Selby Times - Readers' letters Feed

health: Don’t let diabetes spoil your holiday

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:35:10 GMT

The summer holidays are approaching and many of your readers will be preparing to go on holiday in this country or abroad. Going on holiday for people with diabetes is not quite so straightforward and requires more planning, especially for those treated with insulin. The added security at airports and on flights means that carrying injection devices and insulin on planes has become more complicated. The InDependent Diabetes Trust (IDDT) provides a Holiday Information Pack with tips on looking after diabetes in hot weather, carrying tablets and insulin to other countries and holiday insurance. It also includes IDDT’s booklet ‘Diabetes - Everyday Eating’ and the ‘Hospital Passport’ for people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. When completed the Passport contains details about how they manage their diabetes, medications, meals and any allergies, so people have the record with them if it should be needed. We are happy to send out this FREE Holiday Pack to your readers if they contact IDDT on 01604 622837, email enquiries@iddtinternational.org or write to IDDT, PO Box 294, Northampton, NN1 4XS.

Tribute to Selby volunteers

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:47:46 GMT

As National Volunteer Week was last week, Epilepsy Society would like to pay tribute to the unsung heroes everywhere who give so much of their time to help others. We would especially like to say a big thank you to the wonderful volunteers who are so crucial to the work of our charity. Some visit schools and talk to pupils about epilepsy, while others help children, teenagers and adults at special neurology and epilepsy clinics in hospitals throughout the country, handing out information and giving support to people with epilepsy, their families, carers and others in the community. In the UK one in every 100 people lives with epilepsy, many feel stigmatised and isolated. Our volunteers work tirelessly reaching out and providing helpful information leaflets on all aspects of the condition – information which can enable people to better manage their epilepsy. More information about epilepsy and the issues which surround it, and volunteering opportunities, can be found at www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/volunteer

Residents failed by Selby council

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:42:04 GMT

You reported Selby District Council’s spin on why they have had to withdraw and then resubmit the planning application for a new Traveller site in Burn “Burn site plan resubmitted” Selby Times June 5) But as ever with the Council’s spin it is an attempt to hide the humiliating reality. And the reality is that the planning application had to be withdrawn and resubmitted because of another classic Selby District Council ‘cock up’. Once again they failed to follow simple planning procedure; in this case it was to fail to serve an article 12 notice on the agricultural tenant who currently leases the land from the Homes and Communities Agency. The idea that this re-submission is an opportunity for objectors to ‘resubmit their comments’ is treating these residents with complete contempt. The residents have already put in their comments and now, because of the incompetence of the Council, will have to put themselves out and do so again. I note that there is no apology for this crass ‘cock up’ simply an attempt to hide the truth from residents. Following on from the expensive farce of the recent Council Tax bills, it is time for Selby District Council to scrape the ‘Your Excellent Council’ slogan and perhaps use ‘Your not very good Council’ instead.

SELBY: Urgent need to improve our town

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:36:33 GMT

You may have seen an article in this week’s Selby Times regarding Ousegate and how tatty and neglected most of it looks. There are weeds growing all along the road sides, litter from late night takeaways, dog mess in abundance and unkempt properties. The old red brick terrace houses in between The Malt Shovel and The Nelson Inn are in a poor state and need of some TLC with some boarded up. I’m lead to understand most of these are either council owned or rented for use by the council. As for street lighting, it’s non-existent in places, so walking home in the winter months isn’t as appealing as it should be. I often walk home to Staynor Hall via Ousegate and it’s a real shame to see a once great part of our town looking so shabby. You can’t even see the river Ouse due to the overgrown bushes on the riverbank. I’m amazed SDC can promote it as a heritage visitors walk (http://www.selby.gov.uk/upload/090806_Heritage_Ousegate_leaflet.pdf). Once I get to the canal there’s a real change, the grass is kept tidy, there are bins for litter, and benches to sit on, why can’t this historic part of our town be treated with the same respect. Please can you tell me what my local councillors can do to improve this part of our great town? The Council must have powers to force businesses and property owners to keep their properties in a reasonable state of repair and upkeep after all neglect leads to neglect. As Doreen says on the SDC website: “Having been a councillor for many years, it’s as well to remember that you are only as good as your last job, whether it be a success or a failure.” Well as towns go, we’re only as good as our first impressions. If Ousegate is anything to go by, Selby’s in more trouble than we think.

Tories are out of touch

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:19:11 GMT

With the economy in meltdown, the lunatic Tories choose to self destruct by squabbling over gay marriage. Admittedly gay marriage would not be one of my priorities, given the parlous state of the nation. However, this issue demonstrates clearly how out of touch the Tories and their supporters are from ordinary people. This was clear from the language used by Tory MPs when attacking the Con-Dem government measure. To these dinosaurs, gays are alien beings from another planet instead of humans with sexual orientation that differs from the heterosexual norm. On EU withdrawal, the Tories are clearly running scared of UKIP. Whilst I agree that EU withdrawal is a necessity if Britain’s economic fortunes are to be turned around, I for one would not trust the Tories to hold an in/out referendum in the unlikely event that they win the next general election, as Cameron and others in senior party positions favour remaining on the EU gravy train. We therefore should quit the nonsensical EU and forge closer trading links with developing commonwealth countries plus Russia, China and other Far East nations. Also we cannot sustain a population of 60 million on banking, financial services and service industries. To succeed, the country requires a manufacturing base equivalent to at least 30% of gross domestic product. This will never be achieved inside the EU as manufacturing has shrunk from this proportion to less than 12% GDP in the last 39 years of EU membership.