Indian takeaway adjacent. It is worth repeating the old adage “Use it or lose it”.

MONT HICKS and TINA MAIBAUM

Why can’t they just get it right?

ANOTHER frustrating week at the supermarket.

I was charged twice for a bouquet of flowers and then, on Sunday, as I prepared lunch, I discovered the leg of pork I’d purchased on Friday was “off”.

Back at customer services I was offered another one. When I declined, I was asked for my receipt.

I then pointed out that I hadn’t kept it because I didn’t expect to have to return the meat.

I was given a refund, but there was no apology for the fact that I’d had to take out my curlers, put my teeth in and change, in order to make this inconvenient trip.

We can blame ourselves for this lack of service, as we all frequent these retail giants.

Still, every little helps!

PAULINE LYNCH

Mill Lane

Bradwell

Someone must be held to account

SO we part-fund the outer harbour to the tune of �25m of our taxpayers’ money, and they turn down �1m!

Incredible? Incredulous? What is going on? I think it’s about time the public has some answers from the borough council. We’ve paid to strengthen the road to the new port. We’ve paid over �300,000 to investigate where to put the third river crossing. We were promised hundreds of new jobs. Where are they?

There is too much secrecy and we should ask Eastport for our money back. If promises are broken then the contract should be declared null and void.

And why won’t they renew the surface on Gorleston Pier car park? Why won’t they say anything about their obligations and promises to Great Yarmouth council and why indeed are the council not doing anything about this fiasco?

It’s time we held everyone involved to account for their dealings in this “wonderful opportunity for the people of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston area and the businesses that will benefit from this new port”.

PHILIP CALDER

email

A public inquiry is long overdue

RE The Mercury’s article last week, Ship has problems with outer harbour swell, and the EDP and Radio Norfolk’s articles on container cranes and the upset with Panalpina.

I feel the Greater Yarmouth scrutiny committee has now been vindicated in its two-year struggle to bring to the attention of those elected to safeguard the interests of the ratepayers, the mismanagement of the “gifting” our major asset, the port of Great Yarmouth. I have in the past, advocated the need of a public inquiry, but the call landed on deaf ears.

Brandon Lewis’s short comment in the EDP does not address the seriousness of the outer harbour’s inefficiency, neither does he seem bothered at the loss of jobs or the outer harbour’s lack of benefit to the town after being open for 17 months, otherwise he would be calling for a public inquiry.

All was well between the years 2000 to 2006 until EastPort Great Yarmouth Ltd picked a newly formed company, International Port Holdings (IPH) staffed by just two people.

For some reason, and this is for an inquiry to ascertain, the public consortium (EastPort Ltd) felt they needed to assist IPH to the maximum to ensure that IPH were happy with the deal.

To ensure IPH were happy with all arrangements, the following took place:

On top of the �18.5m in grants, Norfolk County Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council sanctioned a further �1.5m from public funds.

Haven Bridge, once the responsibility of GYPA was rejected by IPH and at enormous expense NCC took over the running costs and possible rebuild at �hundreds of millions.

The West Bank Gorleston side, hundreds of metres of quay that is in need of repair once the responsibility of GYPA was rejected by IPH.

IPH were also gifted the existing port valued at �45m.

IPH were given the freehold of Gorleston’s South Pier, thereby making it near impossible for any demand for the company to keep it in good repair.

Over two years, we have accumulated reams of facts, figures, controversial issues. In view of government forecasts for areas of cutbacks in all quarters of society, many people on benefits are going to suffer. Will they now wonder if the millions that council tax payers will pay out for eternity, once the responsibility of Great Yarmouth Port Authority, would have made a difference to some of the cutbacks?

We really do want a public inquiry soon, as one of the people working on our behalf, Daniel Cox, leader of the county council, is leaving for India. What would be the point of an inquiry if those responsible should also leave and were not there to take part?

JOHN COOPER

Gorleston

Jobs depend on expanding port

I AM sure that some of the people attacking the outer harbour are sincere in their views – however misplaced they might be.

The truth is that the new Eastport is a massive “plus point” for our town and is already securing existing jobs and bringing in new ones. We should be massively proud of its construction (in the midst of the worldwide credit crunch) and not quite so critical about the time being taken to attract ro-ro ferry and container traffic.

There was never going to be a great future ahead if the Yarmouth port was restricted to the river alone – anyone who tells you otherwise is being economical with the truth.

I know for one thing that the outer harbour is going to give us a great chance of winning major contracts for offshore wind energy over the coming years. That will be very important for local jobs.

MICK CASTLE

email

Get harbour fit for all weathers

OH dear, I have just read the report of a vessel abandoning the berth in the outer harbour due to swell. The people of Great Yarmouth should be advised why.

The old port entrance had swell in high easterly winds that carried on round the Gorleston bend and finally subsided near the lifeboat station. The consultants and experts should have looked into the past history of this once-proud port, and come to the conclusion that the same swell could do the same in any east-facing harbour entrance.

Were tests undertaken in a test tank to determine the ultimate build and defences that would be needed to eliminate the type of swell that is not uncommon on this coast? It would appear not. Why have the people of Yarmouth and Gorleston subscribed through taxation to a complete shambles?

The entrance to the harbour should have been designed in such a way that swell is eradicated to the front of the entrance. Or will that come up later as an add on to the already costly effort. It might also help if more rocks had been placed to make the sea/east facing walls higher as the swell comes over these areas on a spring high tide. Is this a design fault or just penny pinching for greater profit?

As seen on the television news on October 4, the whole port area looks abysmal and more akin to a second world war concentration camp than a port terminal, with all the chain link fencing and barbed wire on show.

I, for one, was very pleased when it was announced the outer harbour was going to be built. I have a different opinion now.

We were promised a port that we could be proud of. A thousand jobs, passenger services to the continent and more. All I have seen is more and more land fenced off and suddenly become EastPort land.

Sandy Hook was an idyllic place where, as a young boy, my friends I spent many happy hours fishing, playing on the beach and watching the boats entering and leaving the harbour. Suddenly, this area is fenced off with no access to the beach. As Sandy Hook is in the area of the old port and nothing to do with the outer harbour area, why fence it off?

I suppose they will come up with the old option of “on the grounds of health and safety”. We have heard that too many times, with land on the quayside getting the same fenced-off treatment.

Come on EastPort, get the harbour in a viable condition to receive and berth in any weather.

R DURRANT

Address withheld

Promises have not been fulfilled

JOHN Cooper has done a great deal of research into the outer harbour project which was pushed through without the required consultations with stakeholders.

We have both written many letters to The Mercury to explain what the repercussions are for us the ratepayers. We are talking about our money, the good of the borough and those who would benefit from the 1000 jobs we were promised but have not been seen.

Many people have spoken to us about our letters and expressed their concerns. We both would very much appreciate your support with more letters to the Mercury, no matter how brief.

GYBC refuses to give any explanations as to why certain decisions were made, which our group believes may have been made without due diligence and having the necessary safeguards for the borough. Once the deal was sealed GYBC appears to have been left with no controls or levers to enable residents to gain the benefits that were the whole reason for its being. This was new jobs and increased prosperity for our town which is one of the most deprived in the country.

We were led to expect this in return for grants, the gift of our inner harbour with a value of �45m, the gift of our South Pier at Gorleston with the loss of the car park also dilapidations that could eventually close it to us and even more the jobs and regeneration which were the expectation to be gained through the the project.

Now, events are occurring that give the impression the whole project isn’t fit for purpose and needs a thorough investigation root and branch to find what can be salvaged.

Grain boats refuse to use the outer harbour because of the swell. Boats are being loaded from heaps of grain tipped from lorries and loaded into the vessel by grabs no matter what the weather. An important cargo to be filmed by the BBC to promote the outer harbour was cancelled by EastPort at, literally, the last moment with no reason given. I believe it was the fear of a swell and resultant bad publicity.

The cranes have stood idle since their arrival. Port workers were sacked and new people were brought in from Immingham to operate the grain terminal. There have been great problems with berthing vessels and loading due to the swell in the outer harbour. Many of the boats that have come into the outer harbour have just been there to shelter. Anyone who would like to see what boats are in the outer harbour should go on to the website shown in the Mercury under Port News.

How much longer can this go on before the the public join us in demanding a public inquiry?

DENNIS DURRANT

Burnt Lane,

Gorleston

No fear of attack

LOOK on the bright side! If history repeats itself (as it often does) and a new Napoleon or Hitler decides to invade our country, Great Yarmouth will be spared the initial attack as our port is not fit for purpose.

NICK POWNALL

Seafield Close

Great Yarmouth

Viking retreat

REGARDING the report in The Mercury (October 1) on the decision of the captain of the Arklow Viking not to dock at the outer harbour, I imagine that a few people will be saying, “Told you so!”

MISS R L FARMER

Marine Parade

Gorleston

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I WOULD like to share some memories of my recent trip to Great Yarmouth. There are many I would like to thank for making it a special time. Upon arrival at the Yarmouth Railway Station I made my way by foot to the Quay Caf�, who made me feel most welcome and organised a taxi to my B&B. The taxi driver then introduced me to Great Yarmouth. A also thank The Chequers, who not only provided me with gluten free food options but provided much valuable advice and suggestions of things to do.

There were many shop assistants along the seaside who made a lone Australian feel valued and the post office assistants in W H Smiths helped me with the posting of packages home.

The curate and a church member, Janet, provided information and assistance during my visit to St Nicholas Parish Church. It had been the church of my Simpson, Drury and other related families from the 1700s. And yes, I purchased a book and relevant postcards for both myself and other cousins back in Australia.

A special thank you to Great Yarmouth Potteries for telling me so much not only of the pottery itself, but early Yarmouth. My friend Norm, born in Yarmouth was thrilled to hear about my experiences and look at all my books etc. The staff of The Elizabethan House, Tolhouse Museum and Merchants House and Row Houses Museum, shared their knowledge and interest. These are really fine well displayed and interactive museums - a pleasure to visit.

There were many others who assisted with directions as I walked around the town centre, the seafront and other parts of Yarmouth. To you all, I thank you for your friendliness and kindness.

I am seeking assistance in finding more about my Simpson, Drury, Bloome, Booth, Baldwine, Robinson and related families. The Simpson family was in Yarmouth from at least 1700s. Thomas Simpson (my 5 x great grandfather) married Barbara Booth in 1732. I have no knowledge of Barbara but they had eight children: John, William, Thomas, Mary Ann, William, Mary and Sarah. Their son John married Mary Drury in 1755. He was a woollen merchant and later a lay preacher for Charles Wesley. They had 13 children: John, Margaret, Mary, Thomas, Edmund, Judith, Phillis, Edmund, Hester, Elizabeth, Dorothy Maria, George and William. John, their eldest son, left Yarmouth for America and settled in Nova Scotia for sometime, marrying Anne Salter c1790. Two of their sons were two of my great great grandfathers!

Mary Drury’s background – the Drury family were farmers and mariners of Belaugh, Coltishall, Lound, Hopton and Blundeston back to the 1600s. Her parents were Edmund Drury and Elizabeth Bloome whereas her great grandparents were James Drury and Dorcas. James’ father Edmund married first a Margaret Nudson and later Ann Mansor. Edmund’s father John married Joanna Baldwine.

Any assistance regarding any of these families would be much appreciated. I can be contacted via email at greliz7@bigpond.com or by post at PO Box 309, Belmont, Victoria, Australia 3216.

ELIZABETH KRAUS

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WE need to put our war memorials in the news for the right reasons. They are the most tangible link we have with those dark years of almost a century ago when, with no repatriation possible, our forebears had no other means of honouring those they had lost in the slaughter. Recent abuses elsewhere involving theft and urination have caused outrage and disgust but if we care about war memorials, as we seemingly do, we have to invest in their upkeep if we are not to ultimately lose them through more mundane - but less newsworthy - natural erosion and structural problems. With belts being tightened all round, this will be difficult. However, to mark the Centenary of the Armistice in a little over eight years, let’s do what is necessary to make our war memorials clean, safe and readable - and show that sentiments such as “We Will Remember Them” and “Lest we Forget” did not fall on deaf ears.

RAY THOMPSON

clean2018@hotmail.co.uk

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EVER since I began to do genealogical research on my great great grandfather, Charles John Brooke (b1869), it has been my dream to visit his childhood home of Gorleston and Great Yarmouth, and lately it has been my good fortune to do just that.

My husband, Fred and I really enjoyed the week we spent in Gorleston staying at the Pier Hotel with its beautiful view of the sea. From this vantage point we could see all the places where Charles Brooke lived and worked and we were able to visit all of the places that were such an integral part of his early life. With the help of many of the people of Gorleston, and especially historian and genealogist, Joan Lobban, we have been able to assemble insight into the rich heritage and culture that he grew up with and which did so much to shape his later life and career.

Our family had a few personal items of Charles Brooke - a few photos, two books from the Great Yarmouth School of Art, and a tiny engraving of Koolunga. We also treasured a family narrative, an oral history that included a trove of stories of a great city on the sea in England and of a time when brave men ventured to sea in small boats.

When we arrived in Gorleston in September we were amazed at how easy it was to retrace his steps to where he lived as a boarder on Whiteman Lane and worked at the Gorleston Post Office. We were able to visit St Andrew’s Church which looks much the same as it would have when Charles worshipped there prior to emigrating to America in 1887.

The staff at St Andrew’s welcomed us warmly and assisted us in going through old church records. Koolunga on High Street has also been preserved and we were welcomed and shown around the grounds by one of the current residents. From his roots in Gorleston, Charles

was able to come to America where he became a famous architect. It has been a very rewarding excursion, experiencing aspects of our family history. It is apparent the people of Gorleston carefully steward their vast collection of records and genealogy and have a profound respect for landmark architecture, art, culture and genealogy.

We enjoyed Gorleston and Great Yarmouth so much, from our perfect view from the Pier Hotel, the gorgeous English gardens, the historical pubs and of course the Harbour.

We arrived as strangers and departed with many friends and fond memories. We are looking forward to coming back some day soon.

FRED and CHERYL BRIARD

Howell, New Jersey

USA

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IT was good to read in The Mercury about the blue plaque being erected to commemorate the old Southtown Station. However, it was not located on the site of the new Nelson Medical Centre at all! I lived in Cobholm as a child and walked passed it daily, and later when the station was due to be demolished in the 1970’s I used to take a short cut across the “lines” to Yarmouth College. It was more at right angles to the Two Bears Hotel and the front facade would have stood right across what is now Pasteur Road. In fact Pasteur Road itself must in part follow the route of the original railway lines. My grandfather, Edward Godbolt, worked for the Port & Haven Commissioners on the Haven Bridge. On his retirement, he used to sit in his Sunday best on the benches which would have been positioned some distance in front of the entrance to the station where he could see the bridge. No doubt the rolling stock yards would have been on the medical centre site, but the station itself certainly wasn’t. However, it would be difficult to put a plaque in the middle of Pasteur Road so a bit of commonsense has to prevail and the Medical Centre would seem to fit the bill!

MICHELE WATTS, nee Goldbolt

email

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UNTIL the Caister excavation report of 1958 was eventually published in 1993 Burgh Castle was considered to have been the Roman Shore Fort of Garriannonum so named after its alleged proximity to a river, first identified by Ptolemy as Gariennus, however Ptolemy made no mention of the fort existing in his time. This river is widely accepted as being the river Yare. Therein lies the problem for the earlier Roman fort at Caister which it is believed was situated on an island north of the Great Estuary was nowhere near the river Yare.

It is proposed that both Caister and Burgh Castle fell under the same Roman command and I see no problem with this perception given the closeness of their respective locations. However I am not altogether sure who is actually responsible for the misinformation that appears in The Ordnance Survey of Roman Britain 2001 and it would be too easy to blame English Heritage so I will just point out the error. It would appear that Breydon Water which is the smaller silted remanent of the Great Estuary along with the modern part of the river Yare flowing between Gorleston and Great Yarmouth (Both believed to be open water in the Roman period) are designated as what the map calls Garriannvs FL presumably the river Yare. While the portion of the river Yare that is suspected to have existed during the Roman period is shown as a greyed out modern development.

The designation of Caister not being a Roman Shore Fort was decided by the Oxford historian Haverfield in 1901 based upon the evidence of his day. Likewise he disputed the Roman Earthworks site at Reedham as being a Roman fortress associated with Burgh Castle because as he put it “ Shore forts are stand alone units and there is no reason why Burgh Castle should be any different” he was able to discount the Reedham site because “it was not a fourth century fort”. Reedham is situated just north of that portion of the river Yare that is understood to have existed in the relevant Roman period.

Unfortunately the Reedham site like it’s counter part Walton Castle formerly situated on the Essex cliffs no longer exists, the latter due to coastal erosion and the former due to destructive human activity. Neither of these two sites can be excavated but one is widely accepted as being a contender for the title of Shore fort while the other is ignored. Through a process of detailed research I have narrowed down the likely site of the Reedham Earthworks though I do concede that very little of archaeological importance is likely to remain. Though there is a report published in 2003 detailing the reuse of Roman stonework in several surrounding Parish Churches that cannot be linked to either Caister or Burgh Castle.

My gripe is the misinformation that has been twisted, to make Caister fit the criteria, by implying that the Romans were incapable of knowing the difference between a river and an embayment, or the sea. While ignoring the geographical presentation that we understand as being a likely representation of the East Norfolk coastline during that somewhat changeable period.T

TIM METCALFE

BA(Hons)Archaeology

email

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I AGREE with Cornelius Curtin and his problem with pigeon mess, but whatever happened to the Community Payback Project?

Why do the pigeons have to suffer again with spikes and nets; they’ve done nothing wrong. Maybe someone could put this to the council. Get the wasters out there every morning at 5am with buckets and brooms. It makes me sick.

J ELLIOTT

Green Lane

Bradwell

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FIFTEEN members of Martham Over-60s Club were delighted to accompany the mayor and mayoress, Michael and Paula Jeal, together with their helpers, on the mayor’s day out in Cambridge.

We all had a wonderful time and would like to thank everyone who helped for making it a day to remember.

The guided tour of King’s College Chapel with its magnificent stained-glass windows and fan-vaulted roof were things we will never forget.

Later, to finish the day in style, we were treated to a splendid tea at the Evedon Estate tearooms.

MARTHAM OVER-60s CLUB

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RECENTLY the pound has become stronger against the dollar and last week stood at $1.51 to the �. As barrels of oil are priced in dollars, I could not believe it when I noticed the price of petrol and diesel creeping upward towards the end of the week.

Shell, on Caister Road, was the most expensive I found, with petrol at 116.9 and diesel at 121.9 per litre. The majority of other forecourts were 114.9 and 117.9, including Tesco. The cheapest appears to the Jet on Southtown Road at 113.9 and 116.9, while in Norwich, Morrison, Sainsbury and Jet are 111.9 and 114.9.

No doubt Shell will quote that they are supplying a superior product, which will enable more miles to the gallon. However, the extra cost will outweigh any advantage gained from the mileage factor, and my personal opinion is there is no difference between any brand, as when the tankers off-load from vessels in Yarmouth, they are all supplied from the same bulk tanks carrying petrol and diesel.

Those of us who were motorists in the 1960s will remember the slogans “The Esso Sign Means Happy Motoring” and “You Can Be Sure of Shell.” These were gimmicks by the oil companies to try and captivate the market. There was no difference between brands then, and my opinion is that there is no difference now.

It would be interesting to hear why, when the pound is strong against the dollar, it is found necessary for some companies to hoist the price, while others remain competitive.

DR M PRETTY

Anson Road

Great Yarmouth

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BORN AND BRED in Ludham, I attended St Catherine’s Sunday School as a child and as a seeking adult. Salvation was not preached; however, I found the Lord Jesus and was born again of the spirit of the living God when I was 35 years old.

The church, ie the building, is not the true church of Jesus Christ, but a mere steeple house. The true church is a body of blood bought, bible believing, born again, spirit filled, Jesus loving people who know the Lord Jesus intimately as their saviour and lord, living within them by his spirit.

However, for things like fireworks, concerts, arts and crafts, etc, we have a perfectly good, under-used village hall, with all and good car parking.

Jesus said: “My father’s house shall be a house of prayer.” In his day the heathen used it to buy and sell. He made himself a whip, turned the tables upside down and drove them out. I sure would like to do that today. The heathen are still using my father’s house for all manner of daft things. It’s a shame nobody these days just wants to get down on their knees and worship my heavenly father and his son, Jesus Christ.

I wholly agree with Robert Davison about the fireworks and the bar in the church — they even charge to get in! If Jan McFarlane was truly born again, she would also object to all that goes on in the church and the graveyard. These “religious” people call the building the church, so why don’t they treat it with respect?

Maybe it’s time real Christians stood up to be counted and come against all the squit that goes on in churches these days and get back to real worship and adoration of our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

PS It’s time to get the “world” out of the church and let the Holy Spirit back in!

LINDA HEARN

Airfield Bungalow

Ludham