Is Market Quarter a spoof?

I eagerly awaited the arrival of my LEP to find which story was going to be the one for April 1.

I didn’t need to look further than the first page to find a highly probable suspect story.

“Yes,” I thought, “Definitely a strong contender!”

After all, it was about building a huge cinema complex in the Market Quarter.

Well, that in itself rings alarm bells. Market Quarter? I think most of us would like a whole one please.

Then I turned over the page to find a story about a beauty pageant for Black Puddings.

Oh no, this has got to be the one. After all, Brendon Atherton Butchers in Longridge can be abbreviated to BABIL, which is probably what they are talking.

Even the expansion of the Premier Inn caught my eye, but it sounded just too convincing for me.

An even more probable one was PNE winning at Ewood Park (okay, by the time you read this, I may have been proved right or wrong).

One to bear in mind though.

Then I came across the fantastic plans of Chorley Council to build an airport by the side of Botany Bay.

Brilliant!

Just what the town wants and wouldn’t it be great to see the smug look wiped off the faces of those people up the A6 in that relatively new city, who think that they are going to get a £50m development of the Market Quarter?

I just can’t wait to visit those places you mention.

They sounded really ‘exotic’.

May I add Loof Lirpa in the UAE? Been there many times and bought many a T-shirt.

Looks even better in the mirror!

So it’s got to be the story about the Market Quarter that gets my vote for the April Fool’s spoof story.

What’s that?

It’s the story about Chorley Airport that’s the spoof!

Well you could have, er, fooled me!

Oh well, try again next year!

Then again, makes you think, Chorley!

Neil Swindlehurst via email

Give Orbit back to passengers

Preston.

A pity not a city.

They say they’re taking away the Orbit bus due to congestion – but there is no congestion from Greaves Town Lane to Cottam.

People will now be left stranded, not everybody has a car. This is a country lane and it will be dangerous in the dark, and people are now stranded without any transport.

It might help if Asda, Morrisons, Ancient Oak, and schools helped with the petition.

Passengers who need this service are their customers and pupils.

The bus company says it is running at a loss.

If that is the case, then remove the 89 Larches, as this came just after the Orbit and was always empty because the Orbit had just picked up passengers.

Make the Orbit every 30 minutes instead of 20, but keep this bus.

Remove a few 23 Asda buses. I have waited at Asda for the Orbit and there can be four number 23s coming in that time, sometimes two at once.

The town centre now doesn’t help the buses, as there are no traffic lights to keep the flow going.

Why could they not leave the traffic lights and pave around them?

Why haven’t our councillors helped? You only see them when it’s time to vote.

Some people’s journeys are now going to take up to one and a half hours if two buses are needed to get to work, and they will have to get up sooner.

Put the proud back in Preston, have a heart and leave the Orbit alone.

This is a very good route.

Give it back to your passengers.

Name and address supplied

I was a Campion team winner, too

It brought back lots of memories seeing the photo of the Campion Ord Cup winning side of 1964 (although I’m pretty sure it was 1963) (LEP April 1).

That same year I was in the Campion team that won the Dawson Cup, beating Blessed John Southworth in the final.

The next year (1964), we also went on to win the Ord Cup.

Wonderful times!

The team was: back row – Tony Parkinson, Michael Fitzpatrick, Neil McDonald, Bob Fletcher, Mick Tormey and Loz Abram. Front row – P. Johnston, Ken Sharpe, Brian Brogden (Captain), Paul Wilson and John Sumner. If any of the team wish to get in touch, my email address is [email protected].

Paul Wilson via email

Happy days at the sand pit

I had a letter in the Post recently, and in it I mentioned the sand pit (LEP February 22). I have been asked since then where it was. Until recently, at the end of Aqueduct Street, leading to Fylde Road under the Aqueduct bridge, stood a pub called the Lime Kiln, so-called because it stood opposite the piece of land where limestone rock was shipped and there burned to a fine powder. I don’t know when this practice ceased, but in my childhood, you could make out the shape of a kiln, and loads of sand, which I assume was used in the burning process. Whatever! It was a big patch of wasteland and a playground for loads of children. There was one small house at the front of the land that we all assumed was abandoned, but a lady, Mrs

Gregson of Bamber Bridge, told me her aunt lived there at that time in the mid 40s. I can only offer a useless but sincere apology regarding our behaviour in running wild around her home!

Allan Fazackerley via email

One size just does not fit all

How quickly the public forgets. It is only a short time ago that we saw the horrendous consequences of rivers not having been dredged in decades.

We should never forget that it was the EU’s silly ‘harmonisation’ policies which were largely responsible for the terrible floods. One size, most emphatically, does NOT fit all! How much longer are people going to think that we can afford to stay in the EU?

Les Arnott via email