[West Ender]

I live 6 miles south of Warrington. Our village was always in Cheshire and used to be part of Altrincham's administration.

In 1974, Warrington, Lancs., suddenly found itself in Cheshire and acquired our village for administrative purposes, though our postal address is not Warrington. The "natural" dividing line between the 2 counties, the river Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, didn't count any more. I know a lot of people from St Helens. Tell them that they're not Lancastrians and they'll give you an "earful" but St Helens is now in Merseyside. Widnes and Runcorn, either side of the Mersey, were Lancs and Cheshire respectively. Now they're both in Merseyside - shame! - and my son, who lives near Oldham, is in Greater Manchester.

I don't know what the reorganisation was supposed to achieve. I'm just glad I can say, truly, I am a Lancastrian born and bred.