Memorial cup

WE WOULD like to say a big thank you to all those who supported the Paul Thorogood Memorial Cup Football Match which took place on August 4.

This includes all the players, the referee and linesman who played in such awful weather, especially the friends and family team who stood in at the last minute.

Thank you to the residents of Oldville Avenue who donated the food for a buffet for the players.

And thank you to all the friends, family and local businesses who donated prizes for the raffle, with their help we successfully raised �1,300 for the Critical Care Unit at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

THE THOROGOOD FAMILY

Oldville Avenue, Clevedon

Status quo

THE story on the Gaulacre plan seems to be a bit misleading as it is stated that “this is the option residents chose”, in fact it was the preferred one of three options and there was no option which asked about a status quo.

This is not what the local residents wanted, this was what the council wanted and as someone that was at the meeting I’m disappointed that the two councillors present did not listen to what the local residents were telling them about Gaulacre.

One of the local farmers and a number of local residents explained that the field is very wet and suffers with very poor drainage therefore a considerable amount would need to be spent on improving this.

It was also pointed out that there was a large rabbit population as well as foxes and badgers that use the Gaulacre field and they can’t wait for the allotments to be there. The council has set up a working party but not one local resident was asked to sit on this, it’s made up of the Allotment Society, Rugby Club and a group representing vulnerable people plus, of course, a councillor who probably doesn’t live nearby.

It is also worth pointing out that a number of people supporting the scheme are associated to the rugby club who are keen to see a formal agreement regarding four acres of land to the north of Gaulacre field which is used for junior rugby 20 times a year for about two hours on a Sunday morning.

The rugby club has been using this for a number of years and I’m not aware of any local residents that are against them using this piece of council-owned agricultural land as long as the local residents have permissive rights which we fought for last year.

It’s good to see youngsters getting exercise and personally I fully support this use, it has to be better than them sitting at home on the gaming machines.

The cost of this scheme is in excess of �200k and personally as a rate payer I’m not happy about the councillors putting any more money into a piece of land they paid over �100k for. Residents of Nailsea already pay enough council tax.

Yes, we would love to see open spaces where we can walk but the priority for our councillors should be our town centre where only a couple of weeks ago a councillor was reported as saying we need quality shops in Nailsea as he has to go to Congresbury for his butchers.

We already have shops offering quality products (Bakers the Butchers, Parsons Bakery, Burchills, John Brown Hardware, etc) and what we really need is greater variety.

CHRIS PERRY

Worcester Gardens, Nailsea

Pedestrians

PEDESTRIAN People Power. What power you rightly say? Look in any dictionary and you will see first of all that pedestrians are people that walk and a second definition gives the meaning as dull and lifeless.

Perhaps that is where the trouble lies. Us poor pedestrians are dull and lifeless, because we are not driving a flash car. Let’s face it even if you drive a Lamborghini you are still a pedestrian sometimes.

It was 10 years ago since I wrote my letter about the state of the pavements in Clevedon and they are still in the same state in many places, despite the roads being repaired several times.

One of my delights is seeing walks where people can take in the sights of the town and surrounding countryside, unfortunately they are often too deep in nettles, grasses and overgrown shrubs, to be accessible without carrying a machete.

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone appreciated their environment, realising that you have to tidy your own back yard before taking on the planet?

No litter, no dog mess just a great place to be for people and wildlife alike.

Cars and houses are man-made, out of metal and bricks, they have a limited life span, if we look after our environment it will be there forever.

I know everyone is strapped for cash in these times of austerity, but why not get priorities right?

Pedestrians have less problems with excess weight and with illness. They also help the shoe and clothing industry along.

Dangerous pavements do little to encourage people to leave the car behind.

Overgrown paths sometimes stop people who rely on them for exercise and an opportunity to delight in our wonderful outdoors.

After all pedestrians are neither dull nor lifeless, they are important people too.

DAVID ROBINSON

Thackeray Avenue, Clevedon.

Need to use them

Your correspondent Stephen Sargeant makes a good case for reducing the use of plastic bags, but there are those of us who need to use them for environmental purposes.

I live in an apartment where all residents have to dispose of their kitchen waste in large communal bins, and the supermarket plastic bag is a practical and hygienic means for this purpose.

I shall not be writing to my MP to support this campaign.

DOROTHY HUBBLE

Centre Quay, Portishead

Thank you

THROUGH your paper can I say a big thank you to the ambulance crew and paramedic, who fought in vain to save my husband Alfie Watts on August 1.

JEAN WATTS

Griffin Road, Clevedon

Another thank you

NOW heading towards its 160th year, nothing the elements could throw at Nailsea stopped it putting on its usual high standard local flower show.

The season’s bad weather had not deterred our local gardeners, or indeed those travelling from further afield, from putting on a terrific display of wonderful exhibits.

In fact it seemed to have made them all the more determined to produce entries to wow the visitors.

On entering the marquee early on Sunday before any visitors, I was moved to utter: “Wow, what a fantastic colourful sight”.

We owe a great deal to our hard working exhibitors, without them there would not be a show for Nailsea to enjoy, so to these dedicated people, a very big thank you.

Thank you to the committee members who, together with their friends and families, help stage the show on what must have been one of the worst weekends of weather in the history of the show, certainly for as long as I have been attending.

A big thank you must go to the members of the public who turned out and braved the elements to visit us, we had almost as many visitors on Saturday as we did last year.

Hope to see you all again next year for spring and summer shows.

CYNDY SALLNOW

Press secretary, Nailsea Horticultural Society.

Clevedon Road, Tickenham