FIRSTLY we would like to apologise to all the people, young and old, who were expecting shire rides at Westhoughton's Victorian Sunday.

Secondly, we would like to ask the organisers to get their act together.

We have given rides at the event for the past three years and everyone has enjoyed it.

This year the street was closed to traffic and we felt that it would be a lot better not having to negotiate traffic. Unfortunately, fair rides, candy floss stalls and Morris dancers blocked the street making it very dangerous to drive the shires along Market Street.

All it takes is effective communication. We were scheduled to give rides from 10.30am until 12 midday, then again after the parade from 1.30pm until 3pm.

After all our efforts in clearing horse, harness and dray we had to pack up and go home disappointing a lot of people and ourselves.

Keith and Veronica Latham,

Victoria Street,

Westhoughton.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.