Here are some of your views online.
Don't forget you can read more letters and the best in news and sports coverage in the St Andrews Citizen every week.

Kind
people
Sir, — I would like to thank a number of people who helped me when I became unwell on the 3.30 p.m. bus from Cairneyhill on October 15.
The driver of the bus was so very kind and considerate.
Also, can I thank supervisor Shaun, from St Andrews Bus Depot, for his help; Rosalind Connor, Tayport, for her kindness and especially first class bus driver, Mike Reid, for getting me safely home.
It is heartening to know that people still look out for each other. — Yours, etc.,
JESSIE DE-SMID,
Tayport.

Voucher
refunds
Sir, — I wonder how many other readers are as irritated and annoyed as I am that the the next time I park in St Andrews, I will have to pay again to park.
This is because I still have over half a book of parking vouchers which I was unable to use before the end of the so-called 'grace' period and Fife Council will not refund or honour these vouchers.
I have been in correspondance with the Transport Services, but they have been unable to provide me with any explanation, let alone a rational one, as to why they have decided that there would be ''no requirement for refunds.''
Apparently, because they have told us this in a public announcement in the Citizen, it is absolutely fine to keep my money and not provide the service I have paid for.
I'm amazed that this is legal, but I know it is not ethical.
Perhaps Fife Council will have the 'grace' to reconsider this issue. — Yours, etc.,
Margaret Hellicar,
2 St Ayles Crescent,
Anstruther.

Play
bridge
Sir, — Since October 28, it has been possible to learn to play bridge at the Byre Theatre on Tuesday afternoons from 1.30 p.m. to 4.15 p.m., if you are aged over 50.
To do so, you have to book a place by paying £30 to the Byre Theatre, for the six-week Haydays course. In the mornings, Haydays members are only charged £1 each to be served with a cup of coffee.
Anyone seeking a free trial run can pop alo ng to the Cosmos Community Centre — whatever age they are — to be introduced to contract bridge between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday afternoons (starting as soon as they wish). It will also be possible to make a cup of tea or coffee for 30p as long as people clear up afterwards.
On Wednesday afternoons (1 p.m.-3 p.m.) it will also be possible, whatever age people are, to go and play rubber bridge (not duplicate) if they feel they know enough not to lead lessons. There will be no fee to play but refreshments will be served at their usual prices.
It would be best to walk to either venue but, for anyone going from the other side of town, don't forget that some of the 99 buses come round by Morrison's, up Abbey Walk past the Cosmos Centre and up Abbey Street past the Byre. Once again no one (who is polite!) will ask your age, and I'm hoping to welcome undergraduates and grandparents (and those who, like me, are neither but I don't keep it a secret that I'm old enough to have a bus pass).
I'm also hoping that some people, who have practised enough bidding to feel able, will come and help others learn on Monday afternoons at the Cosmos.
I'm tempted to call these sessions Bridge Beginners Cosmos (BBC1), the Beginners Bridge Class at the Haydays on Tuesdays BBC2 and those on Wednesdays at the Byre BBC4 (as the last will be a virtual Byre Bridge Club 4 those who know or think they do!). — Yours, etc.,
Chris Lesurf (Ms),
St Andrews

Brigadier
Gordon
Sir, — I am seeking information and memories about my cousin, Brigadier Barbara Gordon.
She was a long-term resident of St Andrews (as were her parents), lived at Lettoch, 31 Hepburn Gardens, and had an illustratious career as a military nurse.
She nursed all over the world, was made Matron-in-Chief of army nursing and was made Companion of the Order of the Bath by the Queen.
I would be most grateful for any information or memories about her as I am writing a history of the Gordon family. — Yours, etc.,
Eleo Gordon (Miss),
4 Royal Crescent,
London,
W11 4SL

Wilsons
ahoy!
Sir, — I'm wondering if you could help me contact relatives through your newspaper?
I am currently doing my family tree and have found my whole Wilson line hails from St Andrews.
Knowing how common the surname Wilson is, I am working through the use of certain surnames that appear very frequently through the generations. They are Fortune and Morrison.
The patriarch of the family was John Wilson, pilot, of St Andrews. His wife was Jane Morrison. All the male members of the family took to the sea as their father did.
The last recorded Wilsons I have found in St Andrews were the sisters, Jane and Wilhelmina, spinsters who ran a shop, untill their death, in St Mary Street, in the 1930s and early 40s. Perhaps some of your older readers would remember them?
I can be contacted through email: general_grimnar@hotmail.com; postal address: 42 Landsborough St, Echuca, Victoria, Australia, 3564, or mobile phone: +610424880624
Kindest regards — Yours, etc.,
Matthew Wilson,
Australia.

Coastal
flooding
Sir, — Threats of possible coastal flooding now and in the future are rightly of concern to many. However, recent publicity concerning potential flooding of the Old Course by a combined sea level rise and a one in 200 year storm surge has been exaggerated by a lack of attention to the available evidence.
The reconstruction of an event that suggests flooding as high as the R&A is based on the SEPA map from their website. This map is imprecise and has an accuracy of plus or minus one metre that cannot display the correct levels reached in areas of low lying ground.
SEPA confirms that, at St Andrews, the potential surge would reach 4.14metre above Ordnance Datum. A detailed survey of the Old Course indicates that potential inundation to this level does not extend as far east as the road that crosses the first fairway and a similar distance west from the Swilcan. The elevation of the new sea embankment is above 4.14m OD and would prevent flooding.
A floodgate in the burn by the bridge on the West Sands roads will be used to prevent surges moving in along the burn from the sea.
As far as I can ascertain, there has been no record of any surges bringing salt water onto the courses in the last 200 years and I would be pleased to hear from anyone with contrary information. — Yours, etc.,
Jack Jarvis,
Geography and Geosciences,
University of St Andrews.

All about
principle
Sir, — Firstly, let me say this is not just about money. This is about principle.
Last year the Links Trust increased the local links ticket from £125 to £165, the north east Fife (N.E.F.) from £250 to £330, the ordinary (ord.) from £375 to £495 and the full ticket from £665 to £785, far too much in my opinion.
This year they have increased the local ticket to £170, the N.E.F. to £340, the ord. to £510 and have seen fit not to increase the full ticket.
During the same period, the visitors' green fee increased from £125 to £130 and this year there has been no increase.
I have to ask myself, are visiting golfers being given more consideration than local and other golfers?
It was my understanding that the Trust was implemented to look after the rights of local golfers and golfers thereto.
It would appear to me that the first consideration is being given to our visiting golfers.
I do not have a problem with visiting golfers, in fact I welcome them, but surely prime consideration should be given to the people the Trust was appointed to look after?
One wonders how we may get any answers to questions we may have regarding the reasons for the increase above.
This action further strengthens my belief that they are above caring about local feelings. — Yours, etc.,
Name and address
supplied

Gone but
not forgotten
Sir, — In May 1940 my cousin Frank, a Hurricane pilot, was shot down and killed in France.
After the war I tried to find his grave, but without success and then amazingly last September I discovered that he is buried at Chuffilly-Roche in the Ardennes.
Although 68 years have passed, my wife and I decided to travel some 700 miles to show that he was not forgotten.
Chuffilly-Roche has a population of 100. There are no shops, pubs or buses and no one speaks English!
But in the corner of the Communal Cemetery is a solitary military headstone and grave to Pilot Officer Frank Sydenham. R.A.F.
On the grave were flowers, some provided by the Commune, others by an unknown villager. The French do not regard Poppies as we do and were surprised by the nature of our wreath.
At the foot of the headstone it read, 'Hero of the Heavens'.
Each year on the July 14 and November 11, a small number of veterans parade with their Tricolour before their memorial in the village, and then continue on to hold a minute's silence before the grave of the British pilot.
My cousin has not been forgotten by those for whom he fought.  
A comforting thought as we approach Remembrance Day. — Yours, etc.,
JOHN CARDER,
46 East Forth St.,
Cellardyke.

Touched by
support
Sir, — I am writing to thank the 20 plus St Andrews residents who took it upon themselves to care for me after a recent unexpected surgery, providing me with accommodation, meals and general support and company.
I came here three years ago to attend university and have always been greatly touched by the warmth of the community, never more so than this week.
May God Bless you all. — Yours, etc.,
Gillian Ferguson,
14a Hope Street,
St Andrews.

Harbour
barrier
Sir, — When recently the BBC required a unique East Neuk fishing harbour, as little changed as possible over the last 130 years, for their film of the building of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, they chose the B listed, conserved harbour of Cellardyke. This would not be possible today.
Virtually unchanged since the time of Stevenson, the harbour has been defaced overnight, without consultation, and without planning permission.
In a conservation area in which residents have to fight to double glaze their windows, Fife Council have erected the oversized steel barrier which Mr Martin Dibley of the local community council has correctly described as "unsightly and unwanted."
It has indeed "caused an uproar," and when Fife Council do get around to applying to themselves for permission to defile this conservation area, Cellardyke Residents Association will stand with Kilrenny and Anstruther Community Council in opposition to this eyesore.
It has apparently been installed to prevent boats launching from the slipway without paying harbour dues, which must be frustrating to our well-regarded Harbourmaster who is charged with collecting them.
However, residents report very few boats actually using Cellardyke harbour in this way, so one must question both the cost effectiveness of this solution, and its impact on this historic harbour.
Moreover, there is above the harbour an overgrown grassy slope, once neatly trimmed, now inaccessible to grass cutters under health and safety legislation, according to Fife Council.
It has above it a wooden safety barrier, which oddly enough has been allowed to fall into disrepair, being broken in at least four places. Repairing this does not seem to be much of a priority, unlike the steel barrier below.
Rather than waiting to award themselves permission to keep their incongruous steelwork, the Council should remove the barrier as quickly as they erected it, and restore this conservation area to its proper condition.— Yours, etc.,
Glenn Jones,
Secretary,
Cellardyke Residents Association.

Bygone
days
Sir, — Do you remember Abbey Walk on days both fair and foul, of standing or sitting or cavorting in the assembly / dining / gym hall? Of Messrs Inglis, Wallace, Simpson, Hood, McKenzie, Roche, Blakey, Noble, Grove, Auchterlonie, Close, McGavin, Neilson, McKirdie, and not forgetting the Ladies Napier, Roche, Auchterlonie, Millar, Robertson?
Do you remember hoofing up to Tom Morris Drive for games and the enduring smell of sweat mixed with mud in the changing shack, or going in the opposite direction for art to visit Chisholm and Scott, via MacArthur's to throw a pot or two.
Do you recall standing tight and close in assembly, some fainting then coming too.
The buildings and surrounding cabins were not the most salubrious but the atmosphere in the school was always good.
Kilrymont was a whole different ball game, all new and shiny, with a sports hall, and a pool, a separate assembly hall / gym / dining hall, different floor levels, new staff, more bodies from further afield, the addition of an apprentice janny, new teachers, the beginning of comprehensive education (in years 1, 2 and 3).
After you were 15 you could leave, and after your 'O' Levels you were evicted (cast out to the big wide world where jobs were thankfully plentiful).
Some managed good results in 'O' Levels, and took the road to South Street, for a fresh challenge, fifth and maybe sixth year, and a different atmosphere again.
So having been separated from your mates after primary school you could team up with them again if they hadn't already escaped. Forty years, where have they gone? — Yours, etc.,
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.

Sustainable
development
Sir, — Saturday, October 17, 2008 must be one of the saddest, if not shameful days, in the long and illustrious history of St Andrews.
An Open Association day school on Sustainable Development was cancelled due to lack of support. Only two St Andreans demonstrated their awareness of humanity's plight by subscribing for the six hour course — which could have catered for 50.
Open Association devotees are generally recognised (in Brodiesque terminology) as "la creme de la creme", yet of this elite less than half of one per cent registered any interest in the future of our homeland, the biosphere, and it wasn't even a Saturday with a farmers' market!
No-one from the wealthy Links Trust, whose golf courses are threatened with inundation (see P7, Citizen, October 16) enrolled for this "course".
No-one from the Preservation Trust thought that sustainable development has any relevance to the ethos and fabric of St Andrews.
No-one from any church congregation subscribed to the course even though Christians are enjoined to care for the planet: how to care if not by sustainable development?
No grandparents enrolled to demonstrate concern for the state of the biosphere their descendants will inherit.
However next March 7 is another Saturday (sadly a Farmers' Market day — but patrons can buy wisely at 9 a..m. and still listen wisely at 10 a.m. onwards) and another day school on Sustainable Development is timetabled.
So ring 462206 and book your place and take advantage of our university's farsightedness in establishing a chair of Sustainable Development. — Yours, etc.,
GEOFFREY HILLYARD,
5 Wishart Gardens,
St Andrews.

Tea
time
Sir, — Could I perhaps tempt the Rev.Ian Bradley (Citizen, October 24) to take a trip ' Over The Hill ' to Anstruther where he will find the Tea Room he is looking for.
In the still quaint town he will find Mrs P's , a wonderful tea room and deli where they serve pots of tea complete with hot water for a second cup.
Home made scones are the order of the day or a fresh cream delicacy from the fridge.
What a shame he missed the strawberry teas with clotted cream and jam we served in the summer.
So you see Rev Bradley the tea room you seek is but a short drive away ! — Yours, etc.,
Joan Palomb,
35 High Street East,
Anstruther.


Gone but
not forgotten
Sir, — In May 1940 my cousin Frank, a Hurricane pilot, was shot down and killed in France.
After the war I tried to find his grave, but without success and then amazingly last September I discovered that he is buried at Chuffilly-Roche in the Ardennes.
Although 68 years have passed, my wife and I decided to travel some 700 miles to show that he was not forgotten.
Chuffilly-Roche has a population of 100. There are no shops, pubs or buses and no one speaks English!
But in the corner of the Communal Cemetery is a solitary military headstone and grave to Pilot Officer Frank Sydenham. R.A.F.
On the grave were flowers, some provided by the Commune, others by an unknown villager. The French do not regard Poppies as we do and were surprised by the nature of our wreath.
At the foot of the headstone it read, 'Hero of the Heavens'.
Each year on the July 14 and November 11, a small number of veterans parade with their Tricolour before their memorial in the village, and then continue on to hold a minute's silence before the grave of the British pilot.
My cousin has not been forgotten by those for whom he fought.  
A comforting thought as we approach Remembrance Day. — Yours, etc.,
JOHN CARDER,
46 East Forth St.,
Cellardyke.

Touched by
support
Sir, — I am writing to thank the twenty plus St.Andrews residents who took it upon themselves to care for me after a recent unexpected surgery, providing me with accommodation, meals and general support and company.
I came here three years ago to attend university and have always been greatly touched by the warmth of the community, never more so than this week.
May God Bless you all. — Yours, etc.,
Gillian Ferguson,
14a Hope Street,
St Andrews.

Harbour
barrier
Sir, — When recently the BBC required a unique East Neuk fishing harbour, as little changed as possible over the last 130 years, for their film of the building of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, they chose the B listed, conserved harbour of Cellardyke. This would not be possible today.
Virtually unchanged since the time of Stevenson, the harbour has been defaced overnight, without consultation, and without planning permission.
In a conservation area in which residents have to fight to double glaze their windows, Fife Council have erected the oversized steel barrier which Mr Martin Dibley of the local community council has correctly described as "unsightly and unwanted."
It has indeed "caused an uproar," and when Fife Council do get around to applying to themselves for permission to defile this conservation area, Cellardyke Residents Association will stand with Kilrenny and Anstruther Community Council in opposition to this eyesore.
It has apparently been installed to prevent boats launching from the slipway without paying harbour dues, which must be frustrating to our well-regarded Harbourmaster who is charged with collecting them.
However, residents report very few boats actually using Cellardyke harbour in this way, so one must question both the cost effectiveness of this solution, and its impact on this historic harbour.
Moreover, there is above the harbour an overgrown grassy slope, once neatly trimmed, now inaccessible to grass cutters under health and safety legislation, according to Fife Council.
It has above it a wooden safety barrier, which oddly enough has been allowed to fall into disrepair, being broken in at least four places. Repairing this does not seem to be much of a priority, unlike the steel barrier below.
Rather than waiting to award themselves permission to keep their incongruous steelwork, the Council should remove the barrier as quickly as they erected it, and restore this conservation area to its proper condition.— Yours, etc.,
Glenn Jones,
Secretary,
Cellardyke Residents Association.

Bygone
days
Sir, — Do you remember Abbey Walk on days both fair and foul, of standing or sitting or cavorting in the assembly / dining / gym hall? Of Messrs Inglis, Wallace, Simpson, Hood, McKenzie, Roche, Blakey, Noble, Grove, Auchterlonie, Close, McGavin, Neilson, McKirdie, and not forgetting the Ladies Napier, Roche, Auchterlonie, Millar, Robertson?
Do you remember hoofing up to Tom Morris Drive for games and the enduring smell of sweat mixed with mud in the changing shack, or going in the opposite direction for art to visit Chisholm and Scott, via MacArthur's to throw a pot or two.
Do you recall standing tight and close in assembly, some fainting then coming too.
The buildings and surrounding cabins were not the most salubrious but the atmosphere in the school was always good.
Kilrymont was a whole different ball game, all new and shiny, with a sports hall, and a pool, a separate assembly hall / gym / dining hall, different floor levels, new staff, more bodies from further afield, the addition of an apprentice janny, new teachers, the beginning of comprehensive education (in years 1, 2 and 3).
After you were 15 you could leave, and after your 'O' Levels you were evicted (cast out to the big wide world where jobs were thankfully plentiful).
Some managed good results in 'O' Levels, and took the road to South Street, for a fresh challenge, fifth and maybe sixth year, and a different atmosphere again.
So having been separated from your mates after primary school you could team up with them again if they hadn't already escaped. Forty years, where have they gone? — Yours, etc.,
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.

Sustainable
development
Sir, — Saturday, October 17, 2008 must be one of the saddest, if not shameful days, in the long and illustrious history of St Andrews.
An Open Association day school on Sustainable Development was cancelled due to lack of support. Only two St Andreans demonstrated their awareness of humanity's plight by subscribing for the six hour course — which could have catered for 50.
Open Association devotees are generally recognised (in Brodiesque terminology) as "la creme de la creme", yet of this elite less than half of one per cent registered any interest in the future of our homeland, the biosphere, and it wasn't even a Saturday with a farmers' market!
No-one from the wealthy Links Trust, whose golf courses are threatened with inundation (see P7, Citizen, October 16) enrolled for this "course".
No-one from the Preservation Trust thought that sustainable development has any relevance to the ethos and fabric of St Andrews.
No-one from any church congregation subscribed to the course even though Christians are enjoined to care for the planet: how to care if not by sustainable development?
No grandparents enrolled to demonstrate concern for the state of the biosphere their descendants will inherit.
However next March 7 is another Saturday (sadly a Farmers' Market day — but patrons can buy wisely at 9 a..m. and still listen wisely at 10 a.m. onwards) and another day school on Sustainable Development is timetabled.
So ring 462206 and book your place and take advantage of our university's farsightedness in establishing a chair of Sustainable Development. — Yours, etc.,
GEOFFREY HILLYARD,
5 Wishart Gardens,
St Andrews.

Tea
time
Sir, — Could I perhaps tempt the Rev.Ian Bradley (Citizen, October 24) to take a trip ' Over The Hill ' to Anstruther where he will find the Tea Room he is looking for.
In the still quaint town he will find Mrs P's , a wonderful tea room and deli where they serve pots of tea complete with hot water for a second cup.
Home made scones are the order of the day or a fresh cream delicacy from the fridge.
What a shame he missed the strawberry teas with clotted cream and jam we served in the summer.
So you see Rev Bradley the tea room you seek is but a short drive away ! — Yours, etc.,
Joan Palomb,
35 High Street East,
Anstruther.


Support
bazaar
Sir, — The East Neuk Friends of CHAS (Children's Hospice Association Scotland) are hoping that the road closures — due to the water works being carried out at Kenly Bridge — will have little or no adverse effect on their annual Christmas Bazaar due to be held tomorrow (Saturday).
Over the years since the group's inception the Christmas bazaar has raised a substantial amount of funds for Rachel House, Kinross and Robyn House, Balloch, and they are hopeful that this year will be even more successful.
The bazaar will be held as usual in the Kingsbarns Memorial Hall between 10 a.m. and noon.
Entry fee is £2 and includes tea/coffee and biscuits.
Stalls will be selling CHAS Christmas cards, gifts etc.
There will also be a raffle with prizes including Sunday lunch for two at The Grange, a Christmas hamper and a voucher for beauty treatments.
With the current road closure Kingsbarns can easily be accessed via the Anstruther to Crail road, and buses are running from St Andrews to Crail with a shuttle bus in operation between Crail and Kingsbarns.
Everyone is welcome to come along and hopefully the road closure will not cause too much disruption to the event. — Yours, etc.,
Margo McKee,
Secretary,
East Neuk Friends of CHAS.

Flag
flying
Sir, — These are challenging times, when global problems of many kinds call for international understanding and co-operation.
October 24 has been long established as United Nations Day. We may have reservations about the way the UN has sometimes worked, and have ideas for the reform of its constitution, but we must recognise its central importance in the ordering of international affairs.
Again this year the day will be marked by the flying of the UN flag over St Andrews Town Hall, inviting us all to reflect on the need for nations of the world to work together for peace and justice.
I should like also to remind Citizen readers that there is a pleasant and permanent memorial to the work of the UN, and its supporting United Nations Association, in St Andrews Botanic Garden, where a 'Peace Garden' was established in 1995. — Yours, etc., URSULA HALL,
3 Abbey Villa,
Abbey Walk,
St Andrews.

Badge
on show
Sir, — I would wish to thank the person, who left a note on my car windscreen on Friday afternoon, in the disabled bay at Morrisons in St Andrews.
To have someone unknown to me, being so considerate regarding my health and welfare is so nice in this day and age.
I can assure that kindly person that had they looked at the driver's side of the car's windscreen they would have seen my disabled badge, which was issued to me and not the property of another. — Yours, etc.,
JIM MCINTOSH,
St Andrews.

Join
Greenpeace
Sir, — I would like to to draw attention to draw people's attention to ways in which they can support Greenpeace in St Andrews.
Greenpeace is looking for new active supporters throughout St Andrews to help support its international work to protect the environment.
People can help the organisation campaign on such issues as climate change and the destruction of ancient forests, promoting solutions to these threats to the planet's sustainability.
Interested people can choose to get active in many different ways from helping out with leafleting to e-mail campaigning, talking to the public or taking direct action.
If you would like to get more active with Greenpeace please call me on 07881602777 or e-mail dk69@st-andrews.ac.uk. — Yours, etc.,
Deborah Kerr,
Network Co-ordinator,
St Andrews.


Anyone for
tea?
Sir, — Walking through St Andrews today, I have just noticed that yet another of our closed down shops has become an American-style coffee house complete with sofas and loud music.
Surely we have reached saturation point with these particular establishments. Apparently in these recession and doom laden times the institution of afternoon tea is undergoing a revival.
Yet there is nowhere in the centre of St Andrews where one can partake of this civilised British ritual.
I recently had cause to entertain a producer of the BBC (tea-time) programme 'Songs of Praise' and sought vainly somewhere where we could sit discretely and comfortably to take tea.
We ended up, inevitably, in one of the many coffee houses barely able to hear ourselves speak and without the comforting and refined accoutrements of tea in china cups and a proper range of cakes.
The Ladyhead is the nearest we have to a proper old-fashioned tea shop and it performs a gallant and much-appreciated function but it does not quite have the degree of 'chintziness ' required.
People tell me that there are other places which come close to fulfilling this role but I have to admit I have yet to find them.
Maybe there is hidden away somewhere in our town the perfect afternoon venue and I have simply failed to find it.
Otherwise, might there be someone out there who might turn one of our sadly derelict shops - the late and much-lamented Rodgers' premises would be ideal - into a proper Scottish tea shop - a coffee-free and music-free zone where residents, visitors and students alike could linger over a pot of tea and a slice of layer-cake?
The provision of high teas would make it an even more irresistible venue. —Yours, etc.,
Rev Dr Ian Bradley,
4 Donaldson Gardens,
St Andrews.

Message to
developers
Sir, — After the John Knox Road housing application was refused, developers C&L Properties have claimed that this sends a message that 'St. Andrews isn't the place to go if you want to develop affordable housing' (Citizen, October 17).
This is nonsense. The real message to developers is: Respect local plan policies. Respect proposed green belt boundaries. Engage in proper community consultations beforehand.
All housing developments in St Andrews must include at least 30 per cent affordable. We would be delighted to have suitable applications containing more than that.
All the local councillors are fully aware of the acute housing need and fully recognise the need for this to be tackled as imaginatively as possible - without compromising our accepted policies. —Yours, etc.,
Robin Waterston,
(Councillor for Ward 19, St. Andrews),
128 North St,
St Andrews.


Flag
flying
Sir, — These are challenging times, when global problems of many kinds call for international understanding and cooperation.
October 24 has been long established as United Nations Day. We may have reservations about the way the UN has sometimes worked, and have ideas for the reform of its constitution, but we must recognise its central importance in the ordering of international affairs.
Again this year the day will be marked by the flying of the UN flag over St Andrews Town Hall, inviting us all to reflect on the need for nations of the world to work together for peace and justice.
I should like also to remind Citizen readers that there is a pleasant and permanent memorial to the work of the UN, and its supporting United Nations Association, in St Andrews Botanic Garden, where a 'Peace Garden' was established in 1995. — Yours, etc., URSULA HALL,
3 Abbey Villa,
Abbey Walk,
St Andrews.


Badge
on show
Sir, — I would wish to thank the person, who left a note on my car windscreen on Friday afternoon, in the disabled bay at Morrisons in St Andrews.
To have someone unknown to me, being so considerate regarding my health and welfare is so nice in this day and age.
I can assure that kindly person that had they looked at the driver's side of the car's windscreen they would have seen my disabled badge, which was issued to me and not the property of another. — Yours, etc.,
JIM MCINTOSH,
St Andrews.


Broken
bonds
Sir, — In mid August I got a letter published in a national daily newspaper.
Is anyone else experiencing problems with premium bonds? I bought £10,000 worth three years ago. For the first two years they followed the law of averages. I got a win every two months or thereabouts. All £50 except the last a healthy £500. Then 13 months ago the winning came to a halt. I find it hard to believe this could happen for such a long time.
Call me paranoid but when I know what Gordon Brown and his ilk did with the lottery money, I can't help wondering if he has found a way of siphoning off premium bond money for other uses as well.
Amazingly when you consider that this tabloid newspaper, whilst popular, reaches only a small percentage of the population, and of these people not all read the letters page, and of these not all have a significant number of bonds, yet within 11 days of publishing the newspaper put in five letters in response to mine. These were all from people who had largish holdings and were suffering the same as myself.
One lady said ``I agree that the government seems to be benefiting more than the people investing.'' Another said strongly, ``I too have a substantial amount invested, as have friends of mine. We all seem to be singing from the same songsheet.
Something sinister is going on.'' A further one said ``I have had a similar holding for some time and have received a steady trickle of prizes, only small value but acceptable all the same. This year I have received almost nothing, so have also wondered if the government is so desperate for money that any source is fair game.''
I would love to have the resources to take this further but obviously don't.
This can only be the tip of the iceberg, as a nationwide poll would discover the real size of the trouble.
Here, I am just hoping to test the water in this area and would love to hear from anyone who may be having similar experiences.
Readers should write a letter to this paper or let me know. It is 15 months now and still no win. I have decided to cash them in. — Yours, etc.,
DAVID PHILPOTT,
58A Main Street,
Strathkinness.

Pristine
memorials
Sir, — I wonder how many of next month's Remembrance Sunday services will be marred for those attending by the state of the war memorial around which they were gathered.
Typically now about 85 years old, many are falling into decay through weathering, structural damage, the effect of traffic or, worst of all, vandalism.
Organisations such as the War memorials Trust and others should be praised for their efforts in restoration but surely what's needed is a fundamental re-think of how this part of our national heritage should be preserved.
I have some ideas about how this might be achieved. Let's mark the Centenary of the Armistice, now just ten years away, with a national collection of pristine, sound (or at the very least, readable) war memorials.
Anyone interested? Please contact me on ray56thompson@tiscali.co.uk — Yours, etc.,
Ray Thompson,
Via e-mail.


Flag
day
Sir, — We wish to thank the very generous people of St Andrews for their record response to our recent Forces Help Flag Day when £736 was raised.
It is especially appreciated at this time when our forces are in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. — Yours, etc.,
Kit Streatfeild-James,
SSAFA St Andrews Flag Day
Convener.

Keeping an
eye out
Sir, — One Friday evening, approximately two years ago, my living room window was cracked by male youths with a sling shot and stones. Police were contacted, but the youths struck again the next evening. I was eight months pregnant at the time and unable to chase them.
My husband was serving abroad and police were unable to catch the culprits. Damage to the window came to more than £300. I thought the unpleasant incident was behind me, until Friday, October 3, this year.
Once again, a group of four young lads targeted a ground-floor bedroom window, but this time, circumstances did not favour their escape so well.
I am not pregnant and although my 21-month and three month-old children were in bed, my husband was home and I made chase.
I want to inform the vandals they were followed and police were advised. I got a very good look at each and every one of you while you loitered under the street light at the end of Learmonth Place, leading into the play park. I even got a photo on my mobile phone.
I watched while you climbed a fence bounding a house in Balrymonth Court and targeted its windows before running again.
Your faces are etched on my memory and although the police did not attend, be aware that I walk in town every day and will be keeping an eye out for each of you.
If you happen to be walking with your parents or in school uniform, rest assured, I will advise your parents and or the school exactly how you choose to pass your time on Friday evenings.
I hope this letter, at the very least, makes you reconsider your actions and feel ashamed of yourselves.
Imagine if the window had been to a bedroom in which one of my young children slept.
Finally, to all home owners between the Canongate and Winram Place, be aware that there is a group of young lads targeting windows.
Perhaps if we are all vigilant and complain, the police may be forced to take some action. — Yours, etc.,
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.


Convenient
service
Sir, — I came to Leuchars in 1970 with the Royal Navy 892 Phantom Squadron. At that time the doctors' surgery and pharmacy were installed in a `wooden shed'.
Over the past 38 years after many changes of doctors and personnel, two outstanding physicians Doctors Johnson and Salamanski took over the practice.
After a very short time the `wooden shed' was demolished, and a purpose built modern surgery and pharmacy with attendant expert and helpful staff replaced it.
With the increased numbers of houses being built in Balmullo, medical services needed to be increased, once again these two doctors came to the rescue and a surgery and pharmacy was built in Balmullo.
Patients in Leuchars and Balmullo do not have to make a bus or taxi trip to St Andrews to have their prescriptions filled, they can be picked up on exiting the doctors' office.
My question is, why do we need to change this efficient and convenient arrangement and move the pharmacy to the post office? May I suggest that the reason is profit and greed! — Yours, etc.,
B. W. BALL BEM,
15 Redcroft Place,
Leuchars.

Funding
famine
Sir, — I was depressed to read last week of the funding crisis for the final phase of the central St Andrews makeover.
Failure to complete this overdue work would undermine the value of the investment already made in the town centre, It underlines the need for more joined-up governance in Scotland and the revitalising of local government.
Too often performance today is no better than before devolution. It is doubly necessary to ensure that St Andrews, the economic driver of Fife, is allocated a fitting share of Fife Council resources year on year.
Only this week there was a large conference on tourism in Scotland. St Andrews is surely a big part of this scene for the foreseeable future.
Last month I took a long trip from the Black Sea to Amsterdam through 70 locks and the rivers of central Europe. Especially in southern Germany I went to many ancient settlements which already have UNESCO World Heritage status (e.g. the 'burgs' of Bavaria and Franconia).
Rows of half-timbered houses set in cobbled streets were in good repair. Pedestrianised streets were full of people and all shops were open for business. Many of these places were university towns.
Perhaps St Andrews could learn from these experiences and consider forming civil relations with some of them in the future. — Yours, etc.,
J. MICHAEL BUCHANAN,
1 Hope Street,
St Andrews.

Clone
town
Sir, — With regard to the upgrading of Market Street, St Andrews, has it ever occurred to the Fife Council that visitors to the town might be very happy to browse in a street that isn't a clone of every other street, in every other town —functional but soul-less.
There is also the problem of exorbitant rates pricing the individual, interesting shops out of business. — Yours, etc.,
DORIS YOUNG,
Hillside Court,
Hillside Park,
Sunningdale,
Berkshire.


Wrong
name
Sir, — I attended the final day of the Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday to see my school's (Madras College) pipe band perform.
I was shocked to hear the band announced over the loudspeaker as 'The City of St Andrews Pipe Band'.
At such a large and public event I really would expect organisers to get their facts right.
In addition, in not one of the speeches given during the closing ceremony, did anyone thank the pipe band even though a large group pf uniformed musicians were stood directly in front of them.
As a pupil of Madras College I feel that an unfair and hurtful mistake was made.
Our band deserves to be properly acknowledged in its home town. — Yours, etc.,
SIXTH YEAR PUPIL,
Madras College.

Lifeline
service
Sir, — I am an 85-year-old ratepayer of St Andrews and I wish to protest publicly about an injustice.
I live at the cathedral end of North Street and our only bus service has just been removed on the grounds that we did not use it enough.
How could we use it? Many of us are elderly and/or disabled and what did they send us? The old double deckers with huge high steps and a bar across its entrance, totally blocking "walkers".
A more modern, disabled-friendly bus would be well used — for shopping, the health centre, visiting friends or the many attractions of St Andrews.
Such a small detour for the buses, such a lifeline to us.Protests to the bus companies and the council have so far proved in vain. I hope you may help us. — Yours, etc.,
MRS JOAN FLEGG,
2 Marine Place,
St Andrews.


Co-operative
language
Sir, — I would like to let Mr Small (Citizen, October 3) know that he is not alone in feeling that language learning provision for the public is of no interest to universities in the region.
It appears that the lack of facilities described in his letter leave the public wanting and would indicate that the university may not value serving the local community any more by providing an adequate learning environment.
It makes me wonder if this is the 1st step to more cuts to languages in disregard to the town's needs.
It may be because teaching the public has no value whatsoever in terms of University funding revenue, since there are no brownie points to be gained from a zero-research activity.
I found myself wondering the same 18 months ago when Dundee Uni announced its cuts.
In reaction to this, myself and a few colleagues, then lecturers at Dundee Uni, thought that we should make sure the public's need for languages was answered in case the existing provision fell through and we set up a co-operative of language tutors in Dundee.
We are now providing a wide variety of language courses in a friendly atmosphere and should Mr Small wish to cross the water and socialise with learners from a wide-ranging cultural background, someone at the centre will make him a cup of coffee while he decides which language he would like to learn. — Yours, etc.,
Mrs F. Raeside,
Brake Farm,
St Andrews.

Lifting
spirits
Sir, — I was very pleased to read in the Citizen dated October 3 that the Community Council has awarded the Halcro Tait Shield for baskets and containers to Mr. Paul Gibbons for the beautiful floral display at Hope Park Church.
I believe that pupils from Madras College were also involved in this work and I am pleased that such hard work and effort has been recognised and rewarded.
The floral displays at Holy Trinity Church are also very beautiful, also the many containers and tubs placed around the town I believe by the St Andrews in Bloom organisation.
Our town has been much brightened by all of these efforts and I am sure they will have lifted the spirits of both residents and visitors. Well done indeed!— Yours, etc.,
Mrs A.WATSON,
Via e-mail.

Care
Service
Sir, — On behalf of the committee of Continuing Care N.E. Fife, I wish to thank everybody who helped with the coffee morning held in the Corn Exchange, Cupar, on September 13.
The weather and air show traffic did not deter the people from coming to support us, helping us to raise £545.
As we are a local charity, all our funds are put to good use in north east Fife.
Many thanks must also go to the stall holders and kitchen ladies without whose help this event would not happen. — Yours, etc.,
ANNE INGLIS,
Chairman,
Blebo Mains.

Dog
mess
Sir, — On more than one occasion somebody's dog has had the cheek to foul the front of my lawn.
The canine "friend" no doubt came up our drive, climbed the steps, walked on the slabbed path, turned left to the bottom of the front garden, to do its business.
As someone who takes pride in my lawn I was very incensed at this occurrence. I would like to remind the owner of the dog of the bye-law prohibiting fouling by dogs of public/private property.
If the owner has no respect for such a law he/she should not be allowed to own a dog. I would like to remind the owner that if these occurrences were accidents, he/she is welcome to come into my garden and pick up the mess. And do bring your gloves and plastic bag. — Yours, etc.,
AN ANGRY RESIDENT
OF DOOCOT ROAD,
(Name and address supplied).

Rail
link
Sir, — Maud Lang (Citizen letters, September 26) is to be commended upon her vision in supporting the restoration of a railway to St Andrews. The Starlink campaign also recognises the potential of such a line, not only as a standard public transport link but also as a means for running special excursion trains, such as the steam trains she suggests. Once the line is built there is no reason why the Northern Belle Orient Express should not bring visitors to the Open or any other big golf tournament.
It stands to reason that if tourists are financially constrained then, assuming they travel at all, they are liable to restrict themselves to the more accessible destinations. With St Andrews not being directly accessible by rail there is a danger that more will opt for places that are. Indeed there are already anecdotes about visitors, finding that St Andrews is nearly six miles from the nearest station, choosing to visit Stirling instead. Mr Rosenberg of the United States (letters, September 12) has already stated how unattractive he finds the prospect of waiting at Leuchars for a bus, especially in the rain and cold wind.
Make no mistake, St Andrews cannot afford to rest upon its laurels and will have to raise its game. A good rail connection would certainly up the ante. Otherwise it is likely that a growing number of potential visitors will opt for the more easily-accessible Stirling or Gleneagles at the expense of St Andrews and its rising generation, including Maud Lang. — Yours, etc.,
JANE ANN LISTON,
convenor,
STARLINK (St Andrews Rail Link) campaign

Sorry
folks
Sir, — I must apologise for misleading readers of the Citizen of September 19. It was probably a case of not fully understanding a Scottish accent even after 25 years as a St Andrews resident. My mistakenly writing that there are other Murray Mitchell shops elsewhere in Fife stemmed from my thinking that was what someone I trusted had told me. My reaction is to stock up my freezer with meat from the best butchers in town until they close this month.
Another advantage of living in St Andrews is the chance to buy proper tea (even if you can't afford property!). The Coffee Shop (in Greyfriars' Gardens, which goes from its junction with Market Street and St Mary's Place, to North Street) sells a large variety of teas which are just that. If your sense of taste is sensitive enough to be able to evaluate different wines then you should not insult it by using tea-bags. All sorts of other things are available at the Coffee Shop including lots of tea pots, my favourite biscuits and/or have your coffee made for you.
I often find it's worth asking other people's opinions on the best sources of whatever you want. It was only when I was declaring to the people in Mac's shop (in Lamond Drive) that the most likely place for me to buy bread and cakes would be Fisher and Donaldson's (Church Street) that I found out that those sold at their little shop are from the same bakers.
If I'd asked at the Health Food shop (next to Boots) I would also have known that we still have a source of stoned dates ! — Yours, etc.,
Chris Lesurf (Ms),
Via e-mail.

Leuchars
Airshow
Sir, — May I take this opportunity to thank all your readers who persevered with the weather to enjoy a good day out at the Leuchars Airshow 2008. A fine day was forecast from 14.00 hours onwards — but sadly, some perturbations on the weather did not provide sufficient clearance to run all the air displays planned. In the event, all "flat" displays were carried out, and only about one fifth of the air performers completed their display.
But the spirits of the crowd were not dampened — and, tellingly, very little rubbish was evident around the station when we did the "FOD (Foreign Object Damage) Plod" on Sunday a.m.
I know that some of your readers were disappointed that no refund was given for the lack of air displays. The truth is, our costs are fixed from a few weeks out — and, simply, we could not consider a refund in these circumstances — we have already committed overheads. And, an airshow is an airshow, we all take a bit (and indeed share a bit) of the risk of bad weather.
I apologise that we were not able to offer more 'on the day' this year — suffice to say a Tornado, Typhoon, The Red Arrows, and an F16 at least provided a flypast — and the ground display was one of the best seen anywhere in Scotland/north England this year, together with the Vulcan up to a high-speed abort. We look forward to welcoming as many as possible back to Leuchars in September next year — this was the first time in a decade that the air display was not completed, which goes to show what an unusual outcome this is in East Scotland in the late summer! — Yours, etc.,
AIR COMMODORE C. A. BAIRSTO ADC RAF,
Air Officer Scotland,
Royal Air Force,
Leuchars.

Traffic
issues
Sir, — I share Mr Adamson's concern about the risk to cyclists in St Andrews (Citizen, September 19) and I would like to take this opportunity to raise further issues concerning traffic in the town. In the last few months I have witnessed situations which give me cause for concern about local traffic management.
I have witnessed indiscriminate cycling on pavements, cyclists riding at night without lights, cyclists riding through the West Port in a westerly direction on the pavement and road, occasional cars driving west through the one-way West Port arch, regular three-point turns by cars obeying the no-through-road sign at the West Port thereby obstructing the flow of in-coming traffic, cars and vans parking on pavements, obstructing pedestrians with or without push chairs and wheelchairs.
An unsatisfactory situation is the arrangement of parking cars, en-echelon and bonnet-first, on the town centre streets. The Highway Code states that cars should not reverse into the flow of traffic but the local parking arrangements force cars to disobey the Code. This is one of the issues raised by cyclist Mr Adamson.
On the promenade in Douglas, Isle of Man, cars are required to reverse into their en-echelon parking slots, so that when they leave they are moving into the flow of traffic. This is an eminently sensible strategy.
It seems to me that Fife Council needs to revise its traffic manangement strategy, and that Fife Constabulary needs to be more visible on the streets to maintain order and enforce the Highway Code. We shouldn't have to wait for a serious injury or a fatality before something is done, should we? — Yours, etc.,
Richard A Batchelor,
Shieling of Blebo,
Pitscottie.

Rail
link
Sir, — I am planning to retire to Scotland.
St Andrews, with its rich history, university, and cosmopolitan feel, is high on my list.
However, I will not have a car and I do not relish waiting for the bus to pick me up near the Leuchars Rail Station, especially with winter's cold rains and chilly east winds.
I also find it surprising that "The Jewel of Scotland." with all its tourists and worldwide renown, is without a rail link.
Doesn't St Andrews deserve world class transportation?
I hope that Fife Council and the Government will give their support, and funding, to this vital link to St Andrews. — Yours, etc.,
K. Rosenberg (MR),
USA.

Disputes
facile?
Sir, — Please, enough! Can the Citizen please stop reporting about the facile disputes over parking meters in this 'special' town.
Outsiders looking in must fall about laughing at the ridiculous, anachronistic approach that members of this town adopt to any development.
We're hardly a pilot scheme for automated ticket machines — I think I've seen them elsewhere on my travels — and the incessant whingeing makes otherwise sensible and respectable folk look stupid.
The design selected is fairly innocuous, is solar-powered — thus negating the need to dig up freshly refurbished pavements — and finally lays to rest the palava of scratchcards, the quest for which could hardly been deemed visitor-friendly.
St Andrews oozes history whereever one looks — the voucher parking scheme is one piece of history we can afford to live without.
There is an awful lot of lazy assumption doing the rounds which, unfortunately, is being given credence through being reported and does the intellectual standing of the town no favours.
If one wants to home in on a story arising from the change, the refusal of the council to consider half -hour stays — which would encourage people to buy tickets, not evade the wardens and keep trade brisk in the town centre — would be a better target to aim for.
Get used to the fact that the ticket machines don't give change — bus passengers in Edinburgh have coped fine enough all this time.
And to the pensioner from Guardbridge who can't afford to lose the 15p he now knows he has to plan for when visiting St Andrews, may I respectfully suggest he makes use of his free bus pass and thereby reduces the traffic congestion AND saves himself money.
See? Easy. Now let's worry about finding Curtis Fine Papers employees jobs and other REAL issues and leave this grumbling where it belongs — in the ether. — Yours, etc.,
Ben McLeod,
Via e-mail.

Lammas
Market
Sir, — It is high time that the Lammas Market was removed from the centre of the town.
Having been completely hemmed in by large vehicles and machinery less than five feet from the front door of my family home in South Street, I left St Andrews apoplectic with rage at the intrusion which town residents have to suffer.
I enumerate the following: physical invasion of space in front of private residences; belching fumes which seep into the house and up the stairs, let alone global warming; totally unacceptable levels of sound which drown out speech inside; the house actually shook and, therefore, so did the foundations; Health and Safety surely would have something to say with proper reason, on several counts: smells of frying; rubbish, vehicles driving along the pavement one foot away from house fronts; sleep was quite impossible until near midnight, or later; pavements will undoubtedly have to be repaired yet again, causing cost and inconvenience to towns' folk. Moreover, hospital staff required to visit were unable to get their cars near and had to walk some distance: what about an emergency?
I love St Andrews, I like tradition and we used to love the fair, but in 2008 it is quite ludicrous that residents of a town should have to tolerate this incredible invasion of vehicles, noise and rubbish when it could be moved elsewhere. — Yours, etc.,
ELIZABETH SENIOR,
Tavern House,
Hilcott,
Pewsey,
Wiltshire.

********************
Sir, — Your correspondent A. Lindsay (August 15) argues that retaining the Lammas Market in the heart of St Andrews is important to sustain ''one of its longest-surviving traditions.''
Of course, many other traditions from the last century, such as TB, mass unemployment and high rates of infant mortality, seem less worth holding on to.
The main issue regarding the Lammas Market is the use of excessive amplified music until after 11 p.m.
For residents in South Street, this means watching TV, making a phone call or even having a conversation is virtually impossible for the duration.
The absence of amplified music in the early days of the Lammas made it most appropriate for the centre of the town; in the 21st century the tradition of moving anti-social, noisy neighbours to another location must surely prevail. — Yours, etc.,
Stephen Wright,
South Street,
St Andrews

Paper
mill
Sir, — In all probability, by the time this letter is published, the demise and murder of Guardbridge Paper Mill will be complete.
One hundred and thirty five years of papermaking history cast aside.
A loyal workforce thrown out to join the ranks of the unemployed.
I served this company for 43 years and know most of the workforce. In my opinion, the manner in which they have been treated is criminal.
The paper industry in general has struggled over the years with the escalation of energy and material costs. Governments (including the Holyrood coup) have been aware of this but offered our industry no help to combat the problem.
I have been led to believe that the respective governments of France, Holland and Belgium subsidise the energy costs of their mills. An action like that would go a long way to help our industry.
I would like to applaud Mr Keith Chapman for his sterling work in keeping the plight of the mill in the public domain. It is sad that more people of his ilk did not come forward to offer support! — Yours, etc.,
BILL KIRK,
(retired papermaker),
9 Fraser Avenue,
St Andrews.

Trust
accounts
Sir, — No doubt there are others better qualified than I, a mere economist, to comment on the latest Links Trust accounts.
However, two important points arise!
(1) The capitalisation of wages on the Castle Course. Now wages, fuel costs etc are current expenditures. Let us call them apples. Expenditure on new grass mowers, greenkeepers' sheds etc., is capital expenditure. Let us call them oranges. Now calling apples (wages etc.) orange pippins does not make them oranges. This so-called capitalisation looks like an accountants' way of disguising the fact that the Castle Course is running at a loss.
(2) The wages bill is up by less than one per cent. Unless there have been redundancies or reductions through natural wastage, this implies a real wage cut (when Retail Price Index inflation is over four per cent). Yet this is an organisation that made a profit (sorry, surplus) of just over £2 million, and whose top paid employee enjoyed a rise in salary of £10,000 (on top of an already generous £120,000) — a rise of around seven per cent.
Does this not confirm my original objections to the building of the Castle Course, namely, that it was, in fact, an example of bureaucratic empire-building, which would be used to justify an increase in salaries for its top-paid employees? — Yours, etc.,
COLIN McALLISTER,
140 South Street,
St Andrews.

Long live
the Lammas
Sir, — Congratulations to Citizen letter writers Jan Brodie and Margaret MacPhee Smith for supporting the Lammas Market.
It seems their praise for the historiic event put those who usually voice their oppostion to the event (usually anonymously through your newspaper) firmly in their place.
Thankfully we've not had to hear the whingeings of those who are lucky enough to live in our town centre yet decry one of it's longest-surviving traditions.
This week's Lammas Market has been one of the best I've ever seen and despite the weather the showmen and women have been given a warm welcome by the hundreds of visitors who have flocked each day and night.
It's an event for all of the town to enjoy and should stay where it is, in the very heart of St Andrews.
Long live the Lammas! —Yours, etc.,
A. LINDSAY,
St Andrews.

Harbour gala
time again
Sir, — I write on behalf of the Friends of St Andrews Harbour to ask your readers to support St Andrews Harbour Gala Day on Sunday, August 31.
Having revived this tradition in the summer of 2003 - after a gap of over 40 years! - 'Friends of St Andrews Harbour' have been delighted with the success of the last four Harbour Gala days, and pleased that so many people came along and enjoyed themselves.
It's encouraging that this annual community event has become very popular and is well supported by local people and our visitors too!
As previously, all workers are volunteers and all profits will be used for the benefit of the harbour and surrounding area.
Many people have expressed an interest in supporting this venture again and, through your letters page I would like to ask for contributions for the following stalls: bric a brac, plants, home - baking, preserves, and donations for the bottle stall and prizes for the tombola, all donations will be most welcome!
Donations can be delivered to the marquee on the putting green, (the use of which has been kindly granted by Fife Council), on Saturday, August 30 or again, if required, I can arrange for contributions to be collected if contacted on 07778618634 (mobile) or on 473536 in the evenings. — Yours, etc.,
DAVID MARTIN,
Chair,
Friends of St Andrews Harbour.


Golf's French
connection
Sir, — On behalf of the St Andrews-Loches Alliance, I would like to thank all the individuals, host families organisations, and golf associations in St Andrews, who contributed to the success of a recent visit of a group of young French golfers from Loches.
This is the first time that a visit of this nature has taken place since the 'Cultural Partnership' was founded in 1996.
It was a wonderful opportunity and a great privilege for these enthusiastic and talented youngsters to experience golf at the highest level.
The six golfers who came on the trip were selected from the Junior School of Golf in Verneuil, near Loches, to take advantage of a week of intensive tuition, practice and competitions in St Andrews.
Over the course of the week their handicaps were significantly reduced and their understanding of the etiquette of golf much improved.
The six teenagers aged between fourteen and sixteen stayed with local families, some of whose children will make a return visit to France in the near future.
The group had the opportunity of experiencing other activities during their visit, including a tour of the R&A Clubhouse, the British Golf Museum, St Andrews Cathedral and Castle and the local cinema.
They also attended the National Youth Choir of Scotland concert at the Younger Hall. The group managed to take advantage of the facilities at the East Sands Leisure, which runs special programmes for schoolchildren during the school holidays.
The week culminated with a barbecue and putting competition at the Eden Clubhouse. The French group, joined by their host families, members of the Alliance and many local youngsters participated in the event, which was followed by a short prize-giving ceremony.
Such events would not be possible without much planning, work and support from both individuals and local organisations.
I would like to take this opportunity, through your columns, of thanking again all those who contributed towards the success of the visit. —Yours, etc.,
VIRGINIA FOWLER,
Chair,
St Andrews-Loches Alliance.


Blebo Craigs
bus service
Sir, — Could someone from Stagecoach please explain why they have taken the 64a wee bus off its route? From the new timetables there is no bus going to Blebo Craigs village where at the moment the 64b goes up there.
The 64 and 64a are now just going to stop at Blebo Road end so anyone wanting Blebo Village (like myself) will have a 10-15 minute walk all up hill. As I live in Dura Den the safest way for me to get home is from Blebo village and walk home, a walk which I enjoy. Both buses will stop at Pitscottie, but it is a dangerous walk to Dura Den with fast cars and no pavement for part of the way.
I challenge anyone from Stagecoach to walk down from Pitscottie with a rucksack full of shopping and they might change their mind about stopping the bus going to Blebo village. All I get from Stagecoach is 'Ring the flexi bus', but you have to ring at least an hour before you want it and sometimes they can not pick you up when you want it. We have no bus at all, so the bus to Blebo village is a must for me and all the people who live at Blebo.
I am 62 and enjoy walking as long as it is safe and from Blebo village it is a safe and enjoyable walk even with shopping. — Yours, etc.,
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.

Motorhome
parking
Sir, — I wonder if anything is done to regulate the number of motor caravans which seem to manage to park up for the night in car parks in St Andrews without any problem?
There were seven on Sunday night cosily sitting with their curtains drawn and lights on in various car parks across the town.
Last week I saw a man doing his dishes within yards of the Swilcan bridge in another van parked on The Links. I am not a secret admirer of such vehicles I hasten to add, just a regular visitor who enjoys to go for walks around the town.
Apart from the obvious loss of income to local holiday parks, is there not a health concern over where the van owners empty their chemical toilets or if their van is not equipped with one, where they go to the loo?
These vans were both foreign and British and Petheram car park particularly seems to be a favourite as does the car park opposite the R&A Clubhouse.
It seems a bit blatant, given the amount of 'vacancy' signs in guest houses around the area just now. — Yours, etc.,
D. R. Black
Via e-mail.

Cash
contribution
Sir, — On behalf of the Madeleine Steel Charitable Trust, we should like to express enormous thanks to the army of helpers and supporters who contributed to the marvellous success of our coffee morning on Saturday, July 26.
The event raised a record £1879 (including gifts from generous donors who could not be present). Special credit is due again to Moira Weir, the mainstay of our "home baking" stall.
We are also indebted to all our other bakers, jam makers, crafts experts, sales team and coffee servers, supplemented on this occasion by the celebrity TV butler Hugh Edgar who kindly volunteered his services.
Very many thanks to Blacketyside and Allanhill Farms for their most generous gifts of fruit, to Morrison's supermarket for their support and to Luvians, the Dolls House and Duck's Crossing for raffle prizes.
We are happily in the position of being able to guarantee continued funding of travel fellowships for professionals working in the field of congenital heart disease and the good people of St Andrews have played a large part in making this possible. — Yours, etc.,
JUDITH AND MICHAEL STEEL,
Breakers,
3a The Scores,
St Andrews.

Support for
Lammas
Sir, — I greatly enjoyed Jan Brodie's letter in support of the Lammas Market (Citizen, August 1). My memories of the market go back exactly 80 years.
From 1928 to 1935 my father was police inspector at St Andrews. In 1928, or soon thereafter, he and Sam Stott, chairman of the Showman's Guild had an amicable meeting at which they jointly decided what needed to be done during the Lammas Market to serve the best interests of both the showmen and the townsfolk.
Sam guaranteed to see that the showmen's side of the bargain was kept. He was as good as his word that year and each year thereafter.
My father's first meeting with Sam Stott was in 1921 at Cupar Lammas Market.Dad, off duty, attended the market with my mother and me, a three month old baby. Though not in uniform, but observant as always, Dad noticed that trouble was brewing at a shooting stall, where a young farm worker was annoying the showman.
He took instant action, arriving at the stall just in time to avert the use of a knuckle-duster. The showman was Sam Stott.The very good relationship between the policeman and the showman lasted into Dad's retirement. My father was a staunch supporter of ancient Scots customs.
St Andrews Lammas Market, unlike the Cupar one, has survived against all the odds. Long may it continue to do so! — Yours, etc.,
MARGARET I. MACPHEE SMITH
Tigh Na Sgoile
Lawhead of Radernie
By Cupar.

Eye-opening
eyesore
Sir, — As one who is exceedingly interested in the history of St Andrews including its historic figures and the contribution made by them to make this town/city what it now is — yet I'm very disheartened and discouraged with some attractions — for example the condition of some gravestones in the cathedral cemetery and the adjoining Eastern cemetery.
Many golfers in St Andrews are aware of the contribution made by the Kirkcaldy brothers — Andrew and Hugh — yet a visit to their graves is an eye-opener/eyesore, the lettering on Hugh's gravestones is hardly decipherable — while Andrew's grave is hardly two feet high! Not what one would expect! Where is the local appreciation?
Is there not an organisation which could become involved in renovating or restoring such gravestones. This would be of considerable value to the golfing fraternity and others. — Yours, etc.,
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.

Cat
cruelty
Sir, — To the person who abandoned or dumped a very sick little ginger cat (approx six months old).
You might like to know the suffering and distress you caused this poor defenceless animal by your cruel and senseless act. He was found in St Nicholas Street on Sunday, August 3 during a thunder storm, staggering in the middle of the road, unable to walk properly due to starvation and unable to see due to blindness caused by terrible eye infections, which had destroyed his eyes.
With the help of a friend and neighbour, we managed to catch him and he spent the night of his short sad life, dry, warm and loved.
A visit to the vet on Monday morning confirmed our worst fears – he had suffered too much and he was put to sleep.
Another act of wanton cruelty. I hope you can live with yourself. — Yours, etc.,
RUTH DELANEY
'Leura',
46 Lamond Drive,
St Andrews.


Eden
erosion
Sir, — Regarding coastal erosion in the Eden Estuary, I realise that much research into the problem is required and that research takes up a fair amount of time and money.
However, the problem of erosion in the Eden Estuary has been with us for as long as I can remember and defences to combat the problem have already been put in place to counter the severe erosion that has already claimed great areas of the links and dunes.
Therefore the powers that be, whoever that is, Fife Council, Links Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, University of St Andrews etc, must already have files and files of information on the River Eden, its estuary, its erosion and its defences.
These defences are holding for the time being but the question is, for how long?
Over 150 years ago George Bruce and Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair, men of great vision, built sea defences and reclaimed the land that now forms the road and car park to the north of the Royal and Ancient clubhouse.
This amazing fete of land reclamation not only saved the Old Course but it also created the most famous and most photographed fairway in the world.
The only way to stop tidal erosion in the Eden Estuary is to stop tidal currents, tidal surge from winter storms and destructive waves from entering the estuary.
Therefore, I think that a barrier with gates controlling tidal and river flow is the way forward. The benefits from such a project with regards to nature reserve, to preservation and to leisure I have already mentioned in a previous letter to your columns.
A barrier across the estuary could combine turbines to generate electricity from the tidal flow, perhaps it could generate enough power to light up the West Sands Road, the Links Buildings or the university which would negate the need for wind turbines at Kenly.
Fifers have always had strong trading links with the Dutch, even the word `golf' originates from Holland.
I strongly recommend a visit to South Holland, to the Zeeland delta with its many islands. Here the people not only depend on the seas barriers to protect their land but also their houses and their lives. The barrier system of controlling rivers and sea, the mixing of fresh water and salt water, the creation of fantastic nature reserves containing marsh and sea grasses, plants and flowers and a great variety of wildlife particularly wading birds will impress you, I guarantee that. — Yours, etc.,
DAVID K. SEELEY,
St Andrews.

Lammas
memories
Sir, — I thought I would write in advance of the annual letters of complaint published after the Lammas Market, usually written by South Street residents.
I don't really count as local either. My family moved here when I was three, and we lived in North Street, and my Granma lived in South Street.
Aunt Babs lived in Baker's Lane, and when over 90 years old, used to reminisce every year about the fairs of her youth, of real Lammas gingerbread and courting on the hobbyhorses.
I can count on one hand the markets I have missed in my 50 years, and I still get happy and excited each August.
When I was wee I loved waiting at our window to watch the first caravans pulling up North Street to the residential stances along by Castle Street, trying to guess which rides were on the covered lorries.
I remember the 1st year I was big enough to be allowed to go with my mates, rather than my Mum and Dad. I remember the year my shoe flew off the chairoplanes and hit someone.
I remember the year I was old enough to drink in the Crit and watch the world pass by.
I have photos of my kids' first market, and of their 1st roundabout rides. Neighbours and friends used to give me some coppers 'for the market', and I will give some rather shinier 'pennies' to friends' and neighbours' children this year.
I love the market still. I always meet old friends as I walk, both townsfolk and showmen, and although I am getting a bit old for the rides, I like to go, and watch and gasp, munch a toffee apple and hope I don't spot MY teenager hanging upside down over Parliament Hall!
I have been to other fairs, and the atmosphere, without the confined space, and transformation of the ordinary to the extraordinary, is just not the same.
Maybe you have to be local. Consider it our fiesta. A quaint local custom we are happy to share with visitors.
To the complainers, may I say; I would love to be able to afford to live in South Street.
You must have known about the Lammas when you acquired your house; it is, after all, not a secret.
It is noisy and smelly and uncouth, bless it, but it is only two days, it stops at 11 p.m. or midnight, and the council do a wondrous job of clearing up.
The dates are predictable. You could always go away...
So, please, this year, just for once, get over it and don't write. Let all the rest of us just enjoy!
Or come and join in, it might be less awful than you think.
I shall be so sad if the Lammas Market fades because the cost of hauling the rides, or the space restrictions, stop the showmen coming, but I would be truly furious if it died from 'nimby' complaints from an articulate minority. — Yours, etc.,
Jan Brodie,
61 Roundhill Road,
St Andrews.

Golf
Courses
Sir, — You report (Citizen, July 11) that Alan McGregor of St Andrews Golf Development Group — and I thought he was merely the secretary manager of St Andrews Links Trust — said "The St Andrews Golf website is designed to increase awareness of the 11 wonderful courses in St Andrews.
"There is a large variety of golf from heathland to links and clifftop courses".
Pardon me, but there are only five and a half golf courses in St Andrews — the Old, the New, the Jubilee, the Eden, the Strathtyrum and the nine hole Balgove.
Neither the Dukes, the Castle, the Torrance, the Devlin, nor Kingsbarns are in St Andrews, and none is a heathland course.
However, never let the truth get in the way of marketing hyperbole! — Yours, etc.,
COLIN McALLISTER,
140 South Street,
St Andrews.


Toxic
debate
Sir, — With regard to herbicide poisoning Jennifer Rinternecht is quite right (Citizen, July 4) and Councillor Waterson is quite wrong (Citizen, July 18).
The manufacturers of the herbicide concerned state that it is of "low toxicity for mammals".
No data is given by the manufacturers for its effect on children. How can a substance which is lethal for plants be "completely safe" for children, as Councillor Waterson maintains?
I have an interest in poisoning in children. At one time, I was the representative of the paediatricians on (one small aspect of) poisoning in children. I cannot improve on what Mrs Rinternecht has described.
Where children are around, "the weeds should be pulled out the ground by the roots", as she has correctly mentioned. Fife Council please note. — Yours, etc.,
(DR) DAVID REID,
Address supplied.

Hospital
access
Sir, – St Andrew's Community Council members should remember a meeting just a year ago (July 2, 2007) when they heard a presentation by Martin Dibley and myself, as public representatives on the project team and project board for the new hospital.
This was to assist the council in framing their response to the hospital planning proposal which shortly afterwards received planning approval.
They appear to have overlooked that we concluded our presentation with an urgent request for them to add a strong rider to their submission to Fife Council, pressing the need for adequate public transport to and from the hospital.
Without this, restrictions on car parking on site (imposed by planning policies) would inevitably cause difficulties, not just for patients, but for staff: nurses, GPs, consultants, support staff and social workers, many of whom come from out of town.
Fife Transportation had already anticipated possible access problems in its report of January 2005. We have all, since then, been affected by increased costs of private transport, and by parking and congestion problems in town and this situation can only get worse. Action was urgent then, it is even more so now.
For whatever reason, St Andrews Community Council ignored our request at the time and, one year later, has awoken to the problem.
Thankfully once building contracts were signed, the NHS set up a St Andrews Community Hospital Travel Planning Group, on which the Community Council is represented, and has undertaken a full access review.
This is looking into vehicular access and parking, sensible cycle and walking access, taxi facilities, car sharing schemes and, crucially, the re-routing and re-timing of public transport.
The design is such that buses can be routed right into the Community Hospital and offer direct access to those travelling from the Fife Coast as well as within St Andrews. NHS Fife, Fife Council and the bus companies are working to complete this exercise.
Ultimately, however, bus services are a Fife Council, not an NHS responsibility, and the Community Council must now add its weight to pressures for public transport to be improved.
This is all the more urgent as rising fuel costs are currently forcing providers in precisely the reverse direction as they consider withdrawing bus services at a time when there should be a shift from private to public transport.
A long-term review of public transport provision in NE Fife is surely overdue and that is a political matter, not one for which the NHS is responsible. – Yours, etc.,
S. S. B. Taylor, M. Dibley
Public representatives on the hospital project Travel Group.

Transport
links
Your front page article last week reports at some length concerns expressed by St Andrew Community Council about transport to he new hospital and health centre, primarily from within St Andrews.
But the hospital is not simply a St Andrews hospital, and similar concerns are felt throughout, the area that it will serve, not least in the East Neuk.
When NHS Fife's travel committee for the hospital was established several months ago, I wrote to the chairman, as immediate past health representative of the East Neuk Communities Group, a consortium of ten community councils, expressing these concerns.
The East Neuk has a higher than national average elderly population, lower than average access to private cars, and significant numbers of young mothers whose husbands work away on the rigs or at the fishing.
As a result, many people rely entirely on local public transport services. At the present time we have two buses, at half hour intervals, that in effect serve the current hospital, St Andrews Memorial.
The 95 stops at the door, and the x58/60 at the eastern end of Lamond Drive, a short walk from the hospital.
What will the position be when the new hospital opens at the top of Largo Road,? The 95 will go nowhere near the hospital.
The hourly x58/60 will stop at the western end of Lamond Drive, but at a very considerable distance from the hospital.
If the kind of shuttle bus referred to in your report is established, it may, depending on frequency, allow passengers from the East Neuk (for an additional fare, if under M65 or F60?) to join it at Lamond dive (where, however, at present, there is no sheltered bus stand). Alternatively, it may be possible for users of the 95 to connect with the shuttle from within the town (at an additional fare)
Ideally, the 5x8/60 might be rescheduled to make a brief detour to the hospital, but it is hard to see this happening.
It should continue to be emphasised , therefore, that this is not simply a St Andrews issue,but one that affects all the communities served by the hospital.This needs, as your report says, a coordinated approach to improving public transport links.
If Dr William Dove, NHS Fife's travel plan co-coordinator, can, as suggested, visit St Andrews Community Council to discuss these concerns, perhaps he can be persuaded as well to attend a meeting of the East Neuk Communities Group. – Yours, etc.,
(Professor) William R. Roff,
29 Shore Street,
Cellardyke.

Castle
Course
Sir, — Can I add my name to the growing army of critics of our new Castle Course? After all the pre-opening hype, it is a vast disappointment if you are expecting a golf course pleasurable to play.
Continuous boring blind shots, ridiculous mounds in the middle of fairways and undulating greens which defy polite description and will be unplayable in a strong wind are the course characteristics.
I would like the course designer, Mr David McLay Kidd, to be brought back to explain what he was attempting, to apologise to the people of St Andrews, and to return half his fee. Then Donald Steel should be asked to remove the humps, reshape some fairways and lay some sensible greens.
If the Links Trust truly believed this was the answer to the increasing demands on our existing links from golfers, they must now already be realising they have made a big and expensive mistake. I imagine hardly anybody will want to play the course regularly after the novelty wears off and the considerable clubhouse staff were already standing around looking for something to do when I played.
I accept one round is required just to see how and where to play this bizarre layout, but surely no visitor in these times of economic recession is mug enough to pay £240 to be angered twice when there are so many superior and more enjoyable courses around at better value for money.
And, as a local, I won't be buying a resident ticket again to include the Castle Course so the rumoured £10 million could have been spent more wisely.
I'm afraid our seventh course could sadly prove an economic disaster. — Yours, etc.,
John Lindsey,
10 Links Crescent,
St Andrews.

Hospital
transport
Sir, — Your front page article this week (Citizen, July 11) reports at some length concerns expressed by St Andrew Community Council about transport to the new hospital and health centre, primarily from within St Andrews. But the hospital is not simply a St Andrews hospital, and similar concerns are felt throughoutthe area that it will serve, not least in the East Neuk.
When NHS Fife's travel committee for the hospital was established several months ago, I wrote to the chairman, as immediate past health representative of the East Neuk Communities Group, a consortium of 10 community councils, expressing these concerns. The East Neuk has a higher than national average elderly population, lower than average access to private cars, and significant numbers of young mothers whose husbands work away on the rigs or at the fishing. As a result, many people rely entirely on local public transport services.
At the present time we have two buses, at half -hour intervals, which in effect serve the current hospital, St Andrews Memorial. The 95 stops at the door, and the x58/60 at the eastern end of Lamond Drive, a short walk from the hospital.
What will the position be when the new hospital opens at the top of Largo Road? The 95 will go nowhere near the hospital. The hourly x58/60 will stop at the western end of Lamond Drive, but at a very considerable distance from the hospital. If the kind of shuttle bus referred to in your report is established, it may, depending on frequency, allow passengers from the East Neuk (for an additional fare, if under M65 or F60?) to join it at Lamond Drive (where, however, at present, there is no sheltered bus stand). Alternatively, it may be possible for users of the 95 to connect with the shuttle from within the town (at an additional fare)
Ideally, the 5x8/60 might be rescheduled to make a brief detour to the hospital, but it is hard to see this happening.
It should continue to be emphasised, therefore, that this is not simply a St Andrews issue,but one which affects all the communities served by the hospital.
As your report says, this needs a coordinated approach to improving public transport links. If Dr William Dove, NHS Fife's travel plan co-coordinator, can, as suggested, visit St Andrews Community Council to discuss these concerns, perhaps he can be persuaded as well to attend a meeting of the East Neuk Communities Group. — Yours, etc.,
Prof. William R. Roff,
29 Shore Street,
Cellardyke.

Eden
Barrier
Sir, — A violent winter storm combined with a massive tidal surge, in the early 1950s, crashed through the sea defences in Holland and south east England, sweeping away homes and towns and villages, drowning over 1000 people and devastating the land.
The Thames Barrier was created to help prevent such a disaster ever happening again. However, experts predict that the Thames Barrier, in its present form, will in 30 years' time be rendered ineffective against the rising power of the sea. Therefore, with this in mind, it is alarming to read current reports of coastal erosion in the Eden Estuary. Anyone who is a regular golfer in St Andrews will be well aware of the amount of hinterland at the back of the seventh and 11th greens of the Old Course already lost to the sea. The current sea defences are holding for the time being but they will not stand up to ever rising sea levels, winter storms or tidal surge.
Having lived and worked in Holland and marvelled at the way the Dutch control their rivers and waterways and defend their low lying country from encroachment of the sea, I believe that we, in St Andrews, should be following their example. I am certain, if the Dutch had possession of the greatest golf course in the world, and one of their country's greatest assets was at risk, they would not think twice about protecting it in perpetuity and I guarantee that the whole of the golfing world would be applauding their ingenuity, their commitment and their environmental success. If a barrier could be built across the mouth of the River Eden to control the flow of water in and out of the estuary it would protect the land, the links, RAF Leuchars and surrounding areas from certain erosion and destruction.
The West Sands road could be built up, widened and strengthened to become an integral part of the sea defences. The road, after connecting up to the Eden Barrier, could continue around Tentsmuir to Tayport, where once again it could fulfil a dual purpose by becoming part of the sea defences. The benefits of such a scheme could be tremendous, not only for St Andrews but for the whole of North Fife. What a tourist route this could be. For example, if the barrier was big enough, and wide enough, it could carry not only a new road but also a new rail link and cycle lanes. The estuary itself could be transformed into a fantastic leisure facility void of dangerous currents and still be maintained and enhanced as a nature reserve. Land already lost to the sea could be reclaimed.
A controlled Eden Estuary would allow marram grass and perhaps sea rocket and sea sowthistle to take hold. Sand and mudflats would encourage other species that thrive in wet dune valleys such as yellow rattle, bogbean and orchids. Marshlands would develop, bringing in water birds, reed birds, waders, birds of prey, birds that thrive in this environment of salt and fresh water.
The concept of reclamation from the sea is not new to St Andrews. One hundred and sixty years ago, the width of the first and 18th fairways of the Old Course was only 85 yards. By 1855, this had increased to 135 yards thanks to the efforts of Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair. At periods of high tide, the sea would encroach on the course causing considerable erosion. He made the reclamation by building three breakwaters and infilling the spaces between with town refuse and covering it with soil and sand. This reclamation opened up the course for the formation of a new first green.
George Bruce, a local joiner and cabinetmaker whose name is given to the Bruce Embankment which, in its earlier form, he originally constructed at his own expense, began the reclamation of the strip of ground to the north between the R&A Clubhouse and the sea wall.
I find it frustrating, to say the least, that approximately £14 million has been spent on the new, unnecessary Castle Course and that our politicians, and possibly even the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, are prepared to bow to the whims of Donald Trump. The Old Course is one of the nation's treasures, one of Scotland's greatest assets, and with ever rising sea levels it will be threatened as never before within the next 100 years. Its preservation should be given priority over everything else. I recommend that our authorities, or the powers that be, take a short trip to Zeeland in Southern Holland and check out the Haringvliet and the Brouwers Barriers and the Westgat Delta Expo where you can observe how the power of the sea can be controlled and operate for yourself a full working model of the Rhine and the Scheldt Delta. Then travel north across the magnificent Afsluitdijk, the great North Sea Barrier that connects North Holland to Friesland, cutting off the old Zuider Zee and creating the new freshwater Ijsselmeer, protecting cities and encouraging great projects of land reclamation.
I am convinced that if Dutch engineers were employed to create a sea barrier, complete with duel carriageway and possibly a rail link, that it would be done in less time than it has taken to do the St Andrews street improvements but, more importantly, it would preserve the Links, the Old Course, the Eden Estuary and surrounding area for the next century and beyond.
The idea of an Eden Barrier with a road is nothing new, I remember it being proposed about 20 years ago. The reason? To ease West Sands traffic congestion in Golf Place, especially during the week of The Open. — Yours, etc.,
DAVID K. SEELEY,
(Address supplied.)

Rail
link?
Sir, — Rather than bore your readers further with the minutiae of local taxi trade "market dynamics," I have e-mailed some observations to Jane Ann Liston and this, together with a response to other criticisms, can be found at www.stuartwinton.org.uk
Likewise, I'm sure your readers don't want to reread the various points which Ms Liston seems to regard as "inconvenient truths," but some are perhaps worth revisiting.
Does she really think that traffic in St Andrews and Cupar would be noticeably reduced by a rail link to St Andrews? Would people travelling from England or even Edinburgh suddenly abandon their cars because they would face a five minute taxi trip in St Andrews rather than a 10 minute one?
Would day-trippers flock in droves to get the train to St Andrews, or is this a romanticised notion left over from Victorian times?
Granted, many of the cars currently in the Leuchars station car park would instead struggle to park in St Andrews, but many others would be unaffected; for example, some cars reputedly come from Dundee and, indeed, if journey times were increased by a rail detour to St Andrews this could even encourage them to drive further than at present.
Likewise, a rail link would attract many current bus passengers, but would a glorified bus service for them be worth the cost to taxpayers?
Goods and agricultural vehicles would also be unaffected, as very probably would the buses.
As for the interests of the taxi trade, the drivers I've talked to all assume they'll be long gone even if a rail-link is built, so it's not just about self-interest, and since even people like multi-millionaire subsidy-junky bus operators complain when their interests are threatened, why not those at the bottom of the pile?
And, of course, the wider issue is whether a fortune should be spent on what would in many respects amount to little more than environmental gesture politics; in effect, the current bus service writ large and a white elephant rather than Ms Liston's "elephant in the room."
No, I don't think that these issues should be decided merely to "appease" the taxi trade, but wasn't it Ms Liston and her LibDem colleagues who introduced policies so that taxi operators could sell their licences, in defiance of the legislation?
And a wider issue still is that Ms Liston's ill-informed, superficial and, indeed, hypocritical remarks about the taxi trade underline that councillors are ill-equipped to undertake the economic regulation aspect of licensing, never mind the "independence and impartiality" required by its quasi-judicial function.
The reason I raised these issues was because numerous measures introduced during Ms Liston's tenure as a councillor have been detrimental to the taxi trade, and the rail link campaign merely rubs our noses in it.
Most obviously, the decision to cap taxi numbers was paradoxically instrumental in increasing taxi numbers by 50 per cent in one year; poetic justice, perhaps, for prospective profiteers, but a kick in the teeth to those who merely want to earn an honest living from the trade. — Yours, etc.,
STUART WINTON,
Via e-mail.