Crawley Day Unit

I cannot praise too highly the level of expert care I was treated with during the operation for my varicose veins; my grateful thanks to everyone for their high skills and caring reassurance. God bless Crawley Day Unit and God bless the NHS.

Len Quinnell, Godstone.

Caterham Cars site

How ingenuous the comments of Chris Windridge in your March Issue were, stating that Churchill Retirement Living's interest in the ex Rose and Young site "would solve many issues for the town". The Caterham Cars site is obviously more viable and the ethos of Churchill, as any successful business, is profitability and not philanthropy. Furthermore, the continuing saga concerning the compulsory purchase of Rose and Young is fraught with legal complications, as admitted by Tandridge District Council, and would negate possible interest by prospective purchasers. "Let's Keep Caterham Cars in Caterham" – simply, why?

Of more concern is any apparent challenge to comments attributed to Andrew Burgess, Managing Director of Planning Issues, acting as architects for Churchill, that "this proposal will bring forward much needed retirement housing in Caterham".

As this area is already the retirement housing centre of England (source: Weekend Telegraph) yet another proposal would do nothing to enhance any economic improvement in Caterham. A further article – Daily Mail, November 16, 2011, emphasises this view. Local estate agents are united that affordable housing is needed, but retirement property is not the solution. What is desperately needed is the support of an individual with the stature of David Gold, head of Gold Group International, who rapidly assured the future of Soper Hall with his pivotal support, and essentially challenge the doctrines and out moded decisions of Tandridge District Council's Planning Department. Should any reader consider these words to be chauvinistic be assured that my current residence is a retirement home!

John Argent, Caterham.

Antisocial behaviour at White Knobs

I have lived beside the wonderful facility at White Knobs Park in Caterham Valley for eight years now. On Saturday 10th March I was witness to what can only be described as a riot between the two football teams playing in the park at around 3pm.

For over ten minutes these two so called football teams (including some spectators) fought a pitched battle, with one man even resorting to uprooting a corner flag to use it as a weapon.

Is it not bad enough that each weekend of the football season we are forced to keep our kids from the park during matches for fear of them picking up some of the colourful language that rings around the park? Now it would appear that we have to protect them from gratuitous violence as well.

As an enthusiastic sportsman and swimming coach I try to encourage physical exercise and sports but this is not sport and if it deters the dog walkers, children and other users of this fantastic local amenity at all steps must be taken to curb this behaviour.

This is our park as well!

Name withheld.