Page 30 - link magazine
P. 30

• Letters to the Link                             Letters with full name and address should be sent to The Link,
                                                         13 Castle Dore, Freshbrook, Swindon by the 20th of the month

                         More views on dogs                                    Good shortcut to work
    From H M Brown of Cabot Drive, Grange Park   people's cat mess. So how about letters on that   From Mrs J B Brown of Cabot Drive, Grange Park
   I note with interest the letter from Mrs B in the  subject! I would go on to suggest that pets have  I am writing in answer to Mr J Adams (Road
   January edition of The Link following on as it  been and will continue to be part of the society   Destruction) Link No 94.
   did fromthe dogrelated article in the December  we live in, be they dogs, cats or budgies.   I would like to know if he has tried getting to
   edition. I feel there now is a need to redress the   I hope Mrs B reads the article in the same   work in the mornings.
   balance being one of those heinous dog owners  edition as her letter, concerning the problems   The new road from Grange Park to Shaw
    myself.                             our street cleaners have to put up with. Instead   (old Hay Lane) road is a Godsend to me and
     Let me begin by unfortunately agreeing with  of singling out one small section of society let  other alike, as it only takes me ten minutes from
   some of what Mrs B has said and without being  us get down to the crux of the matter. One of   my house to Cheney Manor, it means I don't
   too condescending I would put the blame at the  the things I would totally agree with Mrs B on   have to go down to Whitehill Way.
   door of the inconsiderate dog owner. Over the  is that the pathways, verges and walkways are   Yes it has been badly designed, with two
   Christmas period we heard all too much of the  absolutely disgusting, not simply because of   nastybends, most users feel that they should be
   inconsiderate dog owners who tire of their pet.  dog owners but because of the Swindon, and   straightened.
   However please do not label us all in the same  indeed this country's, residents dumping all
   vein. I would point out that my dog does use  sorts of rubbish.             Vacuum cleaner blues
   my garden when necessary however a dog   So please Mrs B and all others in the anti-dog
   needs exercise the same as any human and  lobby extend your horizons to the realproblems   From Mrs S Mitchell of Moresby Close, Westlea.
   unfortunately there will be times when it is  of the environment.         I read with interest your article entitled 'Nice
   stimulated by smells on the ground and it is                              machine, doubtful marketing' concerning the
   these times that considerate dog owners do   In appreciation of           Kirby cleaner.
   attempt to minimise the problem. Ijust wonder                              In October, I too received a telephone call
   whether Mrs B has a cat,I personally do not, but   Street cleaners        telling me I had won a holiday in either Spain
   I continually have to clear my garden of other  From Hinves Family, Fowey, Freshbrook   or Malta for which I only had to provide my
                                        Our family are 'newcomers' to West Swindon   own air fare to get to the destination. I was told
                                        and thoroughly enjoy living in Freshbrook.   that an agent would deliver my voucher but
   From Mrs Raine of Warneford Close, Toothill   Our only disappointment is the abundance of   was asked if I would be prepared to give up 1 /
   Jam writing to you in reply to Mrs B of Grange   litter everywhere.      2 hour of my time to watch a product being
   Park's letter concerning problems associated   To get a feel of the area we went exploring   demonstrated for which my opinion would be
   with having a dog (Link No 94).      the paths, mounds, small parks, bike tracks, up   valued. I was asked to be sure that my husband
    She gave me the impression that she thought   toLydiard and down toToothill, out to Blagrove   was also present, in fact it was insisted by the
   that all dog owners were in a class of their own.  and over to Westlea. We have seen complete   caller that he was. I was told that the Company
   I ama wife and a mother of two young children,  Council signs, planks of wood, sheets of   were not selling anything and that my
   and yes, the owner of a gorgeous little dog.   plywood, blocks and lengths of wood,shopping   comments on the product were simply needed
    The difference between us the dog owners  trolleys, bundles of newspapers,a stackof your   for market research.
   who Mrs B was discussing, is that we take our  own magazines stuffed into a hedge down a   The agent arrived at the appointed time and
   dog out on a lead, to an area of woodland which   path to Windmill Hill School, plastic bags full   immediately told me that he did not have the
   is not of public use. It is the dog owners who let   of household rubbish and of course the more   holiday voucher with him as he needed to
   their dogs run stray that need to be penalised,  usual litter, cans, bottles, wrappers - what there   check my post code. He also said that he was a
   not the owners who dearly love and care for  is in short supply is Rubbish Bins.   salesman selling Kirby cleaners. The
   their animals.                        The path alongside Elsie Hazell Court is   demonstration began and it was 'hard sell'
    Yes, I do walk in dogs 'poos' when I go out but  always a sorry sight, there are rubbish bins   right from the word go, something which Jam
   Jam quite certain that no one can knock on my  outside the shop (also a litter sign!) but none   afraid never impresses me.  After almost an
   front door and blame me for allowing my dog  elsewhere on the path.      hour of non stop 'selling' a telephone call called
   to foul the pathways.                 When I was asked by a couple of our   him away urgently. I have since heard however,
    I do have one main concern though, and that   neighbours how we liked living here, we said   that a full demonstration actually takes 2 hours
   is I would like to say that cat owners need to  "great, but all the litter", their reply "can't say   and not half an hour.
   take more care over their animals. I constantly   we've noticed".          I waited and waited for my holiday voucher.
   have cats fouling in my front garden, killing   Last summer my youngest daughter thought   I telephoned the company and they said they
   my plants and making my own garden a dirty  we would walk to the Link Centre. We walked   would send it. Having still not received it I
   smelly place and most certainly unfit to let my   through the underpass, she commented how   telephoned the Trading Standards Office and
   children play in.                    'yukky' it was, we passed over the stream ditch   the following morning my voucher arrived.
                                        and said what a mess.                 Frankly,I was not impressed with their whole
   From Mr W.B of Toothill               On our way back, as if they had heard, two   method of operation and such a technique
   At last we have had another letter about dog  council men were cleaning out the ditch, we   would never induce me to buy a product
   filth. This from Mrs B. of Grange Park. Around  stopped, much to their surprise and told them   however good it might be.
   Toothill we have this filth all the year round,  what we had said. We chatted about the messy
   but far worse in Winter, because people keep  situation and ended up by thanking them for
   their animals off the wet grass, and let them  doinga necessary job. Then just after Christmas   From Gordon Harrow of Middleleaze
   foul the pathways instead. It is quite useless to  once again, out for a stroll my daughter and I   I too had someone on my doorstep who gave
   appeal to these disgusting people, and there is  came across Ray and his mate cleaning out the   me a card saying that I might win a holiday.
   but one way to put a stop to it. There should be  storm drains /ditch along the bike trackbetween   We were quite pleased at the thought of going
   a licence fee of at least £50, so that wardens can  Mannington/Blagrove, as usual he was doing   off to the Meditarranean.
   be employed to control dogs, and their owners.  a great job. Bundles of free newspapers, fence   Then I had a 'phone call telling me that we
   We would soon see how many 'dog lovers' we  poles, shopping trolleys, broken branches all   had in fact won a holiday in Spain or Malta.
   have in our midst!                   being removed, we stopped to say 'hello' and   Great. But then I was told this was for
     Abandoned trolleys are becoming more  to thank him. He said it was a thankless job.   accomodation only; we had to get ourselves
   common, I notice, and even the kids won't   Come on people of West Swindon, take pride   there. And we could only get the voucher if we
   collect them for 20p. Still, it's far better than it  in your lovely suburbs and help Ray to clean it   agreed to have a demonstration of this vacuum
   used to be. Walking around the district, as I do  up. It doesn't take much effort and costs nothing   cleaner which is supposed to do everything.
   lam appalled by the amount of rubbish which  to ask your children not to drop litter, but to put   I think your readers who havn't already had
   is thrown into the nearest ditch, or on waste  it in a bin or pop it into their pockets till they get   a visit from people offering them a hàliday
   grass. We have such an excellent waste  home. When you next go for a walk, just take   should be careful of what they agree to. It
   collection service in Swindon, and one wonders  a look into thebushes and corners at the rubbish,   could turn out quite expensive.
   about the mentality of people who simply have  you'll be shocked. Then try to imagine it without
   to dispose of rubbish outside their own  litter - looks great, doesn't it. Also, how about
   property.                           a competition for the cleanest area like your   Clothing Alterations & Repairs.
     Let's have a good clean-up before the whole  competition for the best garden.       Tel: 872096
   place becomes a slum area!            P.S. Keep up the good work Ray!             Mrs. White, Freshbrook
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