Last updated at 16:44, Wednesday, 30 June 2010

SIR – We would like to express our thanks to the organisers and exhibitors for an excellent Whitehaven Festival.

crowd-pleaser: This picture by John Story shows just how popular last weekend’s harbourside event was

Events of the past eight months have created a very gloomy atmosphere in West Cumbria, but we feel that the decision to continue with the Festival was the correct one. The spirit of the area was lifted, starting on Friday night with the excellent performance from Katherine Jenkins, through to appearances of Jean Christophe Novelli, Gino D’Acampo, Status Quo and supporting acts, to the air displays on Sunday, and the fireworks displays.
From Friday afternoon to Sunday night, the harbourside was buzzing,the weather was glorious again, and everyone appeared to have been given a lift. Congratulations and thanks to all involved.
Liz & Ken ROBINSON
Whitehaven

SIR – On behalf of all the cadets and staff of Whitehaven Sea Cadets I would like to thank everyone concerned with this year’s Whitehaven Festival for all the help and support we received over the weekend.
It was a fantastic three days for us which started with the inauguration of Commander Mike Johnson USN as the town’s new Consul to the US Navy, an event which was just that bit more special to us as Cdr Johnson also happens to be our unit president.
We were extremely fortunate to have been able to attend the Katherine Jenkins concert on Friday evening and our thanks go the Festival Company, and particularly Gerard Richardson, for making that possible.
On Saturday our cadets visited the tall ship Kathleen and May and spoke at length to the Royal Navy Bomb Disposal team and even tried on some of their equipment. A year or so ago we went along to the St Bees Lifeboat Station where we took part in the official naming ceremony of their new lifeboat, Joy Morris MBE. The Festival gave us the opportunity to once again meet the crew, who were kind enough to give our cadets a special tour round the harbour on their lifeboat.
The list of people and organisations who took the time and trouble to speak with our cadets is a very long one and I would probably miss someone so, to each and every one of you, please accept our heartfelt thanks. There is however one group that I must single out, and they are the people of Whitehaven and, of course, our visitors from further afield: your support of our stall was very gratefully received and resulted in just over £800 being raised for unit funds.
Finally, Sunday morning. Although I did not manage to see or hear them myself, I received many comments about our friends from Ellesmere Port Sea Cadet unit, TS Forward, whose band made a special visit to support us and perform a Beat Retreat at The Hub prior to the morning’s ceremonial events which started with the parade of Sea, Army and Air Cadets – led by Kendal unit’s band.
This parade, as the thousands who were there for the Armed Forces Day service will know, also included Standard Bearers from various British Legion branches. I am sure I speak for all the cadet forces when I say that we were both honoured and proud to march with you.
And last but by no means least, to the members of Copeland Borough Council. Granting the Freedom of the Borough to the Armed Forces was a tremendous and hugely deserved mark of respect to those brave men and women who daily put their lives in danger in the service of our country. For our cadets to have a similar honour bestowed on them is, frankly, rather humbling. We thank the council for that honour and promise to do our very best to prove we are worthy of it.
David ABBOTT
Deputy Chairman
Whitehaven Sea Cadets

SIR – On behalf of everyone at Copeland Council, I would like to congratulate the organisers of the Whitehaven Festival for once again staging a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable event.
Yet again, they worked incredibly hard to put on a festival of this magnitude. The crowds attending and the smiles on people’s faces show just how much this paid off.
It goes without saying that this has been a challenging few weeks for everyone in the area. In some ways, this made the 2010 Whitehaven Festival more significant than previous events. It did not disappoint.
We were delighted by the community spirit on display at the Festival, just as it has been in recent weeks. West Cumbria is a strong place, full of strong people, and yet again this was visible for all to see.
Copeland Council was pleased to continue its sponsorship (we are now one of the longest-running supporters of the festival) because we realise just how important it is for the area – not only does it offer an incredible experience for people of the borough, but it also brings in visitors from afar. We also had a stall at the festival – I hope you spotted us in our high-vis jackets.
This year’s event finished with a display from the outstanding Red Arrows. The heart they drew in the sky seemed to capture the spirit of the area perfectly, and was a fitting symbol on which to close the 2010 Festival.
It also provided us with the perfect opportunity to honour our armed forces and local cadet forces, for all they do for us. This was a timely gesture, taking place the day after Armed Forces Day. Thank you to everyone associated with these organisations.
Once again, well done to all involved – and long may it continue.
Coun Elaine WOODBURN
Leader, Copeland Borough Council

SIR – Hats off to Gerard Richardson and all concerned with organising the Whitehaven Festival.
Katherine Jenkins and a stunning fireworks display got proceedings off to an explosive start on Friday. I was among the 2,000 people who enjoyed the show. Katherine radiated exuberance throughout, bedazzling the capacity crowd with her voice, beauty and charming wit. She paid an emotional tribute to the tragedies that had happened in Cumbria over the last 12 months by singing the song Angel. There was not a dry eye in the whole audience who acclaimed their appreciation with several standing ovations.
Katherine Jenkins, you are the forces sweetheart and likewise you are now Cumbria’s. You enthralled us all – please return another day.

Frank FOWLER
Grant Drive, Whitehaven

SIR – What a wonderful and meaningful front page depiction in last Thursday’s Whitehaven News.
If ever there was to be an image to capture the symbolism of the Christian ethos – the firework ‘candle’ to show the transition from darkness into light – this was it!
And didn’t the light of our town shine once again during the magnificent Festival ?
David ALLAN
Former Harbour Master (Retired)

SIR – What a fabulous weekend yet again! I would like to mention a friend of mine Mr Derek Johnston, who has a boat in the South Dock. ‘The Tern’ was so beautifully decked out, I think he deserves a mention. Well done Derek.
LOUISE
Harbourside flats, Whitehaven

Isaac’s name will live on
SIR – Now the funerals are over of the 12 victims of the senseless shootings on June 2, I want to take this opportunity to think the kindness of friends, neighbours and even people I don’t know for the many sympathy cards and flowers after the death of my brother, Isaac Dixon, who died that day.
I want to make a special mention of the two police officers attached to my family that gave unending support to us. Their names are Liz Weatman and Mark Nicholson.
I would like to share something with your readers that touched the hearts of us in my family last week. Somehow or other a card found its way to my house from East Riding. It was addressed to the family of Isaac Dixon Whitehaven Cumbria. They heard about the tragedy on the news and gave their condolences to everyone who lost a relative and was wounded.
The last thing they wrote on the card was they have five grandchildren – the youngest was a five-week-old boy who has been given the name Isaac Dixon. Under normal circumstances this would not be such a big deal, but it really brought tears to my eyes reading my late brother’s name lives on.
God bless the people who sent that card, Terry and Sheena Dixon.
It was a lovely memorial service on Sunday evening at Egremont Castle. Best wishes to the lady who collapsed, I hope she is better now.
Margaret EARL
Egremont
Speed limit cost is laughable
SIR – Certainly action needs to be taken regarding not just speeding, but also appalling driving standards generally, on the Cold Fell road at certain times of the day and a speed limit may be an idea worth trying (Whitehaven News, June 24). But at £35,000 to apply this limit, surely someone is having a laugh! What can possibly cost that amount of money?
A dozen (perhaps two dozen) galvanized posts and a few 40mph repeaters can’t cost more than a few hundred pounds – if they do, someone should have a serious review of purchasing policy and its application – another few hundred for road marking perhaps and the rest for labour. Generously allow £5,000 for materials and that leaves a balance £30,000 for labour, around 15 months worth of labour at the average UK wage. One man, working not very hard at all, could certainly erect at least two posts in a day, including mixing his own concrete!
Surely it’s time that our elected representatives took a reality check. Anyone working in a successful private business proposing such ludicrous figures for a relatively minor piece of work would find themselves looking for employment in the public sector (perhaps with a local council) in rather short order.
Brings a smile to your face every time you get an increased Council Tax bill, doesn’t it?
John GRAHAM
Lowrey Close, Beckermet

SIR – In this present economic climate it is completely irresponsible to consider spending £35,000 on an un-enforceable speed limit on Cold Fell, when all the other roads in the area are in such a deplorable state.
Chris BATY
Lamplugh, Workington

Such vitriol gets us nowhere
SIR – Over the past 18 months it has sadly become apparent that a number of politicians of all parties have fallen short of the ethical standards which the public have a right to expect. The abuse of parliamentary expenses is wrong whoever does it.
Supporters of all parties have a responsibility to make it very clear to their own party that a fresh start is something people expect, and not just use expenses as a stick to beat their opponents. Which is why letters like the outpouring of vitriol which appeared over the signature of Ms Eileen Weir (letter, The Whitehaven News, June 17) are not particularly helpful.
Ms Weir has signed several letters over the past year making clear her Labour sympathies and attacking people in other parties, often in quite personal terms. She has never once denounced any of the very serious abuses of parliamentary expenses by senior politicians in the Labour party.
None of her letters, for example, contained a hint of criticism of David Chaytor, Jim Devine, Eric Illsley and Elliot Morley, the four former Labour MPs facing criminal charges.
What David Laws did was wrong and it was right that he had to resign from the government, an act that became all too rare from wrongdoing MPs in the former Labour Government.
Too many others from all parties, including Ms Weir’s, have misbehaved. It would be helpful if, rather than mud-slinging, characters like Ms Weir engaged in constructive debate, and recognise that all sides have to do better. And when someone like Ms Weir whose letters are open to the charge of double standards for failing to recognise this then goes on, as she did, to accuse her opponents of hypocrisy, one has to remember the phrase: “Take the plank out of your own eye before you try to take the speck out of your neighbour’s.”
Stephen HARALDSEN
Deputy Chairman
Copeland Conservative Association
Photo sparked many memories
SIR – How wonderful to see the aerial photograph of Bransty in your recent feature on Bransty School.
I have now ordered a copy for myself from English Heritage and can’t wait until it arrives.
I could imagine all my schoolboy mates poring over it trying to identify our childhood haunts: The Green that was the centre of all our childhood games, even the ‘Green Box’ where we all congregated in summer and even on icy winter evenings.
The open fields that stretched down to the cliffs above William Pit were part of Farishes Farm. The Pit was just recovering after the disaster the year before. All our homes are there, Bransty Boys Club and the British Legion.
At the bottom of the view is a small wooded area adjoining the Loop Road that we called the ‘Green Gate’. Here we celebrated our ‘jungle fantasies’ from the Tarzan films showing at the Queens Cinema– oh and so many more halcyon memories that would fill a large chronicle. The print will always remind me of a lad of 12, enjoying growing up in a great community.
Thanks again The News.
LEN WATSON
Kent

What a sight for our visitors
SIR – On June 22, a friend and I decided to enjoy the glorious day and walk around Whitehaven harbour. We were disgusted to find the area around the seat on Wellington Terrace (up the steps from the screen lasses sculpture) littered with empty cider bottles, beer cans, cigarette packets and papers and reeking of urine.
We picked the litter up in carriers which were also lying around and left these on the seat as there were no bins.
Among the litter was a probation service appointments form to attend on June 26 at 4pm at Whitehaven probation offices, and, also enclosed, a drinks diary – unfilled but with the person’s initials on it.
What a sight for visitors! And is this Probation Officer being made a fool of? I hope you can bring this to the attention of the police, probation office and whoever else is responsible for this area.
Name and address supplied
Midnight Walk
SIR – I am writing to express the thanks of everyone associated with Hospice at Home West Cumbria for the massive support given to our Ladies Midnight Walk.
Gillian has already thanked all those involved in helping and supporting us and I can only reiterate our gratitude to every one of them. It is really quite overwhelming to receive this backing, yet again, from our own sponsors and those of the walkers, your newspaper and all the ladies who walked that night and brought so much gaiety and colour to the event.
This tremendous support will enable us to continue to provide our unique service of the best possible specialist palliative care to those who need it, and to support their carers.
Terry COLLINS , Chairman,
Hospice at Home West Cumbria

First published at 15:49, Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk