YP Letters: Bugger Bognor... the South isn't a patch on Yorkshire

I JUST could not resist writing in defence of Scarborough and indeed Yorkshire and its people, especially as I have always felt blessed to have been born and raised in Whitby. I felt furious when I read the letter from C Garth of Ampthill (The Yorkshire Post, September 9), a place that left me totally unimpressed.

Needless to say, I am, of course, fully aware that there are many admirable Southerners, a number of whom are my friends from living in the South, but also many have a most peculiar idea of the North and Northerners.

To quote the impression of our next door neighbour in Farnborough, Hampshire, who came to the door after we had lived there only a short while. She opened the conversation by saying she had forced herself to come but “down here we’re not always in and out of each other’s houses”.

This prompted me to immediately say “please don’t judge me by Coronation Street” and to tell her that the area where we had lived in Whitby was far more select than where we now found ourselves. This rather “took the wind out of her sails”.

Now to Mr Garth’s admiration of Bognor. Well! Whilst living at Farnborough we missed the lovely fresh air and the sea, and one weekend we decided to have a run out to Bognor – what a mistake.

For one thing, the smell on the beach was atrocious and the sea was so filthy that I daren’t allow my children to go into it – so very unlike the golden sands and crystal sea on this wonderful coast.

We couldn’t wait to return to what was home and when one of our friendly neighbours asked how we had enjoyed Bognor, he wasn’t at all surprised to hear our impression and told us the origin of the foul smell – we had assumed correctly!

After several years in Farnborough, we were obliged to return to Whitby because of work commitments, and before we left, the neighbour asked if we should go mad and exchange Christmas cards. Because I’m a plain-spoken Yorkshirewoman, I politely declined, saying I could see no point in that whatsoever.

Finally I’m not sure what is a “thick Yorkshire accent”; thankfully I’m sure the Yorkshire accent is here to stay and, as for foul-mouthed children, it makes me wonder which part of Scarborough Mr Garth frequented. Whilst working at Farnborough Police Station for seven years I was obliged to tolerate a great deal of foul language (although not directed at me), as well as insults about Yorkshire, but I kept my dignity.