There should be no homeless in this day and age

It’s imperative, especially during the freezing weather we have been getting, that homeless people are given the opportunity of having somewhere relatively warm to sleep and people need to know there is a dedicated team, on call 24/7 who will respond if they are notified of someone sleeping rough.

It would be criminal in this day and age if anyone was left to fend for themselves in this weather and, worse still, if they were to die because of it. I don’t often sing the praises of our council however, on this occasion, hats off to Coun Karen Leytham for saying one person having to sleep rough ‘is one too many’.

After saying this, not all council Facebook posts catch my interest, however, the posts by Morecambe Area Police usually do. I don’t know who writes them but they do usually make me chuckle. Whoever it is must have a great sense of humour.

In my opinion, this sort of interaction with the public is a great way to improve relations and maybe even pick up a bit of ‘intel’. You see, I’m even picking up the lingo!

Carla and I were invited to the opening of the ‘Next Stop Morecambe’ railway memorabilia exhibition, at Morecambe Heritage Centre. This is the second exhibition they have had there: the first being the history of entertainment.

Now, I know some people are really into trains and railways but it’s never been something that particularly ‘floats my boat’ but, we were invited, and we thought it would be rude not to attend. I can honestly say I’m so glad we did, what a fascinating exhibition they’ve set up. Not only is there some wonderful railway memorabilia, specific to Morecambe, Heysham and Lancaster, but there are some stunning photos and remarkable maps of when there were eight separate train stations around Morecambe.

The majority of the memorabilia and photos have been collected by the Rev. Jackson and Ron Herbert both of whom we were lucky enough to meet and the curator Rob Daniels was also present for the opening. Because Carla and I were the only two councillors present, we were asked to formally welcome everyone to the exhibit and thank Rev. Jackson, Ron and Rob; what an absolute honour. I also got to slip in a thank you to Debbie and Christine and all the volunteers who set up, and keep open the Heritage Centre. Whether you are a train buff, local historian or just someone who is interested in the past, this is an exhibit not to be missed and for just £2 entry, it is fantastic value.

If you haven’t been yet, the Heritage Centre is located in the Taylor’s building near the Winter Gardens.