Tag: letters

Letter to Editor: Supporting veterans’ mental health

Dear Editor,

January can be a particularly challenging time for mental health. The combination of shorter days, colder weather, financial pressures after Christmas, and a sense of anti-climax following the festive period can affect many of us. For members of the veteran community, these challenges can be even more pronounced.

Many veterans face ongoing issues linked to their service, including anxiety, depression, loneliness and difficulty adjusting to civilian life. During the winter months, feelings of isolation can intensify, especially for those living alone or with limited support networks.

At the RAF Benevolent Fund, we see first-hand how vital timely, accessible support can be. We offer a confidential Listening and Counselling Service, providing serving personnel, veterans and their families with a safe space to talk through challenges and access professional support. We are also preparing to launch an online wellbeing portal, which will give easy access to trusted mental health resources and self-help tools.

Loneliness is another major concern at this time of year. To help combat this, we run Telephone Friendship Groups and facilitate local veteran meet-ups across the country, helping people reconnect, share experiences and feel less alone during the darker months. In addition, our financial support can help relieve some of the pressures associated with higher energy bills and living costs over winter, which are often a significant source of stress.

No one in the RAF Family should feel they have to face these challenges alone. Support is available, and reaching out can be the first step towards making a positive change.

For more information, please visit rafbf.org or call 0300 102 1919.

Yours sincerely,

Dave Pinner

Head of Contact and Casework, RAF Benevolent Fund

Letters: Scotland’s energy transition must reckon with U.S. moves in Venezuela – and minerals strategy in Greenland

Dhruva Kumar, Alba Party, Former MP Candidate writes that Scottish politics has finally woken up to the geopolitical crisis, yet remains oddly silent on an older story: how U.S. power behaves when oil and strategic resources are at stake:

Scotland speaks often about a just transition under the Labour Westminster government, yet we overlook the geopolitics that will shape it. Two arenas matter now: Venezuela, where U.S. sanctions flip-flops have jolted heavy‑crude supply, and Greenland, which banned new oil licensing but is pivotal to Western critical‑minerals and Arctic security strategies.

Greenland is the mirror image: in 2021, it ceased new oil and gas licensing, citing environmental and economic costs, yet has drawn stronger U.S./EU interest in rare earths and Arctic security.

From Venezuela to Greenland, Washington’s pattern is clear. In Venezuela, U.S. sanctions have evolved into direct control over who can sell the country’s oil and where the money goes – a shift from “regime change” to long-term management of another nation’s core resource. In Greenland, U.S. interest has moved beyond missile‑warning bases to a renewed diplomatic presence and a growing focus on minerals and rare earths as the Arctic ice retreats.​

Scotland sits at the intersection of those same pressures. The North Sea may be a mature basin, but billions of barrels of oil equivalent remain, and recent surges in revenues have reminded us how central these flows still are to our public finances. At the same time, the North Atlantic is militarily critical, Faslane anchors the UK’s nuclear deterrent, and Scotland’s offshore wind and marine resources are among Europe’s most valuable.​

Overlay that with Donald Trump. He is not just a sometime visitor with a tartan tie, but an owner of loss-making, debt-laden golf resorts at Menie and Turnberry that have relied on UK support schemes and opaque financing. He has waged a decade-long crusade against Scottish offshore wind, rhetoric that has since been exported into a wider global war on renewables from the White House. In Venezuela, he has been explicit about “taking” oil to reshape a country on U.S. terms; in Greenland, he floated outright acquisition in pursuit of strategic minerals.​

It would be naïve to assume Scotland is exempt from that mindset simply because we fly the Saltire. Our energy transition, our remaining oil and gas, and our critical geography all sit within the same mental map that links Caracas, Havana and Nuuk.​​

The question for Scotland is not whether tanks will roll up Union Street, but whether, in the next round of US–UK trade, security and energy deals, our future is quietly bargained away in boardrooms and back channels without a single Scottish voice in the room – as with the recent decisions involving Wick.​

It is time this angle was interrogated openly in our media before decisions are made for us, not by us.

Yours in shared ambition,

Dhruva Kumar

Letters: Volunteer in 2026 with NSPCC

Dear Editor, 

As we step into 2026, many people will be thinking about the positive changes they’d like to make in the year ahead. For anyone looking to give back to their community, volunteering with the NSPCC is a meaningful way to support children and young people across Scotland. 

One of the ways to support children is by becoming a Childline counsellor. Our Childline bases in Aberdeen and Glasgow are always looking for new volunteers to support children and young people through our phone and online services.

With a child contacting Childline every 45 seconds, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, volunteers play a vital role. 

Another rewarding opportunity is with our Schools Service. Volunteers deliver our Speak out, Stay safe workshops in primary schools, helping children understand their right to be safe, recognise the signs of abuse, and know who they can turn to for support. Last year, the programme reached more than 60,000 across Scotland, and in 2026 we hope to reach even more. 

Full training is provided, and visits can be arranged around work or family commitments. Every shift is different, and volunteers often tell us that the enthusiasm and curiosity of the children they meet is what makes the role so special. 

If this sounds like something for you, visit the NSPCC website to find out more. 

Yours sincerely, 

Adeniyi Alade 

NSPCC Scotland Service Head Helplines 

Letter: Kickstart 2026 with a challenge to support people affected by lymphoma

Lymphoma Action are inviting everyone to grab their trainers and join Team Lymphoma for a fundraising challenge in 2026.

Whether you want to step up to the start line for the first time, or you’re a seasoned challenge-champion, your support will make a difference to people affected by lymphoma, the most common type of blood cancer.

We have a challenge for everyone this year, from our Bridges of London walk to Tough Mudders, and from three peak treks to fun runs.

Every walk, run, swim or cycle will help us continue to offer people affected by lymphoma expert information, dedicated support and a community that understands. You’ll also be helping us celebrate our 40th anniversary so we would love as many people to get involved as possible!

Please visit www.lymphoma-action.org.uk/Challenges for further details on how you can join Team Lymphoma for a challenge in 2026 to raise funds and awareness.

Together, we can make sure no one faces lymphoma alone.

Yours sincerely

Amanda Harris

Lymphoma Action

Letter: Hearing loss at Christmas

Dear Editor,

Christmas is a time for connecting with loved ones and enjoying plenty of festivities, gatherings and conversation. However, for those with undiagnosed hearing loss, this time of year sometimes feels like a struggle and can be isolating.

Over the festive period, you may have noticed yourself or a loved one struggling to hear. Perhaps you were turning the TV up louder than others prefer, struggling to follow conversations at Christmas gatherings or frequently asking people to repeat what they said. You or a loved one may have found it harder to hear on the phone, felt like others were mumbling, or your partner may have felt you weren’t listening.

As we enjoy the quieter days between Christmas and New Years celebrations, if any of these habits feel familiar, it could be time to check your hearing.

Thankfully, it’s very simple to look for signs of hearing loss in yourself or loved ones and to do something about it.

Our free 3-minute online hearing check at rnid.org.uk/check can be the first step on your journey to find out if you should see someone about your hearing and get our advice on what to do next.

Kickstart your new year in the right way and keep everyone part of the conversation!

Sincerely,

Crystal Rolfe

Director of Health at RNID

Help keep families together with their seriously ill children this Christmas

Dear Editor,

The festive season should be one of joy. Yet for many families, Christmas will be spent facing the fear and uncertainty of having a seriously ill child in hospital.

At The Sick Children’s Trust, we make sure families can stay together during their child’s most critical moments. But we cannot do it alone. We need your vital support.

Without our ‘Homes from Home’, families would face an average of 82 minutes of travel each day to be by their child’s hospital bedside, or be forced to sleep in hospital chairs, expensive hotels that they can’t afford, or even in their cars.

The stress and worry of being unable to be with their seriously ill child is unimaginable, especially at Christmas time. We urgently need donations so we can continue supporting families at this extremely traumatic time.

Families like Frances and Jack experienced this first-hand when their baby son, Milo, developed life-threatening sepsis. They stayed with us at our Acorn House ‘Home from Home’ for ten days while Milo received specialist care at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. 

Frances said: “At Acorn House we had somewhere comfortable to sleep, a shower and shared kitchen, meaning we could look after ourselves as best we could while still being on the hospital grounds.

“We never wanted to leave Milo’s side, but The Sick Children’s Trust gave us the chance to rest while being able to return to the hospital in minutes should he take a turn for the worse. We can’t describe how grateful we are to have had that vital support.

“After making a full recovery Milo is now a happy, thriving eight-month-old. We’re really looking forward to celebrating Milo’s first Christmas, which is even more special when we think about how critically ill he was.”

This year has been tough for our charity, with rising costs and supporters feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis but this Christmas, we expect all ten of our ‘Homes from Home’ to be full. For families, it’s free.

For us, it costs £40 to support a family for just one night, and we rely entirely on voluntary donations to make this possible.

Please donate what you can to keep more families together this Christmas.

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy festive season.

Jane Featherstone

CEO, The Sick Children’s Trust

Letters: Farage’s racist Glasgow remarks betray the true, welcoming spirit of Scotland

Dear Editor,

I am deeply pained by Nigel Farage’s recent remarks about immigrant schoolchildren in Glasgow not only as a Scottish political activist, lifelong Scottish Independence supporter and educationist, but as a father and immigrant who has proudly called Scotland home for two decades.

To describe diverse multilingual classrooms as evidence that Glasgow has been “culturally smashed” is not commentary on policy,  it is a racist attack on children who are already striving to belong, learn and contribute.​

Scotland has long aspired to be “One Scotland, Many Cultures”, welcoming those who come here to build a better life and contribute to the prosperity of Scotland.

From Irish workers in the nineteenth century to South Asian, African and European communities today, migration has helped shape modern Scotland’s economy, arts and civic life. Surveys consistently show that people in Scotland tend to hold more positive attitudes to immigration than elsewhere in the UK, reflecting an instinctive sense of fairness and solidarity.​

As a proud Indian‑origin Scot, I have tried to live up to those values. For over twenty years, I have taught thousands of students from Scotland, the rest of the UK and every corner of the globe.

They are now professional marine engineers, shipbuilders, skilled engineers, entrepreneurs and public servants. My two children are proud second-generation Scots who speak with Glaswegian confidence and carry both Indian and Scottish heritage with ease. They, like the pupils smeared in Mr Farage’s video, are not a threat to Scottish culture; they are its future.​

In 2025, working with colleagues across parties, I helped bring forward the first motion in the Scottish Parliament condemning Hinduphobia and affirming the contribution of Scotland’s Indian Hindu community.

That moment showed what our politics can be at its best: listening to minority voices, challenging prejudice and strengthening the social fabric rather than tearing it. It stands in stark contrast to attempts to win votes by stoking resentment against children in our classrooms.​

As a promoter of Scottish business, I have also championed Scotland’s most successful global product, Scotch whisky, in India, now the world’s largest market for Scotch by volume.

A deep UK–India trade agreement that cuts India’s punitive tariffs could unlock up to £1 billion in extra Scotch exports and around £190 million a year for the Scottish economy, supporting jobs from Speyside to Glasgow.

It is an immigrant like me, with roots in both Scotland and India, who has been working to tell Scotland’s story to Indian consumers and policymakers, proof that migration is not a burden but a bridge.​​

Newspapers help define the boundaries of what is acceptable in our public discourse. When racist language about children is normalised, real harm follows in playgrounds, buses and workplaces. Scotland and the wider UK face serious debates on housing, public services and the pace of change, but these arguments must never be conducted by dehumanising those who are already here and already Scottish.​

I urge editors and readers alike: challenge the politics of scapegoating. Celebrate, instead, the quiet success stories, of classrooms where many languages are spoken, of new Scots helping sell Scotch to the world, and of a nation confident enough to know that welcoming others does not weaken its identity, but deepens it.

Yours in shared ambition,

Dhruva Kumar

Former Glasgow South MP Candidate

Depute Convenor, Alba Party, Glasgow

Letter: Cats Protection urges action as cold snap bites

Dear Editor 

As temperatures plummet, we urge people to keep a caring eye on stray and abandoned cats without access to shelter or food. For them, the risk of hypothermia or painful frostbite is real.  

In the past 12 months, Cats Protection has taken in more than 26,000 cats left behind by life, including over 3,000 kittens from unwanted litters.  

Through no fault of their own, these cats have been given up or abandoned. They know only cold, fear and hunger. But we’re here for them until the tough times pass. 

Our winter fundraising and awareness campaign (cats.org.uk/alfie) aims to provide food, shelter and care for neglected cats.  

We have some simple tips to help all cats stay safe and warm this winter:  

  • Provide warm, draught-free resting spots. Self-heating pads are ideal for older cats. 
  • Tap your car bonnet and check underneath before starting up – cats love to hide there.
  • Check sheds and garages to ensure that cats seeking shelter don’t become trapped inside. 
  • Wipe your cat’s paws and coat when they come in. Grit, salt or antifreeze can be toxic if licked. 
  • Provide fresh water, checking it cannot freeze over. An indoor litter tray means your cat doesn’t have to venture out. 
  • Keep your cat in at night – and lock cat flaps to prevent them sneaking out in the cold. 

Cats are good at finding warm places to rest but for outdoor cats struggling to find shelter, we have tips to create a safe and dry winter bolthole that might save a life this winter. 

Yours faithfully  

Daniel Warren-Cummings 

Central Behaviour Officer, Cats Protection 

Letters: Stop MS Appeal

Dear Editor, 

Ten years ago, the MS Society launched the Stop MS Appeal – a campaign to raise £100 million for life-changing multiple sclerosis research. 

This came at a time when I was coming to terms with my own MS diagnosis , and hearing about their ambitious goal gave me much-needed hope. Now they have just two months of the appeal to go – and £1.5 million left to raise. 

I was lucky to be able to start on a treatment that helps me manage my MS, but for thousands of people there are still no treatments that work for them. This winter people with MS across the country are writing letters to their younger selves and loved ones about the unpredictability of life with MS. And about hope for the future. These letters show how important is it that we reach the £100 million target, so I wanted to write my own. 

So far, the money raised by generous supporters has funded the world’s largest ever academic-led trial for progressive MS, and shown that repairing myelin – a potential gateway to slow, stop, or even reverse disability – can be achieved. 

I hope your readers will consider helping us write an end to MS, for everyone. 

Kadeena Cox OBE – Paralympic gold medallist and MS Society Ambassador  

Letters: Community call for help for deaf children

Did you know there are around 50,000 deaf children in the UK, with three born every day? Nine out of ten deaf children are born to hearing parents, with little or no knowledge of deafness. 

Our own research has shown that the early years are absolutely vital in setting up deaf children with the essential communication and social skills they’ll need in later life, but all too often this happens too late. That’s why it’s critical that they get the right support as early as possible, so they can get the best possible start in life.

The National Deaf Children’s Society knows a lot about the challenges facing deaf children nationally, but it’s the parents of deaf children, and the local organisations who support them, who have the local knowledge. They are best placed by far to know what support deaf children need within their own communities – and how to get it to them quickly.

So we’re offering grants for local groups to provide support for deaf children in their local communities. We’re urging community groups across the region to join us in helping deaf children get the vital support they need, when they need it.

Because every moment really does count.

For more information about the National Deaf Children’s Society’s Community Grants Programme, visit: https://www.ndcs.org.uk/community-grants 

Angela Calder,

Community Grants Lead, National Deaf Children’s Society

www.ndcs.org.uk