Plants a success

I would like to thank everyone who kindly bought plants and pots from me during the pandemic and helped to raise £660 for the Andover Hospital. Several neighbours also generously donated plants and pots towards the sale which contributed to this sum.

Along with many other supporters of the plant sale up at the hospital I have contributed plants from my garden every year by splitting up when necessary, growing from seeds and cuttings, and potting up self-seeders. When the first lockdown came I wondered how to ‘rehome’ all the plants I had accumulated as the hospital site was run by volunteers and had to close.

Setting up my own sale from our driveway turned out to be surprisingly successful and, when I had exhausted the generosity of neighbours and friends, I found Facebook Marketplace very helpful. Many of my callers were also missing going up to the hospital to buy plants and thoughtfully sent photos of my plants growing in their gardens and containers which was a joy to see.

Hopefully, next year Marilyn Mabey and her band of willing volunteers will be back as normal at the hospital and I know they would welcome any spare plants and also plenty of customers to buy them.

Jackie Grey, Church Lane, Goodworth Clatford.

Council chaos

Whilst there are decent independent councillors in local government, there are also dangers as well.

In May last year, a group called the Andover Alliance took control of Andover Town Council and won several seats on Test Valley Borough Council as well.

Within a short space of time, this group fell apart amongst bitter infighting, with some councillors recorded as not turning up to a single meeting for six months.

The main culprits are Cllrs Rowles and Cllr Coole. The victims are the electorate and public service in general.

Those who are only interested in their own careers should leave the political scene for those who generally care about the community.

Voters also need to consider just how independent some independents really are. Have they got elected without declaring extreme views?

Richard Kidd, Augusta Park, Andover.

Unfair tax bands

I live in an inherited farm cottage with one and a bit bedrooms (the bit leads out of my bedroom through a dwarf door and has one small window, high up) and with no upstairs mod cons. It is Band E for council tax.

My home help has three bedrooms and three bathrooms upstairs and is Band E. So was a friend with a four bedroom timbered Tudor House in Ludlow High Street. A contact with a Victorian three bedroom and no mod cons upstairs is Band C. A four bedroom house overlooking a golf course in Surrey is Band E.

A farmhouse that for decades three workers’ cottages which has now been transformed into a big house is Band E.

I cannot get my banding fairly reduced unless I sell. A new owner could get it reduced. They could then build on the land, handsomely in all directions without any increase in banding.

The valuation office is both unrelenting and impossible to communicate with by phone.

In a letter, they wrote to me: “A search has been conducted in the locality for council tax to confirm the established pattern of banding. The property search compared the age, the style and the number of rooms and size to comparable properties.”

If anyone came to visit my locality, they certainly did not come to see my cottage.

Am I alone in finding this system unjustified and viciously unfair?

And if a home is inherited, rather than purchased, how does the system work?

Margaret Reichlin, MacCallum Road, Upper Enham.

Nature’s freedom

Lockdown can take away some of our freedoms but it cannot take away the picturesque villages all around our ancient market town. They will have already felt the fresh breath of Autumn.

It is evident as “Mushroom Eric” excitedly forages for the fruits of the ripened fields. All around him natures’ splendid early morning canvas is splashed with lemons, ambers and fiery reds vividly contrasting with the dour black and white of winter to come.

The warm Spring and no late frosts have ensured it has been an excellent growing season for all manner of fruit. The bending boughs have already donated their fruitfulness for us all to savour and enjoy.

Leaves are falling like burning tears and provide a kaleidoscope of colourful joy as they jostle and dance together to the tune held on the breeze.

Darkness is closing in sooner now as woollies and wellies are readied. The assembled birds crowd around in an excited chorus of chirruping discussion amid the annual cascade of tints and hues. Migration plans are high on their agenda.

The crystal glaze of the coming chilly frosts will provide a satisfying soft crispy crunch under foot. A sharp intake of breath and the blood races, for there is a bracing tang in the air as the morning dew sparkles on the bejewelled cobwebs. The scent, the smell, the aroma of newly turned earth accompanied by the musical clink of stone on prong orchestrates future garden plans. The friendly robin nods his approval.

So embrace this emotive time of year, for the seasonal magic of Autumn is truly an old friend and is to be welcomed and enjoyed!

John “Nature Boy” Porter, Millway Road, Andover.

Andover deserves better

All of us care about our environment. We want to protect where we live and work. We want a planet fit for our children and our grandchildren.

Key to all this is how we deal with litter and waste. Conservative Test Valley council proudly claim that they recycle or burn for electricity 94 per cent of our waste, leaving only six per cent for landfill. This hides the fact that only 36 per cent is recycled, the rest of the 58 per cent is sent off to be incinerated. This is wrong.

We need to do more on recycling. One single step forward urged on us by residents through our surveys and personal contacts is doorstep glass collection. Taking glass to distant bottle banks means you have to use a car. It is inconvenient if not difficult for the elderly and vulnerable. A further step forward is the introduction of differential collection where we sort out our waste into four or five different boxes.

This makes recycling easier and much cheaper. This is done in other parts of the country including London and recycling rates reach over 80 per cent. If it is good enough for them why is it not good enough for Andover?

The Conservatives will tell you this is all too expensive. What they mean is they cannot be bothered. Lib Dem run Eastleigh has had doorstep glass collection for years and is now piloting fortnightly food waste collection. Lib Dem Eastleigh’s council taxes have been going down in real terms for the 18th year running with no cuts to services. Politics can make a difference. Demand better.

Luigi Gregori, Charlton Road, Andover.

Flashback Friday

Here is one Flashback Friday some Andover readers might remember. I always remember Charlie Everett’s’ cycle shop where he used to sell packet of three condoms 3s and 9p to those men who didn’t have the guts to buy them from the chemist. If you bought some from him he would stand there talking to you so every one saw what you were buying.

Ian Webb, Andover.