I LEFT Higher Folds in the mid-Sixties when the estate was surrounded by towering black rucks on one side and burning, stinking slagheaps on the other.

I have ventured back very little since but how the approach has changed.

It's like a picture postcard in comparison to what it was.

This week I went back to Kenilworth Drive to see how it had changed.

The flats were boarded up, the fields at the end closed off by a mass of greenery, and an area of green space had been taken away for parking.

I was glad to see the house looked tidy, and that my dad's DIY motor bike track to the outhouse was still in the front garden.

The road was narrower and the terminus bus stop a lot nearer than I remembered.

Most of the estate houses are well kept, some with beautiful gardens and lovely views.

It's just a shame that some grotty litter spots and overgrown gardens spoil the overall appearance.

And its a pity that the minority have no pride in their surroundings. They spoil it for everyone.

I though that the idea of rewarding people for doing their gardens was silly, but I'm sure the families who live next door to these lazy articles would appreciate any action to improve their vicinity.

Any rewards planned in my view should go to those residents who do take the trouble and have plots to be proud of - and there were plenty.