I D LIKE to raise a few cheers for some good things happening in Weston at the moment!

I'D LIKE to raise a few cheers for some good things happening in Weston at the moment! For a start, walking through Grove Park a very simple and satisfying change has occurred; the beautiful shelter in the lower park has been turned into a cafe.

For a number of years now, the park has been served by a popular mobile stall which, to my mind, always appeared out of place.

At the same time, the old shelter suffered vandalism and became a threatening 'no-go' area - for a while it once faced demolition.

Now the building is secured; it looks smart and serves a very useful purpose by pulling people into the park and giving them a cup of tea - that makes the whole park feel safer and attractive. Well done to whoever thought of it. So simple!

The new, protective, reinforcement footings to the Victorian sea-wall look well and provide comfortable, sheltered seating. I also like the huge blocks of Mendip stone which serve the same purpose.

The secondary sea-wall, now undergoing construction at the Marine Lake, is especially pleasing with a high standard of masonry in local stone - much of it recycled from a lost seafront building. I hope this quality is maintained along the whole length of the new wall.

And I'm glad the nasty, cheap-looking concrete block paving and planters, at the entrance to the Knightstone causeway, have been done away with - the new paving looks to be a huge improvement. By the way, have you noticed how the Marine Lake's seawater has part-cleared to a bluey-green since it was dredged?

And last in this list is the newly arrived wheel on the seafront. It really does look rather fine and its airy lightness distracts the eye from the sadder stuff along the Beach Road. And at night! Well, it's a spectral feast!

DR HOWARD SMITH

Stafford Place, Weston