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Your say online, July
July: This is the place for users of Hemeltoday to have their say online. Have your say on local news, local issues or the national issues.
To enter into the debate click here to have your say or scroll down to see what others are saying.
George Court
Hemel Hempstead
In the Gazette of 22 July you asked for comments on the St John's "Holiday from Home"
This is a grand scheme which I, as a 91 year old have already enjoyed twice. I was the first
to apply for this years holiday which will take place from the 3rd to 6th August. It is so well
organised by the volunteers whose welcoming service makes it better than a 4 star hotel.
Full marks to St John's!
Robert Hazell
Leven Way
Grovehill
I`m writing to you hoping to persuade other people like my self, who are in full time employment and have when trying to make a appointment with their GP, and told you will have to wait for between one to two weeks to see a doctor. I have registered with this new surgery knowing I can get to see a Doctor with or without an appointment between 8am-8pm. I am suffering with ANGINA for the last 9 years and have four stents in my heart, and take six types of medication, I dont go to the doctor often as they have enough to contend with in their daily routine , mostly with some people who dont realy need to see a doctor, I would also like to point out that the doctor I left has been running with substitute doctors as the doctor whos name is above the door is very ill.
Mark Cockerton
Chief Executive
Herts Urgent Care
I am writing to give your readers an update about the new West Herts Medical Centre based at Hemel Hempstead Hospital.
I'm delighted to report that it has been used by over 1200 patients since it opened on 1st June, well above the anticipated numbers.
On the busiest days we have had over 40 people availing themselves of the opportunity to have a same-day consultation with a GP, the majority without having to make an appointment. The West Herts Medical Centre is not replacing established GP services it is providing services to people who find difficulties in accessing traditional services. As we are open from 8am until 8pm every day we are proving a particularly popular service with Commuters, shift workers and those working away from home. On a typical weekend we have 80 patients using our service many of whom would have had difficulty in accessing GP services through the working week.
Herts Urgent Care, the not-for-profit out-of-hours service for Hertfordshire is delighted to be involved in this innovative service. As soon as the improvement and renovation work has been completed at the Hospital we will be having an Open Day to showcase our service and I'll be letting your readers know when it is.
Alan Haire
It didn't take long for the mindless idiots to destroy the new benches in the park along the Redbourn Road (adjacent to Sky Ford) one of the benches has been completely burnt to ashes. These morons also attempted to set light to the table, only partly succeeding. These benches where a welcome addition to the park.
Why do these people have to destroy property that is put there for the enjoyment of the community?
If you are one of these mindless morons then please see if you can manage to string a few words together explaining why you see fit to vandalise our town.
Barry Newton
Housecroft Road
Hemel Hempstead
The item re U-Turn in Council House Transfer, Most of us know that this proposal by the government if past will not come into force until 2011 by which time Dacorum Borough Housing would be facing near bankruptcy. It is just a political ploy by the labour group and their leader Keith White to try and undo the months of effort and work put in by the present Dacorum administration and their officers.
Over a year has been spent in research by councillors,officials and of course tenants on the best way forward,we all know Governments and their aspirations,once they cost out this new proposal and water it down no one will really gain anything as they already so it should be a cost neutral operation.
I am sure our present administration are astute enough to know this and will allow common sense to prevail by keeping on cause for the transfer.
Barry Dixon
Hyburn Close
Hemel Hempstead
Bottom of the Pension League!
I am responding to Les Taber's letter (Gazette/15 July) in which he praised this Government for looking after pensioners by way of the winter fuel allowance, etc. As welcome as these payments are, what he omitted to say was that a recent international survey has revealed that the UK has the worst state pension provision among the 25 European countries. On average, British pensioners are paid a state pension which is worth just a sixth (17%) of average earnings. Across Europe, the typical pension comes to more than half of earnings (57%). This sad position is down to successive Governments over the years, although pensioners on low incomes can now claim various means-tested benefits. Unfortunately many deserving pensioners do not receive any extra money because they often fail to claim, possibly due to the form filling or the means-tested basis. When you add these facts to the ever diminishing private pension provision, with few final salary schemes still open (as distinct fro m the largely unfunded final salary schemes in the public sector), there is a bleak future for both existing and future pensioners. The taxpayer (who despite possibly looking at their own paltry pension) will have to fund the substantial public sector pensions with the MP's scheme probably the most generous. This grim new pensions future is not helped, of course, by the incredible pension (10K per week) being paid to the former RBS bank chief executive, Fred Goodwin. What a strange country we have, with many pensioners wondering (in the winter) whether to eat or heat and yet the Government (through the taxpayer) pours 23 billion pounds into saving the RBS bank and effectively the RBS pension scheme.
Mrs.J.Jeffrey
Bede Court
Little Gaddesden
I am an ordinary member of the public, who, like so many others to whom I speak, feels disenfranchised and helpless whenever I see images of yet more coffins passing through Wootten Basset and the dignified way in which those ordinary people pay their respects. I have therefore decided to demonstrate my despair at the needless slaughter which could be lessened were our forces properly equipped, with, for example, sufficient helicopters.
The way the demonstrations will take place is as follows: On the days on which the latest casualty is named we will keep a silent vigil outside Hemel Civic Centre for one hour between 4 and 5pm. We will have a couple of banners stating, for example, WAITING FOR HELICOPTERS.
It is not intended as a comment in any way on the war, but is simply a conduit by which law abiding and decent people can make their views known in order that the Government is encouraged by the ground swell of public feeling and ensures that our troops are better supplied.
As I write on Friday 17th July I learn that there has been another fatality. Therefore, it is my intention, once the name has been announced, on that day to start the first vigil from 4 until 5pm. I am sure, that very soon, other towns throughout the country will join these silent and peaceful protests at their own town halls, civic centres etc.
I would ask that readers join us. There is a website for more information. www.waitingforhelicopters.co.uk
Ian Burton
Boxmoor
Hemel Hempstead
Your front page article says that pensioner, Alan Wharf, was burned by caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) and "didn't feel anything because
the acid had killed the nerves". I'm sorry to be a pedant but caustic soda is not an acid, it is an alkaline. The difference between an acid and an alkaline is a very basic matter as any GCSE level chemistry student will tell you. On behalf of parents and teachers everywhere, please will you not confuse our children by making such basic errors.
Sally Jones
Hemel
I don't know whether to be angry or amused by the story that two fire engines attended Hemel police station when smoke was seen coming from the wall mounted ash tray. I wouldn't expect it to take a great detective to work out that smoke from an ash tray might indicate that someone had put a cigarette in there and that a bucket of water would solve the problem. I think the police should be warned about making unnecessary 999 calls - who knows what this episode cost the taxpayer; we should be grateful there wasn't a real emergency at the same time.
Samantha Dilks
Station Road
Tring
I am writing to let the people know, who have flytipped in Tring, that they are obnoxious idiots.
I live near Tring Station and often walk along the fields adjacent the tracks, so imagine my horror when I came across a load of rubbish.
The area where this awful mess has been dumped is full of wildlife including rabbits, deers, foxes and a barn owl and is a very popular walking spot with all ages.
I cannot believe that someone feels it is appropriate to dump their waste in such a beautiful place and put animals and people at risk of injury.
I have informed the council but wanted others to read this to ensure all and any flytipping is reported in an attempt to stop this senseless behaviour.
Justin Kerswell
Campaigner
Viva!
8 York Court, Wilder Street
Bristol
I am very disappointed to see that a local business - the Gravel Path butchers in Berkhamsted - is selling kangaroo meat sausages as a way of 'celebrating' the Ashes. Viva! has long campaigned against the sale of this so called "exotic meat". 75 per cent of the world's animals are facing extinction or are in decline, we should be protecting them, not serving them for dinner. Exotic meat doesn't sound quite so appetizing if you rename it 'dead wildlife'.
Each year, millions of kangaroos are shot for their meat and skins - the largest massacre of land animals on the planet. In recent years the numbers of kangaroos in Australia have more than halved, due to drought and over-hunting. Up to 440,000 baby joeys, which are 'worthless' to the industry, are bludgeoned, shot or decapitated each year when their mothers are killed.
The list of animals we are slaughtering for supper is getting longer and longer. What next? Tiger chops, dolphin steaks and koala burgers? Please remember, wildlife belongs in the wild, not on a dinner plate.
Of course, eating any animal causes suffering - the best way of stopping cruelty is to go vegetarian.
For more information on the campaign against 'exotic' meats and free veggie recipes, contact Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder St, Bristol BS2 8QH, tel. 0117 944 1000, email info@viva.org.uk.
Carly White
Gadebury Heights
Hemel Hempstead
I am writing to tell you about a brand new way to make new friends in Hemel Hempstead in the hope that you might write something about it in your paper to encourage as many mums as possible to join in.
My name is Carly White and I have volunteered to be the Chair-mum for the newly formed Hemel Hempstead branch of Netmums Meetups. I know from experience that that the best source of advice and support comes from other mums, but I also know that these days, we are unlikely to live near our extended families or the friends we grew up with - and so when we do have our children we are faced with starting to build a whole new set of friends. Netmums.com is a local 'social network' for mums, with thousands of members in this area, but so far it's been up to each member to arrange to make friends through the site. We've set up a local group to make it easier.
On Wednesday 22nd July the first ever official Netmums Meetup for Mums will take place in Hemel. We'll be meeting at Gadebridge Park for a Teddy Bears Picnic. The event is an informal and friendly way for mums to meet up and get to know other mums in the area. Mums can just turn up, they'll know us as we'll have balloons, be wearing our Netmums t-shirts and we'll look like we are having fun! Over 20 mums with young children have said they will be attending.
If they are feeling nervous or would like some more information, they can log on to Netmums in advance and chat online to us about who will be there and what we will be doing. If they feel nervous they can drop me an email before hand and I will make sure they feel welcome. For further details log on to www.netmums.com/go/meetups
Claire de Silva
PR Officer, The Hospice of St Francis
We would like to take this oportunity to thank the wonderful team at British Gas for their help in clearing up what is now a lovely garden area at the back of the busy Hospice of St Francis shop in Berkhamsted.
Already we have had compliments about how wonderful it looks - even our cafe neighbours are speaking to us again - no more unsightly rubbish piles. It was very generous of the team to give up a very hot Saturday -I do hope there were not too many sore backs and burnt bodies!
The volunteering really has made a difference and hopefully we may be able to run a sale from the garden sometime in August to generate some additional money from our shop donations.
If other companies would like to get involved in volunteering we are always delighted to hear from them. We currently have a very simple plan for people to arrange a date in their office building where people can bring in good quality but unwanted clothes they may have lurking in their wardrobes to help us to stock our charity shops and generate income for the Hospice. For more information on our Give Us Your Best - Dump The Rest campaign, call 01442 869555 or check out www.stfrancis.org.uk
Name and address supplied
So that's it then? Our MPs must be breathing a sigh of relief. The electorate were all fired up and ready for a fight. For the first time in decades people were really starting to take an interest in politics once again and then some drug addicted pop star sadly passes away, we have a couple of weeks of good weather, a Brit nearly makes the Wimbledon final (but not quite) and we've all forgotten what we were angry about.
Perhaps I can just remind you. In a nutshell we were unhappy that our elected representatives seem to have been benefiting from their positions and ridiculous expenses 'allowances'. Did you, the good people of South West Herts, know that David Gauke, your MP, still believes he can defend his decision to claim for a second home? How many of you commute to London each day? How many of you also work long or unpredictable hours? Given that our parliament only sit for an embarrassingly short number of weeks each year, surely Mr Gauke could settle for a hotel room on the occasions he needs to work late. Even a black cab all the way home to Chorleywood would work out cheaper. But no, if Mr Gauke needs a property, apparently we must pay for it. And that property costs us around 20,000 every year. That's more than many of his constituents earn in a year. And of course, if the property rises in value, Mr Gauke will reap the benefits. I wonder when his flat is sold (which of course it will be when he is no longer an MP - he only needs it for work, after all) whether he will donating the proceeds back into the pocket of those who paid for it in the first place - taxpayers.
Newspapers, and more particularly local ones, are here not only to spread news of the village fete but also so that we can hold local officials to account. This gentleman currently represents South Oxhey, Croxley Green, Rickmansworth, Sarratt, Chorleywood, Chipperfield, Bovingdon, Flaunden, Berkhamsted, Northchurch and Tring. Within the next year, we will be able to decide whether he continues to do so. In fact Mr Gauke does a good job and I would be happy to see him continuing to represent us but I believe that he has made a serious misjudgement and must reconsider his second home arrangements before standing in the next General Election. This is an important issue and we can not allow swine flu, heatwaves or dead celebrities to take our attention away from it.
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Weather for Hemel Hempstead
Friday 10 February 2012
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