I read the report, which expressed dissatisfaction with South Lakeland District Council’s '“prairie'-style planting on the Glebe at Bowness (Gazette, July 5, 'Resident condemns 'prairie' planting') and further redaer comments published on-line on The Westmorland Gazette's website criticising Windermere Town Council for supposedly making it difficult to plant flowers and make the area attractive.

These comments are completely incorrect and totally misleading. Our volunteer councillors in Windermere and Bowness work very hard in the summer months to ensure there is colour on our streets.

This year, we have put up and maintained 102 flower baskets, we will organise the Windermere in Bloom competition and our town steward continues to provide lovely flower designs for all the concrete planters on Crescent Road and the bed at Ellerthwaite Square, as well as developing new planting schemes for Baddeley Clock Millennium Garden, the Forwood Fountain on Bowness Bay and the traffic island on the A591, by Booths, that now has 'WINDERMERE & BOWNESS' in box hedging.

The town council has taken all of this on voluntarily, in response to the concerns of local people and in the face of the district council pulling out of old-style civic planting. It does not deserve this criticism and, instead, its contribution should be celebrated and appreciated.

Julie Hartley

Windermere Town Council cerk