Letters: February 28, 2017

Anonymity is granted only at the discretion of the editor, who also reserves the right to edit letters.

Care home praised

THE time comes to many of us when we can no longer cope with frail or poorly parents.

Then comes the dreadful choice of where mother or father can go for the best care.

As someone who has heard many stories in the press and on the TV of dreadful things happening to frail parents, I faced this dilemma for my mother. Ferendune Court, in Faringdon, was selected.

I arrived expecting the horror of noises and smells…nothing!

There was security on entrance, I signed into a record book and was surrounded by the kindest smiling faces.

It was a very welcoming feeling, and mother was in a room where everything was fresh, clean and comfortable.

From that moment I can’t praise enough the care and attention Mother received. She was continually monitored by the various members of staff, who frequently called her “darling” or other gentle endearments.

Her hair was stroked and combed and her position checked for comfort.

The kitchen staff were amazing. Mother hadn’t eaten properly for some years, so was very wasted. They puréed meals for her and nothing was too much trouble.

After seven weeks of the most amazing care, Mother passed away very quietly in her sleep. We were phoned and informed in the most gentle manner.

In an attempt at gratitude, I wanted to reward them in some way. But they can’t take cash and providing chocolates or biscuits for the staff room doesn’t cover it.

I cannot possibly mention everyone but to all the staff from many nationalities - Thailand, Philippines, Portugal, Hungary, Transylvania and more – and to the astonishing managers of this superb centre of care, I give my heartfelt thanks.

This is an unsolicited commendation to these amazing people.

JAMES LLEWELLYN

Barn Rise Bowling Green Farm

Near Faringdon, Oxon

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Roundabout plea

I HAVE tried to drive from Swindon Road to Greenbridge trading estate. The newly redesigned roundabout is quite simply very dangerous.

The traffic lights do not synchronise correctly. The lanes do not connect.

When turning into Greenbridge, the drivers are forced to swing across two lanes of traffic. Cars queued up to go into Swindon town centre down Drakes Way and this blocked the exit to Greenbridge trading estate.

It’s a total and utter shambles. What makes this even more of a bad joke is that it cost close on £5m to make this change for a roundabout which had no problems before.

It does not need traffic lights which have presumably cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to install.

I used to able to drive around Greenbridge without stopping. Not any more.

If this speeds up traffic flow, then I will be amazed. I would challenge someone from Swindon Council or Wills Bros Contruction to stand on the centre of the roundabout and see the dangerous situation they have created.

I will actually stand there with them and show them what a waste of money this was.

I would like to make a small wager that nobody from Wills Brothers or SBC are prepared to do this because they know it’s a mess and have just left the long suffering Swindon drivers to negotiate a very expensive farce.

ANDY BRIGHT

Godwin Road, Stratton

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We must take control

ANYONE under 50 has never known life outside the European ‘community’ or ‘union’, with its increasing control over the taxes we pay it and its courts to enforce rules and diktats over what we are to be allowed to do in our own country.

Harking back will mean little to those generations. We must look forward.

The ‘uncertainty’ bemoaned by commentators blaming the Leave decision is a tremendous opportunity to throw the windows wide open and let fresh air in.

Outside the EU everything is up for grabs. We can’t leave it to Government – talk of “we won’t be allowed to do this” or “the EU will dictate the terms” will melt away if we decide to assert ourselves.

Our 21st century Britain is a very different place from the 20th. The pace of change is rapid and all sorts of possibilities now open up to move forward.

What are they? We who live and work here must define them – we have the knowledge and imagination to do it. Nobody else can, nobody should tell us what is good for us.

Doctors, farmers and fishing communities have already begun to discuss what their industries should look like post-EU. What about the rest?

There is much to be done. The task is nothing less than building the new Britain, an independent Britain planning for a future that serves our interests.

We the people have to take charge, take responsibility – take control,

WILL PODMORE

Clavering Road,

Wanstead, London

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Honours are tawdry

NAOMIE Harris (who she?) has just been awarded an OBE for services to making pots of money as an extraordinarily successful film actress … just one more sorry chapter in the absurdity that is our country’s Honours’ system.

For my money, an honour should only be bestowed on unpaid volunteers who give up their own free time, often over a lifetime, for no financial reward, either to help the less fortunate or simply seek to make our society a better place for all. This would be the only and sole criteria.

There should be a Citizenship Medal for this which could be silver, gold, or platinum if you must.

The rest, orders of this, companions of that, members of the other, lords and ladies, sirs and dames should be swept into the dustbin of history.

Given this simple and transparent criteria, you could almost certainly demob the secretive and expensive Honours Committee… substantial saving there Teresa?

I recently had contact with the Honours Committee and, while nice people, their modus operandi is nothing short of farcical.

Whether we are talking clapped out politicians, millionaire sportsmen, actors or pop singers, retired civil servants on gold plated pensions (paid for by you and me), financiers looking for ‘quid-pro-quo’ for years of giving to their political friends or even remunerated chairmen of health authorities, they should be grateful they have a comfortable, anxiety-free life until they draw their last and not expect some special additional status however hurt their feelings might become (sorry David).

The honours system is arbitrary, anachronistic and, in many ways, pretty tawdry. In spite of the flexible establishment honouring the odd ‘cool’ pop star and dolling out a few minor honours to extremely worthwhile people, the modern awarding of honours is beyond parody.

JOHN STOOKE

Haydon End, Swindon

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Whose rights win?

ALAN Scotford bemoans the current resistance of the Church of England to either marry or bless same sex couples in church (SA 25 Feb).

He compares the decision with that of blessing mice and hamsters which suggests he doesn’t hold same sex marriage in too high a regard, which begs the question “why would any same sex couple want their union blessed, and why in particular by a church which opposes same sex marriage?”

I think the reason is clear to the majority. It is a question as to whose rights are more valid - the right of the CoE to operate within their rules or the rights of the homosexual community to demand every organisation recognise their wishes as being paramount.

Alan gives the game away when he refers to churches fully welcoming gay folk in unconditional love, implying that if they don’t welcome same sex marriage they are by default adopting a homophobic stance.

Alan states that there has been a reluctance for clergy and congregations to openly talk about this issue; that is not true at all. It was in 2004, some 13 years ago that the Archbishop of Canterbury asked the Lambeth Commission to look into the issue but their report was roundly condemned by the gay community as it didn’t give the answer they were seeking.

Herein lies the problem, the gay Christian community campaigns for equality whereas what they really want is preference and for the rules to be changed to accommodate their chosen path to individual happiness.

What doesn’t concern them is the views or the happiness of others within the church, for the Gay lobby there can only be one correct view, one right conclusion and that is a total acceptance of gay rights within every institution.

DES MORGAN

Caraway Drive, Swindon

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UKIP is growing

PAUL Nuttall has made steady progress in the Stoke on Trent Central by-election. The winner was Gareth Snell for Labour with 7,853 votes and 37 per cent. UKIP was second with 5,233 votes and 25 per cent.

The good news for UKIP was that the Labour majority was halved from 5,179 in 2015 to 2,620 in this election.

UKIP has been growing continuously for the last 24 years and this result in Stoke shows that UKIP is still growing.

Paul Nuttall should be very pleased at the progress that UKIP has made in the short time that he has been the leader of the party.

STEVE HALDEN

Beaufort Green

Swindon