I'VE never felt the need to write to a local newspaper before, despite having read some really ridiculous letters, but I just had to say something about the letter, Village Needs a Shake-up, (Citizen July 7).

Although I am not a single parent myself, I couldn't believe the whole small-minded tone of the letter, particularly the part that went 'Vermin is being seen in broad daylight and single parents are keeping old mattresses in the back garden'.

Does the writer mean one particular single parent on the estate, or all single parents are keeping old mattresses in their garden?

Do they also believe that any household with both parents still living together will automatically have tidy gardens because of their living arrangements?

Also the statement 'There are drugs around Great Meadow etc, something has to be done' is just plain wrong. I have lived on Great Meadow for a while now, having moved from quite a rough estate in Manchester where drugs were quite obviously on open sale, and I have not seen any evidence of drug dealing or even drug taking in the time I have been here.

I am not naive enough to believe that it doesn't go on at all (it does everywhere) but the anonymous author should actually realise just how lucky they are to live around here, and look at all the positive things about the estate (like the recent excellent carnival day at Derian house) instead of moaning.

Also if they really are the upstanding pillars of the community they are making out to be, maybe they should write in again with an apology for insulting all of the estate's single parents, most of whom do a brilliant job of raising their children under difficult circumstances.

Mr Booth, Great Meadow, Astley Village