New Milton Advertiser 20th Nov 2020

18 · Friday 20th November 2020

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Letters

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Now added to that we all see that any government contract for products or services can just be handed out on a plate provided you either are: A, a Tory MP on the board of a company; B, related to A; C, a Tory donor; or D, all of the above. Dido Harding, head of Serco track and trace, was just the start. Where is the outrage about this? Certainly not locally. I realise you won’t print this letter as local people here seem to not care at all. So I ask: how many deaths will it take before everyone realises this govern- ment is not fit for purpose? 100,000? 200,000? Sue Kellaway, Highcliffe Sad death of our high streets SIR – Your unnamed corre- spondent is correct that our high streets were designed for shops (Letters, 13th Novem- ber). However, that and the lack of proactive thinking by our councillors is the problem. I realise, flushed from the ‘victory’ of Brexit, there is a vision of dragging the country back to the stygian gloom of the 1950s, curiously perceived with ‘Hovis commercial’ nos- talgia. Last week I made several bank transactions, renewed a magazine subscription, re- quested a repeat prescription, bought two books, a replace- ment handle and lock for my garage, some photo paper for my printer, and a case (or two) of wine while sat in my recliner and using my iPhone. We made our fortnightly supermarket visit to purchase groceries, collect the prescrip- tion from the in-store pharma- cy and, while there, remem- bered I needed A4 paper and bought a birthday card. I also picked up my A&T (well, Lymington Times as one is a Waitrose customer). The only trip planned to New Milton high street is to take a crate of DVDs made obsolete as we download our enter- tainment from the streaming services. And I am 75 and not particularly cyber savvy. Online and hypermarket model supermarkets are the

future and it is a sad, horrible death for high streets unless there is proactive planning. An example: the Cooperative store failed. That site could be devel- oped as a gated community of sheltered, affordable or retire- ment homes. Other declining high streets could provide ‘brown sites’ for housing. There is complexity, legal and planning issues. However, no green fields would disappear and no bugs, beetles or crested newts would be endangered. Rod England, Barton Open all the Forest car parks SIR – I am sure I will not be alone in wondering why Forest- ry England have decided to go ahead with the closure of many of the car parks within the New Forest this year, as they have for several winters past. This is an exceptional year, with holidays or even weekends away impossible for many. Those of us who live locally will have noticed the enormous increase in vehicles using the car parks, often with extensive parking along verges. This has proliferated the in- stallation of dragons’ teeth and notices not to use the verges, but with the car parks over- flowing this is often ignored. No one can blame people wanting to exercise in the fresh air. Indeed, it is univer- sally acknowledged that being able to get out to walk, run or cycle is vital for us all, plus our dogs, physically and mentally. So many other entertainment facilities are closed; getting out into the countryside is free and often the only option. Surely this needs to be the year when Forestry England makes an exception and leaves all the car parks open. It should be their contribution to our wellbeing and if any areas need to be ‘refurbished’ – not a lot of evidence of that in the past – it should be possible to close one at a time for maintenance and in a timely manner. Come on, Forestry England – open all the car parks swiftly and make life in Covid-19 far more pleasant for us all. Caroline Birch, Boldre approach life’s obstacles con- fidently because God is with us, and through these trials we will grow spiritually and mentally. After all, as the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Sci- ence, Mary Baker Eddy, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “Every trial of our faith in God makes us stronger.” Amidst the turmoil of a global pandemic and other trying situations, we must ever more tightly cling to this idea. We must hold most to what we know to be true: “With God, all things are possible.” Henrietta Russell, Christian Science Church, Lymington

The power of the written word SIR – During the very

Reader’s photo

more patient, Lisa. If you do, you will eventually join the ranks of the elderly and may just find your reactions have become less sharp and that you therefore drive accordingly but, unfortunately, may some- times irritate others. Barry Higgs, Lymington Waste plans already decided SIR – I have studied New Forest District Council’s new waste collection proposals. The link to ‘have your say’ on their plans does not allow comments on the change, only comments on what has already been discussed and what they are proposing! I understand that there was a survey in January of some 4,000 residents, which I was unaware. What were the details of the comments made and the area surveyed at that time? Some 90% of A&T online comments that have been made are against changing the current system. From NFDC’s statement, in my view, this major change has already been decided and makes further consultation a waste of time and council tax- payers’ money! Mr F.J. Bright, Totton Leave rubbish collection alone SIR – It is with horror I read the New Forest District Coun- cil plan proposed for waste collection and recycling. Over the years, I have lived in several local authority areas and experienced various standards of waste collection. During the 11 years I have lived in the New Forest area the waste collection service has been faultless. This includes holiday periods letters, ours could be rich in nuances and commentary, forming a lovely family ar- chive for our grandchildren. Fran Classy, Hordle the recipient has a chance to respond, which includes us all in their scenario. Outside of lockdown, we all lead such frenetic lives these days, leaving little time for letter writing. Personally, I love to receive a handwritten letter on my doormat which hasn’t come from a utilities company only. In a letter we can glean a sense of their voice, attitudes, emotions and, of course, their anecdotes. We have the paper ‘stage’ to embellish as much as we want. My mother was a great letter writer and encouraged us to write thank you letters after receiving presents. These days it’s all too easy just to text or email a line. Like Lt Col. Bartlett’s

Memories of the Esso Club SIR – Reading your recent article about the Holbury Club (A&T, 6th November) brought back memories of when I worked at the National Provincial Bank in Fawley in the 1960s. I stayed in “digs” in Holbury and I often used to go to the Esso Club, as it was known then, especially the cinema which from memory was man- aged by Mr and Mrs Hender- son-Bates. Mrs Henderson-Bates was always in the box office and she always had her dog, a poodle, I think, sitting on her lap. They used to show quite recent films and the programme was always changed at least twice a week. Oh, happy days. Russell Harris, Bournemouth Be patient with older drivers SIR – Local 4x4 driver Lisa Dunning complains that she is frequently held up by drivers of smaller vehicles “taking forever to turn a corner”, refusing “to keep up with the speed limit”, and failing to “indicate at roundabouts” (Letters, 13th November). It seems that these appar- ent transgressions irritate and impede this impatient driver about her important business as a farmer. She surprises me. I thought a bucolic life encouraged a more relaxed and contempla- tive frame of mind. Certainly it should allow time to study a Highway Code that makes clear that speed limits are not target speeds, and explains when to use signals at round- abouts. Common sense provides the other clue: many older people live in this area and they do tend to drive and react more slowly and cautiously. Please slow down and be increasingly popular because they give the caller the oppor- tunity of telling a story, and poignant Armistice week- end recently, my interest was aroused after reading a very good account of author Andrew Tatham’s book, I Shall Not Be Away Too Long, depicting a cachet of letters of life and loves of Lt Col. Charles Bartlett between the war years 1915-17. Although we see varying accounts of the horrors of war times on all forms of media, it struck me that the aforemen- tioned letters painted a pic- ture of the mundane realities of Bartlett’s life around the main issue of war. These days of texting and emailing only skim the surface of people’s busy lives. We are well aware of the main point of communication, but fail to illustrate the story in detail. Phone-in radio pro- grammes are becoming

Ray Molin-Wilkinson captured this scene at Hatchet Pond, East Boldre. Please send your photos to news@adt.press

of preventing Scottish inde- pendence. Surely not in the New Forest. David Taylor, Everton

and throughout the pandemic. Please leave well alone. Gordon Carter, Lymington Boardwalk plea at Sturt Pond SIR – May I express a com- ment on the Letters page acknowledging the letter from Keith Metcalf about the Sturt Pond footpath in Milford (Let- ters, 13th November)? Why is there no desire for a boardwalk replacing the muddy, slippery footpath that one has to negotiate currently? Surely our beaches are a prime example of how gravel comes and goes every season? The path that runs alongside Sturt Pond provides one with great views of the wildlife; a place to breathe while enjoying thoughts that come and go! How wonderful to have this on our doorstep. Funding is a small ask in or- der to save such a precious qui- et walk that I am sure has been a salvation for many, especially during these particularly diffi- cult times in lockdown. Surely, we can think of inno- vative ways to create a fund that will give lasting pleasure for many, many years! I am up for it – are you? Monica Murfitt, Milford Reopen and save the independents SIR – I walked up my local High Street in Lymington on Friday and was struck by the emptiness; the independent shops that had spent a fortune on creating safe, clean and hygienic environments closed, maybe never to reopen, and the supermarket chains with business better than usual. What is it about the air in Tesco that makes it safe for me to breathe and buy Christmas novelty socks there but not in a clothes store? What is it about WH Smith, regularly voted the worst high

street retailer with its famously dirty carpets having their own Twitter account, that makes it okay for them to sell Christmas cards and books but not the independent bookstore? My fear is we will come into 2021 with thousands of independent retailers bankrupt and hundreds of thousands of shop workers unemployed and unemployable, for evermore. Our high streets and town centres will be emptied of life. The supermarkets, WH Smith and Amazon will be laughing their way to the bank while many other retailers will be closed, their windows boarded up and their hopes and dreams dead. Is this fair? Is this necessary? Our small chains and inde- pendent shops are safe, clean and hygienic environments. Please act now to protect the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of our people. Allow them to reopen now. Changing minds of 14,000 voters SIR – If Mr Ellis wants to combine opposition parties to stand unified against Sir Desmond in order to unseat him (Letters, 13th November), is he suggesting the same for all those constituencies that so many other Tory backbenchers represent and who speak as he does? Based on the result of the 2019 general election, it would mean that his unified candi- date would have to persuade at least 13,921 voters to change sides. I cannot think there are that many who are so dissatis- fied with him. For my part, I have found Sir Desmond to be a very receptive and conscientious MP and agree wholeheartedly with his criti- cisms of how this pandemic has been so questionably handled. This tactic is perhaps better used as a way to defeat Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish Nation- al Party at the forthcoming Holyrood elections in the hope Neil Wilkie, Lymington

Appointment cancellations

SIR – Given the extensive cov- erage about growing waiting lists then the least the public can do if they are reluctant to go to hospital is to phone and cancel, giving someone else the opportunity to take the appointment. I was surprised to get a call from the clinic checking I was still going, which I was. Staff should not have to phone people to check if they are coming. That responsibility is the patient’s. Barbara Potts, New Milton Where is outrage over contracts? SIR – It has been shocking to witness the incompetence and sheer ineptitude of this govern- ment leading to so many deaths as well as a wrecked economy.

Christian Comment DESPITE the challenges fac- ing us today – a global pan- demic, economic uncertainty and fear for loved ones – we can overcome these by look- ing to and leaning on God. We will recognise that even through these difficult times, our spiritual lives reflect God’s eternal goodness. to His purpose.” (King James version of the Bible) Armed with this knowledge and clad in the panoply of Love, we are able to put aside our fear and react to uncer- tainty with calm, not panic, precisely because “all things work together for good, to them that love God”.

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Like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, we should take this time of anguish and isola- tion to pray about and reflect on our spiritual identity and shift our focus to prayerful thought. As we read in Romans, 8:28, “…we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according

We, His children, love God, as He loves us. Therefore we must trust in Him, implicitly, as lambs that our Shepherd takes into His fold. Only with childlike trust in the certainty of prevailing goodness can we succeed in recognising God’s power to overcome fear and doubt. God’s purpose is to protect and love His children. We can

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