UNFORTUNATELY, I could not make the gathering on Saturday, February 3 at The Kitchen Cafe, but I would like to put across my view as a resident of Commercial Street.

Commercial Street is a vibrant, busy street with pretty much everything you could possibly need.

The issues with parking, and the lack of it, for both residents and businesses alike is having a detrimental effect.

With nowhere to park, people coming to work in Commercial Street have to find a park on the right hand side of the road (heading towards Scarborough) as the left hand side of the road is for 30 minutes only.

This means, therefore, that residents coming home cannot find a parking space and end up on the 30 minute side of the road; the consequences more often than not is getting a parking ticket.

The fact that more and more houses are being built in Norton can only be good news for the commercial side of things, but nothing is being done regarding the infrastructure and how it is going to cope.

St Nicholas Street car park is always full, with the majority of people parking there heading into Malton and not back into Norton, which means it is not helping with the Commercial Street problem at all.

There is a block of waste land, where the old ATS used to be, which is crying out to be a car park for the centre of Norton. Could the council not rent it (if it’s not theirs already) and make it into a proper bayed car park?

Another option being that both sides of Commercial Street become a 30-minute zone, with permits issued to residents and traders only for all day parking.

Residents are also very much affected by these issues, it is not just the traders as portrayed in the Gazette last week.

Jacqui Jones, Norton

Come and join us

THIS month, Sea Cadets – a national youth charity with 400 units across the country – is calling on young people aged between 10 and 17 to come on board to see how being a cadet can make a difference to their lives.

We offer water-based and land-based adventure at a heavily-subsidised cost, opening up countless opportunities to all young people, regardless of their background. Throughout February, our #NeverOrdinary campaign aims to raise awareness of what the charity has to offer.

With us, you can enjoy sailing, kayaking, rowing and power-boating, as well as life-changing offshore voyages on one of our five vessels. But did you know we also offer so much more, including first-aid training, rock-climbing, five-a-side football, band practice, physical training and marine engineering, as well as an international exchange programme and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award?

We are always looking for volunteers to help, too. You don’t need any qualifications; all you need is commitment and enthusiasm. We will provide the training.

In a recent survey by Sea Cadets, 79 per cent of our cadets said they get useful qualifications with us, while 94 per cent of parents said they felt their child’s self-confidence, motivation and team work had “greatly improved” at Sea Cadets.

To find out how you can benefit, visit sea-cadets.org

Captain Phil Russell RN, Captain Sea Cadets

Book celebration

EVERY year at the beginning of March, school children across the UK mark World Book Day.

Many will dress up as a character from a favourite book or be part of special reading activity – and families and schools will once again generously give to charity.

World Book Day is a worldwide celebration, but in many countries, children go to school with just a few tattered textbooks. At Book Aid International, we send around one million books a year to thousands of libraries and schools. Two thirds of these books are for children. They are read by millions of young readers in 20 countries.

We can only support children around the world because families and schools choose to support us on World Book Day and I would like to thank all those who will do so this year.

If you are a parent or teacher looking for inspiration, please visit bookaid.org/world-book-day, where you’ll find fundraising ideas, fun activities and specially created free DIY dress-up guides (developed with busy parents in mind). It costs just £2 to send a book, so every penny you raise will make a difference.

Alison Tweed, chief executive of Book Aid International