I WRITE in response to the article in last week’s edition of April 23 by Brendan McFadden concerning the public reaction to the introduction of parking fees at Neigh Bridge Country Park near Somerford Keynes.

For my son and I it is a frequent treat to put my two small dogs into the car and take them to the park for the pleasure of walking at Neigh Bridge. We feel privileged to be able to do so and think that £1 an hour (£2 all day) is a very small price to pay for parking safely away from the roadside.

If £1 an hour is really too much for the complainants may I suggest they consider joining the Cotswold Water Park Trust (CWPT). Membership only costs £18 a year (£24 double) and then they will be able to park as often as they wish for only an average of 35p a week (single membership) or 23p per person (double) and will be able to enjoy other privileges elsewhere too.

This is what my son and I intend to do.

As a trustee of a small environmental charity here in Malmesbury I am only too aware of the costs, both monetary and in working hours, of the voluntary labour needed to maintain pleasant areas for all to enjoy, so to all those who have enjoyed the area at Neigh Bridge free of charge for so long is it really too much to consider donating a maximum of 35p a week to help towards its upkeep?

To the organisers of CWPT however we have just one request. Please could you put some rubbish bins in the car park area for visitor-generated litter.

At present there are no containers anywhere on site and we seldom leave without scooping up bottles, tins, BBQ packs etc left by others and bringing them back to Malmesbury for disposal.

MARY HILL

Abbey Row

Malmesbury