Letters - Monday, June 21, 2021

Well, it’s official, we aren’t going anywhere abroad for the time being but don’t be disheartened, our great leader has had another look at his ‘road map’ and declared that all roads do not necessarily lead to Rome or Manchester Airport but can lead to the Costa del Blackpool. So dig out your buckets and spades (sun tan cream optional) and head off down the motorway to a resort that you had long forgotten about.

Just think, no more frantic early morning dashes to the airport and having to queue for check-in and then again at security (belts and shoes off please) and then, after all that, trying to negotiate the obstacle course of the so-called ‘duty free shops’ and perfume counters with their highly inflated prices and then, after finding your gate and boarding your flight, it is only to find that you have to wait in the aisle while other passengers get rid of their hand luggage in the overhead lockers.

On arriving at your destination, you find that your allocated hotel room has no view to speak of (even though you requested one) but an intransigent receptionist will not transfer you.

On departure you find that you have to vacate the room by 11am (even though you might not be flying until 10pm). You can stay on for a few hours but only if you pay them an unreasonable amount of money. On returning from your holiday, you alight from your aircraft and face a long walk and queue to get through passport control and baggage reclaim (I can visualise you all nodding your heads while reading this because we have all been there) but it’s a wonderful feeling you have when you eventually get to your front door and step inside.

Since the 1960s, we have propped up foreign holiday resorts with our hard-earned cash but boy, are they missing the ‘Brits’ now.

Let’s all look afresh at our own country and what it’s got to offer because we have some wonderful seaside resorts of our own that are begging to be explored.

For your next holiday, why don’t you stay local and try Blackpool with its friendly guest houses and hotels and its wealth of attractions? So, grab a deckchair and roll up your trouser legs (you don’t have to be a mason), place your knotted hanky or a folded-up copy of the Lancashire Post on your head, lie back and dream of England.

M Tipper

Penwortham

CONSUMER

Trades firms letting us down

Looking to have our rear bedroom double-glazed window, fascias and exterior kitchen window sills replaced, we contacted a reputable firm we’ve used before.

We arranged a visit for 2.30pm the following day but no one turned up.

The next firm we contacted – which we’ve also used before – explained there’s a 12-week delay because of a glass shortage worldwide, (okay, fine) then said he had an emergency call come through (what... someone’s windows fell out!?) and would phone us back.

We’re still waiting!

We decided to scrap the window replacement and contacted a roofer, once again, one we’ve used before.

We explained we would like the fascias replaced with PVC, a new drain pipe and possibly replace the exterior window sills.

We arranged the call in the afternoon.

We’re still waiting! We suspect they have called but not called, looked up at the front fascia and decided that because the house is terraced, the job isn’t big enough, and scarpered, but we have a rear fascia too.

The ironic thing is that we’ve used each one before and have been satisfied with their work but if they’re too busy or the job isn’t major enough, we would prefer they say so.

They’re in our black book now never to contact any of them again, no matter how major any work we need doing might be.

Clifford Chambers

Blackpool

EDUCATION

Home schooling

Surely one of the parental responsibilities in a crisis must be home education of children in order to minimise their children falling behind with their studies?

I remember, as a young child, my mother spending time with me, especially with reading and writing.

My mother was a housewife without any formal teaching expertise whatsoever.

As usual, common sense prevails, especially in a crisis.

Mr PL Taylor

via email

MEDIA

Plastic in nests was alarming

Another excellent and diverse series of Springwatch programmes has recently concluded on BBC2.

One such piece involved a graph showing the amount of plastic some species used in nest building, often 25 per cent or higher.

This I found startling, even alarming.

It was backed up by close-up photographs of several nests to emphasise the point.

Our feathered friends deserve better.

John Chester

via email

POLITICS

Macron at the G7 was nauseating

Emmanuel Macron must be worried about his re-election in France, judging by the

extent to which he was toadying up to the Queen at the G7. It was nauseating – I hope she gave him a duff racing tip!

Sam Willmott

Address supplied

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