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Where is our stadium?

WHEN the great Admiral Nelson said “Ships? I see no Ships”, what he really meant was “Stadium? I see no Stadium”, nor any thing looking like a start of a stadium.

After the last piece in the Adver that it’s full steam ahead, the works are starting, state of the art facilities for both the speedway and greyhound racing, you can all move in in July... but which July is it? 2017/2018/2019? Or the nearest July in the soon to be here roaring 20s?

I had a little venture today to the area where all this work is taking place and the only action I could see was a lake of storm water being blown about by the wind with the occasional seagull and duck making a forced landing on the water. This lake is surrounded by fencing with a cabin sunk in the middle. There are more and more houses being thrown up but no promised stadium.

Methinks someone somewhere is hoping a twin tailed lesser spotted four-eyed newt will appear and the stadium will now not be built, but we can put another 50 houses there because these newts are not effected by houses, just stadiums.

I with others have over the past couple of months been in the process of buying more greyhounds to race at the new track and I like others have put these plans on the backburner for now. The main reason for that is if Swindon is not now going to have a suitable stadium to race there is no point in buying new dogs.

JOHN L CROOK

Haydon Wick

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We’re in a right mess

ONCE again our council seem to be delivering an inadequate service to the people who supply the fat wages that seems to go with the territory of the unelected.

They get our local bus company, Thamesdown, into £2m of debt , they continue to reduce services, more than often to the underprivileged and vulnerable, they constantly plough ahead with crass ideas that take up large amounts of money we are regularly informed there is none of, and they still support the small privileged Friends of Swindon Museum and Gallery group who are supposedly going to put a heart back into Swindon for a £5m contribution, and we the local tax payer are expected to pay on average an increase of 5 per cent to maintain the poor level of services we receive currently.

Now it’s all well and good Mr Renard spouting the fact that Swindon flies high in the economic ranks compared to other towns and cities but I can assure him that has very little to do with him or his council, it’s to do with the working people of the town, a town built on the brilliance of our one time world renowned railway works, that is the heritage of this town and how the workers in Swindon have always been.

Take a look at “your” town centre Mr Renard and tell me where we rank in that department? Tell me one thing that makes Swindon different from any other town or city centre. There is nothing, there is not one store that cannot be found in any other town or city, there are next to no independent or individual shops as you don’t want them. We are the run down, grubby, sorry excuse that we pay top dollar to live in. You took away our established street sellers and replaced them with the odd “German/French market” or a kids’ roundabout - brilliant.

The Outlet shopping centre is a top example of what can be achieved with a bit of thought, not down to you though and you have never sought to “ twin” the outlet centre with the town centre.

The busiest outlet in Swindon on a weekend is the ticket office at Swindon station where many of the people who make Swindon rank economically right up with the best are going to Bath or Bristol or Oxford or Cheltenham or Reading or London or Newbury to offload the money they have earned in the businesses they have built up to a success in Swindon.

KEVIN EDMONDS

Covingham

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Rebel with a cause

I SOMETIMES often wonder that my contributions to these pages must make me appear to the younger generation as a boring old so and so. I beg to differ. My grandkids think I am cool.

When Bill Haley and his Comets appeared on film in the UK with Rock Around The Clock, I suffered detention with most of the school, East Bank Academy, Glasgow’s East End, by missing school to watch the film. I was also taken before the headmaster with two of my fellow rebels.

I wore leather jackets against school uniform rules after watching Marlon Brando in The Wild One (they were not leather, but cheap synetic imitations). Not to mention long hair as a Rolling Stones fan, in my twenties. Now sadly it’s all gone.

Have no fear, our younger generation.

The next time your parents rebuke you for your conduct, they are genuine in regarding your best interests, as long as your behaviour is within the law.

Remind them of their youth, and ask them about their past youthful escapades.

BILL WILLIAMS

Merlin Way, Covingham

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Not a women’s issue

BILL Williams writes that women who marched against the democratically elected president of the USA because of his misbehaviour against women, should have but didn’t march against the Rochdale sex abuse scandal.

I am rather mystified. Shocking as Cyril Smith’s and his accomplices’ crimes were, they were against boys and not a concern solely of women.

I can’t understand why he brings sharia law into his letter as I have no reason to believe that Smith or his vile accomplices were Muslims.

STEVE THOMPSON

Norman Road, Swindon

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It makes no sense

TRAVELLING from Devizes through to Shrivenham daily, I cannot understand why Greenbridge roundabout has been altered and is now dangerous.

It’s also a pollutant of the environment, the lanes make no sense in places, I’ve witnessed various near misses, and why traffic lights? It is just slowing the volume of traffic!

It makes no sense. At 5am these lights are stopping traffic. Swindon has become a dirty polluted town through an inept road system. Surely traffic needs to flow.

TREV DAVIS

Cannings Hill

Devizes

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Subsidise buses

SWINDON Borough Council is selling Thamesdown Transport because the bus service has made losses of £2 million.

The bus service is an essential service to the public and should not be expected to run at a profit. It is there to help people get to work and to help elderly people to do their shopping.

Many services like banking are only available in the town centre so the buses are essential for those people who do not own a car.

If people cannot get to work or to the town centre the cost will be enormous to those individuals who might be forced to use taxis.

It is the duty of Swindon Borough Council to subsidise the bus service to keep the wheels of commerce and industry turning in Swindon.

TERRY HAYWARD

Burnham Road

Swindon

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Save this building

AS yet another Swindon building comes under the spotlight for redevelopment, we need to make our councillors understand that this is our town and it must be protected from the developers whose only criterion is profit.

This time it is 1-3 Faringdon Road that they have decided to change or get rid of.

This building was built by Alderman WG Little in 1892 and opened as a drapers and milliners shop which made him a very rich man.

This councillor understood his responsibility to the people of Swindon and took them very seriously.

In his will he left in trust his wealth and his buildings to the people of Swindon with the sole trustees being Swindon Council who he believed would carry out his wishes to the full.

The rent from the building was to be used to finance such diverse things as financial support for the education of disadvantaged children to paying for concerts in the town’s pleasure gardens such as the Town Gardens and Faringdon Road Park so that the townsfolk could enjoy a little culture in their spare time.

Many of you will know this building as the Citizens Advice Bureau in Faringdon Road which has helped thousands of struggling members of the community over the years.

However Forward Swindon and the Council have applied to the Charity Commission to get this building removed from the trust which has been successful so that it can be rebuilt and sold as high quality apartments (which members of the general public does the Council think will benifit from this move?). If enough of us show our disdain and disquiet at this disrespect for one of Swindon’s greatest philanthropist just maybe it will not be too late to stop this sell off and save this building for future generations to come. At the time of writing this letter the petition was heading towards 400 and I would ask you all to take a few minutes of your time and also sign it. www.change.org/p/swindon-borough-council-save-swindon-s-heritage-1-3-faringdon-road.

I know its a bit long winded to type it in but it is well worth the time it takes so thank you in advance.

ROY CARTWRIGHT

Covingham