Chester Chronicle letters

Dec 23 2004

I, AMONG other regular commuters travelling from Chester to Manchester are absolutely stunned and furious by the news reported in The Chronicle about the rail shake-up.

To add insult to injury, Railtrack have announced that with effect from the new year, rail fares are to be increased. There is no justice whatsoever by the Government of even contemplating axing the links from these two cities.

I travel on a daily basis from Chester to Manchester Oxford Road Station to my place of work and I share majority views of daily commuters who like myself await patiently on the platforms for the trains to arrive, albeit late as usual.

Countless times with the 7.27am service from Chester-Manchester Piccadilly via Warrington, the train is either late, cancelled or with only two carriages.

This service originates from Chester and we commuters can never under-stand why Arriva can never put a train with three carriages and waiting at the platform on a daily basis.

It makes no sense when the station staff announce that train is late or cancelled due to a technical problem at the depot! How could that be when this service starts from Chester and surely the depot technical staff would have prepared the train and ensured that it is at the platform ready for servicing the commuters and/or travellers?

When Arriva puts on a two carriage train for this 7.27am service, commuters are fed up with having to stand and not being able to secure a seat from Helsby onwards!

Vice versa, on the 17.24pm service from Manchester Oxford Road Station to Llandudno via Warrington, one could hardly get a seat when there are only two carriages. Without saying, one has to stand most of the way to Chester.

This service is packed with daily commuters all waiting to get on this train home and each time, we complain about the service to the train drivers and conductors who claim they are being told what to drive and have no say on how many carriages they could carry.

I would like to make this opinion known to Railtrack, Arriva and the Engineering group who service these links between Chester and Manchester. I am not alone among those who feel aggrieved, disappointed, annoyed and frustrated; there are other commuters like myself, some of whom are waiting on the platforms for the train service for many years.

I would like to openly invite a representative from Railtrack, government, The Chronicles and Chester's MP to join the daily commuters on 7.27am service from Chester and the 17.24pm service from Manchester Oxford Road to Llandudno and experience the frustration and nightmare, we, the commuters have to put up with.

Never mind about talking about raising the train fares, how about improving the train service first. The bottom-line is that it is the commuters and travellers alike who are the victims of an inefficient rail service.

I only hope that something positive and constructive will be done about the Chester to Manchester services, not axing them.
ANNE WILLIAMS Chester

I AM writing as chairman of Chester Women's Aid to thank all the people of Chester and beyond for their support in marking International Day against Violence against Women.

More than 100 people wrote a sentence for us on what a world without violence against women and children would be like. Those people included a number of city & county councillors, members of Cheshire Halton and Warrington Racial Equality Council, local police, social services and a wide range of other voluntary and statutory agencies, and members of the public.

We had messages of support from Cherie Blair, Vera Baird QC MP(chairman of the all Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence), Elerie Butler (Policy & Campaigns Manager WAFE), Christine Mann (national domestic violence co-ordinator for the department of health) and Lee Smith (a director of mind).

The Lord Mayor, Cllr Terry Ralph and Lady Mayoress Cllr Mrs Gaynor Ralph very kindly came along on the day and wrote down their thoughts for us. We also gave away over 300 white ribbons symbolising the day and collected donations to support women and children who experience domestic violence and abuse.

One in four women experience domestic violence in their lives and the people of Chester showed us that they believe that this form of crime is not to be tolerated. Thank you all. Support for those experiencing domestic violence is available locally on 01606 351375 or 01244 317929. There is also a 24 hour national helpline on 0808 2000 247.
SHEILA BROOKES Chester Women's Aid PO Box 3388 Chester

AN early-seventeenth century legend of a great cathedral city tells of Nollie, a poor orphan boy made homeless on the death of his grandfather.

Alone in the world, with the exception of his faithful dog Patch, Nollie earned a living delivering milk within the city walls. The work was hard, the hours were long, and the distance travelled was far.

It was during this period that a beautiful painting of the Christ was hung above the high altar in the cathedral. Nollie often heard citizens speak with passion of the painting and the message of hope it portrayed.

Shortly before Christmas, Nollie was working later than usual. He and Patch stopped to warm themselves by the embers of a bonfire that had been lit outside a baker's shop. A sudden breeze blew glowing ashes across the street. Neighbours blamed Nollie for disturbing the fire and told him to go away.

Later that night a fire broke out in the baker's shop among the stock of gorse kindling stacked ready for the firing of the night's oven. The building was burned to the ground.

Nollie was accused of fire-raising. No-one would employ him. As days of wretchedness, hunger and misery passed, Nollie was possessed by a desire to enter the cathedral and see the glorious painting for himself.

After vespers on Christmas Eve, just before the cathedral doors closed for the evening, Nollie and Patch stole unnoticed into the sacred building. The painting was illuminated by the light of the moon shining through the high windows. Nollie gazed earnestly at the face of Jesus looking down at him.

Reflecting on siting at his moth-er's knee, he thought he could hear her voice quoting Christ's words from the Bible, 'Verily, I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise'.

The moonlight faded. The air grew colder. They lay down to sleep at the foot of the altar.

At midnight the cathedral doors were opened wide to admit sounds of rejoicing from the street as pious citizens entered to celebrate the Nativity. Great sadness followed as a tragedy was discovered. Nollie and Patch were dead, the faithful dog clasped in the arms of his master whose face wore a look of great peace.

As the bells ring out this Christmas, may you spare a thought for those who, at this time of rejoicing, feel lonely, wretched, and abandoned.
ALAN BONNER Meadow Lane Huntington Chester

IT IS inconceivable that apparently we still have a City Council that continues to harbour the idea of keeping alive the 'dodo' CDTS busway.

Indeed it should be worrying to the electorate that persons on the Council are prepared to waste large amounts of local and national cash on a scheme analytically defunct from A to Z.

The City, apparently, cannot afford a respectable museum building capable of exhibiting its huge stock-or an art gallery. Its potential industrial museum in the historic and unique Electric Light Station was promptly demolished on advice from the Planning Department - now of questionable competence.

One after another possible buildings that would grace this city with a modicum of intellectual status have been sold off for destruction to any developer, local or foreign, that waves a big enough cheque.

But wait, yes we can afford a few miles of immensely expensive, rarely successful elsewhere, and unwanted by the public, concrete eyesore in the form of a straight-jacketed busway that would effectively destroy a much valued and traffic-free public amenity.

Need there be more said about the proficiency of the present Chester City Council?
MHO HODDINOTT Dicksons Drive Chester

ALEX Black's letter rather misses the point of comments in a Tory leaflet regarding Christine Russell's fact-finding excursion abroad.

As constituency representative at Westminster, surely she should pursue Chester's interests, even if this runs contrary to the Party line?

Working on the premise that charity begins at home, it might be argued that when all bases have been covered on the domestic front, and it can be demonstrated what the taxpayer accrues from £30,000 in travelling expenses, then there might be time available to dabble in affairs abroad.
GERALD ROOSE Daleside, Upton, Chester

WE WOULD like to thank everyone who helped to organise and took part in the switching on of Saughall festival lights.

Everyone was so willing to contribute and the crowd on the night was tremendous.

This was a real community effort and showed great village spirit. The evening was an even greater success than we anticipated and we will endeavour to produce an even bigger and better event next year.
C JONES & A WHITTON Saughall

THE Tarporley Cards for Good Causes Christmas Card shop had another excellent year with record sales, and I would like to thank all those who generously supported us and in so doing benefited the many different charities.

A particular 'thank you' goes to all the volunteers who kindly gave their time to help in the running of the shop, and without whom it could not operate.

MARY THOMPSON