WE really have 'got our knickers in a twist' in Okehampton, haven't we? A great big nasty, foolish, unethical, ugly twist.

How dare we spend such money on street lamp banners and see Age Concern close due to lack of funds!

Are we supposed to be enlightened and educated? What? Surely whilst we allow such misspending in the face of such need our enlightenment is very dark and our education is sorely lacking. And where has compassion gone, and kindness, let alone common sense?

I walk more than daily through the main streets of Okehampton with 'Nipper' our young Jack Russell and of course I appreciate a clean and attractive town.

Our son, Peter, blind and hearing impaired with his long red-striped white cane also walks the town's streets and appreciates the improvements being made to see our streets are 'disability-friendly' and safe.

I drive the streets as a taxi driver and certainly benefit a little, as many do largely, from our town's tourism industry and so I understand the importance of its aesthetics.

But, when there's a cap on the amount we have to spend, when there is a limit to resources, where are our priorities?

When future generations read the history books will they not exclaim with utter amazement and surely despair too if not anger. 'Why were they so foolish? Why were they so unbalanced? Etc etc'. They will be able to see with hindsight that it would have been far better to care more fully for our senior citizens than to parade banners, which in fact parade our misguided priorities more than they parade anything else . . . they are not beautiful, they are ugly . . . They are 'a mother's eleventh pair of new shoes whilst the baby lies hungry', they are 'a father's top of the range sports gear whilst his son's tight shoes bear holes'.

We don't need to wait for hindsight. We can surely see if we have any sense at all we'll redirect funds — we'll rearrange red tape so that the 'spirit of the law' over-rides the 'letter of the law' and the 'jobsworth cap!' need not be shamefully worn. We'll allow ourselves to be kind and good and compassionate and sensible.

You never know, in 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 years' time, some, probably all of us, will be so relieved that Age Concern lives on.

And even now, in 2002 and on into 2003, I think the majority of us will be pleased to rest in the truth that beauty is at the heart of Okehampton, not up its lampposts!

Jesus said 'If you seek first the Kingdom of God, all these (other) things will be added to you . . .' and I am utterly convinced that it we seek the 'kingdom values' of kindness, generosity, care, love etc, monies will always become available to beautify our town on the outside too.

The 'grey-haired brigade' are some of the best at holding coffee mornings etc etc and if their well-being is cared for they would soon find resources to raise funds for such as banners.

Come on, Okehampton, what do you think?

Mrs Chrissie M Taylor

14 East Street

Okehampton

IT seems to me, and many others, to be totally illogical to spend £200,000 on enhancement in Okehampton, while day centres, a life-line for elderly people, are forced to close.

Couldn't the councils spare a little of their grant money to help Age Concern?

Banners won't help the house-bound, they can't get out to see them.

S M Tope

Combebow