ALL my childhood was spent in Blackburn and, come rain or shine, I used to go to Corporation Park every day with my grandad and brother prior to starting school.

I loved this park and look on it fondly. Consequently, I decided recently to take my own young daughters to see where I played as a child.

What a shock! Time has brought change.

On entering the main gates, we found the Garden of Remembrance in a sorry state -- no water in the pond, just gravel (is this a concession to fashion?)

The lions' heads that spouted water had vanished.

This garden was made as a mark of respect to those citizens of Blackburn who were lost in the First World War.

I was so saddened by this image I had little heart to go further.

I became totally depressed on viewing the Conservatory. It's a standing wreck -- a monument to vandalism, with boarded windows, cracked glass, weeds, graffiti and signs warning you to keep away and that video surveillance is in operation.

Corporation Park is still a lovely place and deserves a mark of respect. But let it no longer be a shadow of its former self.

SHEELAGH McMAHON, Shireburn Avenue, Clitheroe.