SIR — It is not my practice to answer letters which appear in your columns but so many of my colleagues at district and townsfolk feel that incorrect statements from Mike Whetlor in last week's Free Press should not be left unchallenged.

I was invited to attend to the annual town meeting in Watchet as a district councillor for Watchet and not as chairman of the district council.

Cllr Whetlor in his letter so very incorrectly stated that monies for the new railway footbridge came from Section 106 planning gain monies.

How I wish that were true, for it would have saved many long months of working towards achieving the end result.

It is somewhat disturbing that this remark was made by a town councillor, being that I went along to Watchet Town Council meetings month after month reporting on the progress of the attempts to secure the funding, all of which was reported in the Free Press.

The criteria for the usage of 106 monies did not include such as a replacement footbridge.

I had originally attempted to persuade council to include monies in the 2010/11 capital programme but was unsuccessful.

However, after a change of control at district, I pushed again, supported by Cllr Westcott, and was elated when we finally received unanimous support, from all groups, for at least the basic construction.

The story which followed has also been well documented and so many individuals and organisations supported appeals firstly for the inclusion of Victorian lights and then for the bar guards.

My sheer delight at the time was the unexpected volume of encouragement I received from those who remembered the bridge with the bar guards, which more than anything spurred me on to achieve the required monies.

At the town meeting I was not prepared to accept all the accolades with regards the success and did open by stating that I could not have done it alone.

So many from my school days contacted me, some actually living abroad - not all could afford to contribute but wished me well and to me this was wonderful and moving - memories of "old" Watchet.

Yes of course many others very generously contributed to the appeals and that is why I acknowledged everyone at the time and invited contributors all to join me on the opening day as the first to cross the new bridge prior to joining me for refreshments in the Phoenix Centre.

It was a delight when so many were able to attend, and through the process it has been so good to have made many new acquaintances, hopefully friends.

Nearing the end of the appeal, three of us gave an undertaking to cover the shortfall but with the assistance of a local councillor this was overcome - to him I give my added thanks and relief!

There is no doubt that we have an abundance of folk working for the general good of our community - the vast majority working in the background be it more recently or in many cases for many years more than they would care to remember.

It is something that must be acknowledged and accepted by all so that Watchet remains the thriving community it has always been.

Cllr Tony Knight,

Watchet Ward Member,

West Somerset Council.