I APPLAUD the letter from Matthew Deane (August 9), who highlighted the river front. Two groups, Chessel and Eston, are already active and in Peartree another volunteer group works with the city council for gradual improvement and maintenance.

Millers Pond has help from the city council, the Depart-ment of the Environment, the Forestry Commission and our own Sholing Valleys Cen-tre among other groups in eastern Southampton.

Some, like Mayfield, are established parks from old great houses, but would Matthew like them all to look like this?

Flower beds and cut grass are lovely, and maintained footpaths are essential, but in the wild lands of Sholing Valley we have a habitat for deer, kestrels, buzzards, kites, giant stag beetles and ladybirds from Kazakhstan, to name a few.

I liked the spirit of Matthew's letter and perhaps he would like to contact our group at the study centre, we are quite well connected!

The Daily Echo recently printed a picture of a heron taken on the pond and we have lots to explore here even if the centre is currently being rebuilt.

Contact our website www.sholingvalleys.hampshire.org@uk.

We have a newsletter and our members are aged from seven to 90 years old!

KEN STEPHENS, member, Sholing Valleys Committee.