Your letters

 

from Andy Todd, Paget Sports, May 7th 2008

Is there any chance that Paget Sports and St Gerrards may get some sort of coverage next season in the Vale Mail  we both play at the Vale stadium in the festival Sunday league. We met in the Festival Cup  quarter final this season Which Paget Sports won 4-0 and won the festival cup by beating Warren Athletic in the final at Coles Lane Sutton Coldfield FC.

 

Or is playing  Sunday football not IMPORTANT enough for the Vale Mail. I forgot to mention we’re not JKS  or Castle Vale FC either. Are they the only teams worth mentioning in your paper ?

Andy Todd

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28th February 2008, from Mr K Plester, Castle Vale

Ken Plester

Thanks to those who campaigned against parish council

Dear Editor

Now that the parish council idea has finally been laid to rest, I would like to add my thanks to those of Joan Lawrie (Vale Mail 4 to all those who voted against the idea. Also to those people who helped to collate and distribute some 800 leaflets around the estate; and also to John’s Newsagents for the free advertising space.

A vote of thanks is also due to Ann Holtom of Lib Dems for organising the consultation and ballot; this enlightened a lot of people as to what was going on supposedly in their name on the estate.

In closing, I would ask the question where were the 1,000 plus petitioners when it came to the vital vote?

Yours faithfully

K Plester
Castle Vale

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25th February 2008, by e mail, from Gary O Brien, editor of Goosemoor Lane website

Hi Vale Mail

Your newspaper confirms my recent story about weekly weekend trouble re Castle Vale and Pype Hayes.
However your paper claims the trouble was being caused SOLELY by Erdington young people crossing onto Castle Vale to cause trouble!

IF your newspaper has misrepresented the facts as a feelgood Spin to Castle Vale residents (and I don’t know for sure except to say that my separate source WAS very credible and claiming it was kids from BOTH areas looking to cause trouble with each other and not just on the Castle Vale Estate either) then Vale Mail’s reporting is NOT of the standard we should accept and expect NOR is that type of innacurate reporting in the public interest.
It gives a false impression to Castle Vale residents about who is causing trouble on the estate, and I’m concerned about how some there might then treat mere (young) visitors from Erdington.
We had this with Sutton’s media for a few years and I put my foot down recently - I won’t put up with further community trouble resulting from deliberately inaccurate media reports seeking to create a feelgood factor in a particular area.

So, where did you get your facts from on the matter - and then we’ll ask the police who is right.
I think you’ll find I’ll be vindicated though (trouble caused by packs from BOTH areas wandering about trying to evade police etc whilst looking for each other to cause regular trouble with each other) - and if so I’ll be pushing Vale Mail for a correction in the newspaper.
The “McNulty Rule” seems to be totally running riot in Castle Vale with Quango after Quango there completely Spinning everything to residents and others in the city - often to justify their own pay-packets possibly.
Their pronouncements match nothing of the ongoing havoc I hear about the place from all sorts of sources - not to mention that what trouble WAS halted was often simply displaced to neighbouring areas like Shard End.

(From govt minister Tony McNulty - who deliberately lead BBC’s Panorama to a starstrck Linda Hines in Perry Common and deliberately steered them clear of all other community activists in Erdington who he knew had rather a different point of view over crime which wouldn’t suit the govt).

Bye

Gary O’Brien
Goosemoor Lane Website
http://www.geocities.com/goosemoorlane/

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22nd February 2008, by email

“Voice of reason” ?

Dear Editor,

Has anyone else noticed the exquisite irony in Sion Simon’s reference to “the voice of reason”?

Is this not the same Sion Simon, our MP, who not so long ago behaved with appallingly bad taste in public, on Youtube? How is he qualified to judge what is or is not “reason”?

 

Yours faithfully,

Ann Froggatt

 

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Thanks for parish council vote

24th January 2008

Dear Editor
I am writing to say a big thank you to everyone who supported me in a ‘no’ vote in the parish council campaign. Common sense has prevailed.
A very special thanks should go to our MP, Sion Simon, for all his help.
Joan Lawrie,
Locking Croft

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Patience rewarded for local historian

Kay Hunter, a Castle Vale resident who researches local history, has for over two years been researching the case of Philip Matsell, the last man to be executed in Birmingham. After much research and persuasion, Kay has managed to convince the authorities that they have had some of their facts wrong for almost two centuries. The plaque that indicates where Matsell was executed has, Kay says, always been in the wrong place. Now, at last, he’s been able to set the record straight.

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Dear Editor

The Birmingham Civic Society have given the go-ahead for a new plaque for the Philip Matsell Case ( the last person to be hanged in Birmingham, 19th Century) to be unveiled next year in company of the press and Lord Mayor etc. Eventually the new plaque will be on the railway bridge at the bottom of Gt Charles Street.

The actual date being looked at is sometime in the first week of January 2008, but this is not yet finalised. The venue for the reception will be the West Midlands Police Museum on Stratford Road, Sparkhill, and the Museum wants to publish the story and other information nearer the time, with my permission. This is fantastic news as the research has taken two years, and arranging a new plaque, reception etc has taken another 14 months.

It will be funded by the Civic Society with the approval of its members.

Yours

Kay Hunter (Historian)

Johnson Drive, Castle Vale

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CHRISTmas?

Dear Vale Mail Readers,

I wonder what Christmas means to you? In our increasingly secular society it seems that Christmas is at best a time for families to enjoy being together and at worst a time for over indulgence and drunkenness. For some it is a time to enjoy the traditions they have cherished since childhood. For many it leads to terrible debt problems. For some it is just a break from work and for others it is a particularly sad and lonely time. Certainly these days many, if not most, seem to leave Christ out of their CHRISTmas altogether.

You may be surprised to know that Jesus never actually asked us to remember or celebrate His birthday. In fact, nowhere does the Bible even tell us the date of His birth, though there are some clues to the time of year and it certainly wasn’t 25th December !

However, Jesus did tell us that we should remember his death and His resurrection, for He is the Son of God and He was born into this world to be our Saviour. He died on the cross to take the punishment we all deserve for our wrongdoings, so that if we are prepared to repent (to turn from all that we know to be wrong) and receive God’s forgiveness, we can enoy a wonderful relationship with God in this life and spend eternity with Him. It may be sad to leave Christ out of CHRISTmas, but it’s tragic to leave Him out of our lives.

Hilary Burridge

Castle Vale

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Thanks to Tiggywinkles

Dear Editor

Please find attached a copy of the letter I sent to Tiggy’s Pegasus.I really want to say thank you to all the staff and show how good they are.I would be grateful if you could publish it in the Vale Mail.

 

I just wanted to drop a note to say a big thank you to the staff at Tiggywinkles.
Charlie has been fortunate to be involved in a number of activities over the last week and the staff have been wonderful in organising the events.
Firstly I would like to say a big Thank you to your student Nicole. She made a lovely gesture at the Halloween party with the gifts she put forward. She is very pleasant and polite and really made an effort with me as Charlie’s parent. It was very nice to be treated in such a way by someone I don’t know and I believe that she has a fantastic future ahead of her within childcare. I hope to see her over the next 12 months with Charlie being on the receiving end of her hard work.

I would also like to thank the members of staff involved in the Fire safety day. It was wonderful to see the kids very excited and having the opportunity to see a fire engine up close. I am really pleased with these types of activities as they are beyond the norm and I really believe that the children will take these events and learn from them.

Thank you again to everyone.

Christine Parkes (Charlie Parkes’ mom)

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Thanks for Disney on Ice Trip

Dear Editor

I am eleven years of age and my brother is ten. We were very lucky to get the chance to see Disney on Ice, thanks to the Astral Centre.

Both of us really enjoyed the show but not only that, Mr Brueton arranged a bus to take and bring us back. That was really thoughtful of him.

Our Mom, Grandad and Nannie (Cllr Lynda Clinton) went with us and we think they enjoyed the show as much as we did. Our friend Jason was also on the trip and he had a lovely time too.

A big thank you to the organisers of the event.

Jessica and Dean Mortiboy

(address through our Nannie)

 

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Disappointed in Quality of Journalism At Vale Mail

Dear Editor

I wish to record my disappointment at the quality of journalism in the October issue of Vale Mail.

Firstly, when letters are printed that contain allegations, it is normally good practice to both check the facts and offer the other party a right of reply. This is all the more critical in a publication that is published once every two months, as misinformation can be circulating and gaining momentum over a significant period.

In Mr Tony Romano’s letter entitled ‘Money Dwindling fast’, he claims that “the purple bus which a lot of people rely on has doubled its fare in the last few weeks”. As there is only one purple bus in Castle Vale, we can assume that he is referring to the 696 hopper bus operated by Merlin Venture.

Adult fares on this service have remained at £1 for many months - the last increase being in March As a thank you to our passengers we ran a summer promotion whereby anyone could travel on the bus as often as they liked during the day for just £1. Our normal daysaver fare for unlimited travel is £2, so this representetd a 50% discount. After seven weeks we reverted to the normal daysaver fare of £2 - could this be the alleged ‘doubling’ in fares? If so, this seems a little unfair as the price has only reverted to its original level. Later in his letter Mr Romano states that “a lot of lies have been spread by a handful of people.” Whilst I do not have any personal experience of this, I do know that misleading statements are often made, and the allegations of fares being doubled is certainly one of them.

My second complaint at the October issue is the editorial piece entitled “End of road for Merlin Maintenance”.

We provided a press release to Vale Mail to announce that we were opening a new training centre, and were delighted to announce that we had promoted our maintenance manager Robin Jones to the position of tutor there. We included Robin’s statement that “I will still be working with young people from the Vale in my new role with Merlin Training.”

Somehow this ended up in Vale Mail as “Robin Jones has quit his job at Merlin Maintenance to take up a post as tutor at Sutton Coldfield College”. So a positive piece about “Robin developing with Merlin” became a tabloid style “Robin quits Merlin”. This is not just down to someone not checking their facts, but was due to a press release not being read properly.

I am therefore reviewing our policy on providing news stories to Vale Mail, and am seeking their reassurance that the quality of their reporting will revert to its previous high quality. News about Merlin will still be available in our monthly newsletter, and we will be happy to add any resident who contacts us to the circulation list.

Yours faithfully

Robert Brown

Chief Executive, Merlin Venture

 

 

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Remembrance Day

Hello there, editor

Peace and love to your readers, good’uns and bad’uns, ha!

Lest we forget those who died in the wars: God rest absent friends and family.

We lost two grand uncles in the 1914-18 war, one in the navy and one on the Somme. And Uncle Paddy in 1949-45 war in the North Atlantic: R.I.P.

Jerry put three torpedoes into the troop ship with the loss of 800 lives. I was looking after Uncle Paddy’s whippet and canary the night he died. About 2 a.m. in 1942 both the whippet and the canary went mad; they seemed to know something was wrong! A couple of days later, the telegram boy came with the bad news. We had no bodies to bury. The sharks must have had a good feed, or the mackerel scavengers.

So remember, remember, the 5th of November, and also the 11th November for those people who died to make the British Isles a better place to live in.

Young peoople only laugh at us old ones. It’s all kippers and lace curtains these days. I hope they don’t catch their snotty noses when curtain twitching, or fall down their wishing wells.

Cheers

Tom Walker

ex Merchant Navy and Irish Guards

 

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Crime Statistics

Dear Editor

I refer to your article in the October Vale Mail. (Crime Statistics Deceive us)

My daughter got attacked one evening in Locking Croft on her way home from her friend’s house. Six masked youths jumped her from behind. She was kicked and beaten up, and that evening had to attend the A+E at Heartlands Hospital.

Statistics say crime has fallen on Castle Vale. The police informed me there was nothing on the camera that monitors that area, or “it was not working that night.”

And you’re telling me that Castle Vale is a better and safer place for our community to live in.

I don’t think so.

Yours truly

A very concerned resident

Please publish my letter. I am concerned for my children and for the safety of others. My child is ok now, fortunately, thank God. It could have been worse.

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part of the graffiti’d gate near Vale Stadium that serves as a memorial to ‘Spam’ , a young motorbiker, tragically killed some years ago. (click photo to enlarge image)

R.I.P. SPAM

Dear Editor

I find no pleasure in writing this letter (click text to read mother’s reply), but I feel something should be said, if only to encourage our teenagers on Castle Vale to do something more mature and positive, regarding the loss of one of our own on Castle Vale.

A few years ago, a teenager was killed on a motorbike behind the Castle Vale Stadium. Graffiti is constantly being sprayed on the wall and gates of the stadium in memory of ‘SPAM’, the youth unfortunately killed in the accident. It creates a terrible eyesore.

Why not erect a plaque ‘in memory of Spam’ and place flowers at the gates. I’m sure ‘Spam’ and his family would be much more appreciative of a permanent reminder rather than the loutish spray paint that’s there now.

R.I.P. Spam.

Sender’s details withheld

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Thanks to TRA

Dear Editor

I’d just like to say thankyou to the Staff at the TRA at Spitfire House for all the time and care and support they’ve given to me. Now I’m studying IT, English and Maths and have even been on taster courses to help with future employment.

TRA are there for the community, so don’t be afraid and go in to see what they can help you with and how they can help you. The Staff are very approachable and friendly at all times.

Yours truly

Christine Perks

 

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