'Westcliff Alvaro's restaurant is always place to go'

'Alvaro’s: What a wonderful place'

I WAS sad to read that the owners of Alvaro’s, off Hamlet Court Road in Westcliff, are to sell up but I’m glad to see it will stay open.

Your piece brought back happy memories of family parties and birthdays. Alvaro’s was always the place to go.

Its menu was legendary and extensive for so many lovely dishes. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back. They don’t make restaurants like Alvaro’s any more. Let’s hope any new owner keeps with the tradition!

P PRYDE

Westcliff

'Watch out Cambridge, here comes Basildon'

This is not the first time I have written to Basildon Council about creating a “Silicon Valley” in the town centre.

I can recall distinctly writing to the leader of council about three years ago setting our similar plans for the cinema, together the tech and gaming industries and the college plus the then proposed youth space to incubate their creative ideas and to allow film, post -production and experimentation  in new technologies to work together in a collaborative effort to pull together for the betterment of Basildon. 

But no one listened, not even our town planners.

Three years has since passed since I contacted the council. I thought it was a good idea at the time, no-one even said so. 

Now it seems that councillor Craig Rimmer has thought up the idea and wants a Steve Jobs figure to take over.  But he and the council will need to but some flesh on the bones before anyone will come to Basildon, even with a bankable £4million from the Arts Council.

Why not put Basildon on the cultural map in this way? Together they deserve to be put together in one place and Basildon based so close to London seems an ideal starting point from which create our own Silicon Valley. 

Watch out Cambridge, here we come.

VIN HARROP

Rosslyn Road, Billericay

'We’re not a place for sign snobbery'

Come on Southend Council, this is not Frinton. 

Southend’s seafront is all about fun and enjoyment and the signs illustrated in [last] Friday’s edition of the Echo (Colourful signs spark storm on the seafront) are all part of that. 

I suggest that members who voted against John Remblance’s new signs should lighten up a bit.

MALCOLM WOODS

Southchurch Hall Close, Southend

'We are blessed with wonderful parks'

I just wanted to say we are blessed with many wonderful parks and on Saturday me and my wife took our dogs over Hadleigh country park for a nice long walk and it made me feel so happy inside being in the great outdoors and how gorgeous Hadleigh country park is. 

I’ve always been open and honest with my struggles and being in the great outdoors really helps me.

You have the ruins of the castle, a lovely farm, the mountain bike track, park, and lots of countryside to explore. 

A great day out for everyone and we have many other wonderful parks across our county and I love exploring them and now as we approach spring it gets even better.

Thank you to all the volunteers and park rangers and local councils for looking after our parks.

LEE CLARK

Member of the Confelicity Party for Kursaal Ward

Southend

'Elderly left behind by technology'

Why is it these days, virtually everything you do requires internet access?

This is not acceptable. When I tried to do my elderly mother’s repeat prescription by e-mail, that came back as no longer possible, It has to be online or via an app, or go into surgery and sort it out with the local chemist. 

An elderly lady lost her M&S loyalty card, she was told you have to do it on an app now, she explained her phone doesn’t take apps, the response was just “sorry”. It is not good enough. 

What happens to those without the internet, or the elderly who cannot use it, don’t have a phone capable of using apps, those that cannot afford fancy phones or the internet. 

Even my mother’s bank insisted I use an app to transfer her investments to a better interest rate account, and there is no one in the branch you could speak to. 

Whilst in there an elderly man in a mobility scooter came in with the same question, he couldn’t use the internet or apps either. 

This is a disgusting way to run a country, so many people are being left out. My mother is in her late 90s, luckily she has me to fight her corner, but what about all those that have no one to look out for them?  I am so angry about all this.

Yve Collins

Whitefriars Crescent, Westcliff

'Aston Line should represent Labour'

As a constituent of Aston Line’s ward in Westborough, I was in shock reading the article saying Labour had not selected him for the May elections. 

Aston has been a hard-working, dedicated and very visible ward councillor so if the rumour is true, it flies in the face of sanity and is a kick in the teeth to the huge amount of residents who have chosen him to represent us.

CAMERON

Westborough Ward Labour member
 

'Ranger service to keep going'

Regarding the article that appeared in your newspaper re the removal of the ranger service in the Rochford district. 

The South Essex Parking Partnership (SEPP) has allocated a sum of money to provide services and Rochford District Council have allocated some of this money to keep the ranger service for one year. 

This will enable them to continue the brilliant jobs that they do for the community in the Rochford District.

Councillor Laureen Shaw

Roche North and Rural