Fire stations, Crooked House and a football legend in 1960

PICTURE FROM THE ARCHIVE: England manager Walter Winterbottom (right) shares a quiet moment in conversation with Wolverhampton Wanderers inside-right Peter Broadbent during an international squad gathering in 1960. The pair were pictured at Lilleshall, the national sports centre on the Shropshire-Staffordshire border that served as the primary training base for the England national team for many years. Do you remember Peter Broadbent playing during Wolves' golden era, or visiting Lilleshall Hall during its years as an elite sporting hub? We’ll have another Lilleshall picture on Monday. | ©PA

placeholder image — PICTURE FROM THE ARCHIVE: England manager Walter Winterbottom (right) shares a quiet moment in conversation with Wolverhampton Wanderers inside-right Peter Broadbent during an international squad gathering in 1960. The pair were pictured at Lilleshall, the national sports centre on the Shropshire-Staffordshire border that served as the primary training base for the England national team for many years. Do you remember Peter Broadbent playing during Wolves' golden era, or visiting Lilleshall Hall during its years as an elite sporting hub? We’ll have another Lilleshall picture on Monday. | ©PA

Readers raise concerns over proposed fire station closures, the Crooked House investigation and vitamin D levels ahead of winter

Why cut local fire stations?

We have had loads of police stations closed and officers moved out of their local areas, leaving those areas with practically no police cover when needed in a hurry.

Now the latest move putting lives at risk is fire stations, again moving officers out to other areas and leaving the public with no fire cover when the need arises. With the recent wildfires, had this been the case, how long would it have been before fire appliances attended?

I just love it when those who hold the purse strings believe saving money is better than saving lives. So, what next is for the chop? Will the money-minders decide to shut down ambulance stations? Let's shut down the hospitals – they could save loads of money.

Shutting down fire stations is a drastic measure and should be cancelled. It's bad enough not having a police station nearby, but when you start closing down fire stations, you are deliberately placing those areas in danger. Minutes matter when attending a fire, but increasing response times is nothing short of criminal.

Pete Lowe, Midlands

Crooked House saga is a joke

It’s been over three years now since the Crooked House has been burnt out and demolished.

Arson was suspected which is criminal. The demolition was suggested maybe illegal which is criminal.

Three years of investigation by toothless organisations. Some people it seems have made a good living and good money out of investing for three years. And now we here that investigations are nearly finished and considerations into prosecutions will start so will it be another lucrative three years for the investigators.

It doesn’t matter if we don’t get the Crooked House rebuilt but it does matter matter if the perpetrators get away with breaking the law. What a joke.

Name and address supplied

Dose up on vitamin D

Dr Nikki Ramskill in her article about protecting ourselves from winter ailments (October 19) never once mentioned boosting our vitamin D and Zinc levels. The main reason our immune system dips in winter is the lack of sunlight, which our body needs to turn cholesterol (yes that evil stuff the medical professionals blame for all our ills) into vitamin D. Vitamin D is cheap and very effective in boosting our immune system.

Chris Smith, Horsehay

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