Suprise suprise

The latter I’ve been cutting out and sending to two friends of mine, both coming up to their 90th year and one with Parkinson’s. In turn, they send them to their grandson in France.

Now I’m in a dilemma – nothing to cut out and send.

“Why?” you ask. Well, how can I send a picture that is cut in half, not only that, as it is in the middle of two pages the join is always crumpled. I wish you would return to how it was.

Shouldn’t the ones who send you their pictures, many names well known, after their time and trouble have what they’ve sent to you represented properly?

Your letters page I like. One person who comes to mind is Susan Richardson, a thinking person without a doubt.

One word I would say to her is keep on never minding and say what you must.

Knowing The Star, you have to put all opinions on your pages, many without a thought in their heads.

Jane D Bailey

by email

We have listened to what you and others have said and decided to return to the original letters page format.

Neglected Carbrook

The rose-tinted view of the prospects for Sheffield’s heritage portrayed by Joy Bullivant in a recent Telegraph ‘report’ is not one I and others recognise. Nor is her inference that Sheffield was a Roman town.

The announcement that the long-neglected Carbrook Hall public house with its Jacobean panelling and cornucopia of interesting but not intrinsically valuable English Civil War replica material has been sold and will close in a few weeks is yet another example of the real situation.

With its neighbours, Hill Top Chapel – founded by the Brights of Carbrook Hall and the former Britannia Inn – with its links to Huntsman – the pub could have been a link in a city-wide heritage trail and helped revitalise both Attercliffe and the jaded Five Weirs Walk.

Its cause has been flagged up in these pages previously and recently by CAMRA with a bid for it to be given Community Asset status.

Yet the case was rejected by Sheffield City Council. The Hall is Grade 2, Star listed so is anyone in this city going to do anything at the 11th hour to remedy the indifference lavished on it over the years?

I could go on at length over the real state of Sheffield’s attitude to its heritage – like I and others have done for decades – but it appears its not what’s wanted.

Those interested can get my further thoughts on twitter ron.clayton@loxleybottomsi and mywebsite/blog sheffieldhistorytours.

Ron Clayton

S6

Glorious trees

When the new housing estate was built at Shirecliffe, the last things on the minds of the new tenants would have been trees after most likely getting away from rat-infested slums etc, where good daily hygiene was almost impossible with the facilities available.

More so beyond their new front gardens, gas street lighting would have been their outside bonus.

As a schoolboy growing up on the neighbouring Norwood Estate I grew to appreciate the positive difference and benefits that trees made when comparing the bare open verges on Shirecliffe.

While the management of highway trees in other areas is being widely questioned and debated, why hasn’t Shirecliffe ever been allowed to have at least a choice?

To this day there are still no trees on the respectable Shirecliffe estate.

To this end, after appropriate consultation(s), who knows estates like Shirecliffe may be deservingly enriched with the planting of wanted trees, while the difficulties taking place in other areas are quickly and sensibly resolved.

Let us extend consideration(s) to all.

Mike Dodgson

Marchwood

Graves Park and dogs

As a regular visitor to this lovely park I am somewhat dismayed by the attitude of the many dog walkers.

Most are friendly but they do expect people to accept their animals running free and approaching other walkers.

I am disabled and have to walk with a cane, which I hold out to prevent dogs from jumping at me , because I suffer from nerve damage and ulcers on my legs. I have no intention of harming the animals but have been verbally abused several times by the owners.

The worst scenario happening recently when a dog ran at me and I said “no” and held out my cane.

The owner then shouted at me saying “you should be in a wheelchair if you can’t cope with dogs”. I was also informed a while ago that “Graves was a dog park”.

In Bakewell park, dogs have to be kept on leads between the hours of 11am and 4pm which I think is reasonable as they are still exercising.

I hope some of the people concerned read this letter and perhaps try to understand why I have to prevent more potential harm being done to myself.

Mrs M Gee

by email

Do the decent thing and go

I find it rather amusing that Sheffield City Council is using the Trade Union and Labour Relation Act of 1992, an Act of Parliament which was instigated by Margaret Thatcher and passed by John Major to regulate British labour laws or as we in Sheffield would say in plain English “A law that was brought into play to repress workers’ freedoms and keep the little people in their place”.

This ruling was and is in no uncertain terms a purely Thatcherite dictat and for a Labour-controlled local council to pursue it as a means to suppress the action of private property holders who wish to protest peacefully at the loss of their street trees via Section 241 is in no uncertain terms one of the lowest points in the history of local Labour politics other than their rank incompetence at running a budget.

How many people will be mugged and burgled while Sheffield City Council has half the police force out arresting pensioners, assorted home-owners and even the odd fellow councillor in the front gardens of Sheffield?

And to make it worse we get to watch it on the TV and read about it in the papers.

Julie Dore and Brian Lodge, do the decent thing and resign, you are an embarrassment to Sheffield.

Go on, on your way.

Lee Swords

Sheffield resident and tree lover

The health service

My wife is undergoing treatment at Weston Park for cancer.

On Friday, February 10 she was admitted to Weston Park but due to having lost the use of her right arm she had to visit the A&E at the Northern General hospital first.

The ambulance service was very responsive and by 6.40pm she was at the Norther General.

Six hours later the scan on her was completed, by this time it was 12.20am.

We then had a near eight-hour wait for an ambulance to take my wife to Weston Park.

Is it not time for Sir Andrew Cash, chief executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and some of his directors to visit the A&E on an evening and see the problem first hand?

CH, a disgruntled disgusted tax payer aged 75

by email