Your letters - January 16

Oblivious to any reasoned argument

WITH reference to my letter dated January 9 regarding the putting green, I confirm that a vital word was unfortunately omitted from the published version, which should have read: "It (the Boulevard) will slope at a gradient of 1:41 and will look nothing like the level platform depicted on page 12 of the Next Wave document."

This amendment allows me the opportunity to draw readers' attention to the projected cost of this proposal.

Mr Leonard's budget cost report to the services overview and scrutiny committee on December 8, 2008, included 220,000 for the construction cost of the Boulevard.

This figure expressly excluded VAT and professional fees. Since the proposal document refers to artistic design input 'to make patterns which make reference to the history of the site', the final bill will probably be nearer 300,000.

For what purpose you may ask? A huge paved area the size of a motorway slip road to give foot access to the promenade?

This ridiculous proposition has the classic hallmarks of a repeat Devonshire Square fiasco - but with two notable differences.

This time the wasted funds will come directly from our own capital reserves, and this time the blame will fall solely upon our own elected representatives.

They are oblivious to reasoned argument at the moment, but in Spring 2010 when construction will be nearing completion, they will be looking for re-election.

J HODSON

Cooden Sea Road

Limits on rubbish

DO THE residents of Rother District Council know about the limits that the contract company puts on the amount of rubbish that is placed in the wheelie bin.

According to Verdant, the contract company who are contracted by the Rother District Council to empty the wheelie bins, they are only allowed to take a bin that has a lid at no more than 45 degrees above the top of the bin.

This is to say that with the bags of household waste in them for two weeks the lid on the wheelie bin is to sit flat on top of the bin if there are more bags and the lid of the bin is higher than forty-five degrees then they are to remove the offending bags place them on the ground and empty the bin.

The people of Rother all pay about 1,200 per year for the wheelie bins to be emptied 25 times a year and the contractors are now putting restrictions on the lid of the bins.

Also it appears that this is a guideline that the health and safety executive has stipulated and guidelines are given for the filling of the bins.

The men and woman who do this job must now be classed as refuse engineers as if the lid on the wheelie bin is 50 degrees then this is the wrong degree and something must be removed.

IAN BLAKE

Reginald Road

Recycling mystery

CONGRATULATIONS? I don't think so! After reading page three in the Bexhill Observer last week commenting on the great success of recycling in the area, I wonder where I go wrong, because living in the town centre this does not apply.

Papers etc have built up in my green box for weeks although I put them out on a two-weekly basis. I was then told by the collectors that green boxes are now redundant!

So why all the expense of issuing them in the first place! It now has to be plastic bags.

So after this long on-going saga perhaps Rother District Council would like my green box back for recycling.

B K BECK (Mrs)

Parkhurst Road

Woolworths' memories

MY first paid job was at Bexhill Woolworths. I worked there on Saturday mornings 50 years ago when I was 16 and still at Bexhill Grammar School doing my GCE O-Levels. I earned 6s 8d, which boosted my 3s a week pocket money from my parents!

The store was very different then, I remember working on the broken biscuits counter and at other times on the jewellery counter.

Each counter had its own large old-fashioned till - no self service back then. I remember the small room where we went for our tea-breaks and described it to one of my granddaughters, who was working there last year. To my surprise she said 'It's exactly the same now!'

Margaret Cullingworth

Pankhurst Close

Ugly vein of racism

WITH reference to last week's letters to the editor article 'Burnt fingers', AP Hamilton comments on the 'massive number of flats being constructed throughout the town and the future prospect for selling them during the credit crunch'.

The issues raised may well be of concern to some residents, however the article ended with a blatant racist comment 'surprisingly' published by the Observer.

The article ends with a comment about how other local residents, like the author, may feel that the town could become a 'ghetto for Eastern European refugees' who could ultimately occupy overpriced unsold housing as tenants.

I would like to highlight that many Eastern European refugees are residing in Britain due to instabilities in their own countries which make it a dangerous environment to live in, and others are from countries of the EU (which Britain is a part of), who have legitimately chosen to reside here as we could in their countries if we so wished.

Surely it would be better to rent out these properties and create vital extra revenue for the town's economy than to leave them empty due to an unfounded fear of creating 'Eastern European ghettos'.

I feel saddened and angry that the Observer chose to print such an overly subjective letter, however it does expose an ugly vein of racism within the town, that I feel the majority of Bexhill residents are not party to.

H F Elliott

Marina

Real regeneration

THE 1m grant from CABE has completely distorted the district council's thinking. They boast about being one of only two authorities in the country to get it and want to spend it on unnecessary changes to the seafront which the general public do not want.

The other authority to receive the grant, Berwick-upon-Tweed, are going to spend their money on a thoroughly worthwhile scheme. It is to convert derelict five-storey granary building into a high-quality visitor attraction, which will include exhibition space, meeting rooms, a cafe/restaurant, gallery and en-suite youth hostel accommodation providing 42 beds.

The council is working closely with the Berwick Preservation Trust to whom they will transfer ownership on completion of the work. They in turn, will lease it to the Youth Hostels Association for a 50-year period. The scheme has been carefully costed and will attract grant money from local sources and the regional authority.

This is what I call regeneration. If only one could see some useful purpose in the way Bexhill's money is being spent.

Jack Seabrook

Richmond Avenue

Gutless complacency

IN condemning the Israeli aggression in Gaza and calling for an arms embargo on Israel, Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, has cracked the gutless complacence of the Westminster establishment with its evasion and double-talk.

It might seem a small gesture in a country far away from the brutal Gaza suppression, but the implications for Britain's future conduct in the world could be profound.

The response of the media to Mr Clegg's stand was muted in the extreme. Criticism, even mild criticism - as David Milliband, the Foreign Secretary, found out over his earth-shattering suggestion to label goods from illegal Israeli 'settlements' - of the Israelis inevitably runs foul of the powerful Israel lobby, not that major sections of the British press need any encouragement.

But the lobby's most potent weapon - the accusation of anti-Semitism - has itself been shorn of its sham morality by the march of global communications.

More and more now statements, claims and denials, accusations and justifications are exposed as falsehoods by the evidence on the ground which is beamed to the whole world.

The bottom line is this - unless the Israelis come clean, and soon, they will destroy themselves.

That is the fate of all those who think they can live - and treat other people - outside civilised norms and the law.

As I finish I hear the Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies is one of a small group of MEPs trying to enter Gaza to see conditions for themselves.

Stephen Jackson

Second Avenue

Pipefest appeal

WE at the Robertson Pipe & Drum Academy would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone from the Sovereign Pub, Sackville Mansions, the Mermaid, the Albatross Club and the Royal British Legion for the warm welcome given to the mini band who played for them all on New Year's Eve. Everyone made us so welcome, you made our New Year, thank you.

And while saying thank you, I'd like to thank the wonderful people of Bexhill who have taken the Academy band to their heart and have supported us so wholeheartedly since we founded the Academy less than two years ago. It has been wonderful and we thank you all.

And if there are any able-bodied folk out there who have some experience of marshalling events such as Bexhill Carnival or the 100 events and have some time free, we need volunteers to marshal the Pipefest on May 30.

The police are not supporting the event this year and it would be a shame to deprive you all of an even bigger event this time around.

Contact me, the band manager at The Gael in Sea Road, if you think you can help either as a marshal or on a committee to help organise it.

The route will be different and I had hoped to end the parade at the De La Warr Pavilion, but I cannot get a response from their general manager and we need to book the road closure, so it won't be there sadly.

All the best to all who have come to watch our performances and supported the charity events we've put on, we do appreciate it. Happy New Year to all of Bexhill.

Pat Donoghue

Band Manager

Robertson Pipe & Drum Academy

Thanks for the help

ON December 16 hurt my leg very badly trying to board a Stagecoach bus to Eastbourne at the roundabout stop by The Wheatsheaf. I am very grateful to those who helped, particularly the lady and gentleman who rendered first aid until the ambulance arrived, also the Postmaster of Little Common Post Office, who contacted my friends to say I had been taken to the Conquest Hospital. My thanks to you all.

Priscilla Stroud (Mrs)

Birk Dale

A BIG thank you to the lady who helped me when I tripped and fell on Tuesday morning, January 6, in Singleton Walk. Thanks to the ambulance crew and paramedic practitioner who treated my facial injuries.

Valerie Fletcher

Dallington Close

Roadworks are back

JUST when you thought it was safe to use Gunters Lane again, they're back, the roadworks that is. Presumably judging from the end of financial year digging last year to justify their budget, the council thinks it a good idea to make an early start this year.

R E WILKS

Woodsgate Park

Pointless gestures

WHEN will Gordon Brown stop giving our money to rich bankers and company directors and start giving it to us? Surely the best way to encourage both spending and the economy is to lower taxes and thresholds. Pointless VAT gestures are just an attempt at smoke and mirrors.

Tony Ashby

Bexhill

Singing group plea

I WOULD so much like to join a singing group. My very first memory is of my mother on the piano playing Red Sails In The Sunset and Somewhere Over The Rainbow, singing at the same time. Are there any non-professional groups in Bexhill.

Katherine S Wallace

De La Warr Road

Farewell Woolies -We will miss you

WELL that's that! The end of an era!

Woolworths has closed. Walking through the empty shelves and looking around made me think of the first time I became aware of the store.

There were large wooden counters in the shape of a square and the shop assistants stood in the middle. The counters sloped slightly and were divided into sections and all sorts of treasures were there.

When the sugar rationing finally finished, sweets were in those sections, tons of them.

As I grew older other objects of desire caught your eye, like toys and things for washing your dolls clothes and little plastic tea sets.

Then as a teenager I had my hair in the latest style, the 'beehive' which took a lot of hair lacquer.

'Woolies', as it was affectionately called, came up with the goods. Hair lacquer that could have held the 'Titanic' together. It was absolute hell washing it out as it left a thick residue on your hair.

The shampoo in sachets was powder that you had to mix with water.

Evening in Paris perfume and then White Fire in a red bottle. It was a terrible smell, a cross between Lysol and tom cat.

We bought our first records there. They were not the original artist but they were the thing to buy when you didn't have much money.

My father had a radiogram with a lovely tone and my friends and me would play these records on it. Sounded fabulous!

Moving away from home and needing things for your first place Woolies was the place for plates, cups, cutlery and cushions.

Nails, hammers, chisels, spades, bulbs and plants, and of course their fruit trees were wonderful.

My mother-in-law bought some in the early sixties and they were still going strong when we passed her old house the other week.

Getting married and going to Woolworths with your children just as you did with your mother. And history repeated itself.

What will parents do now? Where will they go for their 'pick and mix'? We will never hear the crying of young children demanding sweets.

Yes we will miss you.

My heart goes out to the staff. They sounded so cheerful in the shop and still helpful. I hope they find new jobs.

What more can I say except 'Farewell to the wonder of Woolworth's'.

Cllr Mrs F Winterborn

Gordon Place, Bexhill

Who'll be top dog?

ST MICHAEL'S Hospice Photo Dog Show 2008: Judging of the last competition of the year will soon be taking place, and one dog will win the title St Michael's Hospice Photo Dog of the Year 2008, together with some prizes.

I would like to thank all of the companies and individuals who have sponsored classes in the shows or donated prizes; and all dogs and their owners who have taken part in the competitions. More than 1,000 has been raised for the Hospice.

We will be running another Photo Dog Show competition this year, so if you would like to sponsor a class, donate a prize or enter your dog in the competition, details and entry forms can be obtained from St Michael's Hospice Administration Centre, 54 Pevensey Road, St Leonards on Sea, TN38 0LS or email [email protected].

One again thanks to everyone who has supported the shows.

Gill Peacock

Show Organiser

Wrong targets

I BELIEVE that Mrs Oliver is venting her fury at the wrong people (January 9).

In her letter she poses the question as to why people put their rubbish in the bin on Eastwood Road instead of using their own wheelie bins.

My guess would be is that their own wheelie bins are already full to overflowing and they are waiting for the binmen to come around on one of their few-and-far between collections.

If the council would do their job properly in the first place and collect the rubbish weekly, I am sure we would not see public bins filled with personal household rubbish.

Instead of trying to shame householders into 'greendomism', the problem lies with a lazy, irresponsible council.

It should be the council's responsibility to dispose of rubbish, not the taxpaying householder.

R Harris

South Cliff

Special Christmas

THIS year, along with many of my Marie Curie Nursing colleagues, I was honoured enough to spend the festive period caring for patients so they could be at home with their family at what can be a very special, but also emotional time.

Marie Curie Nurses like myself provide free care to patients with terminal cancer and other illnesses in their own homes, 365 days a year, meaning they have the choice of staying where they feel most comfortable, surrounded by the people and things they love the most.

Working with the NHS and other local partners, Marie Curie Cancer Care aims to double the number of people with a terminal illness who are given this choice.

I am writing to say thank you to Asda for recognising what a difference our service makes, and for kindly donating 250 luxury bouquets of flowers to nurses like me, who gave up time with their own loved ones so that someone could spend their final Christmas at home.

Michelle Carroll

Marie Curie Nursing

Ambassador of the Year

To get help from the Marie Curie Nursing Service, talk to your GP, district nurse or discharge nurse. For more information please visit: www.mariecurie.org.uk

Diabetes awareness

I AM writing to ask readers to support leading health charity Diabetes UK this year as it marks its 75th anniversary on January 10 - the same week that I celebrate my own 75th birthday!

Diabetes is a serious condition that can lead to serious complications including heart disease, blindness and amputation.

My mother had the condition and my sister also has it so I know first-hand how it can completely change your life.

With Diabetes UK's 75th anniversary this year, we have a great chance to raise awareness about diabetes and the complications it can lead to.

There are 2.5m people in the UK with the condition and a further 500,000 who have the condition and do not know it.

These numbers are rising at an alarming rate so it is important we do all we can to raise awareness of diabetes and its risk factors, symptoms and treatments.

Diabetes UK is aiming to raise more than 7.5m this year to fund vital research.

I urge readers to support the charity either by making a donation or becoming a volunteer. For more details visit the website www.diabetes.org.uk/75years

Richard Briers CBE

Actor

Tougher deterrents

I FELT I must respond to Mr David Barry's letter (January 9) with his thoughts that prison does not work.

Prison sentences in the UK would work if they were of adequate length to act as a deterrent and if you were able to make the prison regime a lot tougher. We have some of the shortest sentences in the Western world and certainly the softest prisons anywhere.

We have all seen the criminal is more important the victim where criminals have access to social workers and counselling and compensation to prisoners is rising, while this is either unavailable or only at a price to the victim.

In a recent case of many years of abusing his daughters (UK version), a father received 25 'life sentences' that totalled just 19 years. You do the maths. How is that a deterrent?

What does it say about the so-called 'life sentence' we know it is a 'life' licence at the end of the prison term but crimes can still be committed when not actually in prison, usually on innocent members of the public.

People who deliberately kill are receiving as little as 30 months actually served and a so-called 'life sentence' can be from three years (or see above) to just seven unless there is a political reason to detain longer and the 'detained indefinitely' policy can be as little as two years actually served or less.

Most killings now in the UK, even deliberate attack and death cases, are watered down as 'manslaughter'.

This means a lot shorter sentence and consequently once again no deterrent quality is present.

There will always be people who basically put themselves in prison's way but with recent cases actually lowering the value of human life I feel the UK is attracting criminals from overseas who view our judicial system as totally inadequate and an attractive atmosphere in which to commit crime and basically get away with it.

Derek Stocker

Duke Street

Perverse breach of a trust

I AM writing with reference to Mr Hodson's letter, Destructive Construction (January 9).

As part of the successful public campaign to prevent the construction of an hotel on the putting green site, an application was initiated at that time by Save Our Seafront to have the green legally designated as a 'public open space' for which statutory provisions exist.

Before that application was heard, Rother District Council withdrew the hotel proposal in the face of universal public objection.

As the chairman of SOS at that time, I then met personally with the council chief executive to discuss the 'public open space' action which remained extant and was proceeding towards hearing.

Among council concerns expressed to me at that meeting were, as Mr Hodson pointed out, worries regarding the council's ability to protect and police the site were it to be legally designated as a 'public open space'.

Examples of these fears cited by the chief executive included possible encroachment by gypsies, unauthorised campers, unruly and noisy behaviour and generally unwelcome misuse to the detriment of the public's enjoyment of the facility and to the peace and quiet of neighbouring residents.

The chief executive claimed these possible activities could arise from the removal of the present low boundary walls which would be a necessary condition for securing the award of statutory 'public open space' status.

The removal of the boundary walls was seen by the council as a major impediment to its ability to manage the site and avoid the nuisances referred to and would be strongly resisted for that reason. I recognised the validity of these concerns.

Given the council decision to respond to the public's opposition to the hotel proposal, and on receipt of an assurance from the chief executive that the putting green site would always remain protected by the council as a public amenity space free from development, I then persuaded my SOS colleagues we should not pursue our legal action.

I did this in a spirit of constructive reconciliation which seemed appropriate at that time.

I therefore regard the council's current Next Wave intention to remove the boundary walls and to construct a concrete 'boulevade' over one-third of the putting green area, as a perverse breach of a trust which I thought had been established.

A declared purpose of this 'boulevade' is to provide an outdoor 'performance arena' for the benefit of the De La Warr Pavilion's 'artistic' programme.

Such a requirement is surely adequately provided by the pavilion's own large terrace which seems seriously under-used.

The 'boulevade' proposal does not explain, of course, how the abuses previously so strongly feared by the council will now apparently be miraculously averted nor what safeguards will be offered to local residents whose enjoyment of their location will be threatened according to the council's own previously and strongly expressed fears.

All this in spite of the fact the council's Next Wave consultation exercise, designed by them, managed by them and interpreted by them, could produce a project 'approval' rate of only 33% of those who took part. In other words, two residents out of every three rejected the total vision of the proposal.

The subsequent perfunctory dismissal of this overwhelming absence of local taxpayer support for the project overall, and the 'boulevade' in particular, illustrates the double standards being employed throughout the Next Wave process and the ever-widening gap between electors and their council in this matter.

Much arises from the above which will be pursued separately. But I would hope the initiation of a new application to have the putting green formally protected as an 'open space' might be one outcome which residents will support given they cannot, it seems, rely on their council to protect it.

Better an open green space, with all its risks, than a constricted putting green adjacent to a concrete slab as now advocated by the council - yet still with the same risks attached!

Alternatively of course the council could just improve the present condition of the putting courses, which give so much simple pleasure to residents and visitors, and even install an access footpath across the western boundary of the pavilion if a need for this is established. Retention of the unobtrusive boundary walls would not disadvantage the pavilion one iota but such a solution would please the public, sustain the council's continued control of the site and save a great deal of local taxpayers' funds.

John Lee

Southcourt Avenue