MAY I make a serious comment to the rather large headline which appeared in Saturday's Bolton Evening News.

The comment was made by an American travel writer, Michael K Hayes, who apparently once lived in Bolton. His comment that Bolton is his "kinda town" may be all right for a person who is only in Bolton for a short period of time, a time I might add when Bolton Town Council is making every effort to sell Bolton.

According to our resident Mayor, Cllr John Walsh, it is most important to let outsiders see Bolton at its best.

Well, Sir, I for one would like to take issue with the Mayor's comment, and I would like to remind him that, first and foremost, he was elected as a councillor to represent the Astley Bridge Ward. The honour of being asked to be Mayor of Bolton is an honour he richly deserves, for his considerable efforts to try to make Bolton a fit place for the true Boltonians to live in, not only now when we are in the limelight because of the Commonwealth Games, but for the foreseeable long time future.

I personally would ask Cllr Walsh to take the time to look around his own ward of Astley Bridge, to see the awful decline in the general appearance of the roads, streets and pavements, also the general untidiness of said streets and roads.

As a concerned senior citizen, I sincerely hope that things will change for the better, not only in Astley Bridge, but in Bolton in general.

Mr B P Gallagher

Florence Avenue

Astley Bridge