New Milton Advertiser 6th Nov 2020

16 · Friday 6th November 2020 Letters

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Salvation Army used to meet on Sundays in a corrugated iron hut. Around this hut one Sunday, my father and his brother, fine Church of Eng- land choristers, raced round the hut holding sticks to the iron to make a din. They then ran off. They did the same on a sec- ond Sunday. On the third, two Salvationists were waiting, nabbed them and took them inside. Instead of getting the thick ear they expected, or even a stern dressing down, they were asked to sit down, given a piece of cake and a drink, and gently asked to desist. Ever since, until his death, my Criticising the ‘silver killers’ SIR – A letter concerning the amount of money it will cost to fence off and run a barri- er around New Milton skate park (Letters, 30th October) epitomises the selfish view many people have in this day and age. Notice the lack of criticism of the individuals who broke the law that led to the local author- ity feeling that they had little option but to enforce it; the writer’s attention was drawn only to the money concerned. No criticism either of the parents who obviously had not educated their kids as to the dangers involved of close proximity socialising let alone knowing what they were get- ting up to. You know the ones: people who are happy to party, take the virus home with them, infect their family and if one of them dies, will turn around and say: “It ain’t my fault, mate.” I call them the “silver killers”. They are the most incredibly selfish and self-centred individ- uals in our society today. The writer claims that there is widespread confusion about the rules presented to the general public. Really?! What part of the rule of six (soon to be changed?), wash your hands, wear a mask and keep should not be the measure- ment. I would have thought how much are they used; whether they have reduced local car journeys; what impact their introduction has had on local businesses; and whether emis- sions have reduced as a result are all valid indicators as to whether their introduction are successful. It is a sad state of affairs when something that brings positive environmental benefit to our village is slated because some car drivers have the in- convenience of having to park round the corner. If disabled spaces are need- ed, then these should be pro- vided on the high street. For the rest of us, there is plenty of parking in the village car park and Tesco. Madeleine Shearer, Brockenhurst

father gave a generous annual donation to the Salvation Army. The moral of the story: don’t take offence. Make peace not war. Turn the other cheek. I had a bishop once who instead of taking to heart or engaging with criticism, responded by saying: “I find that offensive”. Stupid. As someone wise once said: “He who takes offence when no offence is intended is a fool; he who takes offence when offence is intended is a greater fool.” Bake praise for packed lunches SIR – I know they were not alone in offering packed lunch- es over half term but I felt it right that Bake, in Station Road, New Milton should get public thanks. They provided 125 packed lunches for children during last week. On behalf of a society that has some very big problems – well done, them! Michael Angus, New Milton a social distance, do they not understand? If people like them cannot grasp that, then God help us all. Do they really need to have it spelled out chapter and verse, or are they just being so lazy-minded that they cannot be bothered to figure it out for themselves? John Walsh, Address supplied Codgers thank train teens SIR – When travelling by train from Waterloo to Christchurch (the 7pm train from Waterloo on Monday 26th October), at Southampton Central four teenage boys boarded. Having wanted to sit next to the table seat opposite us, they noticed the expression on our tired, old faces and decided, sensibly and with diplomacy, to move a little further up the train carriage where they could continue with their noisy, exu- berant chatter. The young often get a bad press these days, especially from disgruntled OAPs. These four teenagers were much self-aware and sensible, and each of them kept their masks on throughout their whole journey from Southampton to Christchurch/Bournemouth. Well done to all four of them for their thoughtfulness, care- fulness and maturity – from a pair of old codgers. Frank Jacobs, Tower Hamlets, London

Reader’s photo

A poem for remembrance Armistice Day In golden fresh autumnal morning, They stand on sparkling grass,

Kick-off, over the top, a hard- fought game, That not so long ago was war. Ninety minutes over, no inju- ry time today. A curly-headed child breaks On to the field of play To be scooped up lovingly, By her muddied weary dad. And the warriors of yester- day, Beam down tenderly, Like the warming sun. This is what we fought for… All of your tomorrows. Our work is done. Jane Nicholls, Walkford does annoy me is that we are constantly told that the New Forest’s recycling is low. They do not take into account that the black sacks go into an incinerator that ultimately produces electricity. Is that not recycling? So you could say it’s now 100%. Surely incinerating plastic is best. It gets rid of it for good, does not involve costing us thousands of pounds sorting it and then possibly transporting it abroad and possibly dumped in the sea. There is a case for collecting glass, but metal tins can go through the incinerator and extracted from the ash by elec- tro-magnets and recycled. So let’s just recycle glass and paper (save a tree), then I can continue enjoying the electric light and energy produced by my rubbish, whilst I write this. E Holtham, Holbury Burley needs investment SIR – Is there any real chance that someone, somewhere would invest in Burley retail? The village centre has a number of empty shops and, more to the point, the one- time supermarket ought to be returned to its former use. The Co-op in Bransgore is now partly closed until next March. If Burley had its own supermarket, that would have clearly benefited. Obviously the owners of The Mall have any final say but, to me, there is scope not only to revert back to one large retail unit but possibly even expand- ing, as there is some extra space. The one-time post office stands empty. Richard F. Grant, Burley These rules are not difficult SIR – When I first went to primary school in the 1950s we were given some basic rules to follow. Some things stay with you forever and I well remember Mr Petch, our portly headmaster, telling us on our first day: No running in corridors,

Both teams together, Heads bowed silently, Whilst a long two minutes pass. In army kit unused and clean, Their brave grandfathers stood, On this same village green. The young and hopeful men, Who yesterday were boys. Two minutes gone, shattered by the whistle, Shocking and shrill, bugle time for battle. Wheelie bins are not the answer SIR – I do not think that wheelie bins or alternate week collection (a solely money-sav- ing option) are the answer to improved recycling. There are about 80,000 households and a population of some 180,000 covered by New Forest District Council. Plastic bags cost about £6.20 yearly per household whilst a single domestic sized wheelie bin would cost about £40. Generally councils require payment for replacement, pos- sibly within 10 years even if due to normal wear and tear, most of which is due to collection handling, More than one bin per household is envisaged. Ugliness could be mitigat- ed by decorating them. This would offer gainful employ- ment to some budding artists for a small charge, graffiti artists might do it for free. cannot decrease the amount of waste collected or increase recycling as they are not relat- ed, it would probably increase flytipping. The amount generated is largely due to the packaging of items purchased and, in the case of food (42%), the false belief that the best-before and use-by dates indicate discard dates. Is there an estimate of the amount of the new items suggested being added to the recyclable list? The amount of rejected clear sacks 20% and the similar quantity of recycla- ble black sack contents 19% is most probably due to the lack of information supplied by the council. Also, currently many recyclable items are not allowed (what is the difference between shredded and torn up paper?). 150 complaints does not seem many in over 4-million collections. I look forward to the planned community en- gagements. Isn’t burning bags recycling? SIR – Leaving aside the argu- ment of bags and bins, what Schools could compete. Two-weekly collection Brian King, Address supplied

Andrew Burton spotted this fly agaric in the New Forest. Please send your photos to ne ws@adt.press

Put your hands up in class if you want to go to the toilet, Don’t eat sweets in the toilets, Wash your hands after using the toilet. They were quite simple, a bit like the Covid guidance of safe distancing, wash your hands, only meet in small groups, and wear a mask in shops. To my mind, and despite the protestations of some politicians and the public that the Covid rules are difficult to understand, I find them no more difficult than those us five-year-olds were given when we first went to school. Most of us have (un)happily abided by the guidance for the past seven/eight months but because of a minority of Covid- iots we are all now in lockdown and paying a price for their selfishness. Terry Simpson, Sway Old Co-op not suited for Aldi SIR – Councillors and a party representing Bradbeers sug- gesting that the Station Road former Co-op store site is suitable for the proposed Aldi store (A&T, 30th October) is both naive and concerning. Have councillors no knowl- edge of supermarket supply logistics? Can you even ma- noeuvre a 30-tonne articulated truck in Spencer Road? Deliveries are made in the early hours, so the residents would be wakened regularly by the reversing alarms and the crashing of the roll-out cages. The other fatuous argument for denial was proximity to the Tesco store. I can think of three locations where rivals Aldi and Lidl have stores on adjacent sites. Others where Tesco and Asda are within 50 yards of each other. Again, do councillors have no inkling of the sophistica-

tion of supermarket’s market research? That Tesco have not sought planning to extend the New Milton store to an ‘Extra’ and Aldi are prepared to invest in a new-build store are based on their projections of market share linked to an overview of present and future demograph- ics and likely development. To endanger a multi-million investment by attempting to unload a grossly unsuitable, outdated retail unit is irrespon- sible and foolish. Rod England, Barton More green work needed in village SIR – I applaud the provision of bike racks in Brookley Road, Brockenhurst (A&T, 30th Oc- tober). I would, however, like to see more done in the village to reduce pollution and tackle climate change. To this end, I believe that Brookley Road between the Tesco entrance and the Water- splash should be semi-pedes- trianised. The pavements should be widened and the road nar- rowed. Motor vehicle use should be restricted to access only with a 10mph speed limit. There should be no parking bays aside from disabled parking and loading bays for traders. In my view, the increasing number and size of vehicles have somewhat ruined Brook- ley Road. Walking on the nar- row pavements or cycling can prove quite hazardous. Having to breathe in exhaust fumes is unpleasant and unhealthy. In order to maintain a social distance from other pedes- trians in this pandemic, it is sometimes necessary to walk in the road, which is not satisfac- tory. With more space, Brookley Road would be a more pleasant

social snob took me to task for selecting the Battle Hymn of the Republic as a Sunday hymn at beautiful St John’s Boldre. “Alright for the Salvation Army, not for St John’s,” she sniffed. I disagree. I love that hymn’s infectious, rollick- ing melody, especially when played with panache, and roared by the congregation. A favourite of Winston Church- ill, it was played at his funeral in 1965. I also happen to love and admire the Salvation Army. When my father was a boy in Belper, Derbyshire, the place for people to visit and shop, and air quality and safety would be improved. Hopefully, more people would choose walk or cycle to the shops rather than taking the car, while for those who felt they had to use the car, there would remain two nearby car parks. Tim Kilsby, Brockenhurst Positive benefit of bike racks SIR – I was disappointed to read the headline about the new cycle racks in Brocken- hurst being “ugly” (A&T, 30th October). The article was more balanced than the headline and it seemed that the parish councillors are generally more in favour of them than not. I wonder what criteria the parish council will use in their review – a few villagers brand- ing them “ugly” (as if cars parked up and down the high street are not ugly lumps of metal marring the village vista)

Christian Comment SOME time ago a musical and

Internal Position 200H x 343W (7 columns)

Rev. Canon Andrew Neaum (St John’s Church, Boldre)

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