I AM interested to know why York Art Gallery thinks it should charge for entry now.

Does it have better exhibits than the National and the Tate galleries in London?

It is a municipal and public art gallery. It should be free.

At £40 a year for two of us to get in, we will not bother.

We will go elsewhere, free, for our art fix.

Watch the footfall disappear.

Shame.

Sara Giorgi, Severus Avenue, York

 

BE VERY proud of this moment that you can share it: for history is being carved.

The Greece ‘OXI’ or ‘no’ vote sets a precedent for the rest of the world to take notice.

For one nation – Greece – to be demoralised to the point of destruction is not logical, yet the Greek enigma was just that.

In the past when we tinkered with this EU union we were severely burned.

There but for the grace of God that could have been us.

This EU might now just become evolve into what it should have become. One peaceful co-existence; one trade with no barriers to human aspirations.

Phil Shepherdson, Chantry Close, Woodthorpe, York

 

THE lesson to be learned from the Greek crisis is that if you vote for a government of the Left, you will end up with no money left.

Geoff Robb, Hunters Close, Dunnington, York

 

WHEN I was a lad, swimming in the Ouse was regular practice for the young men, and women sometimes, and formed part of the pleasure of living here.

As I remember, the Foss was not popular with us since it was never considered clean enough.

There were, in those far off days, no concerns about leaching fertilisers or other “nasties”, and the river was much better looked-after than it is now by those responsible.

I have swum in many different places in the past in November and February, when the water was really cold, but NEVER on my own.

Who remembers the dozens of folk who went on to the river bank at Poppleton on warm summer days, to picnic and go in for a dip – even kids when supervised.

Swimming across to the Overton bank and back was regular practice by the better swimmers.

I have no memory of anyone being drowned there, although I imagine that there were some incidents, including some at the confluence of the Ouse and the Nidd at Nun Monkton where the currents were downright dangerous.

The city fathers even arranged diving competitions from Lendal Bridge occasionally. So much for danger.

Phil Fowler, Woodthorpe, York

 

ACCORDING to the council and other officials, there is a shortage of houses and flats in York so why on a site which has been derelict for ten years in Fulford Road has a plan been submitted to build yet another supermarket?

On this road we have Aldi, Iceland and Sainsburys and not far away we have Waitrose and Morrisons.

People have only so much money to spend.

It would be much better to have well designed houses or flats there.

Maureen Robinson, Broadway, York

 

WHATEVER happened to the traditional Lord Mayor’s Parades?

Decorated floats from local businesses, guilds, charities and other local groups used to annually process through our historic city.

These were colourful, friendly and fun, and actually represented the local community, unlike the so-called Gay Pride marches of recent years.

Alexander Ogilvy, Lindsey Avenue, Acomb, York