FOR anyone who has a stairlift in their home, please be aware that if it is presently being maintained by the local authority, you are now going to have to pay for this yourself and it's not cheap!

On September 4, I received a letter from K Wrightson at Sunderland Partnership, Sunderland Home Improvement Agency, Sunderland City Council.

The letter states that since the manufacturer's warranty provided with my stairlift will expire in November 2009: "They wish to inform me that a new policy has been implemented, which recognises that the council does not have an obligation to continue to service the equipment that has been provided". The responsibility for the maintenance of the equipment will transfer to me.

It also states that the company which installed this equipment will contact me to offer an extended warranty at a competitive rate and that the cost of this warranty can be paid on an instalment basis.

Firstly – the council did not "provide" the stairlift, it was part of work that was mandatory and to which I contributed well over a thousand pounds, because at the time my financial situation was much better.
Secondly – I was told before the lift was installed that this £1,000+ was all I would ever be asked to pay and that once installed it would continue to be serviced by the local authority.

Thirdly – I contacted the company (Lift Able) that the local authority chose to install the stairlift to ask about servicing and I was told that this would be in excess of £152 and it is currently serviced twice per year. Most importantly, it cannot be paid by instalment. My car's annual service doesn't cost as much as this!

Once again the local authority is choosing the easiest target – the disabled and elderly, but more to the point, those who exist primarily on benefits or pensions. My husband gets the princely sum of just over £50 Carer's Allowance for being my full-time carer, so it would take three weeks total benefit just to service a stairlift!

They seem happy to throw money at yet another bridge – but cannot fulfil the responsibilities already agreed to. For people like me it's a bridge too far!
Victoria Meldrew
(I don't believe it!)

More to this saga
IN response to Fair Play, Newbottle, it is clear that Fair Play has only a limited knowledge of the football saga that is, as he says, dragging on in Newbottle:

He states "how many of those 230 people have taken the trouble to walk around that area". One must assume that the 230 people mentioned are the 232 people listed as objectors in the planning officers report, he seems not to realise that the planning officer actually counted a TWAG report containing 650 names and addresses as one! In fact 882 people rejected the planning application.

Many of these people do indeed "walk around that area" and they enjoy the natural setting and the wildlife very much, thank you!
Some 96 per cent of Newbottle residents oppose the destruction of the Great North Forest which comprises 7,000 trees with corresponding loss of wildlife habitat.
In reports published this year by the City Solicitor and Sport England, Sunderland does not have a shortage of playing fields, nor a shortage of Junior Football pitches.
There are many people who suspect that the football development is simply a way of changing the land use of a whopping 10 hectares of green open space, once the development fails it will then be classified as a "brownfield" site which will later become a housing estate!
So you see Fair Play there is a lot more to this saga than meets the eye, what is listed above merely scratches the surface.
Allan Rowell

Limited knowledge
FAIR Play's letter of August 22 "Forgotten Village", shows very limited knowledge of matters.
This football development is merely a cloak to change land use to brownfield so that the developer can build houses in the future.
A village cannot support the volume of traffic created by such a venture. Noise of all those children shouting at once! The parking space needed.
FP states "230 people". Well 232 people objected in the planning officers report. A TWAG report containing 650 names was conveniently one objection. Really 882 people objected.
About 96 per cent of Newbottle boys (and girls Mr FP) oppose destruction of 7,000 trees and 100 species' wildlife habitats. About 93 per cent of Sunderland folk oppose development.
Newbottle Village 1153AD isn't forgotten. Wildlife populations and species here classed of local importance and county importance.
In reports published this year there are no shortages of playing fields or junior football pitches.
Newbottle wood isn't the place to put more pitches! There's no need to forfeit trees and wildlife here for generations for the sake of short-lived football pitches followed by more houses.
M Hampton

Why no pride?
HAVING just returned from a holiday in Florida I was really struck by the differing attitudes in the USA compared to the UK.
Their streets and highways are well maintained and clean, not because they expect someone to clean their litter, but because they take pride in their communities.
Why have we become such a slovenly nation that have no pride in our country?
Nil Desperandum

Wear ship sinking was first major disaster
I REFER to the letter from Barry Clark (Australia), published on September 9, concerning the wreck of the clipper ship Dunbar.
Built by James Laing on the River Wear, Sunderland, the ill-fated Dunbar was one of several clippers built by the yard for shipowner Dunbar of London. Many of these employed in the transportation of convicts to Australia during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Dunbar was built and employed solely as a passenger vessel, registered at 1321 tons when launched on November 30, 1853.
On May 31, 1857, she sailed from Plymouth headed for Australia, carrying a crew of 50 officers and men, 73 passengers, and general cargo valued at £72,000.
On August 21, 1857, the Dunbar became Australia's first major maritime disaster when she was wrecked on the cliffs of The Gap at Sydney Heads, losing all on board except for one member of the crew. The sole survivor was crewman James Johnson, who was later to give evidence as the only witness to the disaster.
The Dunbar's anchor (manufactured in Sunderland), was recovered some 50 years later and placed on the cliffs above the scene of the disaster as a permanent memorial to all those who perished.
The inscription on the memorial reads: "The Dunbar was wrecked about 500 yards from this spot in a heavy North East gale at night August 20, 1857. From a total of 121 there was only one survivor. This anchor was recovered by local residents 50 years later and is not set up in memory of the tragic event."
My own research concludes that there were a total of 73 passengers and 50 crew, based on lists published in the Sunderland Herald and other publications during September 1857. The Australian National Maritime Museum says that the Dunbar was carrying 63 passengers and 59 crew. These conflicting figures do not in any way detract from the magnitude of the disaster.
Your correspondent Barry Clark will be able to read a full account of the wreck of the Dunbar in Sunderland's Role in the Colonization of Australia housed in the State Library of New South Wales, on Macquarie Street, Sydney.
Albert Anderson,
Wessex Close,
Witherwack,
Sunderland

Save, don't spend
REGARDING the "iconic bridge", surely the point is not to raise council tax, but find ways of reducing it.
What annoys me and others in Hetton is that we have for years tried to have the footpath between our estate and Hetton town centre upgraded, all to no avail. Waste land next to Hetton centre several inches above the level of the path, after very heavy rain storm, flooded, mud, gravel, leaves and grass cuttings block a very small drain. I have yet to hear one voice from any of our councillors, especially on Hetton Town Council.
Go through Hetton, it's an eyesore. The barriers are rusted to bits, simply because of a coat of paint. Men can be employed picking up rubbish in the park itself, and another fellow behind blowing the leaves off the path, but we on this estate can go and rot.

I see recently the council did make some savings, sacking all but two of the staff they employed cutting hedges and doing gardening work for the old and disabled. They were paid minimum wage.
All those who want to pay for the iconic bridge, pay out of your own pockets as I do not want to.
Fed Up Hettonian

Vaux site future
ITS time people realised that Sunderland council and the arc are one and the same. In the past eight years they have spent over £30million telling us what they are going to do with the Vaux site.
To date they have built nothing,
I wish someone would explain to them it belongs to Tesco, bought and paid for.
This prime site could have been developed by Tesco (who have the money to do so) years ago.
If the council's attitude wasn't "you can't have it if we can't" the arc have no money themselves and would chop up the site into sections, to sell off to private developers, if given the chance. We have enough empty flats, offices and buildings in our city.
We need better shops, more leisure and a new hotel, bringing in business. The people of Sunderland deserve better for our proud city.
DJ Wright,
Roker,
Sunderland

Bus service cuts have hit us hard
WHY are Arriva cutting essential bus services in Shotton?
Since September 1 there are are no bus services direct to the school, St Saviour's Church and cemetery, a doctor's surgery and park.
No buses will go via Station Road. The 240 and 213 will take another route and a third of Shotton residents in Fleming Field and nearby areas will lose a direct service to Sunderland.
It maybe that the proposed route for five buses an hour is more used; but people in the village and surrounding areas should have access direct by bus along Station Road, even if it is just a limited service.
It is inconsiderate of Arriva which has made £66.3million profits to penalise us, particularly the less able who need to use this service, especially in poor weather. Did their "great deal of research" include anyone who actually lives here?
Resident of Salter's Lane

War memorials
OVER the years since the end of the Second World War, a large number of war memorials have disappeared and in order to track down information, photographs and transcripts of these missing memorials we are asking the local newspapers of the North East, in the lead up to the 90th anniversary of the ending of World War I, if they will publish either a copy of the relevant list of missing or lost memorials.
If you are interested, please contact Secretary Dorothy Hall of Chester-le-Street, tel. 0191 3883667.
Missing details are:
Sunderland: Christ Church plaque, South Docks Sea Cadets launch; Chester Moor: Literary Institute roll of honour; Dawdon: Stained glass window in St Hild and St Helen Church, Miners' Lodge roll of honour; Durham: Market Place guns; East Boldon: Congregational Church window; Great Lumley: Brecon Hill Chapel plaque; Hetton: Methodist Church roll of honour; Murton: St Joseph's RC Church communion plate; Philadelphia: United Methodist Church plaque; Seaham: St John's Church book of remembrance; Shiney Row: United Methodist Church plaque, trees and garden; West Boldon: St Nicholas Church plaque.
The North East War Memorials Project has had a most successful two years funded by the Heritage Lottery.
The website was launched on November 11, 2006. It is searchable by name or location. Since the launch the daily hits have grown and in the first eighteen months we have had about 500,000 unique hits. A number of local museums and libraries use the site as a resource on a regular basis. We receive inquiries frequently from all over the world to www.newmp.org.uk.
Dorothy Hall,
Chester-le-Street

I HAVE lost contact with a friend. He moved house suddenly making it impossible for anyone to contactt him by the usual email or by telephone
I know he lived in Sunderland and have heard that he could be in a bedsit in Durham. His name is Jason Garnham and he is 30. I know he is in the area but I have no other ideas of who to try to contact with to help me find any information possible or his whereabouts. Can you help?
Rose,
Tel (Spain) 0034650372601

I'M looking for details of my mother Kathleen Graham. She died in 1985 and I would like to trace her details through her family in Sunderland. Some of my father's family recently placed an ad of my father's death in December 2007, but I could not get in contact with them.
Donna
St Ives,
Cornwall
email: kittykat100_9@hotmail.com
Tel: 07886294025

I am doing family research, and have been told that one of my husband's ancestors, Fred Gleadle, was at one time the Mayor of Sunderland. Can anyone verify this for me?
He was born in Scotter, Lincolnshire in 1895. He married Eveline M Young, in Sunderland, in 1919. I was told that he lived at 123 Wayman street in Sunderland. I would be grateful for any information at all about him.
Mrs Connie Roberts,
18 High Green,
Norwich,
Norfolk,
NR1 4AP


WOULD the lady driver of the grey Renault car that reversed into the rear of my car in Sainsbury's car park in Fulwell, on September 19, please be aware that your details have been passed onto the authorities. Two workmen who witnessed the incident kindly gave me the information.
Twice Bitten,
Fulwell,
Sunderland

I WISH to thank the person and bus driver who handed in my bag. It was on a number 4 Stagecoach bus on September 23.
Grateful Pensioner

MAY I say a big thank you to the Salvation Army Band for playing at the blessing of our new community centre (Tansy Centre) in South Hetton, everyone I've spoken to really enjoyed your music and speaking for myself I loved the way your all stopped playing and sang a verse of the hymns, it was very emotional.
It was brilliant.
D Holey
Sunderland

THERE are over one million Blue Badge users in the UK. One million users of a service without a voice, until now. The Blue Badge Users' Group aims to provide support and advice to users of the scheme and to campaign for improvements to the scheme. For more information please contact us on 0845 224 7542.
L Garvin,
Secretary,
Blue Badge Users' Group

THANK you to the kind person who handed my bus pass in. Much appreciated.
Mrs J Lay