AS I stood in St Helen’s Square while doing a period of charity collecting, I had the time to have a good look at the Lord Mayor’s Mansion House.

The sun was shining and the square was busy with tourists. Unfortunately the floral decorations of the Mansion House – a series of hanging baskets – were full of dead flowers and detracted from the appearance of the building.

The other floral decorations in the square were also very sad and “on their way out”.

This is surely one of the premier tourist areas of York and it was very embarrassing to see it looking so shoddy and unkempt.

We seem to have unlimited amounts of money for some items of expenditure but, sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference.

Mrs J Gambold, Fir Tree Close, Earswick, York.