THE front page report in The Citizen June 28 regarding the complaint by Mrs Parkes receiving no financial aid from St Mary's Brownedge Parish, Bamber Bridge for her daughter Rachel is press sensationalism!

It implies that Mrs Parkes would only go to church if the parish gives her a large sum of money.

Everyone knows that parishes of all denominations are in the red and cannot fund personal projects. If they set this precedent, every parish would have a long list of claimants.

However, in this case the parish arranged donations of well over £1,000 from their schools and other organisations.

The article also stated that the current parish priest refused to comment -- he was never approached to do so, but he could have given that information even though he was not in the parish at the time.

Mrs Parkes says she has helped with many church collections.

These are often to do with disaster abroad or at home such as floods, or local charities, such as St Catherine's Hospice.

Mrs Parkes really knows who should give her proper support -- the NHS. She should use the same tactics with her local councillor and MP, ie. give me what I am due or you lose my vote.

Mike Turner, Walton-le-Dale, Preston.

Editors note: Citizen reporter Katherine Beaumont spoke to a gentleman who claimed to be the parish priest, but he refused to comment. Despite several attempts to contact the priest and his colleagues, members of the Church were not prepared to shed any more light on the subject.

Our letters pages are open to everyone with a point to make, however unless a full name and address are included in the correspondence, we cannot print it.