If, however, The Meadows are allowed to be left in the state we found them last Saturday morning, it is a total waste of money.
Not only was there litter everywhere, but glasses and bottles had been deliberately broken and left on the grass, fires had been started and it was almost impossible to believe that anyone could conceive that this is acceptable behaviour.
The Meadows are a huge asset to Stamford and it is vital that some initiative is established to ensure they are well maintained.
It is useless to make excuses as other towns seem to have evolved strategies for the management of such areas.
Please let us have ideas, not excuses!
J & M Atkinson,
Rutland Terrace,
Stamford

Don't cull the birds
As a proud grandfather who thoroughly enjoys feeding the ducks and the pigeons on The Meadows with his granddaughter, I would say do not even think of culling any of the bird life in the area.The Meadows is a dream. What it really needs is a quaint coffee shop in the centre of it, where we can all go and sit out in the sun, feed the birds, and relax. Can you imagine how popular that would be with locals and tourists alike in a sunny week as this one has been?
Colin Ward
Uffington

Rubbish brings the rats
I read with interest your article on the wild pigeons.
I feel a greater threat must be rats who are the unseen scavengers.
An indication is the very few ducklings on The Meadows this year. The root problem must be the amount of litter that is left all over The Meadows on summer evenings. People must be encouraged to take their litter home or put it securely in bags ready for disposal. The town council needs to address this problem rather than expend their energies on the extermination of pigeons.
Jean Orpin,
St Peter's Street,
Stamford

Triggering a conscience
On Tuesday, April 30, my mother was walking her Yorkie dog up to the playing fields at Easton-on-the-hill.
A black Labrador on a lead attacked the Yorkie. The Labrador was out of control.
Two weeks on the Yorkie has spent five nights at the vets, plus two day visits. She has not eaten and is being force fed, she has also not barked. She has extensive injuries and many stitches. Not only is that appalling my mother has been a wreck also. To date the vet's bills have been nearly £1,000.
My mother has paid but it would be nice if the owner had visited to see if the dog was okay. We have heard nothing.
I am writing to you as we have an idea who the woman was but have not seen her since.
We are hoping that a letter in the Mercury might trigger her memory, or her conscience.
Anne Mcculloch
Easton-on-the-hill

Police responses
The two articles at the top of page 3 of Friday's Mercury encapsulate two aspects of what is currently wrong with our society.
On the one hand we have violent yobbish behaviour that injures innocent people, and this is a source of major concern for people as they go about their daily lives.
In this case the best the police can do is to appeal for witnesses to the attack. Where were the old-style bobbies on the beat?
On the other hand a mother who took action against another group of yobs who attacked her son was arrested by the police on a public order offence.
Why should not a member of the public try to defend her family? If more people did so there might be fewer examples of yobs hassling people in public areas.
The problem seems to be that the police, when they are not bogged down in their own form filling, are intent on making easy arrests so as to improve their perform-ance statistics to satisfy Government demands.
They seem unable to prioritise their use of resources based on what would bring the greatest public benefit, despite the fact that we in Lincolnshire are paying massive increases in the police support costs in our most recent council tax bills. We really do need a change of attitudes to yobbish behaviour and the police responses to it throughout national and local government policies if we as a society really want to turn around both these most unwelcome trends?
David Allen
King Street,
West Deeping

Too many birds and cabs
What a state Stamford is in, too many taxis and too many pigeons.
It would help ordinary motorists and release much needed parking spaces if the number of taxis operating in the town was cut.
Only cabs operated by indigenous drivers living and paying council taxes in the town should be allowed.
This would also help the carbon footprint. Or does that no longer matter now that global warming has been put on hold for the next 10 years?
The other nuisance, pigeons, has been with us for many years. Efforts to get rid of these pests have been made in the past, all have failed.
Was it for lack of sufficient taxpayers' money? I don't think we need worry about that this time. Plastic spikes don't deter cats. I doubt whether they will worry pigeons a great deal. we could put a notice up 'out of bounds to pigeons'. It would be a lot cheaper.
A big problem is the town birds' nest in the roofs of the building, or it was when I lived in St Mary's Street 50 years ago. How do you deprive them of food when Stamford is in such a filthy state.?
We are also pestered with pigeons in Casterton Road and would like to get rid of them. Not being an expert, I will be interested to know what the answer is.
T Earl
Sutherland Way, Stamford

No problem going outside
I have just returned to Ireland from another happy holiday in Stamford.
I note from your newspaper that more than one establishment has made a request to place tables and chairs in the square for customers to have lunch, coffee, etc. What is the problem? Here in Galway when the smoking ban came into effect the majority of restaurants and pubs were given permission to place tables and chairs outside.
Our main street is pedestrian after 10am. This certainly has not caused any problems and actually adds to the atmosphere of the city.
I think Red Lion Square would benefit from this kind of addition. Supposedly you are hoping to have outside entertainment but I neither saw nor heard any mention of anything arranged.
If you do do this what are you going to do with all the 'parked' vehicles? I see no signs to say no parking in the square.
Jean Percy
Corrandulla,
County Galway

Political pawns
It's a local issue when servicemen and women are killed and almost daily we hear of fatalities in either Iraq or Afghanistan and for what?
Oil and drugs. If Iraq had no oil I bet we would not be there, nor if drugs were not grown in Afghanistan would we be there either.
These are not wars, these are political pawns and it's about time we stopped allowing our boys and girls to be slaughtered in these far off places.
I say bring our people home and let's defend our shores and worry about what goes on here rather than abroad. Simplistic maybe, but this issue is just going to go on and on with more and more brave hearts being killed and for what end?
Anthony Martyn
Elton Road,
Wansford

Sad memento from war
RE: Mercury Memories last week. I too am in possession of the book Rutland and the Great War.
It was presented to my beloved mother by Lord Ranksborough, the Lord Lieutenant of the county at the end of the First World War. He personally visited every home whose family had lost a relative in battle.
My father was killed during the first battle of Ypres on November 7, 1914, and my uncle died from pneumonia on April 20 1917. Father had served eight years in 1st Batt Grenadier Guards. My grandmother also was presented with the book. Uncle was in the 2/5th Lincs Regiment.
Ruth Ashton
Victoria Road,
Stamford

Kindness of strangers
On Wednesday, May 7, my purple Corsa broke down twice in Stamford at various grocery shops and I would like to thank those very kind and helpful people who helped me and my little baby getting my car started again.
That experience has shown me that there are so many polite and helpful people out there and I would like to, once again, thank you for your assistance.
Julia Rawlinson
Blackthorn,
Stamford

Growers are so welcoming
As a fairly new allotment holder I have been overwhelmed by the friendliness and helpfulness of the seasoned growers. When I started my plot on the Waterfurlong site last October it was great to see how other allotment holders would come and say hello. I never have to go far for any advice, even the odd plants and seeds have come my way. This is not just a means to an end, this is a lifestyle. The slow pace, peace and tranquillity makes the Waterfurlong allotments a haven from the busy life of kids, school runs, shopping and general grumpiness of the outside world.
Anyone thinking of taking up the allotment life should look at it from a different angle. It's not just a place to grow all your fruit and veg. It's a place to sit and read a book, have a chat, have a drink on an old deck chair or even do some gardening.
Paul Asserati
Cedar Road
Stamford

Calling my old friends
I grew up in Tallington and recently moved back to the area after my marriage broke down.
I have been trying to track down old school friends. I went to Exeter Secondary School, which is now a housing estate, and have been looking online to see if there is a website or anything for old pupils to contact each other?
I haven't made many new friends since my return. Any help anyone could offer would be a big bonus.
Warren Elding
Godsey Lane,
Market Deeping

Calendars crazy
Today at our home we received four identical letters containing the bin collection calendars from South Kesteven District Council. How about us getting our bus passes! Hope we don't get four.
Denis And Barbara Norman
Waverley Gardens,
Stamford