'Trees need better protection'

SIR - Having visited Diglis fields with my children to enjoy the park I’m truly annoyed by the vandalism.

Mindless. Your headline could not describe this act in a better way .

The individuals if caught need not only to be punished but made to help by replanting.

There is however a design fault in the wooden construction protecting the tree.

The cross bar was used to bend the tree against and snap.. - a very tempting proposition to a teenage yob.

Previously in Worcester parks a wooden cage has been used very successfully to protect the trees Why was this not used here in Diglis? Costs I should imagine.

Surely the City Council when replacing the trees need to consider a better option to protect them. Or sadly the same will happen again.

Nick Dyson

Diglis

'More cash for care needed'

SIR - I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate both the Editor and reporter Cathy Anstey for the recent excellent article relating to “Britain’s Army of Family Carers”.

These are the people who look after a loved one/s who are sick,elderly and/or disabled, often,despite serious adverse effects upon their own health/lives and free of charge.

The coverage was done in recognition of “National Carers Week”.

Unfortunately, as a result of the serious demise of professional care in this country, for a series of reasons, these needy people are having to rely more and more on these loved ones to take on this responsibility.

Without them the whole issue of “care in the home” would have by now completely collapsed.

Unfortunately, both previous and the current governments are and have been more than happy to allow this increase in family carers to continue as it  fills the ever increasing void that now exists between the need and the availability of professional carers to continue.

This is as the result of the catastrophic/ criminal and deliberate lack of investment in Social/Health Care, the effects of which are all too obvious to see in and around Worcester and surrounding areas, which is no reflection on the dedicated, hard working staff.

Why is this downward spiral of care being allowed to continue ? The answer is simple.

The 7-10 million unpaid family carers, not to mention the 700,000 young carers , many of whom are minors, are saving the government £ billions of pounds.

These figures will continue to rise as more and more Professional Care Providers, withdraw their services as the result of the untenable position that they find themselves in.

It is quite probable that in the not too distant future, 3 in 5 of us will be forced to become unpaid carers for a loved one, the effects of which will be that their own health and welfare may well deteriorate .

Having been a “Campaigner for Better Care “ in this country for over a decade therefore, I implore the public to lobby their MPs and demand that substantially more investment be put into Social /Health/ and Mental Health Care,with immediate effect.

There should be no excuses as to why this can’t be done.

What extra money has been put in has been a pittance compared to what is required  Failure to succeed will, I am convinced, lead to all aspects of care becoming privatised, despite having received numerous claims to the contrary by senior Government Ministers, including Jeremy  Hunt.

It is my belief, however, that plans exist to move over to an American-style insurance-based system, which will likely be beyond the scope of many   In the meantime none of us know if or when we may require this facility.

Therefore,we owe it to ourselves to support it’s continued high standard and availability.

Allan Kyte  (Campaigner for Better Care)                                         

Gt. Wyrley, Staffs

'Our NHS is to be treasured'

SIR - The staff at the stroke unit of the Worcestershire Royal Hospital are wonderful.

As are the after-care professionals who look after stroke victims once they return home, including the doctors and staff at (in my case) Abbey Medical Practice in Evesham.

I had a severe stroke last December and my continuing journey on the path to recovery is largely down to their amazing skills and their care.

We are so lucky to have our NHS. As will happen in all organisations run by fallible human beings it will, occasionally, fall flat on its face.

But we mustn’t allow occasional aberrations to cloud the fact that, in overall terms, our NHS is a national treasure.

Jack Lloyd

Fladbury

'Let me spell it out for you'

SIR - Regarding the signage for the Evesham 10k race.

The organisers should be able to spell.

The word is ‘metres’ to finish, not as they put it, ‘meters’. Meters are not units of length.

Jane Maiden

Evesham