Your letters: Loneliness, tram delays and pension fairness

PICTURE FROM THE ARCHIVE: A barber wearing a protective visor works on a client wearing a face mask inside a Bridgnorth barbershop as coronavirus lockdown restrictions eased across England in July 2020. After months of closure, the summer respite allowed locals to finally replace questionable home DIY haircuts with a professional trim. Did you queue up for a professional haircut as soon as barbers reopened, or did you stick with a lockdown DIY trim? | ©PA

placeholder image — PICTURE FROM THE ARCHIVE: A barber wearing a protective visor works on a client wearing a face mask inside a Bridgnorth barbershop as coronavirus lockdown restrictions eased across England in July 2020. After months of closure, the summer respite allowed locals to finally replace questionable home DIY haircuts with a professional trim. Did you queue up for a professional haircut as soon as barbers reopened, or did you stick with a lockdown DIY trim? | ©PA

Readers share their views on loneliness and mobile phones, delays to the Black Country Metro extension, the state pension gap and Wolverhampton’s need for more restaurants, alongside a light-hearted take on the Chancellor

Make attempt to speak first

A letter from someone in Shrewsbury pointed how lonely they felt after taking the children to school as no-one spoke or even looked up from the screen of their phone.

As I walk towards the newsagents to get my morning newspaper I often greet people with: "Good morning". Some of the older ones; as I am; mumble a response. 30s to 60s look surprised but do reply. Late teens to 20s seldom look up, probably because they can't believe anyone could actually be talking to them.

Then there are the schoolchildren. I don't say anything to them because in this age of suspicion and finger pointing I dread the thought of being labelled a pervert or a nonce.

To the person in Shrewsbury; try speaking first. You never know.

Trevor Howard, Wolverhampton

What’s the issue with the trams?

I was seriously thinking of putting a tram ride from Wednesbury to Dudley on my bucket list until the unexpected(!) news that the latest delayed opening is going to be delayed.

Following Covid, the start date was put back to the summer of 2024. Then it slipped to December and on to August 2026. Well that delay was delayed until the latest delays. Why are tramways so difficult to build? And what are the reasons for the delays? We are never told anything expect the promised date of opening.

Patrick Bentley, Wolverhampton

Never mind the quality...

Uncle Norbert and I wondered if the Chancellor, at the weekend, might view The Great Escape and rerunning the 1960s sitcom, Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width?

Peter Steggles, Rushbury

Tale of our two UK pensions

Can someone who knows about these things please explain why / how the government decided that the new state pension should be £12,547.60 per year while the old state remains at £9,614.80 per year, a difference of £56.40 per week? We all have the same cost of living.

M Nicholas, Tividale

Bring in more restaurants

Wolverhampton desperately needs more restaurants. Can’t the council encourage more in with cheaper rates?

David Trigg, Penn

You can enjoy other pictures from the past and more with our weekly FREE Nostalgia Newsletter - with scores of archive pictures and exclusive features on the history of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire and the Black Country - all sent to your inbox every week. Sign up here

Have an opinion? We want to hear from you.

Share your views by writing to Readers’ Letters at [email protected]

Letters to the editor must include the writer’s name and address. Letters will only be published anonymously in exceptional circumstances. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity or style.

Do you have a picture from the past to share?

We would love to hear from you. Whether you have an old photograph, need help identifying a street or recognise a familiar face, send your images to [email protected]

Please include your name, where you are from and as much information as possible about the photograph. We will publish as many as we can online and in print.