Tony Colman MP writes to Putney & Wandsworth

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2nd September 2004

Roehampton Garden Society

The Autumn Show is Saturday 11 September at St. Margaret�s Church Hall, Putney Park Lane. I do feel the Society represents the very best of Putney�s community spirit. The allotments in Dover House Road are all let and there are 17 people on the waiting list. Thanks go to Eddie Lister for sorting out the costings for the two new toilets: the delay now seems to be with the contractor!

The Show itself is always well filled with exhibits and is worth a look � at least in my case to learn how to achieve the wonderful results!

Seating in the Southside Centre

The old Arndale Centre had a number of seats primarily used by older people during shopping trips. The new Southside Centre unfortunately does not have any public seating. I have spoken to and lobbied the Centre Management to no avail. So has the excellent Wandsworth Access Association and its chair Betty Lewis.

I think it is important for Shopping Centre Owners that people of all ages want to use their facilities, and not just the young and able bodied. Hopefully this issue of seating can be sorted out before the judging for the Mayor�s Access Awards: Southside is a big improvement on the old Arndale Centre but the seating issue does need to be sorted out.

Organic Week 4 � 12 September

The latest edition of the Soil Association magazine �Living Earth� is promoting �Organic Week� which will run from 4 � 12 September. There is information on their website: http://www.organicweek.org/ or telephone: 0117 9114 2504. I am pleased that both the columnist Monty Don and the Director Patrick Holden pose the question of the sustainability of organic production dependent on imported cheap labour and the spread of polytumels. The Doha round WTO agenda agreement made on 31 July 2004 should perhaps lead us to see in terms of trade justice and ethics importing our organic food � and not importing cheap gang labour � from poor countries. What do you think?

School and Holidays

Those of us with children (my youngest are now 10 and 12) have to take our holidays in August and are back to school next week. I envy those now enjoying the September good weather, but there is a joy in the family holidaying together � albeit in my case often in the wind of Norfolk. And I am worried about Norwich City FC staying up!



Tony Colman MP

For more information about what I've been up to and how to contact me go to my web site www.tonycolman.org.uk

Tony Colman