Letters - November 22, 2019

May I, on behalf of Friends of Real Lancashire, encourage Lancashire folk to celebrate our wonderful county on Wednesday, November 27 - whether it’s having drink with friends, holding a Lancashire quiz or a charity event, or even visiting somewhere in Lancashire you’ve never been to before.

Town criers will be out and about giving the Lancashire Day Cry.

Of course, we are very honoured as a county as her Majesty the Queen is Duke of Lancaster.

Perhaps schools may like to give a little time in their curriculum to talk about Lancashire.

It’s worth remembering that this day is about ‘Real Lancashire’. In other words, the historic, geographical, traditional or, as some will say, “Proper Lancashire”.

That’s the area from the River Duddon in the north to the River Mersey in the South, from the Irish Sea to the Pennines.

The term ‘Old Lancashire’ should never be used because the boundaries are still there.

Because so much attention has been given to the smaller administration area of Lancashire since 1974, there are many younger people who will not be aware of how large our real county is.

The boundary is approximately 432 miles!

You cannot talk about the history or traditions of Lancashire without including the cities of Manchester, Salford and Liverpool or the towns of Warrington, Wigan, St Helens, Southport, Oldham, Rochdale and Bury.

Then there are the Lake District towns of Barrow and Ulverston and the villages of Grange-over-Sands, Coniston and Hawkshead.

Friends of Real Lancashire and our parent organisation, the Association of British Counties, have been campaigning for nearly 30 years to have proper signage restored on our county boundaries.

There is still some way to go but in April we were encouraged by the release of a document by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government - Guidance on Celebrating the Historic Counties of England.

The eight-page guidance was designed to encourage community pride and help families learn about local traditions.

It stated that local authorities should also fly their county flags and erect signs which show where historic boundaries lie.

Work has already started. Trafford Council erected a sign on the River Mersey at Flixton, showing that the river was the historic boundary between Lancashire and Cheshire.

We hope other councils will follow.

For more information about Real Lancashire, please visit our website www.forl.co.uk

Philip Walsh

Chairman

Friends of Real Lancashire

Praise

Thanks for your help after my fall

Last Monday I had a bad fall at Blackpool north station. I would like to sincerely thank all those who came to my aid. The cabbies and the station staff were wonderful and did everything they could to make me comfortable until the ambulance arrived.

I would also like to thank the paramedics and the overworked staff in A&E at Blackpool Victoria Hospital for their care.

Leslie Ince

Blackpool

Appeal

Help pets over this Christmas

PDSA is a vital lifeline for pets and owners, saving thousands of sick and injured pets’ lives every year and keeping families together. But with no government funding, we need your help to take care of precious pets in need of urgent treatment this Christmas.

Our devoted vet teams will treat over 41,000 much-loved pets this December including fixing broken bones, treating chronic conditions and relieving suffering and pain.. If it wasn’t for us, many of these much-loved pets wouldn’t get the care they desperately need and deserve.

All pets are stars in our eyes, and we’ll do all that we can to keep them shining bright. It’s only with your donations that we can help keep best friends side-by-side this Christmas.

Pet lovers can support our #SaveAStar appeal by visiting www.pdsa.org.uk/stars where you can read real life stories about pets we’ve saved and cared for.

Even the smallest gift can make the biggest difference to pets in need, and will help make Christmas the happy and special time it should be.

On behalf of the pets whose lives you’ll help save, thank you.

Olivia Anderson-Nathan

PDSA Veterinary Surgeon

Appeal

Helping you to leave a will

It has been well documented that several high-profile celebrities have died recently without a will - including musicians Avicii, Prince and Amy Winehouse. However, despite this raising pertinent questions about the estates of some well-known individuals, this has not translated into enough awareness among the general public about why we all need a will.

At Will Aid, the charity will-writing campaign, we recently carried out a survey which revealed that half of adults in the UK do not have this vital piece of paperwork. This month there are solicitors around the UK offering to produce this document in exchange for a voluntary donation to Will Aid – so there has never been a better time than right now to get your affairs in order.

We want to talk to all the people out there who have avoided confronting the inevitability of death – and urge them to plan ahead to make what will be an awful time for friends and family, that little bit easier.

Will Aid Month happens every November and encourages people to get a professionally written will with the help of a solicitor. Law firms volunteer their time and expertise to write basic wills, waiving their fee, with clients being invited to make a voluntary donation to Will Aid instead. Donations support the vital work of the nine partner charities. (ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, Sightsavers, SCIAF (Scotland) and Trocaire (Northern Ireland).

To find your nearest solicitor or for more information, visit www.willaid.org.uk.

Peter de Vena Franks

Campaign Director

Will Aid