Obviously the members of Kendal Town council are anxious about the number of empty shops in town (Gazette, April 23, 'Wish list a step closer to reality').

Accompanying the report was a view of the Castle ruins whose caption referred to ruins that 'stand out large in the background'.

This photograph, taken in the winter, shows an abundance of leafless trees in the moat. Historically the trees were never there. As a 93 year old Kendalian, I recall that the Castle Hill was a safe area for us children to play, especially within the ruins, where we pretended to be soldiers.

At that time there was only one tree, which was near the entrance to the ruins and none in or near the moat.

Surely with its historic connections to the Parr family, whose daughter was the sixth wife of Henry VIII, those ruins must have a tourism value. Yet over the years personal approaches to the council officials and the civic society have not been enthusiastically received and certainly no action taken.

If work is put in hand, then from most of the roads into town (and even from the town centre) the ruins will become a dominant tourist feature.

Alan S. Thompson

Levens