Tag: letters

Letters: When is your child old enough to be left home alone?

Dear Editor,

School’s out for summer and parents will be making important decisions about childcare over the next few weeks.

There isn’t a legal minimum age for a child to stay home or go out alone and parents often call the NSPCC Helpline to ask for advice on the appropriate age.

There’s no set rule for all because every child is different, but between work appointments and other family commitments, it’s inevitable that parents will have to consider whether to leave their child home alone at some point.

It can be difficult to know what’s best and with this in mind here’s some guidance about when it’s safe for your child to be home alone.

Infants and young children aged 0-3 years old should never be left alone – even for 15 minutes while you pop down the road. This also applies to leaving them in your car while you run into the shops.

While every child is different, we wouldn’t recommend leaving a child under 12 years old home alone, particularly for long periods of time.

It’s important to talk to your child about anything they may be worried about. Regularly checking how they feel can pinpoint any concerns and help you decide if they are ready to be left alone.

A child who doesn’t feel comfortable about staying alone should never be left home alone. Even if they are older, they may not be ready to look after themselves or know what to do in an emergency.

We have checklists to help keep children safe, visit: 

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/in-the-home/home-alone/

Childline is also here for them. They can speak to a trained counsellor for FREE, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on 0800 1111 or via 1-2-1 chat on www.childline.org.uk  

Gail Sayles

Local Campaigns Manager

NSPCC Scotland

Letter: Fuel price hike shows it’s time to turf out the Tories

Dear Editor

People of our area alongside many communities have had a very tough time under this disgraceful Tory led government.

It has been no accident but deliberate policy.

The manipulation of the fuel prices causing absolute confusion.

But not for the fuel suppliers, No!! In particular the shareholders of the fuel suppliers who are making hundreds of millions of pounds in profit at the same time.

In contrast the Tories are ‘promising’ another 10% rise in the cost of living this year!

The lesson is there for us: it’s time the people slung out the Tories like they did in Honiton recently.

Tony Delahoy

(by email)

Letter: Patients with coeliac disease deserve better

Dear Editor

With great sadness and frustration, I read recently about an inquest into the death of an 80-year-old with coeliac disease who was fed cereal containing gluten in hospital. The patient fell ill within hours and started to vomit. She died four days later from aspiration pneumonia.

As someone with coeliac disease myself, it is upsetting to realise that even among medical professionals there is such a lack of understanding of this serious autoimmune disease.

One in 100 people have coeliac disease, and there is no cure. The only treatment is a strict gluten free diet. Even a crumb of gluten can cause a severe reaction.

My own mother, who is 86, has had difficult experiences in hospital. She was offered toast containing gluten, which would have made her very unwell. Another time she was told she was ‘too late’ at 4pm for gluten free food. The hospital clearly regarded a gluten free diet as a specialist request, rather than a medical necessity that should be offered as part of standard care provisions.

At Coeliac UK, we are calling on all hospitals to urgently review their guidelines and protocols. We’re asking the NHS to update the information about coeliac disease on their website as the current list of symptoms is misleading. And we want to see better training for healthcare professionals to improve their understanding of coeliac disease, and their management of patients who have the condition.

No one with coeliac disease should have to worry about being glutened in hospital.

Yours sincerely

Maureen Burnside

Chair, Coeliac UK

www.coeliac.org.uk

Letters: Mary’s Meals appeal

Dear Editor,  

Today, more than 64 million primary school-age children miss out on an education around the world because of poverty. 

Leaving a gift in your will, no matter how small, is an incredibly generous way you can help us bring hope to those desperately hungry children who often need to work or beg for food in order to survive. 

With the promise of a daily meal in a place of education, Mary’s Meals is attracting hungry children into the classroom giving them the energy to learn how to read and write. 

For children like 13-year-old Ballah from Liberia – who used to skip school – Mary’s Meals fills his empty stomach and is allowing him to gain a precious education so he can follow his dreams of becoming a doctor.  

“Food is important,” he says. “Most days, I don’t eat breakfast and I feel so hungry I can barely study. After eating Mary’s Meals, I feel active. 

“When I qualify as a doctor, I’d like to stay in Liberia and teach others how to do the same.” 

With a gift in your will, you can help us keep our promise to more than 2.2 million children in some of the world’s poorest communities who rely on our nutritious meals and will be giving children like Ballah the chance of a brighter future. 

If you would like more information about leaving a gift in your will, please visit www.marysmeals.org.uk/will 

Lori Cobley,

Partnership Manager at Mary’s Meals 

Letters: NSPCC – Pride 2022

Dear Editor,

June is Pride month and events such as Pride Glasgow and Edinburgh Pride, this Saturday (25th June), will be celebrating the history of gay rights and related civil rights movements. 

Pride is a great way to encourage young people to feel comfortable to talk about their sexuality and gender identity, especially as at Childline we have delivered more than 4,000 counselling sessions to young people in Scotland and across the UK over the last year with worries about these issues.

Among these concerns, young people spoke to trained counsellors about experiences of coming out; questioning their sexuality or gender identity; gender dysphoria; discrimination and prejudice to sexuality or gender identity; and self-acceptance.

It can be a worrying time for young people who are facing these concerns, and it can be tough for parents and carers to know how to help.

One way for parents and carers to help their children feel confident to speak up is by simply having a conversation with them. Just by having a chat, or perhaps looking at some of the advice on the Childline or NSPCC websites, parents can help give young people the confidence to be proud of who they are.

Childline is also here for them. They can speak to a trained counsellor over the phone on 0800 1111 or via email or on a 1-2-1 chat via the Childline website.

Adeniyi Alade

Head of Childline

NSPCC Scotland

Letters: Time to make a stand, says Target Ovarian Cancer

Dear Editor, 

It’s time to make a stand.  

Did you know that one in seven diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year die within two months after diagnosis? We are being failed. Enough is enough. 

On Tuesday 28 June I am marching to No 10 Downing Street, alongside Target Ovarian Cancer campaigners, to hand in our open letter signed by 20,000 people. Together, we’re demanding the government takes action on the awareness crisis in ovarian cancer.  

In 2019 I was working long hours in the City of London. With a daily commute, busy lifestyle and regularly visiting my sick mum, I was tired. But, like many women, I ignored this and continued on. Then one night, I felt a painful lump in my tummy. It was a tumour. I was later diagnosed with stage IIIa ovarian cancer. 

For me, ovarian cancer affected my whole body. My right leg bloated due to deep vein thrombosis and a clot on my lung was discovered. I had intense surgery to drain my kidneys and remove the tumour, as well as a total hysterectomy and many other procedures. I then underwent six rounds of chemotherapy.  

Ovarian cancer changed my life, and with no screening in place it is essential that we are all armed with awareness of symptoms. This means the cancer can be found earlier, and outcomes are significantly improved. No one should die because of a late diagnosis. 

Four out of five women cannot name the key symptom of ovarian cancer, bloating. This needs to change. 

I’m writing to ask your readers to take just two minutes of their time to learn the symptoms and spread the word to their families and friends: persistent bloating, feeling full or having difficulty eating, tummy pain, and needing to wee more often or more urgently.  

Become part of this movement to make change happen in government today by campaigning to improve the lives of people affected by ovarian cancer.  

With best wishes, 

Catherine Hunt

Target Ovarian Cancer is the UK’s leading ovarian cancer charity. We work to improve early diagnosis, fund life-saving research and provide much-needed support to women with ovarian cancer https://targetovariancancer.org.uk 

Letters: Life-saving X-ray Appeal

Dear Editor,

With household budgets facing increased pressures due to the rise in the cost of living, at vet charity PDSA, we’re issuing a life-saving X-ray appeal to help us continue providing essential care for sick and injured pets whose owners struggle to pay for their treatments.

X-rays sit at the heart of our emergency treatments and help us to diagnose why a pet is in pain. Amazingly, PDSA carries out one X-ray every two minutes across our 48 Pet Hospitals but, at £135 per procedure, they are a costly yet critical part of our work to get our beloved pets back on their paws.

Our devoted veterinary teams provide free and low cost care for thousands of UK pets every day, offering them a fighting chance of survival and the ability to return home to their loving families.

Please help us so we can continue to provide urgent care to vulnerable pets by visiting www.pdsa.org.uk/x-rays-at-pdsa.

Any donation you can give will help give a poorly pet the life-saving X-ray and care they so desperately need. 

Thank you,

Lynne James

PDSA Vet

#SavedByXray

Letters: Stroke charity and Royalty thank volunteers this Thank You Day

Dear Editor,

I am delighted to be able to say a huge thank you to the hundreds of wonderful Stroke Association volunteers this Thank You Day 2022. 

The annual Thank You Day, which takes place on Sunday 5 June, is extra special this year, as it coincides with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend where the nation will stop to celebrate 70 years of service by Her Majesty, the Queen.

To all our volunteers, you make a huge difference to thousands of stroke survivors and their families by sharing your stories, providing information and support through services and stroke groups, promoting stroke in local communities, fundraising, and campaigning for change. 

I’m also delighted to pass on the best wishes of The Duke of Kent, who is also President of the Stroke Association:

“On this Thank You Day, it is an honour to be able to say a huge thank you to every one of the fantastic volunteers at the Stroke Association.

“This special weekend, as we celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, it is fitting to also take time to recognise the service of the amazing volunteers who are supporting stroke survivors and their families every day as they rebuild their lives after stroke.

“We are inspired by your dedication, commitment and care towards others, particularly those volunteers who have been so badly affected by stroke themselves.

“My best wishes and thanks to you all.”

So it’s a huge thank you from me and everyone at the Stroke Association. Thank you for giving hope to thousands of stroke survivors and their carers and supporting them with their recoveries – You’re amazing! 

Juliet Bouverie, OBE

Chief Executive of the Stroke Association

Letters: Schools invited to take part in The Big Breaktime on Childhood Day

Dear Editor,

Next month, for Childhood Day, schools across Scotland and the rest of the UK will come together to raise funds for the NSPCC. This will help us deliver our services and support children across the country.

Childhood Day is the charity’s flagship fundraising event, when the public are encouraged to embrace their inner child, celebrating play to put the fun into fundraising.

As part of the celebration on 10 June, we are encouraging schools and nurseries to take part in The Big Breaktime – an extra hour of play with pupils, staff and parents being encouraged to give a small donation towards funding vital NSPCC projects, like Childline.

https://youtu.be/mMcOHBaKkN0

Schools can sign up for The Big Breaktime via the NSPCC’s Childhood Day hub The Big Breaktime | NSPCC From there, they will be able to download lots of exciting resources to help them plan a Big Breaktime in their school.

To sign up to the Big Breaktime, all you have to do is visit the NSPCC website, search for The Big Breaktime and fill in your school’s details with the registration form.

Paul Cockram

Head of Fundraising

NSPCC Scotland