COUNCILLOR Tony Humphreys (Letters, February 19) accuses me of saying that Blackburn Council has not done anything for Shadsworth and states that I have let the area's estate management board down.

Once again, my words have been twisted. What I said was that our ward councillors had not supported Shadsworth Action Group in our campaign to save the homes for the elderly, not that they had not done anything for Shadsworth.

After letting people down, well, the feeling is mutual.

Words are cheap. Actions speak louder than words.

I attended the meeting of the social services committee on February 18 along with other members of our group.

We had to sit and listen to our words and statements being twisted when we could not defend ourselves.

I believe that we proved Shadsworth House was the wrong home for the elderly to be closed.

And I thank the people of Blackburn with Darwen for their support in signing petitions and phoning me, the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes for their donation towards phone calls and travelling, staff at Laneside and Shadsworth homes, the Shadsworth management board and residents and Councillor Karimeh Foster for her good work.

I also thank our secretary Mr John Alcock, who worked long and hard; my son Chris and his wife, Karen, for their part in Mill Hill and the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, BBC TV and Radio Lancashire and especially my son, Barry, and husband, Jim, for their unending support during this distressing and traumatic time.

MRS M McCARTHY, (Shadsworth Action Group), Dunoon Drive, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.