SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 1025 Title : Wilton Gardens Residents Association Newsletter October 1985 Author(s): 895 Copyright holder(s): Name withheld Text Wilton - Gardens Residents' Association NEWSLETTER : OCTOBER 1985 Dear Neighbour, The Gardens Competition took place in August and despite the very wet summer some gardeners had made a colourful success of their gardens, although the standard was very much down on previous years. The prize money was increased this year, thanks to a grant from the Community Education Service. The results were as follows: (1) Front Gardens (Tenemental property): 1st Prize £12 - Mr [CENSORED: surname], [CENSORED: house number] Kelvinside Gardens East 2nd Prize £ 6 - Mrs [CENSORED: surname], [CENSORED: house number] Wilton Street 3rd Prize £ 3 - Mr R. [CENSORED: surname], [CENSORED: house number] Wilton Street (2) Front Gardens (other than tenemental property): 1st Prize £10 - Mr [CENSORED: surname]. [CENSORED: house number] Kelvinside Gardens East 2nd Prize £ 5 - Mrs [CENSORED: surname], [CENSORED: house number] Kelvinside Gardens (3) Individual Backcourts: 1st Prize £12 - [CENSORED: house number] Queen Margaret Road (Mrs [CENSORED: surname]. Secy) 2nd Prize £ 6 - [CENSORED: house number] Wilton Street (Mrs [CENSORED: surname]. Secy) 3rd Prize £ 3 - [CENSORED: house number] Queen Margaret Road (Rev. Stanley [CENSORED: surname], Secy) (4) Communal Backcourts: 1st Prize £12 - Even nos. Melrose Gardens/Wilton Street (per Mr [CENSORED: surname]) 2nd Prize £ 6 - [CENSORED: house number] Striven Gardens (per Mrs I. [CENSORED: surname]) 3rd Prize £ 3 - [CENSORED: house number] Yarrow Gardens (per Mr [CENSORED: surname]) Window boxes/other ornamental plant containers: (5 prizes of £5) (1) Mrs [CENSORED: surname], basement. [CENSORED: house number] Wilton Street (2) Mr [CENSORED: surname], [CENSORED: house number] Kelvinside Terrace South (3) [CENSORED: surname]/[CENSORED: surname], [CENSORED: house number] Doune Quadrant (2 up) (4) R.N. [CENSORED: surname], [CENSORED: house number] Doune Quadrant (5) [CENSORED: house number] Kelvinside Terrace South We have already written to thank the judges for the time they spent walking the district and examining the gardens thoroughly despite the rain. They were Cllr. John [CENSORED: surname] (Regional Councillor), Cllr. Danny [CENSORED: surname] (District Councillor) and Mr Ian [CENSORED: surname] (Parks Dept.). The judges were very pleased to see an increase in the number of ornamental containers and window boxes, but would very much like to see many more residents taking an interest in brightening up the neighbourhood. On the adverse side, we had reports from some discouraged residents who normally do most or all of the work in backcourts etc. This was about the fact that often plants etc. were being destroyed by unsupervised children and dogs and even a rabbit that roams the neighborhood eating all the plants in neighbouring gardens!! Since the Environmental Improvement Grants, the backcourts have, on the whole, been well maintained, but it was sad to see in some instances that the whole backcourt areas were neglected and in danger of becoming overgrown wildernesses again. If residents do not like gardening, grass-cutting etc. then there is a firm that will undertake to maintain the backcourts for a small monthly fee from each flat. Do remember to give support to the few who do maintain backcourts...most blocks appear to be operating a monthly garden sum so that those hard-workers are not out-of-pocket. Ornamental area at West end of Wilton Street: It was reported that the Committee had been in touch with [CENSORED: companyname] Construction to reinstate this area where they had parked their huts and equipment. They did come back and again reseeded the area, cut the grass on two occasions to see how it was doing and also reinstated the chain fencing and painted it...as they had promised even although they required some jogging before getting round to it. Unfortunately, some of the boys from another part our area have been seen swinging on the chain fence whilst awaiting shots of a rope swing and it is now lying all over the place again. Another member of the committee has moved from the area: We were sorry to see Mrs Violet [CENSORED: surname] leave the neighbourhood. She had been a member of the Committee since the Association was formed in 1976 and did a great deal of the work for the Association. We wish her and her family best wishes in their new home. Roads dept.: We are constantly in touch with Roads dept. on several matters (1) Pool of water outside 244 Wilton Street. Their answer was that this was cleared on l3th Sept. but a member of the committe spoke to the workman involved who said he'd report that he couldn't clear it... the saga goes on! Photos have been sent. (2) Indiscriminate parkers have blocked the exit from both sides of the island between 226 and 227 Wilton Street. The Police have had to be called out on occasion to try to trace the owners of the offending cars so that people could get to their work in the morning. This is not new and as a result of complaints there are to be white lines painted in line with the road on either side as a guide to people parking at the east of the tree-island. If a fire engine were to require to get by at this point, we have been told that they will carry on regardless and any damage done to badly parked vehicles would be the responsibility of the owners. (3) Request for a yellow box junction at the foot of Belmont Street..this has again been turned down. It is difficult to make a left turn at peak times, far less a right turn. The Roads dept. state that 'any competent driver can make a right turn at this junction at any time of the day'. None of them obviously live in this area. (4) Thanks to Mr Tommy [CENSORED: surname] persistently appearing on the doorstep of Roads Dept. they are going to reinstate the railings on the lower half of the road at 249 Wilton Street so this should stop motor-cyclists speeding up through the posts at this point. They intend to instal a hinged gate on the pavement so that pedestrians can pass through, but motor cyclists would have to get off their bikes to do so. (5) Rail at edge of pavement at Kelvinside Gardens/Wilton Street (The roads dept's answer to a request for a rail to be erected on the wall up the hill to help people in icy weather)..Roads dept. say that the existing rail will help people get up the hill and they have no intention of removing it!! Crime Prevention: The Maryhill Crime Prevention Panel in conjunction with the Post Office have had a competition running in the local schools. The Post Office made available ultra-violet pens to the children who were challenged to list the number of objects they could mark with their post code in their homes. The children were also encouraged to visit their neighbours and their grannies etc. Out of all the competition forms issued, nearly 100% were returned and the 11 prize winners were awarded prizes supplied by the post office...but it has helped to make children and their parents more aware of the importance of safeguarding their property. There has been a spate of thefts of road tax discs from cars in our area. Not only does this mean the loss of the disc, but the damage done in gaining access to the vehicle quickly adds to the cost. If all owners covered the written details in the centre of their tax disc then (a) the sellotape would shine when they turn on their torch on it to see if it has been covered (b) they could not change the details on the surface before selling it because the removal of the sellotape would tear the surface of the disc. Some of the suspected disc-removers were apprehended in our immediate area recently. Because of the number of housebreakings, thefts of and breakins to cars and other incidents in our area, the Committee have written to the Crime Prevention Panel asking that it considers making this area the next one for a Crime Alert programme. This would entail every home being visited in an effort to make everyone aware that a little bit of observance and alerting the police in time (even if it does happen to be a false alarm) makes for good neighbourliness. It also means that, if we are selected, while the Alert was going on there would be extra men on the beat and householders would be invited to a sharing/discussion meeting with the local Police. Some of the recent muggings in the Division have been carried out by children not much more than 7 or 8 years of age! During recent weeks our area has been invaded by a gang of boys (app. 13 in all) who went through back greens, over front gardens, causing as much damage and havoc as they possibly could think off...they were insolent to any householder who dared to remonstrate. The boys were not from this area and the average age of the group would be between 8 and 10 with an older leader. Things are going missing from stairs..bikes, push chairs, name plates, door mats etc. We have taken up the matter of many boys of school age wandering the streets during school hours and up stairs on all pretexts. It is difficult for the Police to check up on them at present when schools are having days of action. Membership subscriptions: Some members have not renewed their subscriptions yet, we deliver newsletters to every household in the neighbourhood but may have to consider only delivering to members since subscriptions are our only source of income. Your nearest Committee member will be pleased to receive your subscription NOW. This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Information about document and author: Text Text audience Adults (18+): General public: Audience size: 21-100 Writer knew intended audience: Text details Method of composition: Typed Year of composition: 1985 Word count: 1524 General description: Newsletter of residents association Text medium Leaflet/brochure (prospectus): Text publication details Part of a longer series of texts: Name of series: Series of residents association newsletters Text setting Other: Local community Text type Prose: nonfiction: Author Author details Author id: 895 Gender: Female Decade of birth: 1930 Educational attainment: College Age left school: 15 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Retired secretary Place of birth: Edinburgh Region of birth: Midlothian Birthplace CSD dialect area: midLoth Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Glasgow Region of residence: Glasgow Residence CSD dialect area: Gsw Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Potato merchant Father's place of birth: Reading Father's country of birth: England Mother's occupation: Dressmaker Mother's place of birth: Newton Grange Mother's region of birth: Midlothian Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: midLoth Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: No Understand: Yes Circumstances: Socially