IT is my pleasure to be a long-term acquaintance of Mrs Yvonne Wright, one of the Bolton Street traders, and I wish to offer her some encouragement in the good work she is doing for Bury and its inhabitants.
It would appear that Mrs Wright's letter of August 13, regarding the siting of the fair, touched a few raw nerves.
The response last week from traders on The Rock was so vitriolic, I wondered if it was more of an opportunity for a personal attack than any objection to the contents of her letter.
Were I a trader on The Rock, objecting to the siting of the fair near my business premises, I would be only too pleased to back anyone who wanted to move it to Bolton Street!
After all, Bolton Street gives direct access to emergency vehicles from Peel Way, and is also situated close to the police station in case all those yobs, druggies, thieves, and drunks (in fact anyone not wearing a suit) becomes troublesome. It is also far enough away from the hallowed halls of the Mill Gate Centre and The Rock to allow shoppers to ignore it if they wish, but close enough for them to visit should they want to. In fact, if resited on Bolton Street, where the Showman's Guild are welcome, all the objections of The Rock traders could be overcome at a stroke.
It appears to me that the contents and phraseology of most of the objection letters received was so similar that I wonder if a "master copy" was circulated. But maybe I am being a bit too cynical.
As for the closing remark from Mr and Mrs Eccles, concerning Mrs Wright's efforts on behalf of the Bolton Street traders in the field of charity work, the implication is beneath contempt and not worthy of a protracted response.
Finally, I would like to thank Mrs Wright for the unpaid and under-valued work she is doing on behalf of the community outside the town centre
Do not be discouraged Mrs Wright by negative criticism. It is refreshing to know that some people recognise that the boundaries of Bury extend beyond Kay Gardens, Mill Gate and The Rock. There is life beyond the shadow of the Parish Church after all.
We could do with a few like you on the council.
A. W. NEWBY,
Bury.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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