LAST week Citizen rightly gave top billing to a letter from Cllr Shirley Burns, writing as chairman of Williamson Park Ltd. The future of the park is an important issue.

Shirley is a respected member of the council and also has special knowledge and understanding arising from her status as a former Mayor of Lancaster - but what really makes her views on the business plan for Williamson Park worthy of serious consideration is her track record from the days when she managed one of Morecambe's best hotels.

I, therefore, issue Shirley and her colleagues a challenge - namely to extend the brief of her council-owned company to embrace also the strategic management and development of Happy Mount Park.

The combination of the management of both parks need not - indeed must not - result in them becoming clones of each other. Variety and contrast are at the heart of both operations, but more joined-up thinking behind the scenes would result in economies of scale and foster creative cross-fertilisation of best practice.

Most of all, joint promotion and marketing would yield powerful benefits. Thus would two of the brightest jewels in our council-owned crown maintain their wold class status for years to come.

Ron Sands,

Sandylands, Morecambe.