Letters - August 22, 2016

Talbot Road tram plans falling short
Emergency services at the scene on Dickson Road as  a woman in her 20s threatened to jump. No one, says Marelyn Manning, will know whether or not they - or one of their family members  will one day need the help this girl needed last weekEmergency services at the scene on Dickson Road as  a woman in her 20s threatened to jump. No one, says Marelyn Manning, will know whether or not they - or one of their family members  will one day need the help this girl needed last week
Emergency services at the scene on Dickson Road as a woman in her 20s threatened to jump. No one, says Marelyn Manning, will know whether or not they - or one of their family members  will one day need the help this girl needed last week

Transport

Trams should run right up to station

Lancashire Campaign for Better Transport welcomes plans to extend Blackpool’s successful tramway to the Talbot Gateway.

This will allow rail visitors immediate access to the tram service.

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It will create a modern image at a key gateway, upgrading the present shabby first impression. Taxi drivers need not fear loss of business since they can still drive competitively to places beyond the tramway.

It’s a pity that the new tramway stops short of the station, forcing visitors to use the horrid, unsafe feeling, subway. Trams should run next to the station like they do in many European cities. There should also be a modern transport interchange so that passengers can move between rail, trams, buses, coaches and taxis. Tram tickets and passes should be on sale inside the station alongside clear customer information, maps and timetables. Blackpool Council needs a positive, European-style ambition for its transport planning.

Aidan Turner-Bishop

Secretary

Lancashire Campaign for Better Transport

Mental health

Building jump horror highlights funding

I refer to the article in The Gazette on Monday August 15 where it was reported that a mother had to stand among a gathered crowd, a number of which were shouting for this mother’s daughter to ‘...kill herself...and to jump...’ off the top of Wilko’s car park.

Utterly unbelievable and utterly sad.

Anyone threatening to jump to their death needs help, love and support. No-one knows whether or not he/she – or one of their family members – will one day need the help this girl needed last week. What makes someone think it is acceptable to encourage another to jump and kill herself? It is a question I cannot answer. What I am sure of is that funds are woefully inadequate when it comes to mental health issues. I know that one much-loved member of my family took a serious overdose in November 1999 but, having survived in Intensive Care for a fortnight and on Ward 15 for a further week, was referred to a psychologist, the first available appointment being in April the following year!

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It was a massive struggle trying to keep him ‘safe’ until then. I was pleased when the new mental health unit (The Harbour, Whyndyke Farm) opened, however it does appear that, despite a small fortune being spent on building the unit, the all-important patient still has to wait for help; waiting for help when suffering a mental health issue should not be an option. I do hope the young lady in question here is receiving immediate and compassionate attention. Those who disgracefully screamed at her to ‘jump’ and ‘kill yourself’ may one day realise – through experience – that their kind of action was barbaric and belongs in medieval times.

Marelyn Manning

Address supplied

Appeal

Save elephants from brutal treatment

World Elephant Day took place this month and I would like to bring your readers attention to the plight of elephants used in tourism, festivals and temples across India and South East Asia.

Baby and calf elephants are often beaten to death with hammers, iron bars and knives as part of their training for a life of abuse in tourism, festivals and temples.

The organisation Save The Asian Elephants is working to raise public awareness and to exert influence on governments and the tourist industry to stop these brutal activities.

Marjorie Lishman

Via email

Appeal

How super is your super pet?

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Leading vet charity, PDSA, is currently inviting young people to enter their ‘Super Pets’ photo competition and be in with a chance of winning some awesome prizes, including a VIP tour of one of their Pet Hospitals and a professional photo shoot with their pet.

The competition is free to enter and open to anyone aged 16 or under. There are three categories for entries; Under 10’s, 10-13 and 14-16. Photos should be emailed to [email protected] with ‘Pet Photo Competition 2016’ in the subject header, along with the child’s full name and date of birth. Winning entries will be chosen by celebrity vet and PDSA supporter, Steve Leonard. The closing date for entries is Friday 9 September 2016.

Rachel Sutherland

Education Programme Manager

PDSA

Appeal

All nationalities need to help fight cancer

It is sad to say many people still die from blood cancers like leukaemia, not only in this country but around the world as well.

When a person gets blood cancer, there are two forms of treatment – chemotherapy and radiotherapy but it is only successful in three out 10 occasions.

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This treatment is followed then by asking the people’s relatives for a stem cell or bone marrow transplant but again that is only successful in one out six attempts.

If all the normal treatments fail, the doctor then contacts a charity like Anthony Nolan, who have a list of people willing to give their own stem cells or bone marrow to those people who have failed the normal treatment to see if they can save that ill person’s life from certain death.

The reason I am sending this email to you is because of the drastic shortage on our register of people of different nationalities.

These life-saving transplants are based on cell tissue type and not blood groups as most normal operations are based upon.

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For example if someone of Chinese origin gets leukaemia, the only person that is likely to be match and to possibly save that person’s life is a Chinese person.

The same applies to a person from Africa.

David Ball

www.Anthony nolan.org.uk