I recently returned to New Zealand after a holiday in the UK to cover the Jubilee celebrations.
I spent time in Grantham, which was my home town until 1973, when I emigrated with my family to New Zealand.
During my stay in Grantham, I became bitterly disappointed in what I saw and what local people told me.
What a grubby and untidy place it is now, with up to 38 shops vacant, pubs closed and a serious lack of industry, emphasising the young people, who now think that living off benefits is a normal lifestyle.
There appears to be an overall aggressive attitude, a lacking of a friendly atmosphere in the shops, streets and services.
The so-called updated road system appears to be a shambles the townfolk hate and I noticed on several occasions when a vehicle breaks down on any main route through or into town, it all becomes gridlocked.
The Market Place seems to be another expensive failure that the ratepayers could well do without in these times of financial restraint. If the council really want to make improvements then spend on encouraging employment opportunities.
I tried to buy a Lincolnshire flag, but was told by Guildhall staff, “there is none for slae in Grantham, you will have to go to Lincoln.” Has Grantham been annexed from Lincolnshire?
Come on you council members, what about standing up for what we once were and what we believed in, a happy-go-lucky place to live, where we did help and care for each other, and stop trying to justify the mantle that Grantham once had of being the “Most Boring Town”.
FRANK SHARMAN
Auckland, New Zealand
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