It's perfect timing - Charles would've been so proud

April 2009 is the centenary of the birth of Charles Shippam – who, after early retirement from C Shippam Ltd following a bad riding accident, was a stalwart of conserving the rights of way within Sussex.
How fitting, then, for the status of the national park to be announced, something Charles Shippam would have delighted in.
Not only did he champion the retention of all rights of way, but he was a pioneer of the South Downs Way which runs from Eastbourne to Winchester and is the backbone of this new National Park.
Charles also supported the Society of Sussex Downsman and formed the Sussex Rights of Way Group. He covered a huge mileage each year either on horseback or on foot, proving and clearing these paths to preserve them for future generations.
There is a signpost at 'six ways' within Slindon Woods that is an indication of how important Sussex was to him. The signpost is where he proposed to Marjorie, and this date is recorded along with the initials of their children.
Paths from this point lead to three of the villages where he lived – Walberton, East Dean and Boxgrove. This signpost may be the only one of the original four remaining intact which were erected to mark the contribution of him and his 'team'.
His outstanding contribution was recognised in 1970 when he received a Countryside Award.

Pauline Senior, Fontwell



Park and ride is the answer - not a multi-storey

I imagine most people who read the front-page story in the Observer would have choked on their cornflakes on reading of proposals to create a multi-storey car park on either the Northgate car park, or the cattle market.
The planners within this historic city must have gone mad. Why not pull down the whole city and start again, just like Coventry after the war?
If there were a criminal offence of wantonly conspiring to destroy historic environments, I would gladly prosecute.
But one cannot simply rant and rave – although it's fun. We have to find a way of protecting the core of the historic city while allowing its shops and businesses to thrive there.
One solution comes from Oxford and Cambridge and other cities (and all over France, Germany and Spain) ; and it's one which we have adopted (half-heartedly). It's the park-and-ride facility.
We have several brownfield sites around the outer edge of the city, including the fields south of the A27, which could be used, and others further afield.
If the parking fees were aimed at making the short stay in the centre reasonable and any stay over the hour relatively expensive, people wanting to visit the city and its shops would find it cost-effective to use park and ride.
And quick shoppers and locals could be in and out, at little cost.
It is of no practical use – and environmentally a disaster – to increase the facility for the motorist inside the city area. It simply encourages people to come in. Then we have all the problems of access and egress and more pollution, and the rest.
No expansion of parking inside the city and the A27 ring please!

Stephen Hammett, West Wittering

I was somewhat perturbed to read of the suggestion a multi-storey car park be built in the car park at the southern end of Oaklands Park, often referred to as Sloe Fair Field.
It was, of course, originally a grassy field, where the Sloe Fayre has been held every year for many centuries on October 20.
The showmen have a Royal Charter to back their right to hold that fair.
I understand the charter would be cancelled if in any year the event did not take place, which is why the tradition was kept alive by during the second world war by having the token presence of a single toffee-apple stall.
Besides that, I also believe the whole of Oaklands Park, including the said Sloe Fair Field, which was previously owned by the Henty family, was donated to the people of Chichester in perpetuity, for recreation purposes.
It was very questionable whether the festival theatre should have been allowed on the site, although it could be argued it serves a recreational purpose.
Even more questionable was the building of a tarmac car park, but the idea of a multi-storey car park is quite outrageous.
I would also question why some years ago the southern part of the park, adjacent to Franklyn Place, was 'stolen' to make way for the road improvement.
There is also, of course, the prospect of the visual aspect which would totally destroy the view of our wonderful city when entering from the north.
Perhaps we should start an action group to fight any such proposals.

Ken Strudwick, Pound Farm Road, Chichester

The story in the Observer suggested ancient Sloe Fair rights could prevent the building of a multi-storey car park on the Northgate car park site. I doubt this.
A fair was a special sort of market. In early times, fairs provided a means of obtaining commodities not normally available in the region where they were held.
Tolls levied at fairs provided incomes for the lords, office holders and charities to which they were granted.
A great number of fairs, perhaps as many as 5,000, were once held throughout England. Entertainers became associated with fairs, and amusement progressively became the dominant attraction, as
commerce diminished and virtually disappeared.
Disputes and disorder frequently occurred at fairs. In early days, piepowder courts were established at fairs to resolve disagreements and deliver on-the-spot punishment to wrong-doers.
One famous fair, St Bartholomew's, which took place at Smithfield between 1133 and 1855, was suppressed because of the degeneration of behaviour.
A number of annual fairs and weekly markets were held in Chichester for many centuries. During Victorian times four fairs and two markets occurred regularly.
Sloe Fair took place in the Sloe Field, near Northgate, and Michaelmas Fair in Michaelmas Fair Field, to the east of the city. The others were held in Chichester streets.
The Sloe Fair was granted by King Henry I to Ralph, Bishop of Chichester, in 1107, as an eight-day fair. Originally this fair began on October 5, a date later changed to October 12.
The right to hold markets in Chichester passed with the city to its citizens in 1316. The market moved to its present site in 1871.
Chichester fairs and markets have altered in character, and their dates, durations, and locations have been changed. Some have been abolished.
Seemingly, it has never been difficult to vary any detail, or even discontinue, a fair. In themselves, ancient rights do not appear to be immutable.

Peter Ellacott, Chichester



Parking charge increase will help kill off city

I wish to complain bitterly about the recent rises in charges at Chichester's Cattle Market car park.
How can the council possibly justify an increase of 20 per cent at a time of recession and general hardship?
I live in Petworth and – luckily – work only one day a week in Chichester. Until today it has cost me £4 per day to park.
From now on that will increase to £4.80, a gigantic leap of 20 per cent.
The car I travel in cost me £5,500 to buy, yet if I worked in Chichester five days per week it would cost about £1,200 a year to park it, in excess of a staggering 20 per cent of the car's worth. That is crazy.
No doubt the council would suggest the alternative of public transport, it being greener and cheaper. The problem is, it isn't a viable alternative, because Petworth's 99 bus service, itself otherwise excellent, would get me to work either one hour before or half-an-hour after the time required, neither being practical because the work involves customer contact and so is time-sensitive.
The council is no doubt itself suffering from financial restrictions, caused by our dreadful government, but nevertheless should be far more aware of and sensitive to the needs of local businesses and its employees.
Commercially, the city is slowly dying. Raising car parking charges at such a time is unacceptable
and stupid. I suggest the council thinks again.

Rod McMillan, Pound Street, Petworth



Thank you all for caring for my grandmother

I would like to thank everybody for the care my grandmother received in the last stages of her illness.
My grandmother Daphne Henshaw received excellent care from her GP, Dr C Shipsey from Parklands Surgery. Doctors receive enough bad press but the surgery at Parklands commit themselves 100 per cent to their patients.
I would also like to thank the staff at St Richard's Hospital for the care they gave my grandmother, who was operated upon within three hours of being admitted with a fractured arm and a broken hip. The care from the start to her final days was beyond the call of duty.
They were also so supportive to our family. What would we do without St Richard's?
We would like to thank Julie and Natalie from Dillistone and Wraights funeral directors. They were so comforting and caring at such an emotional time.
Lastly we would like to thank Nickie Wellar for the most beautiful floral tributes and Stephan Nunn for the most touching and caring service he gave for my grandmother.
To us she was wonderful as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
We would like to thank all these people as we feel they don't get enough praise for all the hard work, commitment and care they give to everybody.

Tracey Bacon and family, Barton Road, Chichester



An eco-development? It will still be a total disaster

Having been a resident of North Bersted for more than 20 years, I strongly object to the proposed 2,500 homes to be built at Chalcraft Lane under the guise of eco-housing.
I feel this is an excuse to build another town on top of an existing one.
In the time I've lived here, Bognor Regis has totally degenerated and so building more homes can only make it worse.
My main objections are:
* As a country we are no longer sustainable and so this building on more grade 1 farmland means less food can be grown.
* At a time when most families have two or more cars, the new houses will mean at least 5,000 more cars on the road. Already the congestion in this area is extreme – there is no room for any more. It is suggested all residents of these new houses will walk to work or use the buses. Somehow I think this is unlikely.
* I'm interested to see one job will be provided for every house – that is 2,500 jobs created. At a time when both husband and wives need to work, plus any older children living at home, where will all the other jobs come from when, at the present time, there is just one page of jobs in the Observer?
* Who actually wants this housing apart from the government and the Church Commission-landowners? And how will anyone afford these homes (or the 60 per cent which are not affordable housing)? The housing market is stagnant. Children are having to stay at home with their parents even in their late 20s, as buying their own property is totally out of their reach.
* Finally, and most importantly, if we continue to lose all the green spaces between towns and the trees and wildlife they hold, then the whole eco-system is under threat and we will not have a planet to live on.

Nicky Linzey, Chichester Road, Bognor Regis

I strongly oppose the proposal to build any houses on prime agricultural farmland west of Chalcroft Lane on the following grounds:
The proposed site is susceptible to floods and the local services are completely inadequate.
Local employment opportunities are pitifully inadequate now, so 2,500 more homes will lead to Bersted becoming a deprived, uneconomic area.
By developing as proposed, it will deaden the local community because this land is the heart of our communities and the road networks are the arteries. Once the arteries get clogged, the heart stops.
Our currently serene farmland will become busy, with encroaching buildings and life as we know it will change for ever. The only people who stand to gain are the land owners. I appeal to Arun councillors' common sense to strongly oppose building any more houses on prime agricultural land when there are suitable brownfield sites locally.

Sarah Boughtflower, Newtown Avenue, North Bersted

Anything that destroys the natural wilderness and quality agricultural land which separates Bognor and Chichester is wanton destruction.
The whole concept of eco-town sounds like a ploy to make it easier to sell and justify the scheme to the residents of North Bersted, who will almost certainly suffer a lower standard of living as a result of this 'cramming-in' exercise.
Have any of the key players involved in this scheme walked the streets of North Bersted? I doubt it. For two decades I have experienced at first hand this attractive, inviting place become a victim of suburban decay through neglect and bad planning.
Many locals I speak to are growing extremely tired of this remote government's spin and jargon and think Arun District Council should toughen up, listen to what we, the residents, have to say about our town and its future development and make it clear to government this is not the place or the time to take this project any further.
Let's make what we have already a better place to live and reverse the decline of the past 20 years.

Graham Wilkins, Chichester Road, Bognor

This land will flood when built upon – and will also flood surrounding areas such as Bersted and Aldwick. Once this happens all the properties affected will be uninsurable and unsaleable. Councillors have no right to foist this ridiculous scheme on us.
We have already been forced to accept building on farmland in Bersted, Bognor Regis and Felpham which will have a very detrimental effect on traffic conditions in the area.
It takes us up to ten minutes now to get on to the Chichester Road from New Barn Lane towards Bognor Regis. With the new proposals, we will have gridlock.
So much for green credentials and saving the planet when building is taking place on arable farmland and floodplains.

Mrs JH Bracefield, Winston Crescent, Bersted

I note the chief executive of Arun District Council is now citing the possibility of increased congestion around Barnham railway station as another argument against the eco-town at Ford.
How strange he is not equally concerned at the amount of increased congestion that would be caused by 2,500 homes at Westergate-Eastergate.
At least residents at Yapton, Ford, Climping and Horsemere Green have the option of an alternative railway station, and this does have a fast service option for London commuters – or they can take the four-minute train journey into Barnham and change there.
For all but Ford village, there is also the option of taking the frequent 700 bus into Littlehampton station.
Historically the area that has been most heavily promoted for development is to the west of Westergate and therefore equally as far from the railway station as the eco-town site.
There is no alternative station at our disposal. Our bus service is abysmal, less than one per hour and non-existent early in the morning at the time when commuters to more distant locations want to access Barnham station.
They have no alternative but to use their car and fill up all the available parking spaces in close proximity to the station.
I personally am not in favour of any large-scale development in the inland villages area, be it 5,000 dwellings to the east of Barnham station or 2,500 to the west.
However, what I most object to is the fact Arun have used every argument at their disposal against a development at Ford airfield for any housing whatsoever, not just the eco-town, and yet disregard exactly the same arguments against development in Eastergate and Westergate.

JC Felstead, Level Mare Lane, Eastergate



Why we must allow ivy to flourish

Ivy is one of the most important plants to wildlife, especially birds. It looks magnificent scrambling up old trees and over waste land.
It flowers very late so provides nectar for insects, followed by enormous berries, much loved by blackbirds.
But most important of all it provides roosting sites for birds to go at night, where they can get shelter from the extremes of weather and safe nesting sites where they can have their babies, surrounded by a huge source of natural food that also lives in the ivy.
Birds are having a hard enough time with so many people concreting their front gardens, so why have the local authorities declared war on ivy?
Everywhere you look ivy is being cut down – in alleyways, country footpaths, roadsides and up trees. Who has decided ivy must go at any cost?
Have you ever watched these teams of workers who go round cutting back the vegetation? They just hack at anything and it appears as long as they go back to their depot at the end of the day with a load of cut-down vegetation, everyone is happy.
Have you seen the state of the vegetation going from the small roundabout in Lower Bognor Road down into Rose Green and back up along Chalcroft Lane?
Lower Bognor Road is the worst. It is an environmentalist's and bird lover's nightmare.
You can see where the ivy has been deliberately targeted and hacked to bits.
Ivy is quite slow growing and will take many years to recover.
I'm lucky to have a large garden and I used to get all sorts of birds visiting. But once the ivy was hacked down and started to wither, all the small birds disappeared.
The only birds I get in my garden now are crows, pigeons and gulls.
I spoke to a lady who lives on the Aldwick Felds estate. She never sees any small birds in her garden, either.
She told me how most of the ivy had been hacked down from those large trees on the green by Dark Lane.
This isn't a local problem, it's going on everywhere.
These little areas of uncultivated land should be left for wildlife.
The government is to reintroduce a scheme whereby it pays farmers not to plant crops but to leave the area for wildlife. What will it take for local authorities to get the message?
If things don't change back, gardens will be the only place you'll ever be able to see ivy.
I walked through the alleyway from Chichester Road to Church Lane recently and even the ivy there had been slashed to bits. It was clearly doing no harm.
Why doesn't the council ask the advice of nature lovers on how to help wildlife because once these small birds leave an area they will never return because there's nothing for them to come back for.
Soon the pleasure of sitting, looking out of your window watching the birds in your garden will be gone for ever.

Martin West, St Peter's Close, Bognor Regis



Getting surgery appointment is so difficult

I would like to say I know the doctors' receptionists have a hard time – I am one, so I know what I am talking about.
I find the pre-bookable and book-on-the-day appointments very frustrating.
I am a resident in Bognor but work in Surrey, leaving at 7.15am and not returning until 6.20pm, so I cannot phone for an appointment for my elderly mother on the day.
That is unless I am either late for work every time I have to call, or I start my journey to work, stop in Petworth, phone for an appointment and if I get one rush back to make sure she can get ready in time, phone my boss to tell him I won't be in or, if one is not available, do the same again the next day.
I would have to do this every day until an appointment is granted, at a time to suit the receptionist not the patient.
It is not possible for me to take a day off just to phone the doctor.
I do not know when mum is going to need an appointment.
I am sure many have the same predicament – except that maybe they live and work in or around Bognor.
I really don't know what to do. I am not after special treatment but some help would be greatly appreciated.

L Suter, Bognor Regis



Teenage pregnancies: Is it really just the girls' fault, Keith?

It isn't the first time Keith Newbery has expressed his disapproval of the 'growing army of teenage mothers who deliberately get themselves pregnant' (presumably a big surge in immaculate conceptions) and 'settle for a life on benefits'.
Of the several pregnant teenage girls I dealt with during my teaching years, I can remember only one who repeated the 'council flat, weekly benefits' mantra – and that was after the event rather than a deliberate plan.
Once the others came out of their romantic cloud they were, without exception, shocked and terrified at the reality of sleepless nights, the loss or at least the postponement of any decent career, no more carefree nights out or holidays, above all the loneliness – all in the context of being solely responsible for a vulnerable human being 24/7 for the next two decades in sub-standard accommodation on a grotty estate.
On the other hand, many were the boys who boasted of a 'quick fumble and goodbye'. Why did the girls let it happen?
I found it very sad nearly all the girls concerned didn't actually enjoy the sex, but found it preferable to being publicly labelled a 'frigid lezzy'.
And, of course, boys can't be expected to exercise any self-control, can they?
I would be interested to examine Keith Newbery's evidence-based figures confirming the number of teenage pregnancies deliberately embarked upon to exploit the system. If there is a big problem, perhaps one solution would be to identify the fathers (simple in this age of DNA) and attach 50 per cent of any money earned or claimed by them until their child reaches adulthood.
After all, Keith Newbery doesn't really think the girls 'got themselves pregnant', does he?
Meanwhile, I'll save my 'increasing indignation' for the banks who have swindled my country out of millions of pounds of tax revenue.

Beryl Jackman, South Road, Felpham



Traffic menace - pedestrian safety must come first

The lack of concern for pedestrian safety in Petworth shown by West Sussex County Council's highways department, has been highlighted by the timely campaign of the residents of Angel Street, featured on the front page of the Observer.
Sadly, Angel Street is not alone in its plight. Right across the town along the routes of the A272 and A283 similar problems arise.
From the north, traffic funnels into the narrow canyon of North Street, forming part of the A283, accelerates south from the mini-roundabout, or north from the centre, encouraged by the velvet smooth super-highway surface provided by the highways department, presumably for this purpose.
This same layer of velvety tarmac has succeeded in bringing the road surface to 50mm (two inches) below the kerb in some places, making accidentally overriding on to the pavement a certainty.
Towards its south end, North Street rises 900mm (3ft) sheer above the pavement. Unbelievably the only pedestrian protection is provided by a flimsy wooden post and rail fence. At least, it was before a large section was destroyed by a vehicle, and has not been replaced.
Families and schoolchildren from Hampers Green have to run the gauntlet of North Street every day, and the residents must pluck up courage to step out of their front doors.
"I am expecting to find a car in my garden one day," said one worried resident.
To the south, Station Road is as perilous, and Round Street has no pavement at all. It is a brave resident who dares walk there.
With new residential developments completed to the north and the south, these dangers have recently increased.
Like scissors cutting across the town the A283 and A272 trunk roads bisect it, while the A285 heads in from the south, bearing huge trucks that have failed to turn right at the junction to the south.
What a delightfully-enhanced centre for residents and visitors Petworth could become was demonstrated recently when the relaying of gas mains largely removed through traffic from the town centre.
Market Square ceased magically from fulfilling its apparent normal function of a chicane on a motor racing circuit, and was all-too-briefly transformed into the heart of the town, a place of pedestrian bustle, free from traffic fumes, danger and noise.
It seemed to more than one observer the revised traffic routing had great advantages, not least of which was that delays caused by the light-controlled one-way section in Round Street and Park Road soon provoked impatient drivers to use the alternative route.
Petworth is both a nationally-famous tourist destination and a national and international centre for the antique trade. These advantages bring economic benefits to the whole of the town.
Therefore, should the question not be asked: is it better for the economic future of Petworth to allow unfettered access to through traffic across its heart, terrorising residents and discouraging visitors alike, or by limiting this, make the town an even more attractive destination for visitors, and an even more delightful place to live and work?
The good people of Angel Street are leading the way in fighting this menace with sensible suggestions to improve pedestrian safety. Furthermore, an unexpected by-product of replacing the gas mains was to show the simplicity and low cost of re-routing through traffic away from the heart of the town.
Might a study not now be undertaken, similar to that carried out for Angel Street, looking at the town as a whole and examining the question of re-routing through traffic?
Elizabeth Hodgkins, North Street, Petworth



We can't park anywhere near our homes

Having been a resident of Ashfield Road for 60-plus years and campaigned, with many other residents, against the conversion into flats of these lovely houses and the recent rebuild of one house into five two-bedroom flats with only four parking spaces, I wonder if anyone has given a thought to us.
The dropping-off and collection of children at the primary school and the convent has always been an issue.
The other issue for many, many years is Ashfield Road is a rat run and we are told it cannot be blocked off one end or even made into a no right turn into Bepton Road or no left turn into Petersfield Road, which I believe would stop a great deal of motorists using it as a short cut.
We also have residents of Petersfield Road and Bepton Road parking in Ashfield Road.
A lot of the residents are out to work between 9am and 5pm and need their cars to travel to work.
When we come home, only some of us can park near our home. Others cannot park in Ashfield Road. Where can we go?
Some of us are elderly or disabled or have to carry babies and all the gear, or heavy shopping, and this is impossible when leaving the car in Grange Road car park.
Many of us would be worried about leaving our cars overnight in the car park anyway.
Mr Ford and PC Quinnell have always been very understanding of the residents' position, but if we are going to be fined for illegal parking, we need a solution. Are we going to be provided with some ground for parking or be provided with residents-only parking?
This situation is seriously damaging our health and lifestyle – we have to think twice about going out in the evening knowing when you get home you are going to have to park some distance from your home, especially on dark evenings.

Julie Hoskins, Midhurst



To the point...

After 50 years of motoring, every time I get home after driving around Chichester I thank the Lord I survived.
The drivers in and around Chichester are the worst I have seen. Why do they persist in either not signalling or incorrectly signalling at roundabouts or junctions? Young, old, male, female, it doesn't make any difference – they are all just too lazy. Don't they know it is illegal not to signal, or signal incorrectly?
Drivers, please take note. I do not want to be another traffic statistic.

PS Casey, Chichester

It is unfortunate but the careless actions of some dog owners cause a lot of distress
for others.
In Southbourne we have had lots of mess left on the pavements and grass verges; this gets into children's shoes and the wheels of pushchairs and is very unpleasant.
The district council has been helpful recently by leafletting the area, but until someone is heavily fined I feel we shall just have to put up with it and be careful where small children go.

Ernie Timms, Southbourne

I wonder how many other motorcyclists are of the same opinion as myself – that the journey between Selsey and Chichester is fraught with danger because of the numerous potholes, especially along the Donnington Road?
I find I need to have 100 per cent concentration to avoid hitting one of the potholes and consequently being injured or killed.
Are these holes going to be repaired in the near future? It is a dangerous road for any two-wheeled driver who, no doubt, has paid the due road tax.

Sheila Dean, St Peters Crescent, Selsey

It is to be hoped the extremely irresponsible dog owners who allowed their dog to terrify my children and bite my hand are readers of the Observer.
That way I shall be able to explain to them it is not acceptable to allow a totally-uncontrollable dog to run off the lead in a playing field where young children are present.
Twice we were subjected to their brown labrador attempting to bite our hands. Thankfully, the first time it had a tennis ball in its mouth, rendering it harmless. The second time I was less fortunate and received a bite to the knuckle while attempting to protect my kids.
If the dog had managed to bite one of my children, as it was clearly trying to do, its fate would now be hanging in the balance.
To say to me 'sorry but she's a young dog and not trained' is not an excuse.

Steve Williams, Coppice Lane, Selsey

With regards to Richard Ede's complaint about cats (Observer letters), I don't see how any limitation of cats is possible, beyond planting shrubs they don't like.
Trying to view a cat in the same way as a dog is ridiculous, unless Richard has managed to find a
way of changing the natural instincts of cats.
As for wildlife being decimated by cats, it should be noted while cats are efficient at hunting, they are not always successful – a 1978 report by Spittler found 300 cats had a success rate of 63 per cent.
There are a lot of other predators that like to eat birds too, and thus blaming cats for all avian problems is rather pretentious.
In addition, bird waste is also highly hazardous to humans. Perhaps we should start requiring them to adopt some kind of responsibility for their actions?

Nicholas Kingsley, Lime Close, Chichester

It was with amazement I read tucked away in the Observer Chichester District Council has lost a small number of council tax bills for the residents of East and West Wittering, Selsey and Hunston.
Do they not realise the implications of such a loss?
There is hardly a day goes by without some government department or council losing a laptop or other personal data they are entrusted to keep secure.
Council tax bills are a prime source of identification when one needs to open a bank and prove who you are. How is the council going to prevent identity fraud occurring as a result of these lost council tax bills?
Surely they must know how many have gone astray. Are there any quality checks with their contractor?
Surely when personal data such as this is lost are they not obliged to notify the information commissioner?
The public needs to be assured the guardian of their personal data treats it securely and not in some cavalier fashion.

Jack Edwards, Church Road, Chichester

Is anybody out there bold enough to get rid of the council?
Bognor Regis is in a rapid state of decline and something needs to be done urgently.
Get rid of the narrow-minded, short-sighted, old-fashioned people running this town and bring in someone who can kick this town into shape.
Bognor is the laughing stock of the south coast, but possesses some excellent talent and ideas. If only they could be heard among all the complaining and nimbyism currently going on.
My vote in the next few weeks or so will be going on anybody who can get this town sorted and bought back into the 21st century. Anybody up for it?

Nicky Simmons, Felpham

We want our children to grow up healthy. The government has done a lot to ensure their bodies are healthy, but what about their minds?
I was very distraught to hear Jacqui Smith's husband had hired two adult movies. On Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson proudly proclaimed the cousin of the Stig 'has the largest pornography collection in Britain'.
Is this the example we as adults are setting for our children?
The government is considering advertising condoms and abortion clinics on our televisions. Do you think this is the answer?
I believe we all need to take responsibility and set moral examples for our children to follow. This country's foundation is Christianity. Let's return to our roots.

Emma Heylen, Rustington

I was sorry to see the letter last week about Butnor and Boglins from Mrs Wells of Bersted (who does not live that near to Butlins!).
Yes, of course Butlins and Bognor Regis are intertwined, as Butlins is with Skegness and Minehead, and long may it continue while families enjoy their holidays here, bringing financial benefits to the town.
I moved here from Filey in 1964 to work at Butlins. I know thousands of local people also obtained employment at Butlins.
I luckily met my wife, a local girl, there, and I know many others met their partners while working for Butlins. We are now retired and intend to continue to live here, whatever Mrs Wells would like to call the town!
Last year we took our two granddaughters to Butlins for the day while they were visiting from Seattle, USA, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves, as we did.

Jurgen Watson, Leopold Close, Felpham

Easter is upon us and the tourist season starts, so why is the prime-sited Regis restaurant looking so derelict, run down or shabby?
Do they really think peeling paint and hanging baskets enhance it? So come on management, give it a coat of paint please.

Mrs M Passingham, Albert Road, Bognor Regis

I have a lot of respect for true Romanies. But in view of the mess gypsies have caused in Nyton Road and their for ever expansion in Eastergate Lane, we do not want travellers here.
It occurs to me there is a ready-made area at Ford's old aerodrome, with hard standing, which could be a central point of the proposed eco-town.

HS Taylor, Farnhurst Road, Barnham

It was great to see the Observer article about Bognor closing the gap in the generations.
I would like add my praise to all concerned and to thank the Local Strategic Partnership which funded Age Concern West Sussex to employ Kristen Lanchester for two years to work with the U3A and other older people to interact with younger people across Arun, who helped in this project.
We look forward to the posters that will be seen across Arun that come from this.

Diane Henderson, director, Age Concern West Sussex


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