4 THE TEESDALE MERCURY Wednesday, 4th November, 1998 W edi Cai Action still needed Years of neglect Rebecca wins shop window par over dog fouling cause landslide MERCURY COMMENT contest in Treasure Trail g r e I hope Howard Stainthorpe, Years of neglect by Durham head of Teesdale Council envi­ County Council in keeping ing costs it is remarkable that Whe ronmental health and a sub­ roadside gutters and drains on Bus vouchers around £25,000 has been saved about ject of the Mercury’s In the Bible messages on the Briscoe road in working on the travel scheme in the Evenw Spotlight, is more observant parking tickets order resulted in a large land­ are useful current 12 months. when f when inspecting kitchens than slide and a lot of avoidable Much of this has come from cars b< pavements. opens can of worms damage. Surface water collect­ but passes cutting out avoidable expense lagegr I walk regularly around I see that Teesdale Council ed on the road from Com Park but some has resulted from a It w Startforth and Barnard Castle is to approve the printing of to east of Glendale and was would be drop in demand. were i and can see no cause for com­ Bible messages on the back of deposited over the bank side No doubt some people used grass i placency where dog mess is car park tickets. I fear they above the sewage works. much better to claim tokens with no inten­ club de concerned. Has the new bye­ to driv< may have opened a large can I am quite sure the county Many people, especially tion of using them personally. law responsible for the imag­ ed that of worms. Perhaps they should council will be quick to blame pensioners, will be anxious They could pass them on to ined clean up ever been used? have read a few opinions of “extreme weather,” and say it friends or relatives, and in a more u to hear if Teesdale Council’s I don’t recall any reports in the eminent men before making was not its fault. Money for few cases they sold them. has its Mercury. such a decision. repairs will be difficult to find. concessionary travel system Some were put away in cup­ a surve I would like to think my In the following statement Routine spade work twice a will be altered in future boards and left for years, and tor wh walks would help me to grow by former US president George year would be money well years, and if so exactly how. th is m eant ratepayers were remark straight and true. However, Washington, substitute Tees­ spent and remind us of when The news that ways to losing out as the council had are do the constant need to scan the dale Council for the Govern­ length men on foot would care improve it will be considered, already paid for them. Evenw< pavement for somewhere clean ment of the United States. for roadsides and drains with and that a county-wide bus The voucher scheme has cut Coun to step is giving me a stoop. ‘The government of the inspiration and pride. pass scheme may be brought out this kind of waste so it asked t STEWART HATTON United States is in no sense I suggest the council puts in, has caused a lot of interest. m ust be a good thing for the parish Gill Lane, Startforth founded on the Christian reli­ the money it is proposing to A pass would certainly be district in general - as long as that a gion. It is not a Christian spend on cycle tracks over popular, and it would be a good all those entitled to the modest being p Great support for nation any more than it is a some of our most beautiful and thing if it led to elderly people concession are able to get the the ju; Road ir our gymkhana Jewish or Mohammedan sensitive moorland to better being able to travel more on benefit of it. nation. Religions are matters use, such as restoring and buses which at the moment are It amounts to only some £30 They Members of Copley gymkh­ that belong in the church and looking after our country lanes mostly underused. a head for pensioners, enough there v ana committee would like to not the state.’ and roadsides in the way they If the vouchers stay in use for just a handful of journeys, busy j thank everyone who helped at Rebecca Vafeas, 9, was the lemere in the town, was When I buy a car park ticket were cared for years ago. however it will be worth seek­ but as 3,300 have received happy our event. We start with winner of a competition organ­ pleased to win and said she I am in effect a captive audi­ Thousands should not be ing a way of persuading all vouchers this year the total blocked Richard and Edith of the Malt ised as part of Teesdale’s had earmarked the money for ence, and I object to this just spent on something that will pensioners to make full use of cost is considerable. Shovel Inn for loaning us the Treasure Trail week. a pair of ballet trousers. as much as I would object to disrupt and destroy our most their entitlement. Hopefully if all the money is V i l l i field, and their staff who She correctly identified clues Jehovah’s Witnesses forcing sensitive natural habitats to It has been suggested that put towards a bus pass scheme worked hard all day. in shop window displays to to b their way into my living room. satisfy what they call a de­ some are refusing to apply in future it will enable more win £20. She is pictured rec­ Tea and dancing Thanks also to those who Would I be allowed to pub­ mand for recreational cycling. because vouchers are not as elderly people to travel more a t t r eiving her prize from Mrs Members of Evenwood and helped with the events: And­ lish anti religious messages on Mountain biking will not bene­ handy as tokens, but those who regularly. Even if they can use Karen Heslop, store manager Ramshaw Community Assoc­ Bloc! rew Dowson, Michael Dowson, the back of parking tickets? fit people who live in the dale. have accepted the switch find them at only certain times of at Boots in Barnard Castle iation are looking into the pos­ placed Paul Docherty, Mark Taube, Messages such as The truths of D.A.J. RABBITTS them just as easy to use, and the day it will be a big help to and vice chairman of Teesdale sibility of starting afternoon trances Kathryn Foster and Alan religion are never so well Glendale, Cotherstone the value is the same. many, and the buses are still Stobart. We are grateful to Business Development Group. tea dances following the suc­ the vill understood as by those who cessful visit of a musical In these days of steadily ris­ unlikely to be full. The Chris Richardson, Geoff Stew­ have lost their power of reason­ Aid charities by The group got the money art and Len Teasdale for cut­ together to fund the trail. group. Those attending said quarrie ing - Voltaire; Superstition is donate ting the grass and preparing Rebecca, who lives at Bart­ they would support tea dances. the religion of feeble minds — making a will PEEPS INTO THE PAST Mr J the field. Edmund Burke; Religion has This month our firm is tak­ membe Thanks go too to all who made an honest woman of the ing part in Will Aid to help 5 years ago leaders Bart Wakefield and that S donated raffle prizes. We are Alice and Mark honoured for supernatural - Christopher ActionAid, British Red Cross, Mr Val Jackson of Sloshes Graham Chapman. plied si also grateful to all who turned Fry; Religion is the last refuge CAFOD, Christian Aid, Save Lane, High Etherley, a senior 20 years ago ed to si up on the day. Your support of human savagery — A lfred the Children, SCIAF and work in fitness suite site manager with Laing A pig on its way to market now wa means we can organise future North Whitehead (as we see in Trocaire. During November we Northern, received an award from Messrs S.A. Watson and house ( events. Northern Ireland, Bosnia, are waiving our fees for mak­ for a project at Monument Sons of Station Farm, Wins­ Anot SARAH TEASDALE and Kashmir, Palestine, Israel, ing a simple will. Mall from Prince Charles at a ton, jumped out of a lorry and attract] MAUREEN DOCHERTY Kosovo et al). Instead we will suggest that ceremony in London. disappeared. Police recorded the nev Copley Road, Butterknowle WILLIS COLLINSON clients make a voluntary dona­ Mrs Hilda Robson was pre­ the pig as lost property. Coun North Field, Barnard Castle tion to Will Aid 1998 of £40 for sented with an Ainsley mantel John Bell of Manor Farm, the cou Fair raised £1,135 a single and £60 for a joint clock by staff and pupils at Barnard Castle, was elected nair, h Members of the Teesdale Will aliens please will. The money will be split Ingleton School when she chairman of Barnard Castle rehensi Community Trust would like between the charities to sup­ retired as lollipop lady after 27 NFU, w ith Leonard Cooper of to let 1 to thank everyone who sup­ take Alan Byde? port their work. years.