Dear Editor,

This afternoon (Thursday, July 30th) I took my dog to the riverside for her usual run. I always park near the bandstand and then cross the road.

Today I noticed some children playing around the weeping willow next to the canoe launch. These children, who were probably aged between three and seven, were with two women who I took to be their mothers.

The children were swinging from the drooping branches of the willow tree, some of which were breaking. I was surprised that they were allowed to do so but what happened next astounded me. One of the ‘mothers’ removed her backpack and proceeded to do exactly the same as the children swinging on the branches.

I approached the group and said to the lady in question that I thought she was not setting a very good example to the children by her actions, and that other, perhaps older children would follow her example and think it is OK to swing from overhanging branches on trees, and pull them until they broke.

I was then accused of spoiling the children’s fun and upsetting them and that the branches on the floor were “already there”. As I then pointed out to them that even the leaves being pulled off the tree by the children was causing damage.

It was obvious that one of the mothers was trying to unload her guilt onto me and make me feel bad. I asked if they were local and the reply was “What’s that got to do with it?”

I pointed out to her that Ross is a tourist area and that it takes pride in the riverside, as does the rest of the town.

A few branches from a large weeping willow may not seem much but where does it stop, the next tree may be a young sapling and swinging on that is just pure vandalism.

I have grandchildren of the same age and I would not allow them to damage trees in such a way.

Fine, if you want to have fun throw a rope over a stout branch and swing on that or even climb suitable trees, we all did it when we were younger.

I apologise if I upset the children, but I have no regrets whatsoever in berating the ‘adults’ for their lack of teaching right from wrong.

Mick Cordell

Ruardean.