25/10/2007

Local News

Letters from October 25 2007

Mona Lott would be happy in Woking

EDITOR — It is inevitable that whenever a group in Woking has a financial grievance with the council — now it’s the blue badge holders — they will rage against the canopy and The Lightbox.

I agree entirely that blue badge holders should have free parking. I agree entirely, to refer to an issue of a few weeks ago, that council flats should have lifts which should be kept in full working order at all times.

I also agree that elderly people in Woking and very vulnerable groups, for which the council has responsibility, should be properly looked after.

There shouldn’t be any argument about this in Woking, one of the richest boroughs in Britain.

At the same time, Woking council has a responsibility to provide a range of other facilities for the people of the town - even if as individuals we may never use all of them. That is what living in a caring and sharing community means.

Following this principle, the leisure centre and Pool in the Park were built years ago. I fully supported these projects, although I don’t swim and only visit the leisure centre two or three times a year.

On the other hand, I have been a supporter of Woking Football Club for more than 50 years. I was very pleased when Woking council supported my interest by financing the new stand.

This enabled the club to progress into the Conference League. With further ground developments in prospect, some people would like to see the club go under. If that happened it would be a very bad day for Woking indeed.

Not only has the football club raised the profile of Woking nationally, but it has helped countless members of local young people to put their energy into a constructive team game, rather than roaming the streets causing trouble.

In the town centre, the New Victoria Theatre was also seen as a waste of money by some people. It was said that people would go to London to the theatre, not Woking. Well, some might do that, but many more go to the fine shows here, and some people come into Woking for the theatre from all over Surrey. Some probably come from Guildford where the Civic Hall closed two years ago, and still hasn’t been replaced.

The canopy has made a great improvement to the environment outside the station. What was once a scruffy and dirty place open to the elements, has become a clean, dry, bright and welcoming one.

By the way, the definition of a porte-cochere is a projecting porch over an entrance for people to alight from a vehicle and enter the building under cover.

Just as the leisure centre and New Victoria Theatre have been a great success and assets to the borough, so too will be The Lightbox.

Along with many other people, I have supported this project for many years and will continue to do so. I was born in Woking in 1940 and have lived here all my life and have always had a great interest in the history of the area.

As a volunteer of The Lightbox I am keen that we show Woking to Woking people, many of whom are new to the borough. At last we have an excellent building in which to celebrate the history and creativity of our town. Please stop knocking it!

I believe that in many ways Woking is a better place in which to live than when I was young. The reason for this is that Woking council has tried to modernise the town and its facilities. Without this the town would have stagnated and become very run down.

Then the people who always complain about what is being done would say “why doesn’t the council ever do anything?”

There was a character in a wartime radio show called Mona Lott. She too complained about everything and typifies the attitude of some Woking people and indeed many in Britain. Her final saying was: “Oh well, it’s being miserable wot keeps me ‘appy”.
Neil R Burnett
Sandy Lane
Maybury

One small step to help the planet

EDITOR — I was very interested to read your timely piece on carbon footprints in your ‘Go Green’ section  (News and Mail, October 18).

It is increasingly obvious that individual carbon footprint measurement and reduction is the essential next step if we are to counteract the potentially disastrous effects of climate change.

It is likely that some form of personal carbon credits/trading will have to be introduced by government in the not too distant future. This will be essential even to meet the government’s modest targets for carbon dioxide emissions reduction.

As indicated in your article, there are several carbon footprint monitoring tools available for use by individuals.

Another with some special features called ‘Carbon Diet’ is being launched by Woking Local Agenda 21 Group and can be used to regularly monitor your progress against targets and friends.

This will be being demonstrated at the ‘Going Green’ exhibition taking place in Mercia Walk in the town centre this Saturday. There will be an opportunity to assess its value and get information about ways to monitor and reduce your carbon footprint.

The exhibition, which is being hosted by the Chartered Institute of Building, will give visitors an opportunity to get facts, information and ideas about sustainable living and see how they can institute changes to their lifestyles.
Rod Brans
Chairman, Woking LA21 Group
Cheapside
Horsell

Are you one of  Jater clan?

EDITOR — My wife and I visited Byfleet about a month ago (don’t demolish the fire station!).

I am descended from the Jater family, my great-great-grandfather James Jater is listed in the book ‘Byfleet — a Village in England’ as having a shoe repair business in 1862.

His brother, William, ran the Victoria Inn where we enjoyed Sunday lunch with a distant Jater cousin discovered via the internet.

I would love to hear from anyone who has any Jater connections or history from that time. My great-grandfather was William Montgomery Jater. He left Byfleet aged about 18 for the 70th Surrey Regiment and changed his surname to St George when he married in New Zealand in 1869.

I have not been able to find any birth records for him. Perhaps he was a step-child. The St George or the Montgomery may be a clue.

We enjoyed seeing your town, and where he lived.
Doug St George
33 David Avenue
Manurewa
Auckland
New Zealand 2102
Email: stgeorge@binary.co.nz

Flying invades my peace

Editor — As someone else who lives directly under the flightpath used by training flights from Fairoaks, I would like to add my own protest about their invasive racket.

Particularly in the summer, both at weekends and in the evenings, there can be three aircraft performing ‘touch and go’ circuits at once.

This means one is passing over my house every 90 seconds or so, at a mere 500ft and often still on full power.

As the aircraft involved are usually a variety of ancient trainers, the net effect is like having someone continuously riding a powerful motorcycle without a silencer through my garden, seemingly for hours on end.

I recognise that Fairoaks is an established airfield and hence there will be regular aircraft and helicopter movements. But equally I strongly believe that nowadays the expanded residential areas of Horsell and Woodham should no longer have to endure these repetitive low level training flights, with the quite unacceptable levels of noise and intrusion they inflict.
Name and address supplied

Support the 2007 Poppy Appeal

EDITOR — In 2006, the Surrey Poppy Appeal received tremendous support from the general public in the county amounting to £800,000 and £26 million nationally. Both were all-time records.

I do thank everyone for their generosity and also those extra people who volunteered their time to collect for the Poppy Appeal.

Since 1921 The Royal British Legion’s core aim in Surrey has been to help those many members of the serving and ex-service men and women in need.

Eighty-six years on and the Legion continues to safeguard the welfare, interests and memory of those who either are serving or have served in our armed forces. We will always remember them and never let them down as we are eternally in their debt.

Readers need to be aware that The Poppy Appeal provides the main source of funding for the Legion’s welfare and benevolent schemes. Indeed, last year, they helped 300,000 people, including more than 350 in Surrey.

The Royal British legion is now campaigning for “Fair Treatment” for all our servicemen and women and former service people in need, who feel let down by the government. Called Honour and Covenant, it is calling on government to honour its lifelong duty of care to those serving our country in such dangerous times and in war zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

Surrey recently launched its 2007 Poppy Appeal campaign to attract new Poppy Appeal volunteers. Anyone aged over 16 can help and should phone 0800 085 5924.

I do hope your readers will be able to support this year’s Poppy Appeal which commences on Saturday.
Angela Fraser
Chairman
Surrey County Council

First printed in: Woking News and Mail