A Derbyshire Hostel
SIR,—As a Derbyshire County Councillor of some sixteen years' standing I was interested to read Mr. J. L. Longland's defence of the Derbyshire project, primarily devoted to rock-climbing—on art in which he himself excels. What puzzles me is that at the very time when this admittedly expensive scheme is being sponsored by him and his committee, that same committee has discontinued, upon grounds of economy, the very modest grants previously available to assist young people to go to outdoor camps of various sorts.
Is rock-climbing exempt from the economy axe, which has fallen upon some of the other less spectacular but equally desirable outdoor activi- ties for young people, or have the camping grants had to go by the board because the rock-climbing hostel is eating into the limited finances avail- able for youth work? Some of us here in Derbyshire are not very happy about the expense of the White Hall project and its impact upon the finance of other youth work within the county.—Yours faithfully,
Barre House, Bakewell, Derbyshire. R. W. P. COCKERTON.
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