6/3/2008

Local News

Letters from March 6 2008

The scene along Lockfield Drive

Joys of an early spring

EDITOR — On a cheerful note, take a drive/walk/ride along Lockfield Drive (town end) where the blackthorn blossom is like a snowdrift on either side. It’s truly a sight for sore eyes.
Shirley Hand
Beacon Hill
St John’s

Taking it for granted to have water on tap

EDITOR — How timely that you should report on local councils’ expenditure on bottled water (News and Mail, February 28).

2008 is UN International Year of Sanitation, and March 22 is World Water Day. Worldwide, 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation and a child dies every 15 seconds from diseases caused by unsafe water and inadequate sanitation.

In Africa and Asia, women and children walk an average of six kilometres each day to get their water.

Given the hardships experienced by nearly 40% of humanity getting any water at all, I have little sympathy for people who find it too time-consuming to walk across an office building to get a drink from a tap, or who feel that tap water is not to their taste and insist on the bottled variety.

Readers who want to make a difference might consider donating savings from not buying bottled water to the charity Practical Action (www.practicalaction.org) which is working across Africa, Asia and Latin America to improve sanitation and provide clean drinking water for needy communities.
Robert Palgrave
Maybourne Rise
Mayford

Astonished by radical proposals

EDITOR  — I read your story that the town is to change radically with growing astonishment (News and Mail, Fabruary 28).

Why should Woking have to become a transport hub for the south-east? And why will we ‘need’ blocks in excess of 30 floors to secure the town’s future? 

I feel very concerned. Why are the residents not being consulted on this huge change? It feels as if someone is pulling a fast one on us.

We have had consultation processes before. Doesn’t the council care about the residents of Woking?
David Pennant
Oriental Road
Woking

The picture of Ted and Carrie Lowe

Grateful to have photos back

EDITOR — We are writing following your article about a suitcase containing black and white photos that was recovered from the canal in the St John’s area (News and Mail, February 21).

This was a case of photographs of our dear parents, Ted and Carrie Lowe, who are sadly no longer with us and who formerly resided in Whopshott Avenue, Horsell.

Obviously, my brother and I are delighted to have the photos back in our possession. But to learn that they had been inexplicably discovered in the canal was particularly bizarre and indeed quite saddening for us, once we had recovered from the initial astonishment that they had somehow been removed from a garage/lock-up without our knowledge.

Our very special thanks go to Betty Collyer and Betty Hill, both very dear friends and neighbours of Ted and Carrie throughout their long and happy time in Horsell.

They had recognised mum and dad from the early photo in the newspaper article and got in touch with us. For this we will always be so very thankful.

Our grateful thanks also go to the others involved in the recovery, reporting and eventual return of the photos.
Yvonne Noyes, Staines, and Michael Lowe, Goldsworth Park

Thanks for memories

EDITOR — I saw the lovely piece you featured Bus Ride Down Memory Lane (News and Mail Letters, February 21) and then I realised it had come from Cyril Hack.

I knew Cyril, we went to Board School Road together and then to Goldsworth Junior School.
My husband is 95 and we never moved out of the area, so it was lovely to see a name I know — not many of us left now.

I don’t recognise anyone on board the charabanc (that was what we called them), but I would love to go on a drive too!
Dora Cole
East Hill
Woking

What happens to bags?

EDITOR — As the subject of plastic  bags is very much in the news, both national and local, I am prompted to enquire the fate of the special bags which are provided (at a cost) for recycling of green waste.

When the bags are emptied by the handlers, they are usually torn apart and become fit only for disposal. How is this achieved?

The writing on the bags states that they are made from 100% recycled material but no mention is made of whether this now useless material can, in turn, be recycled.

I am sure this must be the case, as the council would hardly want to be faced with the prospect of having to dispose of vast quantities of plastic in ground fill.

I, and I imagine many other taxpayers, would be most interested to learn how this problem is dealt with.
David K Atkinson
Horsell Rise
Woking

Woking Borough Council said: “For those unable to home compost, garden waste collections were introduced. Clear sacks for kerbside collections are made from 100% recycled material, of which 30% is post-consumer waste.
“The sacks are adequately robust for garden waste. Sacks made from degradable and biodegradable plastics continue to be considered. Unfortunately, the plastic sacks are not collected and sent for recycling as there is, as yet, no viable recycling route.”

First printed in: Woking News and Mail

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