Park has a great deal to enjoy

I am writing in disgust regarding Mr Barton’s comments about the revamp of Victoria Park, (August 1).

Victoria Park, as is the case with most open public spaces, suffers some problems. Most recently there have been two out of the ordinary attacks. Mr Barton’s assertion that it is one of Kent’s hotspots is unfounded; as would be shown by a quick reference to Kent Police crime statistics, which in recent months show significantly higher figures for both anti-social behaviour and violent and sexual crime in the town centre area than in the vicinity of Victoria Park. Mr Barton is also factually incorrect in the assertion that the fountain was white when made. The Hubert fountain is a cast iron structure and whilst it is possible to produce white cast iron, this certainly wasn’t the case for our Hubert Fountain.

None of the pictures available from either the 1862 exhibition or from its installation in Victoria Park show the fountain as white.

Alongside this the photograph from the presentation souvenir, the fountain colour is clearly shown as darker than the surrounding white wall.

The most recent ‘refurbishment’ was not only a couple of years ago but 12 years ago, with all this information readily available on the internet.

Perhaps rather than throwing around random assertions, Mr Barton would like to visit the park occasionally and enjoy some of the great community spirit which can be experienced in the park, with many people enjoying the wildlife, fitness opportunities and generally creating a sense of community on a daily basis.

Not to mention the very successful celebrations which have taken place recently in the park with no incident: Armed Forces Day, Sausage and Cider, Create, Mr Harper’s Birthday and a number of successful running events which have been enjoyed by people of all ages.

Simon Howard-Smith

Chairman, Friends of Victoria Park misgovernment. The price rises make the worse-off suffer more.

The promises of the least trustworthy politician ever to become British Prime Minister are worth so little. The tubthumping of MPs is meaningless in the face of the mass of hard evidence of professional working people who wake us up to Project Reality.

The Farmers Against Brexit group is growing by the day, as are the anti-Brexit voices of small and medium businesses, of most NHS doctors and nurses, of our car industry and haulage and border professionals.

We learn not only are Brexit parties intent on messing up UK higher education and snatching the opportunities our young people need (that could come from the European Green New Deal) but that the Department of Education is preparing for months of disruption of schools in Kent, in the event of Conservative’s no deal Brexit.

Groups like Veterans for Europe are speaking up against the subversion of Parliamentary democracy by Putin and the financial elite and for the protection of the Good Friday Agreement and European peace.

An all-party opposition with the backbone and patriotism to put country before party is coming together on the streets and in parliament, at last.

We’ll be in the front line when our sovereign neighbour, France, protects its borders by checking for contraband and people who pose security risks to their towns and cities as they are fully entitled to do (whatever Mackinlay says). An all-party opposition needs to take power from the Conservatives, campaign for remaining in the EU with a second vote, stop our country being impoverished by Brexit, prevent the US trade deals (that would rob us of our NHS) and rescue those hard-hit by Universal Credit and zero hours contracts.

In short, fix it, not Brexit.

Tricia David and Roy Foster

EU Thinking

Victoria Park in Ashford is set for a multi-million pound revamp