Anonymity is granted only at the discretion of the editor, who also reserves the right to edit letters.

Town council knows best

IN THE Gazette on February 21 the chairman of the area board, Simon Jacobs, defended Wiltshire Council’s decision to stop free parking in Devizes Market Place and tell the people of Devizes what can be achieved with an empty market place without any real details.

He makes no mention of the £95,000 which Wiltshire Council hopes to generate from parking in Devizes in the coming year.

Reading between the lines, if we pay to park, we can continue to park in the Market Place. If not, it’s to stay empty until some master plan, yet to be revealed, is put in place.

The Market Place has been used for free parking since the motor car first arrived in Devizes. This area is used 24 hours a day for functions and events run by the many businesses around this area and supported by the town.

I would suggest that the transfer of assets be made to Devizes Town Council without strings, as they are best able to look after the interests of the people of Devizes and the surrounding area.

TERRY FELL, Cornwall Crescent, Devizes

No to saint’s name

WHILE I don’t really see a need to rename the John Bentley School, and if it had to happen, would have favoured it becoming ‘Calne Community School’, I strongly disagree with those correspondents who would have liked it to be called after St Dunstan.

I can see no reason at all for a non-denominational school to be given a saint’s name. Why was Dunstan made a saint? Because it is claimed he performed miracles. I do not think any secular school should be endorsing such credulity.

JOHN BOALER, Woodland Park, Calne

Why not ban cars?

BANNING cars from Devizes Market Place seems to be an unpopular proposal. I feel that removing cars would allow the Market Place to blossom and return it to its former glory before the internal combustion engine held sway.

Naturally residents and businesses are resistant to change but there are ways to improve parking elsewhere if other factors are dealt with:

n Leave space for perhaps 15 cars in Northgate Street for 15 minutes to allow quick visits.

n Remove coach parking spaces from New Park Street (which in any event are hardly used) and let them park in the Market Place bus stops. This would ‘free up’ about 10 car parking spaces. It would also encourage visitors to use shops and facilities in the Market Place.

There is space in New Park Street for some cars to park ‘bumper in’ rather than sideways on which would increase the number of spaces.

n Install a taxi phone in the Market Place so those who struggle to walk could get a taxi up from the Station Road car park.

n Reduce one-hour parking times around the town to 30 minutes which would double the number of parking spaces.

n Remove the parking charges in the Station Road car park.

It would only remain for residents and visitors to enjoy our wonderful car-free Market Place. There would be room to allow stocks to be installed in the Market Place for councillors to have rotten tomatoes thrown at them if they don’t remove parking charges in the Station Road car park!

SIMON HOLT, Via email

Death knell sounds

THE word from the town council representative at Saturday’s consultation on parking in Devizes Market Place was that there was a need for change because the banks would all be closing and people were shopping with Amazon rather than from our shops.

What about the chemist, the stationers and kitchen shops, to name a few which are not in competition with Amazon?

The implication from these comments is that the council is happy to see the death of our Market Place as we know it, rather than help to save it.

TONY MORTON, Littleton Panell

One-way bitterness

I WAS astonished to read ‘Gran accuses UKIP of racism’ in last week’s Gazette & Herald by Joanne Moore. I have known the lady accused of racism for some years now. I have never known her to even raise her voice in temper, yet alone declare a racist thought. She just wouldn’t. I was there on Friday but left earlier feeling unwell. The lady accused of this racism was her usual jolly self when I left.

What should be remembered while reading stories like these is that it’s been a public sport of those who don’t like UKIP and hate the result of the referendum to try and brand us racist, making us a target of outrageous behaviour, some of which I’ve faced myself. It’s not pretty and comes with all the venom of the left-behinds.

Before UKIP was formed most of the people I’ve met in UKIP were actually members of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. The bitterness is one-way. How you get to be racists or indeed in David Cameron’s childish slur, ‘fruit-cakes’, just because you believe the UK would be better off out of this club, the EU, with its unelected President Tusk, is beyond me.

STUART EELS, John Aubrey Close, Yatton Keynell

Intolerant society

MANY homes in Chippenham are installing outside lights that are now so bright and flash on and off like a disco. This disturbs sleep and blinds you temporarily. This does not deter thieves, and neighbours just think its another cat on its night’s patrol.

Many homes in Chippenham have stereos that emphasise the bass notes, which travel from one home to another, intruding on the neighbours’ peace and quiet in their own home. This causes stress, anger and depression, to name but a few.

Sadly we live in an intolerant society, feeding off other people’s intolerances. Maybe the manufacturers should stop making domestic equipment that is too powerful as many users choose not to use headphones. Neighbours would get along more if we consider how our actions affect those around us.

Do not get me wrong, I too am guilty, especially when I was younger, wanting to show off to all those around that I am cool because I listen to this or that music and don’t care what anyone thinks.

Is this an age thing? Is it karma?

Discuss!

JACKIE SMITH, Chippenham

Police must be seen

I READ with interest the response from retired police officer George Murray to my campaign to increase police effectiveness in Wiltshire. To label the Police and Crime Commissioner as merely a “bean counter” is a common misconception. The partnership between the PCC and the Chief Constable needs to be strong to enable the wishes of local people to be translated into operational practice.

The 2011 Act of Parliament, which established PCCs, gives them legal responsibility “for the totality of policing within their force area” and this is expanded in the policing protocol laid down by the Home Secretary. Although police officers remain operationally independent, the PCC is required to set the strategic direction and objectives of the force through the Police and Crime Plan and this includes agreeing the allocation of budget objectives with the Chief Constable.

It is my opinion that the PCC must ensure that policing is delivered in accordance with the wishes of the community that elects him or her. I firmly believe that to be effective, policing must be visible and this is the principle that has formed the basis of my recent campaign to increase local police officer numbers. Effective and visible policing will also be the central platform of my campaign to be the next Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon.

WILTSHIRE COUNCILLOR JONATHON SEED, Summerham and Seend

Clothes swap success

THERE has been a lot in the news recently from the world of fashion (a look back on the life and achievements of Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel’s artistic director, and the publication of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s recommendations on tackling the destructive environmental impact of fast fashion), so it felt fitting to get involved with a great local initiative for recycling pre-loved clothes and accessories.

This initiative, spearheaded by local environmentalist Maria Baker, was a clothes swapping evening hosted by the good people of Trinity Church in Chippenham. Maria had given her circle of contacts plenty of notice, via Eventbrite, of the date for the clothes swap.

In the preceding weeks, there was an outpouring of generosity and action. The clothes that people donated to the event were a) abundant and b) great quality. So, the clothes swapping evening was a joy.

The items were helpfully arranged by sizes, with children’s clothes having their own zone, grouped by age and gender. Everyone seemed delighted with the choice and quality on offer.

The organisers told me that all items that weren’t taken by the end of the evening would be distributed to the charity shops in Chippenham. These include Age UK, British Heart Foundation, Oxfam, The Red Cross and YMCA. I was thrilled to be part of such a successful event.

Given that a kilo of cotton clothing (a new T-shirt and pair of jeans) can take between 10,000 litres and 20,000 litres of water to produce (from growing the cotton, through each stage of the garment’s manufacture), it’s vital that we get the most amount of wear possible out of every garment.

Releasing clothes from our wardrobes for others to wear is a wonderful way of helping each other and helping the planet. It was encouraging to see children and teenagers engaged with the event, thereby learning good habits around maximising the longevity of clothing.

I was also thrilled to ‘bag’ a classic sweater dress in camel. It’s gorgeous and fits perfectly. A huge thank you to the kind and generous donor of this lovely, quality piece of clothing.

SUE TINGEY, Founder Mums and Dads (MAD) about Waste @MAD_about_waste

Thanks for support

WE would like to thank all the people who came to our mum’s aid after she was involved in an incident with a car in Emery Gate car park on Tuesday, February 26.

Thanks especially to Jess, who called the paramedics. After being checked over, we sat in Emery Gate where girls from Tesco’s came to see her, and even made her a cup of tea. She said she didn’t realise she had so many friends.

Just to let them know, she is bruised but nothing is broken, and she looks forward to seeing everyone soon.

The children of BARBARA FISHER, Chippenham

Don’t give in to fear

THE so-called ‘Momo challenge’ has been making headlines and causing concern for parents. According to news reports, Momo is a creepy doll-like figure which is said to appear in social media, videos and games online. This is what parents need to know, and what you can do to protect your child:

1. Set age-appropriate boundaries. Children of any age should be very cautious about adding anyone they don’t know to their networks.

2. Have open conversations about online safety, and let your child know they can come to you if they see anything that upsets or worries them.

3. Report any Momo-related content to the platform (eg, YouTube, Instagram).

4. Teach your child what it means to be assertive and explore saying no to doing things they don’t want to do – whether face to face or online.

5. Get help: our website www.kidscape.org.uk has advice for families about online safety.

Momo may be frightening to children, in particular younger children. Memes like the Momo challenge draw their power from fear, so make sure your children see that you’re not scared of Momo, and it’s a problem you can solve together.

LAUREN SEAGER-SMITH, CEO Kidscape, Grosvenor Gardens, London

Proposal is flawed

THE proposal to close Larkrise and St Nicholas and vastly expand Rowdeford is seriously flawed. It will hugely extend travel times for current and future pupils at St Nicholas and Larkrise. It will completely change the character of Rowdeford School, and it will separate children with special needs from their local communities.

Parents of children at these popular schools are clear that they do not want this to happen.

Children with special needs should grow up integrated in their local community. They should not be bussed out of their local area. The extra time consumed by travel will make it more difficult for them to make friends, and get to know and be known by their neighbours at home – effectively isolating them in holidays. When they leave school, they will be relative strangers in their own home neighbourhood.

Just over 30 years ago my son lived near Trowbridge. To get special education appropriate to his needs, he had to be bussed to a large school in Bath.

The school was too big for him, he hated the journey, and he was separated from his existing friends. Arriving at school, he was already too tired to learn. He ceased being the lively, curious child we had known, and instead became grumpy, inactive, and overweight, a deterioration that took years to mend. With a local school, he might have had a very much better early adolescence.

Closing Larkrise and St Nicholas will inflict the same misery on many children with special needs.

ROD EVANS, Coate, Devizes

Thanks after fall

THANK you to the many kind women, who gathered round to help me, when I fell flat on my face in the middle of Devizes on Saturday, January 26 at around 3pm.

You showed such concern, asking if I needed a chair and offering to see me home and so on, in case I was in shock.

May I ask, if you (or anyone else who saw any part of the incident), could contact me through this newspaper (01225 773600) or gazette@newswilts.co.uk, so that I have all the available details.

RAY STEVENS, Via email

Making things right

I WANTED to write to thank the Gazette & Herald for its support in last week’s edition and editorial over the vote by Wiltshire Council to acknowledge the Climate Emergency.

Thanks are also due to the local members of Extinction Rebellion for raising the issue in the first place and to the Citizen’s Climate Lobby, in particular Professor David Waltham, an Earth systems scientist from the University of London, who helped me fashion the motion to fit Wiltshire’s situation.

The biggest thanks must however go to the members of Wiltshire Council who were prepared to listen and participate, and whose views were swayed by the debate, such that they felt able to vote on the basis of doing what was right for all our children’s futures.

The ‘rugby’ like score on the day of 36 for, 32 against and seven abstentions showed how hard-fought it was.

Wiltshire now joins other local authority areas who have declared or acknowledged the Climate Emergency.

So far over a quarter of the population of Great Britain now lives in areas where this has happened and the numbers are growing by the day.

It is perhaps interesting to reflect that this is also half the total number of people worldwide who have so far been covered by a local authority that have done this.

Interesting and also appropriate, as the country that started the industrial revolution, we are now at the forefront of those that are now seeking to find solutions for the environmental problems it has caused.

I for one am proud to be of a nation that is seeking to do its bit to make things right, and to lead the world and humanity out of this environmental crisis.

DR BRIAN MATHEW, Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for North Wiltshire & Wiltshire councillor for Box & Colerne

Horrid Home Office

RECENTLY, quite rightly, there has been wide coverage about anti-Semitism. Yet little is reported about the shameful anti-immigrant policy against other human beings being conducted by our own Government. Many ordinary, decent men and women who have made their home and raised their families in the UK, who originally came from beyond our shores and are not multi-millionaires, are now living in dreadful fear of the inhumane and callous way the Home Office is trying to remove and rid them from this country.

Currently the Home Office is seeking to deport many who had come to the UK to seek refuge after they opposed the brutal regime of Robert Mugabe. This includes Piwie Moyo who, since arriving here, has lived in Somerset and been the full-time carer of a quadriplegic for over nine years; Mamoud, a Canadian with IT skills, has been told he is to be deported leaving behind his British wife and their four children, all born in Bristol. As he does not have £62,500 in his bank account, he does not qualify for a visa to remain with them.

There are countless other similar cases and it is estimated that there are over 15,000 children living apart from a parent because their mother or father has been deported by the Home Office.

In this country today many live in constant fear of a knock on their door in case it is a Home Office official wanting to take them off to a detention centre to await deportation to a country they no longer regard as home or would feel safe in. They live in the terrifying reality that at a whim of that Government department their, and their family’s, life may be torn apart forever.

The deplorable inhumanity of the Home Office has intensified since our church-going Prime Minister, when Home Secretary, introduced her deliberate Hostile Environment policy against immigrants. The Windrush scandal has not even softened the Kafkaesque dehumanised stance and tactics used by the Home Office to meet the demands of their political masters.

Our local MPs must condone the way our Government is causing so much misery and fear to so many blameless lives, for you never hear them raising the issue or voicing their disapproval. It makes me ashamed of being British every time I discover how intolerant, cruel and draconian our Government has become.

ALAN SCOTFORD, Marshfield Road, Chippenham

Defibrillator gift

MARLBOROUGH Rugby Club would like to thank Jimmy Sprules and members of the Pewsey Hasbeens (Pewsey Gentlemen’s Club) for their generous donation of £250 which will be going towards the annual upkeep and service of our defibrillator. Without the generosity of people like yourselves, we would not be able to achieve such important goals.

RODNEY ADAMS, Marlborough RFC, Chairman 1871 Club

Road camera query

DO you or any of your readers know why the sudden appearance of what looks like high-level traffic monitors have appeared at the bottom of Alton Barnes?

There are two, one at the bottom of the junction with the Devizes Road and one at the junction at Alton Priors. Both are tacked onto road signs and have control boxes at the base.

These boxes will inevitably be vandalised if left for any length of time, but I haven’t seen any reports of traffic monitoring in this area.

I wonder if the perpetrators should inform the public if motorists are to be secretly filmed.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

Independent again

IF there is a second Brexit referendum and you want to be in an United States of Europe, you should vote to remain, otherwise you must vote leave, because this will be the last chance to vote.

Brexit will not be easy, but we hope to be an independent country again.

I’m not sure if Mrs May’s deal delivers this but I hope so. We hope the question would be unambiguous.

NICHOLAS SMITH, Hilmarton