Our town is just the best

Dear Editor

In connection with your weekly feature where people express their love of East Kilbride and its amenities, I would like to add my thoughts, not only about the town’s excellent facilities, but about the people who live here.

I have recently passed the big 90 signpost and am constantly appreciative of the outstanding talents we have and the kind considerations given to me, which would be hard to be bettered anywhere and gives our town its special character to be proud of.

I give you two examples to illustrate this.

Firstly, in the past, I have had the occasion to meet a young man in a store in the town centre. He was deciding between Celtic sweatshirts for his young son, but was undecided because the shirts he was looking at were on a reduced ladies rail and he asked for my opinion. I told him as they were a small ladies size they would probably fit his son and he then bought them.

The conversation then turned to football and we found we had a lot in common with regard to the ails of Scottish football. By this time he had become aware that I was a past Rangers supporter and as I made to leave he said he would take me for a drink or a coffee, offering to pick me up later that day along with his son and take me to a Celtic game.

Unfortunately due to other commitments, I had to refuse.

Secondly and more recently, I visited my bank in the town centre where I drew out £400, putting the cash in an envelope. A time after leaving the bank, I discovered I had lost it. In panic I retraced my steps but it was nowhere to be found. I informed the bank, but they said it had not ben handed in.

I left feeling somewhat dejected, but decided to return to the bank a bit later in the faint hope it had been handed in. By this time it was closing time and I found the bank staff waiting at the door to tell me that someone had handed the envelope containing all the cash in, but had not given their details.

The money was intended for a holiday and I would through the paper, like to extend my gratitude to that person for their honesty.

Turning to the town itself, East Kilbride at one time had the label of being one of the most desirable places to live. Sadly this no longer is the case. There has been a certain loss of ambition and status.

Recently when I spoke to some people from the leafy suburbs of Glasgow, there was a perceptible curl of the lip and they seemed to liken us to some of the less desirable areas of Glasgow. This begged me to ask if they could match the easy availability of facilities and attractions in our town. Needless to say they could not.

I realise the new town was based on the relocation of people from mainly working class areas of Glasgow. But I maintain we got the best of them with the example of the exceptional caring community they have helped set up.

East Kilbride is now the largest town in Scotland, population-wise and contributes the largest percentage of income to South Lanarkshire Council, but despite this it has lost much of its original funding and status, with the relocation of most of the main council administration services to Hamilton.

Nevertheless, be proud of your town.

Name and address withheld