Readers' letters

TINTO MISSION

Dear Ed, – Many thanks for the article about the (most probably) vandalized plinth at the top of Tinto Hill.

I was quite devastated when I ran up myself on October 24...it was such a sad sight.

I would like to get in touch with people who are interested in the fate of the plinth.

There must be other runners and hill walkers who do not just want to see the cairn restored but are prepared to do something about it.

I'll be happy to put up posters/create a web page and initiate something myself.

I go up and down Tinto at least once a week so the hill has a special place in my heart. It's very photogenic. I even camped there one night to capture the summit in the light at sunset and sunrise.

Any help with the campaign for restoration will be much appreciated and I do hope people will get in touch to help make a difference. – Yours etc.,

LUCIE PAPEZOVA,

Moss Side Road,

Biggar.

KENYAN APPEAL

Dear Ed, – This Christmas I am asking for pupils' help to support the Onyach family in Kenya. I am hoping that the pupils of Lanark Grammar School will help this family this Christmas.

Over the next few weeks I am intending to sell Christmas tree baubles for 1. Attached to each bauble is a gift tag which will allow you to dedicate it to someone special or if you prefer, to one of the children. There are pictures of five of them in the Kenya Display Cabinet in the library.

Take the bauble home and add it on to your own tree or ask for it to be placed on the school tree.

Knowing that a gift of 1 will make a huge difference to one family who have so little this Christmas, please encourage your son or daughter to buy a bauble (or two). Thank you. – Yours etc.,

MRS MELVIN,

Lanark Grammar School.

FIND OUR RELATIVES

Dear Ed, – I am trying to trace relatives that I lost contact with in Coalburn: my uncle John, aunt Iris, Sandy and Grace and cousins Myra and James Baxter.

Unfortunately, I lost all contact details and I know that Myra and James moved when they had their twin boys who will be six and a half now. I would like to ask them to get in touch this Christmas to renew family ties. – Yours etc.,

SALLY TAYLOR,

1 Barnes Road,

Donington,

Spalding,

PE11 4UW.

CAR PARKING ISSUE

Dear Ed, – Car parking can be an emotive issue. With an ageing population and increasing car ownership levels, the issue of pavement parking will not go away.

Pavement parking forces vulnerable pedestrians into the road. It can inhibit the independence of those with reduced levels of mobility and can be particularly dangerous for older people, for families with pushchairs and for those with visual impairments.

Pavement parking can also damage pavements, creating trip hazards for pedestrians: costing local authorities, and therefore all of us, significant amounts of money in maintenance and preventative measures.

Ross Finnie MSP has launched proposals for the Scottish Parliament to give councils greater powers to take enforcement action, where appropriate, against parked cars which block a dropped kerb or pavement.

We urge readers to respond to this consultation, before the deadline of January 31, 2011.

You can find out further details on our website, www.livingstreets.org.uk/scotland. – Yours etc.,

KEITH IRVING,

Living Streets Scotland Manager.

WILDLIFE'S GOT LOTTO

Dear Ed, – On behalf of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, I write to congratulate every reader of the Carluke and Lanark Gazette who is also a player of the People's Postcode Lottery.

This week marks a phenomenal achievement for Scotland's first community lottery, which has now raised over 10million for UK charities.

For an average family household, 10million could cover your household expenses for 540 years, take you on 2,500 family holidays, or buy you 16million tins of beans. Just imagine the good UK charities can do with this tremendous amount of money.

For the Scottish Wildlife Trust, our share of this support, which to date totals a fantastic 1,343,787, means we can do far more to protect Scotland's precious wildlife for the future.

In fact, this sum is enough to ensure we can maintain our 123 wildlife

reserves as havens for wildlife for the next two years.

With wildlife reserves spread across Scotland, we invite you to plan a visit to your local wildlife haven.

We would love the opportunity to show readers how the Scottish Wildlife Trust, thanks to the significant support of People's Postcode Lottery players, is giving your local community a boost and protecting places where you can enjoy the beauty of Scotland's natural environment. – Yours etc.,

SIMON MILNE,

Chief Executive,

Scottish Wildlife Trust.