CAN I through your 'Letters Page' say a big thank you to the Community Payback Unit for all their help.

For the last 10 months, All Saints' Church in Longhope has been lucky enough to have a Community Payback team each week. They have been working in the churchyard, felling trees, clearing brambles redefining paths, clearing ivy from the churchyard walls, and rebuilding and repointing the walls and generally tidying up the area. They have also plastered and painted the old kitchen and fitted a new kitchen kindly donated by villagers some time ago.

During these months I have worked closely with each team and would like to express my sincere thanks to the Community Payback Scheme for their help. The men doing community service with­in the scheme have all learnt new skills, worked as part of a team and I think enjoyed their time with us. They have always been eager to help, respectful of their environment and courteous both to myself, Rosemary and the ladies of the village who have kept them supplied with homemade cakes!

They are always well supervised and there is a sense of mutual respect. For anyone who has doubts about such a scheme I can only say that apart from saving us thousands of pounds that we can ill afford it has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with all "my boys."– Vicky Harper, Longhope.