Tag: letters

Letters: National Cat Awards

Dear Editor

Cats Protection invites cat owners to nominate their pets for the UK’s biggest celebration of cats – the National Cat Awards. 

The event recognises our special relationship with cats, honouring heart-warming tales of devotion, courage and friendship.

As one of the nation’s favourite pets, cats bring fun, comfort and companionship to millions of people. They live alongside us in all sorts of ways, from the sociable cat who greets all the neighbours to the homely lap-cat on our sofa.

Entries opened on 15 January and owners have until noon on 28 February to nominate their cat in one of four categories:

Family cats: For cats who make a family complete, whether it’s being there for companionship, providing solace in tough times, or simply keeping everyone amused.

Incredible cats – Recognising cats with a remarkable tale – maybe they’ve survived against the odds, returned home after an epic adventure, raised the alarm to an emergency or even saved a life.

Senior cats – Celebrating cats aged 11 or over, who showcase why older cats are special.

Connected Cats – For cats who share the love and bring joy to people far and wide whether in the community, workplace or social media.

Owners or colleagues can also nominate a vet who has provided exceptional care for a cat in the Vet of the Year category.

The public will get a chance to vote for their favourite cats, with their owners invited to a  star-studded ceremony in London on 24 September where the winners will be revealed.

To nominate your cat, or for further information about the National Cat Awards, visit www.cats.org.uk/national-cat-awards

Yours faithfully,

Catherine Cottrell,

Cats Protection Director of Marketing & Income Generation

Letters: Heart Month

Dear Editor, 

February is Heart Month – a time to reflect on and act upon how heart and circulatory diseases affect around twice as many people in the UK as Alzheimer’s and cancer combined. 

Here at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), we urgently need your help to fund the cures of tomorrow, so we are asking readers to Go Red in Heart Month. 

Whether it’s a big ball, an office dress-up day, a coffee morning or a red-themed quiz, red is a great theme to have some fun with. 

By fundraising for the BHF this Heart Month, you can help get us closer than ever to a world free from the fear of heart and circulatory diseases and help to keep hearts beating. Too many of us have felt the pain of heart and circulatory diseases – losing a loved one to a cardiac arrest, supporting a child with congenital heart disease or coping with the devastating impact of heart failure. 

We are also encouraging your readers to learn the lifesaving skill of CPR in just 15 minutes, through our digital tool RevivR.

Using just a cushion and a phone, you could learn the skills to help save a loved one’s life in the event of a cardiac arrest.   

You can donate to the BHF this Heart Month here: www.bhf.org.uk/donate  

Very best wishes 

April Davidson

Regional Fundraising Manager BHF Scotland

Letters:  Check your hearing

Dear Editor,

The festive season is a time for connection and conversation, but for those with undiagnosed hearing loss, it can feel like a struggle to keep up. This Christmas, RNID is encouraging everyone to look out for the signs of hearing loss in themselves and their loved ones.

Do you notice someone turning the TV up louder than others prefer? Do they struggle to follow conversations in noisy places like pubs or restaurants, or frequently ask people to repeat what they’ve said? Perhaps they find it hard to hear on the phone, feel like others mumble, or have a partner who thinks they’re not listening. If any of these feel familiar, it might be time to check your hearing.  

The good news is that it is very easy to look for the signs of hearing loss in yourself and loved ones and to do something about it.

Taking our free simple check at rnid.org.uk can be the first step on your hearing journey. This Christmas, let’s keep everyone part of the conversation! 

Sincerely,

Crystal Rolfe

Director of Health at RNID

Letter: Support Lymphoma Action this festive season

Dear Editor

Every 26 minutes a friend or loved one is diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. This Christmas we are asking people to make a difference by supporting our work to make sure no one has to face lymphoma alone.

We are the only charity in the UK dedicated to lymphoma and your support will help us make sure that people affected by the condition can access the information and support they need to help them through their lymphoma diagnosis, treatment and beyond.

There are many ways that you can show your support this festive season – from ordering charity gifts in Lymphoma Action’s Christmas shop, to holding a festive fashion day, making a donation or buying a beautiful Forever Flower as a special gift or way to remember a loved one.

We rely on the generosity of people like you to help us be there for people affected by lymphoma. Any gift you give will make a big difference to people affected by the UK’s fifth most common cancer – not only this Christmas, but all year round.

Please visit www.lymphoma-action.org.uk/christmas for further details on how you can support the work of Lymphoma Action this festive season.

Letters: Call for Christmas Elves!

Dear Editor,

At the British Heart Foundation (BHF), we are calling for budding elves to spread Christmas cheer and lend an elfing hand in their local BHF shop.

We are looking for generous volunteers, or elves, to lend a hand  – whether that’s picking out Secret Santa gift ideas, to getting creative and decorating the shop, or simply being a friendly ear for customers during what can be a lonely time of the year. 

We welcome anyone who wants to help during this busy time. All you need is some festive spirit, a willingness to lend a hand, and maybe a Santa hat or two!

With no need to sign up to regular shifts, every hour will make a difference and raise money to fund lifesaving research, which will help keep families together for Christmases to come. So why not put your best elf forward and have a go at volunteering with the BHF?

To get involved, pop into your local shop or visit our website. There will be hot drinks, snacks, and a festive welcome waiting for you.

Yours sincerely, 

Jo Wright

Retail Volunteering Operations Manager at the British Heart Foundation 

Letters: Council must act to increase provision for those with ASN

SCOTTISH CHILDREN’S SERVICES COALITION

Dear Editor

As a coalition of organisations that support vulnerable children and young people, it is no surprise that recent FOI enquiries highlight that more than half (56 per cent) of requests for places in special schools have been refused by City of Edinburgh Council.

The number of those with additional support needs (ASN) has escalated considerably, increasing by 145 per cent for primary school pupils, and 219 per cent for secondary over the last decade. Just over half of secondary pupils in the capital are now identified as having an ASN, including the likes of autism, dyslexia and mental health problems.

This escalation has put incredible pressure on our mainstream schools, which have been hit by a perfect storm of cuts in the number of ASN teachers, support staff and resources.

For a growing number of children and young people with increasingly complex needs, mainstream schooling is not appropriate, and the needs of these children and young people are better met in a specialist setting.

It is therefore understandable that parents are seeking such support, which can dramatically improve the wellbeing and prospects of the child or young person concerned and reduce impacts on fellow non-ASN pupils and staff.

However, while there is a growing requirement for special schools, we have seen their numbers cut from 13 to 10 over the last decade in the capital, and the number of pupils at these has declined from 695 to 686.

This is something that the Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council will need to recognise and act on. We would therefore urge that the additional boost for the government arising from the recent UK Budget is in part used to increase this vital specialist provision.

Yours faithfully

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Kenny Graham, Falkland House School

Lynn Bell, LOVE Learning

Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius

Niall Kelly, Young Foundations

42 Charlotte Square

Edinburgh EH2 4HQ

Tel: 0131 603 8996

Letter: ‘Deep concern’ over cuts to city council’s inclusion services

Dear Editor

As a coalition of organisations that support vulnerable children and young people, we are deeply concerned in relation to proposed budget cuts to City of Edinburgh Council’s inclusion services.

There has been a massive increase in the number of pupils in Scotland’s schools identified with additional support needs (ASN), such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems. In Edinburgh, this has seen the number of pupils with ASN almost treble in number between 2013 and 2023.

It has been estimated that over 40 per cent of primary school and over half of secondary school pupils in the capital now have an ASN.

Unfortunately, the necessary resourcing required for this group has not increased. For example, the number of ASN teachers in Edinburgh’s schools has declined by four over the period 2013 to 2023, from 170 to 166, despite the massive increase in the number of pupils with ASN.

Any further axing in staff, who are already overstretched and under-resourced, in supporting these pupils will prove absolutely devastating.

This will impact not only them, but also fellow pupils who will face reduced teaching time given the need to support those with ASN, as well as putting even more pressure on teachers and support staff.

We would urge City of Edinburgh Council to reconsider its approach, as this sticking plaster solution of budget cuts will simply lead to reduced life chances for these individuals, with the resultant impact on society and the economy.

Yours faithfully

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Kenny Graham, Falkland House School

Lynn Bell, LOVE Learning

Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius

Niall Kelly, Young Foundations

42 Charlotte Square

Edinburgh EH2 4HQ

Tel: 0131 603 8996

Letters: Charity urges older people to check Pension Credit eligiblity

Dear Editor

With the days feeling shorter, our thoughts are turning to the winter ahead and people up and down the country will be thinking about switching their heating on soon. But now, many older people, including millions living on a low income, will head into the colder months justifiably anxious about having their Winter Fuel Payment taken away from them as they do not receive Pension Credit.

The latest figures show that only 63% of eligible people are receiving Pension Credit, meaning up to 1.2 million older people could be missing out on an important entitlement, and so could have their Winter Fuel Payment taken away despite living on an extremely low income. In Edinburgh a massive £12.5 million in Pension Credit is going unclaimed.

Our helpline is regularly receiving calls from older people that are frightened about losing the money, and we are concerned that many will feel forced to keep their heating off. Being cold can be damaging to your physical and mental health, but the people we speak to think this is their only option as they simply do not have enough money to cover even higher energy bills.

If you are 66 and over and are concerned about losing the Winter Fuel Payment, we urge you to check your Pension Credit eligibility as the one-off payment is now tied to this entitlement.

Your claim for Pension Credit can be backdated, and if you successfully apply before the 21st December you will qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment as long as you lived in the UK during the qualifying week which is between 16th and 22nd September 2024, and you can show you were entitled to Pension Credit during that time.

You can check your eligibility through the UK Government’s Pension Credit Calculator and apply direct by calling this number 0800 99 1234. Or you can come to a charity like us at Independent Age by calling our free and confidential helpline on 0800 319 6789 and we can help work out what you might be eligible for and help you apply if needed.

Pension Credit can be transformative, it tops up income by on average, almost £4,000 a year. It also acts as a gateway to other benefits such as free TV licences for over 75s, free NHS prescriptions, council tax reduction, Housing Benefit, free eye tests and much more.

Yours Faithfully,

Joanna Elson, CBE

Chief Executive of Independent Age

Letters: Keeping the Promise?

Dear Editor

The recent Scottish Government report highlighting the work done to date on improving the lives of care-experienced children and young people is to be welcomed. There is however much to be done.

‘The Promise’ is a commitment that by 2030 all care-experienced children in Scotland will grow up loved, safe and respected, with the ability to reach their full potential.

Those in this category represent some of the most vulnerable members of our society, experiencing considerably fewer life chances than their peers, with poorer health and educational outcomes.

Recent data reinforce this, noting that the figures for exclusion of pupils who have been looked after in the past year are still between five and six times as high as the levels found across the total pupil population. This is despite a commitment that all formal and informal exclusions of care-experienced pupils would end. Scotland is still very far away from achieving that.  

As a society, if we want to build a care system which has love and respect at its very heart, we must provide the resources necessary to ensure that that this group of individuals get the vital care and support they so desperately need.

Only through this can we ensure that ‘The Promise’ is kept.

Yours faithfully

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Kenny Graham, Falkland House School

Lynn Bell, LOVE Learning

Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius

Niall Kelly, Young Foundations

42 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ

Tel: 0131 603 8996

Letters: Let’s talk lymphoma this September

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month and Lymphoma Action is inviting everyone to join the conversation to raise awareness about the UK’s most common type of blood cancer – lymphoma.

There are lots of ways that people can get involved in our Let’s talk lymphoma campaign, including: sharing our information resources with friends, family and colleagues to start the conversation around lymphoma and the symptoms of the condition; taking a Lymphoma Action resource pack to your GP surgery or pharmacy so they can display our materials; or raising funds to support our work.

We are also encouraging people to use the power of social media to raise awareness and send messages of support around the globe on World Lymphoma Awareness Day on Sunday 15 September.

We are asking people to share their experiences on social media to help us reach as many people as possible, not only to raise awareness about the symptoms of lymphoma, but to let them know about the support that is available for people affected by the condition.

Living with lymphoma can be hard and we know that many people experience emotional challenges as a result of a diagnosis, whether they are being treated for lymphoma themselves or are supporting a loved one. Sharing how you’re feeling is important, which is why we are also encouraging people to talk about their experiences, to help them address the emotional impact of a lymphoma diagnosis and connect them to specialists and resources that can help.

Every 26 minutes a friend or loved one is diagnosed with lymphoma. Help us shine a light on the UK’s fifth most common cancer so we can support even more people affected by the condition.

For further details, please visit: www.lymphoma-action.org.uk/BCAM 

Your sincerely

Lymphoma Action