Last updated 10:07, Friday, 13 June 2008

SIR – Well, Whitehaven, you’ve done it again! No, not the Maritime Festival this time, but the visit of Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh.

What an honour for us all to have such Royal visitors. The day was awesome, perfect, the weather did us proud but not as proud as all the hard work put in by the campaigners and organisers, and not just those in the forefront but behind the scenes as well. We couldn’t have wished for better, everyone’s spirits were lifted by the excitement.
We had around 10,000 visitors to town that day, but all were very scarce as my friend and I walked along the harbour to see the opening of the new Whitehaven boatyard. We walked along with a gentleman, chatting about family, the past, what has been achieved in Whitehaven and indeed future planning. This lovely man being none other than Jamie Reed himself.
At the opening of the boatyard the cadets were proud to receive their certificates for their voluntary services. Very moving for us all.
I must add, last but by no means least, our very own leading lady, the beautiful, elegantly dressed Mrs Freda Hitchen. You are indeed a credit to the whole of the Copeland Borough ‘Ma’am’. We are so proud!
Dorothy MARTIN
Duke Street, Whitehaven


ON behalf of the organisers of the Royal Visit and the 300th anniversary event last Thursday may I take this opportunity to say thank you very much to everyone involved in either the organisation or participation of the event. Once again, this was a Herculean effort, largely by volunteers and I think it’s important to reflect on that for a moment.
I would also like to pay particular tribute to the policing of the event which was highly visible, good natured and superbly organised.
As well as the numerous messages of support and congratulations, there have been one or two dissenting voices ranging from the mildly justified to the plain eccentric and to be honest they can be quite disheartening at times.
When reflecting on the success of a Royal visit however, it’s also worth reflecting on the fact that it’s the very strength of our political system with Her Majesty providing such stability and continuity in this country that gives people the freedom to complain and actually encourages them to exercise that freedom.
That said, I would urge people to reflect on what by any standards was an incredible and memorable day for Whitehaven and also I understand for Her Majesty. She told us that the reception was tremendous and to be honest, it ranks up there with marriage and children as one of the proudest moments in my life.
To the people who have sent positive messages, thank you very much and to the people who have complained, thank you also, for reminding us that we do actually have that freedom in this country, no matter how disappointing it can be at times.
Thank you once again for your support and for making it such a special day.
Gerard RICHARDSON
Maritime Festival Company

SIR – What an absolute pleasure it was to be part of the crowd that welcomed the Queen and Prince Philip to Whitehaven. The town looked its best and there was a real feeling of national pride as we all waved our flags and cheered.
It was especially nice to see that the council had provided free parking spaces, showing their enthusiasm for the event. What a shame that two of the big name stores that we all pay good money to all year had chosen to prevent as many people as possible from using their car parks for the two-and-a-half hours the event lasted.
Did Focus and Iceland really think there was going to be a mad rush in their stores on such a fantastic occasion?
Focus had attendants on to dissuade people with a large sign stating drivers could stay for one hour only but I feel Iceland’s approach was even more effective; a traffic warden, drafted in especially to catch those foolish enough to assume that everyone would follow the council’s lead and allow some parking leniency on such a wonderful day. As one of those who got completely carried away and parked my car for 20 minutes longer than the permitted time so that I could glimpse our wonderful monarchs on an historic visit to our lovely town I would like to say thank you to Iceland. I do hope that my 20 minutes in your car park did not lead to a massive loss of revenue (although you’ve lost any coming from my purse in the future) and that the Queen will forgive you such miserable greediness while she was visiting. Really! Have you no sense of occasion?
Sheila HANSEN
High Road
Thornhill, Egremont
Late arrivals criticise event
SIR – What a shame such a special occasion as the visit of the Queen should be spoilt by poor organisation. As head of a primary school I was appalled at the attitude of most of the officials at the event and especially by Gerard Richardson.
We were asked if we wanted to take children to the harbour over two weeks ago, before news of the visit went on general release. We were informed that schools would be allocated a specific place on the harbour which would guarantee them a view of the Queen’s visit.
We decided that, as it was going to pose no child protection risks and that our children would be safely zoned into a specific area dedicated for our school, that we would like to take them.
We made the arrangements, giving exact numbers, by telephone. We received clear instructions earlier in the week of the visit which stated that we were to arrive on the harbour, via the Argos end, and would be met by marshals who would direct us to our allocated area. We were asked to arrive and be in place at 9.15am. All the children would be given flags on arrival.
Unfortunately, due to the road works at Distington which held our coach up and the long queue of coaches entering Whitehaven, we did not arrive until 9.23 am. We were met by a very stressed lady who told me that there was no space left and that we had to go onto the car park and ‘backfill’. I tried to explain that we were from Moresby School and that we had an allotted space and she said that this was not the case. I tried to discuss this further and she said I needed to speak with Gerard Richardson. As it happened he was just approaching so I asked him for an explanation.
Mr Richardson’s attitude was unhelpful. He said: “Well schools have done what schools always do. They were told one coach only and they’ve arrived in dribs and drabs since 8.30. Go onto the car park and back fill.”
We followed the rules to the letter and personally I was very concerned to then have to fight our way through members of the public to try to get a place.
At this point the children had not been given any flags. When we enquired we were told that they had long gone! Surely the organisers had exact numbers of school children so there should have been flags for everyone. Try telling a four year old, who cannot see anything, that the flag they were promised is not coming either.
What is the point in us writing risk assessments based on information received to find that this information was bogus. Schools are bound by child protection procedures to ensure the safety of all children in our care. What an organisational nightmare it is that allows children to be treated like this, subjected to random members of the public pushing their way through to get a better view.
I trust Mr Richardson enjoyed his morning. The staff, children and helpers from Moresby did not.
Mrs Tricia ADAMS
Headteacher
Moresby Primary School

GERARD RICHARDSON replies: “We have had a small number of complaints ranging from there being a shortage of flags to schools not getting prime locations for viewing. Our volunteer liaison staff did a sterling job marshalling children into the best positions possible and also in keeping other members of the public away from that side of the harbour.
“Some schools chose to send their pupils in small groups, which made shepherding very difficult indeed, and others chose to either arrive very late or to arrive at the wrong side of the harbour altogether. These actions caused a lot of problems for the organisers but we made sure that all the children who turned up got in and had the chance to see Her Majesty and under the circumstances we believe it was a job well done. The visit was a huge success for the town and we would prefer that people focus on the positive rather than unfairly criticise the efforts of the organisers.”
...and these are not amused
SIR – This is just to let you know that every child in school is sending a letter to Buckingham Palace to express their disappointment at only seeing the train and not the Queen.
We were actually invited to stand at Corkickle station as a welcome to the Queen into our town...we are disgusted!
St Begh’s Catholic Junior School
Coach Road, Whitehaven

GERARD RICHARDSON replies: “The organisers put a lot of effort into accommodating the wishes of the school, including facilitating discussions with Cumbria Constabulary and the British Transport police. It was very late on the day before the visit that we were able to confirm that Her Majesty would be travelling that route and under the circumstances we feel we did the best that we could do.
“The event we were organising was on the harbour, with a prime route for viewing in the town centre, and with hindsight we should have limited our assistance to schools or organisations coming into those areas. It’s upsetting for all of us that our efforts should be rewarded by complaints either to ourselves or to the palace with apparently no allowance for personal responsibility. The visit was a huge success for the town.”

Barney evidence should satisfy
SIR – As a relative of the pensioner who was injured by the goose on the harbour side back in March I write to try and redress the balance and inform the public why I personally contacted the Harbour Commissioners when the goose attack happened.
The incident related to an unprovoked attack on an elderly lady whilst out strolling, fortunately with her husband. Luckily people were around to assist and fend off the goose but nonetheless she was left shaken, distressed and as your paper reported that week, with a broken ankle.
The pensioner in question had recently undergone surgery hence the attack compromised her recuperation and mobility adding to her pain and discomfort which remains to date. Following the attack and the subsequent publicity several people approached us to share their intimidating experiences of the “aggressive goose”.
The lady in question aired her concerns that if she had been an unaccompanied walker or a child, the consequences of the attack could have led to a potential tragedy given the close proximity of the water’s edge.
I stand by my decision to report the incident owing to the fact that the goose posed a serious risk to the general public and that action needed to be taken to protect the safety of all who enjoy our harbour.
Owing to the ongoing and somewhat tiring publicity around the offending goose I have re-contacted the Harbour Commissioners and have been assured that the goose is fit and well which is more than can be said for the pensioner it attacked.
I have been informed that The Whitehaven News has received photographic evidence of the goose’s healthy status and would hope that you could help draw a line under this saga by confirming that the goose is in good health and publishing this letter. I am glad to say that as a result of the swift actions taken that the harbour is again a safe place to stroll and I am very grateful for that.
Jeanette WRIGHT
Summergrove Park
Hensingham, Whitehaven
Strike lessons
to be learned
SIR – After weeks of disruption I was pleased to hear that the refuse collection service was restarting this week (June 9). I hope the council have learned a valuable lesson in the last few weeks.
I live in Whitehaven town centre and have no black bin, therefore collection is in the form of black refuse sacks. For the last few weeks the street has been a disgraceful mess with the lack of collections. Each night seagulls do their best to destroy and remove every item from every bin bag up and down the street, which then makes it impossible to bring the bags back in.
The street looks more like a landfill site than a seaside town that only last week welcomed the Queen. The smell is almost unbearable and my biggest fear now is not the seagulls, but of rats. Although I haven’t yet seen any, I feel it is only a matter of time before I do.
I was happy to hear that the Queen herself was visiting our small town and looked forward to seeing Whitehaven make the national news, but I was slightly concerned that Whitehaven may have made a lasting impression with the royal family for all the wrong reasons. Thankfully not. I hope that this ‘let off’ for the council teaches a valuable lesson, and any further disruptions to collection service are dealt with in a swifter manner.
Name and address supplied

SIR – It seems Copeland Borough Council have pulled a magnificent stroke to get themselves involved in a dispute for collection of household rubbish after all the publicity there was the other week after a householder’s bin was overfilled by four inches.
I no doubt speak for what many others are thinking, as Allerdale have a weekly collection of rubbish also garden rubbish. Just exactly what are we getting for the increase in council tax? Maybe we all should withhold our payments, as the service we are paying for is nonforthcoming.
Yes, Whitehaven train station was painted for the Queen’s visit. I’m sure she took a lot of notice of it, and there again, if she hadn’t visited, would it have been painted? We all know the answer to that.
The town itself is rapidly becoming a “Bin”, I suggest that the Leader resigns and a new council formed who is going to listen to people and clean up this ugly act.
Name and address supplied

SIR – On behalf of Copeland Borough Council, I would like to apologise to all our customers for the inconvenience caused by the industrial action which has recently taken place. I would also like to thank all of our customers for their patience during this time.
I am pleased to say that the strike action has now come to an end and all of our refuse staff are working hard to ensure that we catch up with collections this week.
As I hope you are all aware by now, we are collecting black bins all week to ensure that we have caught up with everyone’s household waste. We are also relaxing the normal rules on excess waste for this week to ensure we collect everyone’s waste.
Next week, once we have caught up with household collections, we will recommence our garden waste and bulky waste collections.
Kerbside recycling collections have already returned to normal, and collections will continue to take place on the usual day.
Queries about waste collections can be made by calling us on 0845 054 8600. Helpful information on waste collection and recycling can also be found on our website at www.copeland.gov.uk.
We would also like to thank all of our partners who have helped us to deliver a service over the last few weeks, including Derwent Recycling, Cumbria Waste Management, Cumbria Academy of Sport, Allerdale Borough Council, and many others.
Janice CARROL
Waste Services Manager

Apologies for past mistakes
SIR – I love to read Memory Lane and was delighted to see in The Whitehaven News of May 29 ‘50 years ago’ the article on my late grandfather, Alderman W Stephenson, cutting the first sod on the site for St Gregory and St Patrick’s new infant school. My husband, George, and I together with our two small sons and other family members were there to watch the proceedings. Granda was proud that his two great-grandsons were there.
But, someone has got it wrong! Granda was a former Mayor of Whitehaven and a Freeman of the Borough, not a Freemason.
Patricia M DALTON
Scotch Street, Whitehaven
Thanks for help
SIR – I would like to personally thank the young adults who assisted me home after falling off the dock steps on Saturday, May 31.
Please could you contact me via Alan Cleaver at The Whitehaven News, telephone 01946 595130.
Mrs E BIRKETT
Whitehaven
Hospital letter was no tonic
SIR – On reading the letter from N Banks re West Cumberland Hospital last week, my wife had a referral there for a major operation. I must say the consultants and nurses that dealt with her initial consultation were excellent but the letter from N Banks makes uncomfortable reading, to say the least.
R WELLS
Dalston