Anti-incinerator protest heads to London

Here is the information about our trip to London as part of the efforts to resist a mega incinerator for Wisbech.

WisWIN campaigners are leaving Somers Road car park on Wednesday September 8 at 8.00 am, arriving around 11-midday in Westminster, and departing around 5pm.

We will be stopping for a comfort break on each route,

Currently we now have our own MP, Steve Barclay and King's Lynn MP James Wild and Baroness Jenny Jones meeting with us.

We will be handing Steve Barclay several thousand signatures, mainly from people who don’t do Facebook and haven’t signed his on line one,

We will have our banners and anticipate others will be joining us at Westminster.

We want to draw to other parliamentarians how our Georgian town is having to fight to stop one of the largest incinerators in Europe being built in our small Georgian town.

And in a town that has no rail station or dual carriageway yet consideration will be given to receiving over 350 lorry movements a day.

That’s an additional one every two minutes and during peak times (coincidentally when school starts and ends).

On Sunday at the Wisbech Festival, people queued to sign the petition and to get more information about the incinerator proposal.

GINNY BUCKNOR

WisWIN campaign Co-ordinator


We’ve also been excluded from centre

I feel sympathy for your reader Christine Kaye, whose letter about the dog club having had to leave March Community Centre and now have nowhere to meet was published in last week's postbag.

I am a member of MADAOS (March and District Amateur Operatic Society) who have had to vacate the same building, where we built and stored scenery and props.

We now have to pay out a considerably higher sum to keep our scenery in a storage facility, with nowhere to build new items when we are again able to perform.

We need an indoor, secure workshop and store and would be very grateful if anyone with a building which might meet our needs could contact our chairman, Claire Lilley, on 07976 739975 or at clairelilley317@gmail.com .

As we have been unable to earn any money through seat sales during the pandemic, a low rent for such a building would be a real help.

We have a second problem in that the refurbishment to the main MCC building has meant that our backstage area has been converted into toilets.

As a result, MCC is unable to guarantee that the rooms we used as dressing rooms will be available to us at the same time as the main hall.

This means we are no longer able to perform there, and have been unable to find anywhere else in the town suitable for our needs.

There are clubs and halls with a stage, but most do not have enough space to move and store scenery or to have changing rooms, nor are able to allow us to leave (hired and very expensive) sound and lighting equipment in place for the run of a show.

We have rehearsed at MCC for over 40 years, and it is very disappointing that groups such as ours were not consulted before changes were made to the building which, in effect, have excluded us.

MADAOS first performed in 1958 and has been entertaining the people of March for over 60 years.

We will continue to sing at events arranged by the council and will perform concerts, but, until we find a new workshop and venue, will not be able to perform musicals or pantomimes.

I am sure our audiences are not aware of our plight, and am grateful for this opportunity to let them know the situation.

Again, if anyone can suggest a suitable venue in the town either as a workshop and storage space or a performance venue, would they please contact Claire.


BARBARA PEPPER

MADAOS member


Maggie’s legacy not amusing


Nothing, absolutely nothing, was funny about the calculated mass destruction of jobs and communities by Margaret Thatcher’s ruthless, spiteful government.

Mobilising the power of the entire state, deploying the police as an occupying paramilitary force in villages and towns in parts of England, Wales, and Scotland, was no joke for the people on the end of their batons.

And there was nothing amusing about, having destroyed their industry, and dumping them on the scrap heap, abandoning families to the misery of unemployment.

Boris Johnson betrayed his Old Etonian poisonous aloofness by finding Thatcher’s pit closure programme, which was used to attack working people, funny.

The 1984-85 strike for jobs resonates in those Northern England ‘red wall’ seats where people loaned the Tories their votes at the last election to give them a thumping majority.

The Thatcher and Conservatives who closed mines did not care about the environment and this cynical Prime Minister does not care about those areas, his talk of levelling up a con.

We have seen Johnson’s true colours, his prejudice and contempt. He should pay a high price at the ballot box and deservedly so.

JOHN SMITHEE

Wisbech


Good schools we forgot to mention


Hope you are well.

Just read today's edition of the newspaper and noticed that you missed off Glebelands Primary Academy in Chatteris as being a good school.

Hopefully a note can be added next week.

G SMITH

(via email)


And we’re good too....

It was brought to our attention that you recently wrote article on outstanding and good Ofsted rated schools in Cambridgeshire and Thomas Clarkson Academy was not included on the list for those rated ‘good’.

We received a ‘good’ Ofsted rating in January 2020 in recognition of the significant improvements we made at Thomas Clarkson Academy and it’s really disappointing that we were not included list, especially when all of the other ‘good’ rated schools in the area were.

Can you please make sure that we are included in any similar articles in the future and if possible, would you be able to amend the article online as it’s still available to view and prospective parents may be put off by the fact that Thomas Clarkson Academy is not on the list.

FAY PECKOVER

PA to PRINCIPAL


More issues with garden company

Re your investigation into ENB Garden Buildings.

I paid a £1,200 deposit luckily by credit card for a workshop from them.

I first spoke to a lady called Jess who sorted everything out. I was booked in for July 9.

I later contacted him a week down the line for an additional hole to be put in it for my paint spray booth; he asked to ring, which I did and he promptly answered and helped with my request.

The 9th of July came and no workshop arrived, no phone call or anything.

So, I phoned the mobile number I was given and got a text back to say she no longer worked for them but promised to phone.

This never happened.

I eventually got hold of him to be told he had had Covid and his worker should have sent emails out to everyone.

No email was sent. But he said it would be completed.

I gave him a week's deadline which expired. I tried ringing, I text, but nothing.

Then I eventually got hold of him. He said his son had had Covid and his wife had left him.

I told him I want a refund at which he started swearing to himself.

Then he guaranteed after his son had finished his isolation in 10 days he would guarantee it would be delivered.

I waited the 10 days and text him, he said he would ring Me after 6pm, this never happened. So, I sent him a text again.

His son messaged back saying they were working till after 7pm and his dad would be sending emails out to everyone, I text back saying I wanted a definite reply by 7pm.

I received an email saying delivery and installation would be the 17th August.

I have text him today to see if everything is on track, no reply and his mobile is turned off. His website has now disappeared.

So, I will be starting action through my credit card company.

Hope this is of interest.

DARYL

(via email)



Catching park vandals

Why is it that no one is ever identified if we have CCTV in Wisbech Park?

Are the cameras dummy?

Fenland District Council say they are monitored but no one is ever convicted of damage or drug taking and selling.

How is the park monitored because I do not see the police patrols or council patrols?

This is getting a joke with the constant vandalism and the park always have this Biker Gang frequently there every night.

Please could you contact the council about these cameras.

RICHARD SIMMONS

(via email)