Madam,

Thanks once again for this week’s Shuttle which is excellent in keeping residents informed of local events.

A small number of selected residents in Cardinal Drive, Spennell’s, including ourselves, received this posted communication from Seniorgem Care Group, Bridgnorth last week.

It is an Online Public Consultation on their proposal to submit a planning application for a care home at Comberton Lodge Nursery, Kidderminster.

Whilst online public consultation is now the norm for such planning proposals, I have spoken to some of my elderly neighbours who are not computer owners/literate and will have effectively been precluded from expressing their objections.

Whilst consultation by the council will undoubtedly follow later in the planning process, the proposed development will adversely affect everyone in the Kidderminster area, not just those living opposite the site.

Jean and Phil Betts

Madam

A lot of people consider that Kidderminster is a sad place, where nothing good happens and it is best avoided. I tend to go along with this except that three times a year the Town Hall comes alive when the Wyre Forest Symphony Orchestra stage their concerts.

The Town Hall, a well appointed building, nicely decorated with a modern bar serving local Ale from the Bewdley Brewery, this has been the venue for many memorable events over the past many decades.

The latest WFSO concert took place on Saturday, 2nd July under the exacting baton of Tony Bridgewater, his third appearance. The Concert started with theAcademic Festival Overture by Johannes Brahms. Some of you will remember that Chief Stone of Paradise PD had been advised to listen to Brahms by an elderly Paradise resident whenever he felt pressured in his very roubled life. The Orchestra’s rendition calmed the audience as they opened the concert. A lot of us have been very troubled over the last few years and will be listening to Brahms whenever we can.

Next the Orchestra accompanied virtuoso visiting soloist Charlotte Moseley, on her second visit from near by Redditch ,to Wow the audience with a passionate performance of Felix Mendessohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor. Apparently she can play ten concertos from memory without referring to printed music. Oh ! I would really like to see the video of this stunning performance.

After the interval, the programme continued with the New World Symphony. The soloist had requested that she join the orchestra for the sheer joy of playing this most memorable popular piece.

The copious progamme notes, refered to the Composers travels in Europe and America and his knowledge of the basis of American tradition tunes, but I was thinking of pushing my bike up Park Butts to get a loaf of wholemeal bread from Alf Ray’s.

A wonderful night of music and entertainment here in downtown Kidderminster, for just a tenner!

Let’s fill the Town Hall on Saturday, December 3rd and give the WFSO the support they deserve and have a great night out.

Rob Charteris

Madam

I write in response to the letter from Clive Wood (7th July) with which I wholeheartedly agree. Here are some additional points:

The proposal from Diamond Buses to axe a large part, or possibly all, of the Wyre Forest services is yet another example of the bus service being run to suit the bus company, not the travelling public.

Our local councils should be encouraging people to get out of their cars to reduce pollution, but for that to happen we need good public transport run by the local authority. The Transport for London model is a good place to start. It (TFL) controls levels of service, types of buses and fares, and the bus companies are contracted to run a particular route for a fixed sum.

I received an e-mail recently from Worcestershire County Council encouraging me to use my concessionary bus pass – all very good but it needs to ensure that the bus companies are properly reimbursed for the cost of the fares. But more needs to be done – in a time of climate change there should be a high profile campaign to get all people to use public transport.

We all know that local authorities have had their government funding cut and this includes the ability to financially support public transport – but the government has set targets for reducing carbon emissions, in order to achieve these targets perhaps they could channel some additional funding for public transport (Mark Garnier please note).

Wyre Forest needs a frequent, reliable bus service, not only for people to be able get around, but for the good of the local economy – local businesses will not prosper if people are unable to get to them to use them.

Diana Udall