YEP Letters January 18

Check out today's YEP letters
Elvis Presley in Jailhouse RockElvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock
Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock

Show ignores king of rock and roll

David Gibbs, Leeds 7

I have never had much time for the BBC with its own biased agenda and waste of our licence money. They have gone beyond the pale though with one of their latest offerings “Icons”.

In the latest episode on 20th Century icons of entertainment they have ignored the icon of that period Elvis Presley in favour of David Bowie.

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While I admire Bowie’s work he is basically just a gifted pop star, not the king of rock and roll, whose debut in the mid-50s invoked a seismic event in culture and the youth of the world and changed music forever, while at the same time becoming the world’s biggest selling solo recording artist equalled only by the Beatles who, incidentally, are also ignored and their status far outstrips Bowie’s. In a word, unbelievable.

Downturn in education standards

D Angood, Leeds

Regarding the letter “A different world”, (YEP January 9) from D Horncastle.

To reiterate his point re education today, the future of this country is dependent upon the youth of today. Unfortunately a downturn in education standards have put that in jeopardy. There seems to be a failing in the basics if the reports from employers are to be believed.

The inability to complete forms due to spelling and illegible handwriting is one of the main concerns aligned with simple maths. What happened to teaching children to write coherently, beginning with how to hold a pen?

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Successive governments have messed with the system to such an extent the teacher profession are becoming administrators rather than educators, classrooms need to return to the basics where fewer children were failed by the system.

What was once called joined up writing is in need of being included in the curriculum. The use of computers, tablets etc being curtailed until children have mastered spelling and writing.

As D Horncastle says a return to the days of “spare the rod and spoil the child” does not need to happen but spoiling the child has failed to produce the necessary needed to safeguard the future of our country.

I and my writing are a product of my 50s education which sad to say we will soon see the death of.

Sad demise of high street

Robert Holman, Farsley

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Reading the many letters on the reason for the sad demise of the city high streets, the main reason was caused by the takeovers of our trusted family businesses and the introduction of cost cutting self service, eg no longer trained staff to help with fitting problems or being measured for shoes and given advice on foot problems, bunions, blisters or nails. Gone are the fitting stools only racks.

So what will be the next to go? The family corner shops reason they are unable to compete with the cost cutting supermarkets lower prices alongside the convenient free car parking, it’s called progress!

Long wait for ambulance

John Winterburn, Leeds.

I wish to thank all the people who came to my wife’s aid when she fell very badly outside the entrance to B&Q Killingbeck on January 2 just before lunchtime.

She was unable to get up as she was in so much pain, in shock and very cold. An ambulance was called by a passerby, after nearly an hour no ambulance arrived. B&Q staff called again only to be told it would be two hours before one was available.

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My wife will be 74 years old in April, she was in severe pain and shock, her legs were numb she could not move. It took three people to lift her into a wheelchair as it had started to rain and we were in doubt if we should move her in case we made her condition worse but we had no choice.

It was clear that I would have to take her to the hospital in my car, as I am disabled myself this was no easy task as the parking situation at the LGI is not designed for private vehicles to be delivering injured patients. Due to the stress caused by the poor service my wife had two angina attacks later that week.

The A&E department, despite being very busy, found that she had severe bruising to her lower ribs and she is now recovering at home.

There was no way that she could be left laying on a freezing car park for two hours in the rain, but moving her as we did not want to risk causing further damage to her injuries.

Memories of Bramley Baths

Stephen Whitaker, by email

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Reading your article brought back my memories of Bramley Baths.

My father took me swimming there on a Sunday morning some 60 years ago when I was eight or nine and I have continued swimming on a regular basis to this day.

I remember my father buying me a mug of (I assume) Oxo and some salted biscuits after the swim…I think they were four a penny !

I was a pupil at Broad Lane School and the class attended the baths, with two of the attendants splitting the group into those who could and those who couldn’t swim.

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The family moved to Armley Grange when I was 10 or 11 and I then attended Armley Baths, but returning to Bramley (Westmore Rise) when I was married in 1971.

My wife then took our two daughters to the baths as babies and where they both eventually learned to swim.

We also attended galas there when our girls were swimming for the school.

I now live in Horsforth and attend Kirkstall Leisure Centre for my swimming, but as a semi-retired architect, I have a interest in old buildings and it’s very encouraging to learn that this Grade Two Listed building is receiving funding.

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Long may it continue to provide an important facility for the residents of Bramley.

Let’s hope MPs stop Brexit

James Bovington, Horsforth

I’VE just received my annual tax summary for the last full tax year ending April 2018.

My contributions to the EU budget came to £47, which represented just 0.7 per cent of my total contributions. EU contributions were therefore by far the smallest slice of the pie chart showing state spending. In contrast health spending accounted for a full 20 per cent and welfare 23 per cent. The second smallest contribution was the £81 towards overseas aid. Brexit has always been about nostalgic jingoistic nationalistic nonsense summed up by the delusional mantra of ‘take back control’. Well let’s hope that MPs do just that and stop this whole process.

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