LETTER: Britain in Bloom idea is too big for Whalley

In a small place like Whalley £20,000 is a lot to throw at a one-day exercise when the place has more pressing matters .They may need to spend £19,999 cleaning up the growing problem of dog dirt.

Seeing as it is all down to a labour of love and folk giving, I hope Mr Evriss comes free of charge. It seems to me the project leader has pie in the sky ideas and wants to be a bit more realistic, just like the clowns trying to build too many houses in too small a place. If the parish council has £5,000 to waste on a centrepiece for a one day wonder we need help.

The parish council does a great job with a very limited budget in supporting as many aspects of village life as possible. Please don’t throw any of it away for one day’s judgement and a whim that could die as soon as it has appeared. I should imagine many payers to the parish council will ask serious questions if such a sum is awarded to this project, 25% of its total expected cost. Maybe they could see to giving the Scouts, Guides, sporting clubs, the British Legion – I could go on – 25 % of their annual costs. All run and developed over time by free time, generous donations, hard graft and long-term plans.

No, because that is not what the parish council is about, or the various groups they assist. The organisations are grateful of the help they get, and the parish council, grateful to help in the way they do, would love to help more year-on-year, but unfortunately funds don’t stretch that far.

So carry on Whalley in Bloom, good luck, I hope it does enhance the village, we don’t need the wow factor, be realistic in your ideas and requests to the parish council. By all means enter and enjoy, but places like Garstang have spent years developing the right approach and attitude to win. Enter, enjoy, benefit and learn.

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