Grit bins should be given on need, not points

I sent a petition signed by all 16 households but we were refused, based on a points score.

In effect, it doesn’t matter if you live on a skating rink (even a sloped one). It doesn’t matter how damgerous it is for walking or driving. If your point score is below the minimum for a grit bin you can’t have one. This is disgusting.

Of the 16 houses on the cul-de-sac, eight are home to pensioners and one disabled person. I am 64, my mum, next door, is 88. She has stayed indoors the past three days as I would not risk driving my car through those parked either side of the road. I walked Friday to do her routine errands in town. Sunday she missed church (which never happens) as did the 84-year-old gentleman I pick up on the way.

I walked to church, I slipped on the cul-de-sac, badly hurting my back and elbow. Tomorrow I have to pick up my disabled daughter from Chappelthorpe, Wakefield, so I’m praying for a thaw. The council should provide grit bins on a needs basis, not on points basis, which is clearly not working. Even telling the council a car skidded, knocking down the garden wall at Number 16 did not sway the points in our favour.

D Whiteside

May Lea Drive, Otley

Thanks to all who helped after Tsunami

Five years ago this Boxing Day the Asian tsunami unleashed a wave of almost unimaginable human suffering. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives and millions were left struggling to survive a disaster the like of which none of us had ever seen.

The Red Cross was helping people on the ground within minutes of the wave striking and, in the UK, we launched an appeal to support the aid effort. Support from the public was phenomenal and enabled us to mount our largest relief operation since the Second World War. Across the country donations poured in from those who, moved by scenes of ordinary people battling to survive, gave whatever they could.

The challenges were unprecedented, the decisions incredibly difficult, but today I am extremely proud of what the Red Cross has achieved in helping rebuild people’s lives and, more than that, building them back stronger.

On behalf of the Red Cross, and the millions of people we were able to help, I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported us. It has been a long road to recovery, but now, five years on, our work is completed.

Thousands of families have been re-housed, sustainable livelihoods have been secured and communities are recovering and more resilient than they have ever been. To find out more about how the money you gave has been used and the difference it has made to people’s lives visit recoveringafuture.org.uk.

Sir Nick Young

Chief Executive, British Red Cross

Fireworks can force assistance dogs to retire

With the New Year increasingly welcomed through fireworks celebrations, guide dog and other assistance dog owners are becoming increasingly worried about the safety of their dogs, many of whom find the loud bangs associated with fireworks too much to bear. Many readers will be aware that the Fireworks Code reminds us to keep pets indoors at times when fireworks are expected to be used in celebration, for example New Year’s Eve. However, with fireworks now regularly being let off for weeks before and after January 1, the people who depend on assistance dogs for freedom and mobility find that they are no longer able to lead an independent life. They are often left housebound, fearing the impact of fireworks on their dog’s health and ability to work.

Assistance Dogs UK – a coalition of the charities Guide Dogs, Canine Partners, Dogs for the Disabled, Hearing Dogs, Support Dogs and Dog Aid – is asking readers to limit any firework celebration to New Year’s Eve, to attend fully-organised displays or alternatively, ensure that fireworks are let off well away from residential areas?

Sadly, some assistance dogs who have been severely affected by the sound of fireworks have to take medication which stops them working for a while. The symptoms are shaking, quivering, nervousness and cowering – a kind of canine ‘shell shock’, so severe that dogs have to be sedated for several days.

In the more severe cases, dogs become so traumatised that they are forced into an early retirement, as they are unable to cope with everyday noises such as train doors slamming or the sound of a car backfiring. Both these scenarios mean the disabled person is left without the help of the dog that has transformed their independence and often become their lifeline.

Limiting fireworks to fully organised displays allows the owner of an assistance dog to plan ahead for the wellbeing of their dog and avoid unnecessary stress to both dog and owner.

Assistance Dogs (UK) is grateful to all the readers who do remember guide dogs and other assistance dogs during the season’s festivities and wishes everyone a safe and peaceful New Year.

Alan Brooks

Chairman, Assistance Dogs UK

Thousands face lonely isolated Christmas

The festive period will lose its sparkle this Christmas for many more people than in recent years.

According to our recent study, an alarming number of people face a lonely and isolated Christmas.

Struck by the recession and struggling to make ends meet, 16 per cent of adults in Yorkshire and Humberside said they would consider spending the festive period alone – rather than visiting family and friends empty-handed.

The survey also highlights the health implications of living in financial hardship, with 33 per cent of adults in Yorkshire and Humberside, who celebrate Christmas, feeling worried about their current financial situation and 22 per cent of people feeling stressed.

It is shocking that as we enter the second decade of the 21st century the gap between rich and poor is widening and huge numbers who were once financially secure are slipping into poverty.

Having helped thousands of people over the years, Elizabeth Finn Care knows from experience that those living in financial difficulty can often be left feeling lonely and vulnerable – which can lead to stress and depression.

Christmas is a time for spending with loved ones and friends, who can often be a tremendous source of comfort for those struggling financially.

Many people who have lost their jobs this year will be using up all their savings and relying on credit cards to fund Christmas, too embarrassed to seek financial support – keeping up appearances, in effect.

It’s never easy to ask for help, but charities such as Elizabeth Finn Care can prevent people from falling into a downward spiral of debt. We help professionals from over 120 different occupations who have experienced a sudden or unexpected changes in their circumstances. If you have unexpectedly hit hard times, contact the charity (0800 413 220) to see if you are eligible for financial support and ensure 2010 is a peaceful and more prosperous new year.

Bryan Clover

Director, Elizabeth Finn Care, 1 Derry Street, London W8 5HY

Recycle your cards once big day is over

Look on the back of your Christmas cards this year and you will probably find an increasing number sporting the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo – the mark of responsible forestry. The growing range and availability of FSC labelled products means that it is becoming easier for the consumer to choose "forest friendly" items. In the past, the FSC logo has probably been most closely associated with DIY stores and garden furniture, but it is now being seen across a much broader market, and increasingly on paper products such as greetings cards and wrapping paper.

In addition to choosing FSC certified products, you can also help to protect the environment by recycling your cards once the big day is over; not only does recycling paper result in less waste going to landfill sites, it also reduces the pressure of demand on the world's forests. What's more, if you recycle your cards using the FSC labelled bins at Sainsbury's stores, you'll be supporting FSC UK, Sainsbury's charity partner for their Christmas card recycling scheme. Sainsbury's and SCA, who will be recycling the cards, will make a donation to FSC UK in the New Year.

FSC UK is a registered charity working to promote the importance of managing forests responsibly, with due care for the environment, the wildlife and the people who live and work in the forests. The money raised from the Christmas card recycling scheme will support this work and FSC will also benefit from the consumer awreness created by the prominent in-store recycling boxes, displaying the FSC logo.

Please help to support forests and the FSC by placing your old Christmas cards in recycling boxes available in stores across the UK. The bins will be available in store between Saturday, December 26, and Tuesday, January 12. This year a card recycling service will also be offered to Sainsbury's online customers via a collection service by delivery drivers from December 27 until January 12, so it couldn't be easier! Make a New Year's resolution you can keep - recycle your Christmas cards and help raise money for FSC.

Rosie Teasdale

Deputy Director FSC UK