IN response to Selina Scott’s experience of Chancery Lane, Malton (Gazette & Herald letters, November 11), I wish to point out that Malton and Norton Tidy Group does its best to support the work of Ryedale District Council, and has done so since 2009, in trying to keep the environment of our towns looking respectable, and I would like to think that we do a pretty good job.

The real issue is that certain people in our society chose to deposit their rubbish (largely fast food packaging, drinks cans and bottles, sweet wrappers, crisp packets and cigarette butts, - but you’d be surprised at what else we find) in an anti-social manner. This is not helped by residents, businesses and landowners who chose not to keep their premises and public frontages clean and tidy.

So far this year nearly 250 bags of litter have been collected by the Tidy Group. Tackling litter is a continual issue - In 2014 we collected 271 bags of litter.

While the Tidy Group largely concentrates on the roadside verges of the main roads in to the towns, most notably York Road, - right down to the A64 inter-change) we do also do our bit on the streets and alleyways around the town centres, especially when a major event – such as the food lovers festival and this year’s visit of the Tour de Yorkshire – through Norton) is approaching.

Unfortunately, there is only so much that we, as a handful of volunteers, can do. There are usually 10-12 of us (from a population of about 12,000 people). Despite meeting monthly – Norton one month, Malton the next – and doing other bits of litter picking and community gardening in between, our resources are spread thinly.

Ryedale District Council has supported the Tidy Group with litter pickers, tabards and bags and removes all the bags of litter that we collect. The Tidy Group has also been supported by Taylor Wimpey with the provision of equipment, including brushes and shovels to tackle street grime.

We know that our work is appreciated by a good number of organisations and residents in the towns, but it is a shame that some local businesses and organisations turn a deaf ear when our efforts and the issue of litter are reported directly to them via electronic media.

However, this will not put us off getting our hands dirty because we care about how our community looks – for its residents as well as visitors.

The Tidy Group will be tackling the streets of Malton on Sunday, December 6, (meet in Water Lane car park at 10am) and would be pleased to see a few new faces.

Antony Croser, Norton

 

Roman link can help the museum

FURTHER to Claire’s looking to drive museum to new heights (Gazette & Herald, October 28), here are a few constructive, controversial comments to help Claire Sawdon make a success of driving Malton Museum to new heights.

1) Amalgamate Malton and Norton on Derwent Town Councils – they should bury the hatchet and become one council, for one town called Derventio – the historical name for Malton – when the Romans lived in Malton/Derventio.

2) Unearth the Roman remains in Orchard Fields.

3) Create a Town Trail leading to all the historical Roman remains.

4) The amalgamation of both towns under a new name would help ensure that Malton and Norton on Derwent phone numbers are in the same directory. At present Malton is in York’s, Norton on Derwent is in Scarborough’s.

Just think of the tourists the name Eboracum would attract. Constructive comments would be appreciated.

John Taylor, Norton

 

Tractors plough a charitable furrow

THE JMK Memorial Tractor Run on September 6, raised £3,700 for Marie Curie.

With generous giving by so many people, the support of landowners, who allow access for the event, marshals and mechanics and a wonderful picnic lunch provided by the Kirkbymoorside & District Marie Curie Support Group and friends, this proved to be a happy and successful event and congratulations and thanks go to everyone involved.

Over the last 11 years, a total of £52,137 has been raised for cancer charities at this annual event and the money used to help local patients and their families.

This is a splendid sum and is due to the vast amount of hard work put in my Malcolm Simpson, who organises the event with support from family and friends.

E M Kendall, treasurer, JMK Memorial Tractor Run

 

Fracking stance typical of Tories

I FEAR Daisy Sands is right (Ryedale MP plays down fears over the possibility of fracking on nature sites. Gazette & Herald website, November 4) where she says “It is abundantly clear that this government is trying to force fracking on a reluctant nation using every trick in the book.”

This caring (!) government will do everything possible to realise its ideologically-driven agenda. regardless whether this agenda’s appearance in a manifesto gives it some appearance of a mandate, regardless of its effects on citizens’ well-being, regardless of its consequences for British standing in the world, regardless of promises it has made.

The government’s approach to fracking is a clear example of this, as are the recent débâcle over tax credits and the government’s anger at the Lords for humiliating the government while doing their job, the dropping of an ethical dimension to trade initiatives (eg China and Egypt), the related imperilling of British security, the neglect of domestic industry (eg. steel) and the withdrawal of subsidies from burgeoning renewables the risible lip-service paid to tackling global warming and the derisory and miserly response to the migrant problem.

Which sub-section of the British people is the government speaking for in all of this? Mr Hollinrake, are you representing us in Westminster or rather the government in Ryedale?

David Cragg-James, Stonegrave