ON Thursday last week, August 20, a party of 45 pensioners from Winsford visited Southport for the day out, mainly to visit the Southport Flower Show which opened that day.

After morning tea at about 11am, many went to the flower show hoping to see its floral delights.

On reaching the entrance, they were told the entrance fee was £8. They then mentioned the fact that they were pensioners and they were then told it was £7 - just £1 concession,

For a pensioner who has to pay out rent, Council Tax, VAT and the rest, £7 is all they have to live on for a week after cutting down on meals and beverages.

The cost of admission to this show is a crime against the elderly who so wanted to see the show.

We pride ourselves at Vale Royal Pensioners in getting our pensioners out and about and away from the television sets, to see places and do things they would not normally get a chance to see and do.

We get welcome grants from Vale Royal Borough Council and South Cheshire Health Authority towards this aim and we raise money, by raffles, sales and other means to the satisfaction of all who see that we are keeping pensioners healthy and active and happy. This can only be a good thing.

We were very disappointed with the organisation of the show especially as we were told that if we came back after 4pm, the cost of admission would only be £4.

What a thing to say. In other words, the show and all the lovely flowers and presentations were only for those who could afford it.

What a way to treat our pensioners, most of them the survivors of the Second World War.

May I thank all at Southport who did help to make a good day for them, especially the management and staff who treated them to afternoon tea at low cost at the Royal Clifton Hotel.

Harry Mooney, chairman of VR Pensioners' Association, Winsford

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