Wirral News Letters: July 6

Jul 6 2011 Birkenhead News

Help to back vital POPIN

I WAS delighted to read the interview with Frank Amos and the accompanying article about POPIN (Wirral News, June 22).

Frank has been an inspiration to many of us.

We are an organisation co-ordinating the voice of the over 50s in Wirral. Membership is free and we are growing in number all the time, which gives us increasing power and legitimacy with the authorities.

I can unreservedly echo the message from Frank Amos – members tell us regularly that POPIN has been a lifeline, helping them to get advice and services to cope with everyday situations.

We would be delighted to see the council putting more resources into the service, and publicising it more widely, so that older people who are beginning to struggle know where to turn.

Dementia is another issue which is constantly being raised by members.

Lots of older citizens of Wirral are trying to manage increasing dementia in a loved one, or sons and daughters are trying to support a parent.

We have the fantastic Wirral Alzheimer’s Society, but like POPIN, most of us don’t know it is there until we are struggling.

Wirral Older People’s Parliament is in discussion with Arrowe Park Hospital managers about the plight of those with dementia who need hospital treatment for reasons apart from their dementia.

These poor patients have little or no understanding of what is happening to them, and are often very distressed, which in turn makes life very hard for other patients. Such people must be treated in their own familiar surroundings if at all possible.

Please encourage all older readers to join us – receive our newsletters – attend any events of interest, and let us know what the issues are for them as they get older.

Sandra Wall

Chair, Wirral Older People’s Parliament

Tolls millstone

LAST week you published a letter from Merseytravel in which they say that tunnels tolls’ overpayments are “all down to customers knowingly inserting more than the required toll”. They also refer to drivers “who chose to overpay”.

You published another letter from someone in Bebington who says that drivers should not “whine” if they “can’t be bothered following instructions”.

A lot of drivers overpaying will be in the situation that has happened to me, where you put the correct money in, but it does not all register and there is nothing in the rejected coins basket.

If no-one comes promptly when you press the help button, then most drivers will just put more money in, particularly if there is a queue of vehicles behind.

Perhaps Merseytavel appearing to be benefactors with “less than 0.05” of our money is not a big issue.

But all of the tolls are a millstone round the neck of Wirral, with the additional frustration of frequently having to queue for the privilege of handing your money over. In the experience of the MTUA most people on the Wirral agree with us on this, and it is pity that none of them seem to write to the News with their views.

John McGoldrick

Secretary Mersey Tunnels Users Association

Town disgrace

FURTHER to the Tony Stephenson (visitor from Canada) letter (Your Views, June 22) I echo his observations fully.

When are the residents of our now rundown town going to complain bitterly to the council and councillors over the condition of our town centre?

The station and surrounding area is a disgrace and I, like many other locals, have lost count of the amount of times we have been promised work will start soon.

Why is there no pressure put on the absentee landlord of the buildings surrounding the station to maintain the building; and for how much longer are we going to put up with hard landscaping area around the concourse?

Do we not pay a proportion of our council tax to maintain and improve our local environment?

Or is it, as I and many others suspect, that because we are the supposedly affluent area of the borough and are not vocal, we are continually overlooked in favour of the opposite side of the peninsula.

I call on all residents of West Kirby to lobby local councillors to ask when are we going to get our once lovely seaside town back so locals and visitors can enjoy.

Mike McAuley

West Kirby

No bike spaces

I HAD reason to go to the Pyramids shopping complex today and I travelled there on my motorcycle only to find out there are NO designated parking areas for motorcycles in the town at all.

I approached a police officer and also spoke to a young lady whose job it is to empty the parking meters, who both confirmed motorcyclists cannot legally park in Birkenhead.

We are used to being discriminated against by the authorities at large but may I remind you that we, the motorcyclists, raised £26,000 pounds for various charities, so we’re not all hooligans and we deserve better.

Now ASDA have taken over Birkenhead – which will be the death knell to the market– therefore removing parking facilities for both cars and motorcycles.

ITS NOT ON!!!

COLIN MIDDLEBROUGH

Bromborough

Parks lookout

TO ALL residents of Heswall and users of the Puddydale Park, Heswall.

This is a request to remain vigilant with regards to anti-social behaviour within the children’s play area.

I promised to take my niece to the park to reward her for being so well behaved, but we were disappointed to find that we were not able to use the play area because fluorescent spray foam had been sprayed all over the equipment.

She was so looking forward to playing on the swings, roundabout and slide only to find she wasn’t able to.

She was so upset when I tried to explain that we would have to come back another day.

This really was an unpleasant task to explain to an 18-month old, so please residents and users of the Puddydale report any anti-social behaviour to Wirral Council so they can step up patrols to keep our parks open for use!

Lynn Allen

Thingwall