Letter plea for action on parking
A ten-year-old boy has written to Southwell Town Council with an idea to help the elderly of the town.
Toby Hind, of Galley Hill Road, Southwell, asked if the council would consider making the carpark behind Southwell Library exclusively for disabled and elderly people.
Toby’s sister, Katie (7) drew a picture of elderly people using the carpark to accompany the letter.
The town council agreed to raise the matter with the carpark owners, Nottinghamshire County Council.
Toby, a pupil at Lowe’s Wong Junior School, said: “When I walk to school I walk through the carpark and I see elderly people who have to walk from the Co-op carpark and they sometimes struggle.
“I thought it would be easier for them if they parked near the library but the library carpark is usually full so they cannot park there.
“I would like it if the council did use my idea.”
Toby’s mother, Mrs Judy Hind (41) said she was surprised when Toby said he wanted to write to the town council.
She said: “He came home from school one day and said it wasn’t fair that elderly and disabled people had to walk so far to get to the town centre.
“He sat down at the computer and I told him who to write to and he just did it all off his own back.”
Toby wrote: “Dear council, I have an idea about the carpark behind the Southwell library.
“Every day when I walk to school I see elderly people come out the carpark because it is full so they go to the Co-operative’s carpark instead, but then I see them struggling to get into the Market Square because they’re on crutches or in a wheelchair etc.
“So my idea is only elderly people or disabled people can park in that carpark. Thank you for having the time to read this letter. Yours sincerely, Toby Hind, aged 10.”
Mrs Hind said Toby’s grandfather recently had a hip replacement, which may have alerted Toby to some of the problems that elderly and disabled people faced.
She said Toby was delighted to get a reply from the council.
He does not know if he wants to go into politics when he is older, but wants to be an archaeologist or marine biologist.
