Thanks to taxi driver who helped me

I am writing to say thank you to the Hackney taxi drivers who were parked at the Gorleston Feathers taxi rank on Saturday. May 6 just before 2pm when I had a bad fall on the concrete there.

They came to my aid, and kept me company until the ambulance arrived.

Thank you all so very much.

I am pleased to say I am improving every day, and did not suffer any broken bones.

In these days it is very refreshing to find such a helpful and caring group of people. Thank you all.

PEGGY BROWN

Gorleston

Action needed on dangerous pavement

I was interested in your front page last week on the dangerous pavement at Regent Road and sympathise with its victims.

Hopefully those concerned by this situation will now extend their interest on another dangerous pavement, the north pedestrian path at Rampart Road, and be given similar press publicity.

This road, inadequate for its permitted use, often forces eastbound traffic to mount the pavement at the peril of pedestrians emerging from the blind extremities of passageways.

Being a near victim of the situation, I informed relevant councillors with requests and proposals but received either futile response or was ignored, apart from a letter by the police who blamed ‘idiot drivers’.

Does there have to be a tragedy to act? In conclusion, I would like to thank Chris Walsh for recently expounding constructive alternatives to the problem and trust they will now be heeded.

DAVID KING Falcon Court,

Great Yarmouth

Shops are very accessible to people

Re the letter from B Ferguson in last week’s Mercury.

The person concerned mentioned having to cross the road to get to the shops on Gapton Hall.

The road is single carriageway either side with an adequate traffic island situated in the middle to allow for a safe moment to cross and avoiding oncoming cars. As to regards no footpath leading to the shops, all you need to do to reach them is to walk down a grass bank and then use the crossings provided along the car park opposite the shops to reach a footpath that runs in front of the various shops.

We have spoken to the county council about putting in lay-bys and stops for the buses, but as usual it would appear money precludes this from happening shortly

Our group has long campaigned for a bus to this area and now to find one operating on a regular basis but to find people still complaining about something I am afraid leaves me personally very frustrated!

STEVE HEWITT

East Norfolk Transport Users Association

Network for older people is now at centre

The Great Yarmouth Older Peoples Network now has a representative at the Acorn Centre, Regent Street, Great Yarmouth on a Tuesday morning from 10am-noon. The GYOPN is a voice for the over 50s age group. If you would like information about us and services in the area, please contact us by visiting us at the centre, on 07526 988802, email info@gyopn.org.uk or visit our website at www.gyopn.org.uk

VALERIE PETTIT

GYOPN Chair

Who would vote for party at election?

Now that Theresa May has given us some idea of her manifesto, I cannot believe that there are people who wish to vote for her party.

She claims to be able to ‘talk tough’ to Europe, yet she had the chance to end arms sales to Saudi Arabia and help to end the war in Yemen, which is adding to the refugee crisis, hardly a diplomatic response to a crisis.

And now there is a cholera medical emergency to sort out.

The health and welfare budgets and those of education are being cut and to top it all beneath the smiles is a cold heart happy to see the killing of foxes.

Our standing MP is putting forward this manifesto and I have to ask:

1 Is there sufficient money in the education budget to teach children to ride?

2 Will those on benefits get extra, to allow their hunters to be liveried and their beagles kennelled?

3 Will food banks be able to cater for fodder and animal feed?

Mrs May certainly understands the working man and his priorities.

GARY HELYER

Nelson Road Central,

Great Yarmouth

Pension pledge to be signed in library

You recently published a letter for me in the Mercury and, as a result, our group saw an increase in membership in the Great Yarmouth area.

Our Great Yarmouth ladies have arranged a meeting with the Labour candidate Mike Smith-Clare in the Central Library in Yarmouth at 1.30pm on Saturday, May 27.

Mike will sign the WASPI PLEDGE which shows support for the women affected by the changes to State Pension Age.

It is a good opportunity for those affected to come along and have a chat with Mike.

LYNN NICHOLLS

Pain-WASPI Admin Team

Ordinary people will suffer after vote

I am sorry to correct Gordon Craig’s letter (12 May) and I can quite see why he came to the conclusion that I thought the Labour Party was irrelevant. This got lost in translation; what I meant was that the slogan ‘Coalition of chaos’ had very little relevance.

I certainly do not think this party is irrelevant and please don’t take anything for granted with this election as so many polls have been found to be misleading and on the day erroneous.

I appreciate Labour has an uphill struggle and Theresa May is winning hearts and minds of ‘ordinary working families’ but I personally am taking this ‘what the electorate wants to hear’ with a massive pinch of salt.

What she does want is an overwhelming mandate to flex her Brexit muscles with the EU negotiations and that is the bottom line. Most parties will promise the earth and the sky above and then when they are elected, this becomes harder and harder for various duplicitous reasons and excuses to actually produce the goods.

Yes the Conservatives did well in the county council elections but the general election is different and should be approached in a more pragmatic way.

I do not understand where the writer gets the impression that I was poking ‘gentle fun’ at Brandon Lewis because in several previous letters I have criticised him for not attending a cross-party invitation to a public meeting about Universal Credit.

I still stand by this because these welfare reforms, especially in relation to disabled claimants, are nothing short of draconian and cruel.

I personally felt he should be explaining in person to his constituents. Hopefully the trialling of Universal Credit is ironing itself out now but still the increasing uptake of food banks is an indictment on our still wealthy country and has become the ‘acceptable’ norm.

I feel that the onset of Brexit talks and the torturous exit envisaged will be the excuse for many years to come of yet more austerity.

Yes, the people have spoken, but they might themselves be surprised that the foreseeable vista is not a particularly encouraging one, and as usual the leading Brexiteers who campaigned whole-heartedly for our departure will be, by virtue of their own wealth, protected from the harsher realities of a less and more fractured economy.

It will be us the ordinary people who will most likely suffer and wonder where it all went so wrong.

JUDITH A DANIELS

Winifred Road,

Great Yarmouth

Leader’s armed forces views disgust me

As a veteran, I was hurt, disgusted, and sickened at the unpatriotic words coming out of the mouth of the leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn.

He stated every war and terrorist act which our armed forces curtailed was unjust.

His words that all the trouble spots since Hitler. Korea, Malaya, Aden, Cyprus, Suez, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and now IS beheading innocent charity workers were unjust.

Is he including his late leader Tony Blair who has so many British Forces deaths on his plate fighting loathsome leaders in the Middle East.

Tell it to the forces invalided out of service or the families of dead service personnel who served freeing the world of terror

This is the man who wants to be prime minister.

Will our green and pleasant land be safe to live in if he gained the post?

JOHN L COOPER

Burnt Lane,

Gorleston

Thank you to lifeboat team

I want to say thank you to the Gorleston Lifeboat team and members of the public who helped rescue my Siberian husky from the River Yare last week.

Thank you

NAME AND ADDRESS WITHHELD

We had no problems with hospital visit

We accompanied a friend to A&E Friday evening at the James Paget Hospital, expecting a lengthy wait due to cyber attack. After a few minutes giving details, the problem was examined immediately and a form given for the X-ray dept.

A short wait, X-ray, then back to A&E for a follow-up appointment.

Within 45 minutes we were on our way home.

We were treated with courtesy by friendly professionals in spite of the difficulties they encountered.

Thank you to such caring people who we appreciate and are so fortunate to have working in the NHS.

M LAWRENCE

West Ave,

Ormesby

We got no response from police force

Last Friday, at 10.45pm in Bradwell, near the old community centre, a group of young people on their bikes were blocking the road to prevent my brother-in-law and his daughter from driving forward.

My brother-in-law edged forward which caused one of the boys to drop his cycle, he then leapt on the bonnet broke the windscreen and then went on the roof.

All the time this was happening my niece was ringing 999 but got no response. When they were able to move on they drove to the Yarmouth police station which was shut.

There was a notice informing people to contact a call centre in Norwich.

This is certainly food for thought with an election coming up. It’s worrying to think that we have such poor police protection.

NAME AND ADDRESS WITHHELD

Gardens should not be place to feed birds

As a user of the Priory Gardens, I thought I would highlight what a lovely, and well-kept green space this is.

The only issue I have is that certain people, with good intentions, are leaving food for the wild birds.

As an owner of a Labrador with a never-ending desire for food, he would like to thank you for your kind donations.

Perhaps your own green spaces would benefit more. I would also like to thank you on the behalf of the seagulls and rat population too!

NATALIE COOPER

Via email