Kevin Pyne, of Lake Street, Dartmouth, writes:

The dumping upon us of ­massive wheelie bins, the state of the park, the suggested ­closure of the hospital, ­proposals to build hundreds of houses… is there to be no end to these attacks?

Well, let’s start with the ­hospital, because to keep it is so important to us as a community:

Let us not forsake or give

Up our cottage hospital

For we have a right to

Have it in amongst us stay

So let’s not let it be treated

As nothing more then some

Kind of financial asset or

A piece of prime real estate

By the greedy money

Number perverting wizards

From the ungovernable trust

Over there at Torbay

And it doesn’t matter

If your family waved off

The Mayflower

Or you came to live her in

What is now your town

Perhaps just yesterday

To have a hospital down by

The River should you become

Ill is worth more then any

Pills or treatment in an

Immeasurable kind of way

And if it comes to be your

Time of departing, oh my

How they will care for you

As you go on to the hereafter

With your last vision

Not being the back of a dead

Boat yard but

A vista of what is great – Dart’s

Beautiful river view

Or should we need to pay its

Staff a bonus for their kindness

They would all be millionaires

Because from the matron

To the cleaners

All of them have given

A full life of total dedication

To that great little hospital

So as for others they may care

And when we are stuck

In endless Torbay traffic

Feeling miserable, sick and ill

Let us then remember that

We once had a hospital that

Cared for us and looked after

Us until it was closed even

Stolen by number punchers

And administrators who cared

Nothing for the local residents

Just as long as their

Comfy, overpaid jobs they

Might then continue to fulfil.