Your Letters

Favor Parker, Rats and Darts

Dear Ray,

I am getting thoroughly fed up with all the letters that you are receiving signed anonymously. They are all concerning the Favor Parker "problem" and I do wonder what on earth they are afraid of in not mentioning their names. Last month's epistle from 'Concerned Villager' finally got to me and forced this letter.

Firstly, the person admits to only having bought three copies of the 'Pump' in six years so I don't think he cares one jot about the village and the supporting of it's traditions. Secondly, he moved to Stoke Ferry six years ago and must have been aware of the Favor Parker factor - we moved here over five years ago and certainly realised that there would be a little inconvenience that we would have to put up with. However, it has been well worth it.

I move on next to this ridiculous idea of every bit of traffic going along the bypass. The purpose of the bypass is that all through traffic should use it, which I think happens. However, if a bus service is to serve a community, then it has to be available in it. If 'Concerned Villager' got his way, what would happen to those living in the High Street, Bridge Road and The Moorings?

Finally, I refer to a letter some months back when it was suggested that the railings in the High Street and Hill area should be painted at the Parish Council's expense. Why don't the people concerned get a pot of paint and do it themselves - why should the rest of us help pay for it through our community tax?

Well, I'm glad that I have got that all off my chest. However, it is very sad to realise that selfish attitudes and 'nimbyism' are still thriving amongst us.

Yours sincerely

Graham Forster

Dear Editor,

Isn't it a shame that the people making most noise about Favor Parker cannot identify themselves. The factory has been in this village for many years, as most of us know, and long may it continue. The company provides employment for many people in and around the locality. I suspect that the author of the letter in the January issue is a newcomer, possibly a townie, probably retired, who thinks that they can move into the village, snap their fingers and demand changes. When they are not forth coming then the whinging inevitably starts.

Alexis Brand

Wretton

Dear Editor,

I am concerned to see the rats are back in Chequers Road!! Where the road meets the Old Stoke Road, then the By-pass, there seems to be a small piece of no-mans-land and it is a common sight to see a rat run from across the road onto the fields. This week two were playing about on the ploughed field; this at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I have read that one female rat can have up to 35 young in one year!!

Last summer, while walking, we watched four of them playing in this piece of land. At the time the TV was asking people to report sightings so I did; to the Council. I was told that they can't poison them on land without the farmers consent, so did they do anything? I didn't see any for a while, but now they are back and the banks at the edge of the field for a few yards down Chequers Road have more rat holes in them than I can count.

So, who is going to do something? Is it Norfolk County Council, the farmers or the Parish Council?

Yours sincerely,

R Watson (Mrs)

Dear Editor,

How much I enjoyed Ron Watts article, 'Looking Back'. What a first class contributor he is. The question has to be asked, 'who on earth will replace him when he decides to finally lay down his pen? And this is my point when I say the future interests me much more than the past. Yes I can waffle on about what I did or didn't do years ago, and surprisingly some people I believe are interested in that. But none of that can compare with today, and more importantly tomorrow.

Today our Village Pump is in my view on the way up. The January edition was excellent as indeed have been recent editions. We must not forget however the past, and remember those people who were there at the Village Pumps inception. The hard work they did and which we have to build on. We have today a first class Editor and Team. Excellent Contributors, all who write on different levels. You need this diversity. In other words there is even a place for the nonsense, like what I write.

There is, however, one area which I think we should address, and that is a wider circulation. By this I mean that every household with-in our circulation area should have a copy of the Village Pump. I believe our Village Pump is worthy of this. At the end of the day the final accolade must go to those who buy our Magazine. They are the most important people of all. Without them the whole business becomes superfluous.

Les Lawrence

I wonder how many of you watched the World Darts Championship on television last month. I certainly saw as much as I could. I must confess that I find the game quite captivating, probably because for eight years I played in a team in the Berkshire league.

Watching on television, I cannot help but be amazed by the accuracy of the players or their amazing powers of mental arithmetic. The standard of the league in which I played was light- years away from these professionals and yet, no doubt, these men had started at the same lowly level. A darts night is really great fun and I would certainly recommend it to anyone. Apart from the actual playing side, there is good banter between teams, a few beers to be had and usually some very good food to be eaten at the end of the match, generously supplied by the host team. Everybody at some stage is a hero for the night, nobody is ever put down for failing to score the winning double - a really friendly sport with loads of bonhomie.

I use the word sport because I do look on it as such. The professionals of today have made it thus, and I cannot see why it should not be classified as an Olympic sport. If archery is an Olympic discipline, then surely darts is - after all it is only a modified version of the same thing. And if somebody mentions athleticism, then firstly why is archery there and also other so-called sports like shooting? I can accept that snooker could never be taken seriously as an Olympic event, but I am hoping that darts will eventually be accepted. Does any one want to differ?

Graham Forster