SIR – What a sad story I have today. I was in Worcester shopping on Friday, October 23. As I walked on to the High Street I came across a man in a sleeping bag as I passed I looked at him he was just sitting watching people like me pass by. 
He did not ask for money as some do. I stopped and asked if he would like a hot drink and he replied he would love one. I got him a drink and in my bag I had a bar of chocolate and gave it to him. As we talked I asked him where he was sleeping, he replied in doorways.
This man told me he had been a soldier in the Army.
I asked him why don’t the Army help? He replied not once you are not in the Army anymore.
How sad it is that someone like that man and many more, are sleeping rough. Why don’t the government care about these people instead of brushing the under the carpet, yet they will bring in thousands of refugees and house and give all the help they need. Their priorities are all wrong. It’s just like Dicken’s times, poor people go poor and the rich get richer.
Try stopping to talk to a person on the streets, you will be amazed at their stories.
MRS C ROBERTS
Worcester


Wise words from Winston Churchill
SIR – UKIP’s James Goad (Letters, 12.11.’15) calls for “honesty” in the pre-Referendum EU debate. Who would disagree with that?
However, he then ruins it all by branding those of us who dare to list the very real negatives of “Brexit” as liars, and puts up the usual emotive falsehood about support for the EU being based on the idea that “we’re not good enough to govern ourselves”. Nobody  believes that – because we do so, having chosen, these last 40 years, to share a little sovereignty in order to further our own British interests (as does Worcestershire with Cornwall, Yorkshire and the rest: same principle).
 As stated, as long ago as the 1950s, by someone many would describe as one of the greatest Brits and staunchest English patriots, “It is also possible and not less agreeable to regard this sacrifice or merger of national sovereignty as the gradual assumption by all the nations concerned of that larger sovereignty which can alone protect their diverse and distinctive customs and characteristics and their national traditions”.
Who was he? Sir Winston Churchill, who knew more than a bit about protecting our national customs, characteristics and traditions.
DAVID BARLOW
Worcester

Suffering of these chickens is needless
SIR – Like Max Burgess (“Terrible conditions for these poor chickens”, Worcester News, November 13) I too was horrified to read about the lorry that overturned in Rushwick carrying 3,000 chickens.
I also share Max’s concern about the conditions these birds were being transported in, but, sadly, their suffering would have begun long before that fateful lorry journey.
Chickens are inquisitive, highly social animals, but the vast majority of them are reared on factory farms where they are forced to spend their lives in sheds that reek of ammonia with tens of thousands of other birds.
The chickens are bred to grow large so fast that many become crippled under their own weight and suffer organ failure, with severe crowding and filthy conditions leaving the birds highly susceptible to chronic respiratory diseases.
Then they are crammed into crates when they reach “table weight” at only six weeks old and taken for often painful slaughter.
The best way the public can prevent such appalling cruelty is to refuse to eat chicken.
In fact, there is no need for any creatures to be reared and slaughtered for human consumption, as we can live perfectly well on a diet free from animal products, which would also benefit the environment and our own health.
RONALD LEE
Worcestershire Vegans & Veggies

Do gooders will have blood on their hands
SIR – Just to bring Bishop Inge and his fellow travellers up to speed. ISIS are mentioned in the fighting in Syria, but not Al Qaeda? Intelligence sources indicate that AL Qaeda are infiltrating Europe as refugees With  jihadi fighters  being identified yet they can’t be stopped as they are ‘refugees’ and get the Bishop’s support. The Hungarian , Polish and Greek authorities have intercepted three containers going to their countries from Qatar via Chechnya . Loaded with 5,000 pump action shot guns  and half a million cartridges. The European addresses were for AL Qaeda sympathisers. That’s three containers that were stopped, how many got through? Why shotguns? They are easy to use and maintain. With ammunition available in most towns. They just have to go and get more ammo. When AL Qaeda cause atrocities in Europe the Bishop and his do gooders will have blood on their hands. How much did the front organisation common purpose, pay you Bishop. Was it 30 pieces of silver?
CARL MASON, BNP
Worcester

Sad plight of elderly
SIR – I was saddened to read about elderly people being abused. I’m 92-years-old and I was taken ill a few weeks ago at home, nurses took great care of me and they were kind.
Earlier in the year I was in Worcestershire Royal Hospital for two weeks. The care I was given was first class.
B EVANS
Worcester