Readers' letters - September 5

I knew Jim Bryson (pictured)for well over 50 years (LP, ‘Tributes to footballing stalwart Jim’, September 4).

He used to live at a sweet shop, opposite St Gregory’s Church, on Blackpool Road, Preston.

The shop must have been full on match days. He was related to Jimmy Milne, a previous North End manager.

When I was referees’ secretary for the West Lancashire Football League, Jim was on the referees’ 
list. He was Mister Reliable.

I don’t recall him giving backword on any appointment and he was always available.

Added to this, Jim had no transport. Whilst car sharing was the order of the day, it was not always possible to do this.

Jim would use public transport and always got to his match.

Just as importantly, he also got back home.

Having said he was always available, there was a period of six months or so when he couldn’t accept appointments because he was stationed in the Falkland Isles.

Jim being Jim, he took his referee’s equipment and refereed matches there.

Jim’s dedication to the refereeing fraternity and football in general is epitomised by the saying ‘service before self’.

We mustn’t forget the support and sacrifice that his wife and family made during all this time.

Rest in peace, Jim.

Chris Barwise

Ashton-on-Ribble

development

Benefits to

the economy

I am writing on behalf of the applicants and developers of the Cuerden Strategic Site, in response to your front page article (LP August 25).

It is disappointing that the article carried sensationalist and ostensibly negative headlines to accompany an article about a development which will bring major economic benefit to this area.

IKEA is an important anchor of the Cuerden site and, without them, the wider development could take many more years to come forward.

However, Cuerden is more than an IKEA.

This site has long been identified as a strategic employment site, with an agreed and adopted masterplan.

The site has the potential to attract many new businesses to the area and, importantly, to provide existing businesses with the space to grow and stay in Lancashire.

Once operational, the Cuerden site could deliver more than 4,500 new jobs for the area and generate around £241m per year for the local economy.

In addition, during construction, very many hundreds of extra jobs will also be created.

The developers have given serious consideration to the local road network and have proposed a significant package of highways improvements which are in the process of being robustly assessed by Lancashire County Highways and Highways England.

Any roadworks required will be managed in accordance with best practice and will be carefully programmed to maintain an effective traffic flow.

This will include ensuring key works are done at off- peak travel times.

Should the planning application be approved for the Cuerden site, this development will deliver considerable economic growth and new jobs for South Ribble and the surrounding area.

Karen Hirst

Eric Wright Group

on behalf of the applicants and developers

retirement

Humbled by generosity

Thanks very much indeed to readers, and others, for their good wishes on my retirement from Library House Surgery.

I have been truly humbled by people’s generosity, both to myself and my family, and also the kind donations to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

My mum died from MND 14 years ago, and many people know it is a cause close to my heart.

In fact, my cardiologists have given me the go-ahead to start running again.

So if anyone wonders why their retired GP is seen red-faced and sweating, running around Chorley and the surrounding areas, I’m in training for one last London marathon for the MNDA

in April 2019, at the age of

60.

I very much look forward to seeing some of you, as I run rather slowly by.

Please feel free to stop

me to say “Hello”, because I’ll be grateful to take a breather!

Clive Barker

Euxton

BREXIT

MPs have duty to back bill

The EU Repeal Bill is due to be debated in Parliament this month. The bill is central to the Government’s plan to exit the EU in 2019, because it releases Britain from more than 40 years of the supremacy of EU laws and it repeals the 1972 treaty that made Britain a member of the EU.

It is important that people realise that, if the bill doesn’t pass, then Britain will remain under the remit of EU law.

It is, therefore, very disappointing that there are reports emerging of MPs planning to oppose the bill.

Any effort to oppose the bill would effectively prevent Britain leaving the EU and would fly in the face of the decision Britain’s electors made last year in the referendum to leave the EU.

As Chairman of Change Britain and former Labour MP Gisela Stuart says, “The Repeal Bill is the first essential step in leaving the EU and will enable us to take back control of our laws in an orderly way. MPs must now do their democratic duty and vote for it.” MPs should work to make a success of Brexit, not try and frustrate last year’s referendum result. I urge readers to write to their MP and ask them to support the bill and honour the will of the people to leave the EU.

Neil Liversidge

via email