Dear Sir,
I had a phone call from Mrs McDonald of Gilpin Road who said she had found a postcard depicting West Park Boating Lake in its glory days amongst her family photographs and would I like it for the Friends Of West Park group.
I was thrilled to be able to collect the postcard from her which was printed by Newton Press some time ago and was a brilliant depiction of children lined up alongside the boathouse waiting their turn for a great adventure on the water.
The park was always full of families and the sun shone down on the scene. Is it any wonder that many of us look back with affection on those days? As many of us moved to Newton Aycliffe from pit villages and the urban sprawl of cities we were amazed at the greenery of the town and great facilities such as the boating lake.
Such was the sense of optimism and pride in our town that local newsagents sold many of these postcards and they were sent across the globe to family and friends.
A resurgence of pride in our town is encouraging residents to get involved in making improvements and holding on tight to those gains we have made. We have volunteers coming forward to join in various projects from our foodbank to litter picking.
There is strong affection for our town market demonstrated by support given to the market tradesmen who are under threat of closure.
Our Town Council seems to be more dynamic, listening and forward looking than it has been in the past. It is working closely with local organisations to improve facilities despite an unfavourable economic forecast. Our civic pride team are deeply involved in sprucing up our town keeping it clean and tidy
I would like to thank Mrs Mcdonald for donating this stunning card and all those people who wish us well in our venture in West Park especially the person who anonymously left flower bulbs on a park bench.
Perhaps Newton Press could inform us if these cards are still available to buy as I would like to send a few to: Marks and Spencers, New Look, Bhs and a myriad of other big stores with the message, “We are a fantastic town – wish you were here” Ken Robson, Chairman
Friends of West Park
