SIR: I am writing following the meeting recently to rubber stamp the closure of Stocks Park and Lever Edge old peoples homes.

That night a group of us stood together to show support for some of the most vulnerable people in Bolton. The group consisted of all ages and political or social class were never mentioned.

Something else amazing happened that night too - the sight of 40 odd Labour councillors puffed up with platitudes, whingeing about the hard up Council and voting as a group to close these homes, one of which is actually in the ward of those who voted to close it!

Hard up? Ask the residents about hard up during their lifetimes. They haven't had the opportunity to save large sums of money to contribute to their care.

If surviving on a pittance each week was their lot then they endured it and emerged at the twilight of their lives with more humour, dignity, self pride and faith than any of our elected councillors.

Hard up? I'll believe hard up when they are prepared to sacrifice travel expenses and attendance allowances for the common good of the people they represent.

When I asked some of them how they would be voting the answer was 'with my group'. On challenging this I was told that this was the democratic way of doing things. Silly me, there was I thinking democracy involved having the inner peace and outer strength to support what you believed in, and the moral fibre to know that to lead a symphony you just occasionally have to turn your back on the crowd.

May I say a big thank you to the residents and carers I have met. I am humbled to realise how much you mean to each other.

Walking back to our cars we crossed the Town Hall Square, past Bolton's war memorial - Lest We Forget. They already have.

Mrs Ann France, The Blundell Arms

Chorley Old Road, Horwich

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