OPINION: Letters to the editor of the Newbury Weekly News
Name villages on the station sculpture
Friends of ours have also enquired about the squiggle on the wall that Paul Walter refers to at the station car park (Newbury Weekly News, April 25).
Rather than a plaque though, geographic locations of outlying villages might make the sculpture more self explanatory.
I realise that this would undermine any attempts at an abstract reading of the piece but most of us have had to have works by Picasso and Rothko explained to us sometime in our life and I doubt many are going to take the effort to bother reading a plaque for further enlightenment.
Tom Brown
Gore End
Surely showground has the responsibility
I am very surprised to read in your article that NADAS states that it has nothing to do with the way others manage events on the day at their showground (Newbury Weekly News, April 25).
As the owner of the site NADAS must surely retain the overriding responsibility for the way events that it grants permission for are organised at its own showground site.
It is especially important that the prior risk assessment process, assumed to be undertaken for each event, clearly provides the assurance that all potential adverse impacts, including possible traffic chaos, will not arise, and/or will be immediately rectified.
If not undertaken then West Berkshire Council should revoke requests for every proposed event until such responsibility is accepted with thorough risk assessments undertaken.
Perhaps the event organisers do not want to take on additional car parking locations that might not be required, and/or traffic management personnel in seeking to minimise costs incurred.
That too is an issue that is the responsibility of NADAS.
In a similar tone to the reader’s letter (David Gale) on this subject that appeared in the previous NWN issue, I had written by email to NADAS on April 15 about the traffic fiasco, as a local resident caught in the extensive queue.
Perhaps unsurprisingly I have not, to the time of writing this some 10 days later, had even an acknowledgment of my complaint, which demonstrates the lack of concern NADAS has of adverse impacts on local residents.
David Campbell
Chieveley
Newbury Ring Road timescale outlined
With reference to Anthony’s Pick’s excellent summary of Newbury’s industrial history (Newbury Weekly News, April 11), I hope he will not mind if I clarify his dating of the construction of what was once described as Newbury’s Ring Road.
The first stage of this was the A4 Relief Road (Western Avenue, not the A339), which opened in March 1959.
Prior to that all north-south and east-west traffic converged in Oxford Street, Speenhamland.
Some mighty traffic jams occurred at the clock tower in those days.
It was the central section, from the Robin Hood to Greenham House (not the A4 relief road) that opened in 1965 (September 13 in fact).
The late Trevor Brown (Newbury borough councillor 1971-74 and Berkshire county councillor 1974-89), adroitly referred to this as Newbury’s “bisector road”.
The Chieveley Link northward to the M4 from the Robin Hood Roundabout opened in June 1975.
The final stage of the Ring Road was the Sandleford Link, which opened in 1979.
Proposals for a ‘western section’ of the Ring Road were often discussed by members of Newbury Borough Council but got nowhere in practice.
The north-south sections of Newbury’s Ring Road became part of the Alton-Basingstoke-Chieveley A339 road as from November 17, 1998, when the new A34 actually by-passed Newbury.
Roy Tubb
Thatcham
Bombulum farce for Bockhampton Manor
I read Mirek Gosney’s artice about with great interest (Newbury Weekly News, April 18).
I recall reading many years ago that the Lord of the Manor of Bockhampton held his Manor of the King in return for a rather peculiar service.
Once a year he had to travel to the court and there in front of the whole court, who were no doubt laughing their heads off, he had to perform a ‘saltum, sub-saltum et bombulum’.
No doubt the hop and the skip were no problem but providing a ‘bombulum’ to order, in the knowledge that ‘no bombulum, no Manor’ must have been a nightmare.
What was the medieval equivalent of baked beans and what incident led to the original grant?
Clive Williams
Pangbourne Road, Upper Basildon
Come along to our 50th anniversary show
Newbury Weekly News readers may be interested to attend a special Volunteer Centre West Berkshire 50th anniversary variety show being held at Ace Space in St Nicholas Road, Newbury, on Saturday, June 29, at 7.30pm.
We have jazz singers, comedians, poets, ukulele players, guitarists and all performers to include Patrick Cogswell, Gail Hendrickx, Graeme Coulam, Ben Champion, Ken Rich, The Helen and Russ Duo, Jenifer Lynne Klepfer, Gavin Wilkinson, are giving their time free of charge in order to help us celebrate 50 years of volunteering in Newbury and West Berkshire.
If you’d like to buy tickets call the Volunteer Centre on (01635) 49004 and book.
Garry Poulson
Newbury
Fly Union Flag once again on our town hall
The Americans have recently agreed that they will continue to financially support Ukraine in its fight to remain independent.
I suggest this an appropriate time for the town council to review its own position in this matter.
For how much longer will the Ukrainian flag be flown upon our Town Hall, in preference to our own, Union Flag?
Will it be until Ukraine has ejected the Russian invaders from the Donbas?
Or, does the council feel it should only stop flying this flag once Ukraine has retaken the entire Crimean Peninsula?
Perhaps the council is waiting until Russia has annexed the whole of Ukraine, and the country no longer exists.
It is time to stop with this virtue signalling nonsense.
If the council has taken it upon itself to demonstrate the political allegiances of all the people of Newbury, to all who all who transit the Market Place, surely it must also fly a Palestinian flag, instead of the Union Flag.
Then, of course, there is the very large number of residents who support Israel in its struggle against genocide, so we must have their flag as well.
And of course, we wouldn’t want to offend any Russians, so let’s give the Russian flag our top spot for a while too.
Just put the Union Flag back where it belongs, and if you are not changing it for the Town Flag, leave it there.
If you cannot manage this, at least put in a larger flagpole so that you can fly the flag you have chosen on behalf of us all beneath the flag of your country.
I have enormous respect for the people of Ukraine and the inspiring bravery they show in standing up for themselves.
However, the Ukrainian flag no more deserves to take precedence at our town hall than would a Union Flag to take precedence at a Ukrainian town hall.
The council would also do well to refresh its collective memory as to what the Town and Country Planning Regulations have to say on the subject.
Hamish McCracken
Adeys Close, Newbury
What is going on with our postal service?
Can the Royal Mail explain why family friends who live in Shefford Bedfordshire posted a birthday card to my daughter (who lives in Andover) a week before the date of her birthday on the 14th April and three weeks later it has still not been delivered?
It also contained a £5 note.
Brian R Hare
Loundyes Close, Thatcham
Are there any other labyrinths in West Berks?
We have recently created a turf labyrinth in the peaceful garden at East Garston Quaker Meeting House and wondered if there are any other labyrinths in West Berkshire?
Laybyrinths have been part of human culture for thousands of years, pre-dating mazes.
They are a circular pattern with a single winding path that leads to the centre.
In medieval times they were incorporated into cathedral floors and walked as a metaphorical pilgrimage.
Today they are often used for moving meditation or contemplation; walking among the turnings one loses track of direction and of the outside world, quietening the mind and relaxing the body.
Penny Locke
East Garston Quakers
pennylocke64@gmail.com
07768 981658