Kind thanks

I AM the mother of an Avon and Somerset police officer. My son carried out a ‘scene guard’ duty in the city of Salisbury during the heavy snow fall last week.

This was obviously necessary following the very shocking news relating to the attempted murder of the Russian spy.

I would like to thank members of public in your city for the kindness they showed my son and other members of the police present during his shift.

Hot drinks and food offered throughout the day, people stopping just to say thanks for being there. Two young lads even built a snowman to keep him company.

In these days when the Police are constantly being criticised for carrying out a difficult job, with minimal staffing numbers, it was a pleasant change for them to be shown appreciation.

I have no other way of saying thank you to the lovely people of Salisbury who have suffered the shock of recent events.

Name and address supplied

Media hype

WHEN is this spies nonsense ending? Sergei and Yulia have come to grief - if you are a spy that comes with the job. The media, for lack of other news, have hyped the wickedness beyond reason. Porton Down seem to have paraded their ignorance - and won a massive handout for their pains. Legions of expensive, and usually invisible, police officers, are held here in bored attendance. Then poor Mrs May, while her ship of state drifts onto the rocks of Brexit, is fetched to Salisbury to make a photo opportunity for the Great God TV .

For myself I went to a prayer meeting that majored on this charade and went to bed afterwards wondering if something nasty had been put in my cocoa. Enough is surely enough.

Tom Ridout, Salisbury

Toxic mess

WHILE it can only be vital to clean up the toxic chemical mess in Salisbury, it is far more important to clean up the toxic political mess that has allowed the creation of the disaster in the first place.

It is British public officials who have arranged for and assisted Russian spies to set up home in Salisbury and probably elsewhere in the British Isles. No member of the public can possibly know how many or where! It is for Amber Rudd Home Secretary, local MP John Glen, and other members of the British government to ensure that serious remedial action is taken and that the British public officials who are responsible are now publicly exposed. This can only be achieved through open and transparent investigation. It is more commonly known as naming and shaming.

Clearly the British public officials responsible have put Salisbury’s public at very serious risk. Not to publicly and officially deal with those British public officials can only constitute dereliction of responsibility on the part of those now holding public office and thus representing the current public interest. The only guarantee is that the actual criminal perpetrator is long gone.

Eric G Hart, Salisbury

Superb city

I AM a serving police officer and as part of mutual aid I was working in your beautiful city this weekend.

I cannot talk about what’s happening as you are aware, but would like to put into writing and hope you pass on my following comments to your residents.

You made me and my colleagues feel welcome, the amount of coffee and food provided to us, and the welcome afforded us made me feel proud to be serving in your city.

Your residents were superb and I really enjoyed meeting and speaking to them. Their kindness and gratitude made a very cold officer glow inside.

Thank you to you all, you were fantastic, I look forward to returning on a warmer day with my family.

Terry Phillips, Avon and Somerset Police

Outstanding

I WAS born in Odstock Hospital in 1955, grew up in Fovant and went to school at Saint Joseph’s Laverstock and Salisbury Technical College (1970-1972).

I would like to thank the Salisbury Journal for an outstanding job on reporting on the Russian Spy poisoning.

You have provided outstanding updated reporting on the Salisbury Journal website.

I now live in Cromwell, Connecticut, USA. I have been very glued to the website every day since it has happened. Please keep up the great reporting.

Martin Boatwright, Connecticut USA

Of Mice and Men WELL done to everyone involved in the brilliant production, Of Mice & Men, at the Playhouse.

The cast were, without exception, superb. Richard Keightley and Matthew Wynn, who played the central, tragic duo George and Lennie, appeared genuinely moved – and drained – at the end. These must be emotionally exhausting roles to play.

The parties of schoolchildren among the audience experienced Steinbeck’s classic brought to life in a thrilling way that will, I hope, help encourage them in lifelong habits of reading and theatregoing.

You could tell by the hushed tones of the departing crowd after the final applause that they’d been completely involved in the unfolding drama, and that this was one to linger in the mind for a long time.

I’ve been to quite a few Playhouse productions in the last year or two. Not one has been a dud, but this one was a cracker. We are lucky to have a theatre with such consistently high standards in our small city.

Annie Riddle, Harnham

Nightmare visit

I VISITED Salisbury last freezing Saturday for the kindness and help shown by the wonderful Shopmobility volunteers only to find hugely dangerous areas where re-paving had been left unsafe, disabled access signs not indicating where they were and police unfamiliar with the area, uninformed uniformed non-local police unable to help, it was nightmare experience for a visitor trying to support retail.

Marilyn Warburton, Verwood

Help in the snow

I WOULD like to sing the praises of the people who helped my daughter and I on Thursday afternoon/evening (March 1) in the snow. Although I don’t know their names, I hope they will recognise who they are.On a long car journey home from Salisbury to Boscombe Down there were two groups of people that helped us. The first were some residents at the top of Ashley Road who saw us shovelling snow to try and free our stuck car. They came to our aid, as well as a rescue vehicle that was passing. With all their efforts we made it to Devizes Road – we cannot thank them enough. The rest of our journey was dicey in the, by now, hazardous conditions. We then got stuck once again at Solstice Park and it was back to the shovelling. A Land Rover then turned up and two men came to our aid. They towed us back just around the corner from our front door and informed us that they had been helping people for most of the day – what great guys. Our 10 mile journey had taken us just over 5 hours but without those kind people it would have been much longer and we are so grateful for all those who helped and went that extra mile to get us home. It just goes to show how great people can be – thank you.

Maureen Warren, Boscombe Down

Hospital praise

WITH all our A & E department have had to deal with in the last couple of weeks I wanted to let everyone know they are still managing to look after the rest of us rather well! At the tender age of 61 I managed to fall off a ladder... I know, I can hear your chuckles wondering what an earth I was doing! Well despite my reckless behaviour, I only had to wait 10 minutes to be initially assessed. Both the nurses and doctors who treated me were fantastic; a great mix of humour and the utmost care to ensure I hadn’t seriously injured myself. Within a very short space of time they organised an MRI to give them a complete picture. Thankfully I was very lucky and with the promise of my daughter looking after me I was allowed home to recuperate. We really are so fortunate to have such a capable team team looking after us all.

Nick Ludlow, Salisbury

Dramatic shift

IN April 2015 I retired from nursing and the following June a friend of mine was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. As his wife has dementia they both felt overwhelmed by his diagnosis and asked me to help. I was more than willing to help nurse him (sadly he only survived 10 days from diagnosis) but during that time it became clear that in the Salisbury area there was no hospice care at home service in place.

Following my friend’s death (peacefully at home) I wrote an impassioned letter to Salisbury Hospice complaining of the lack of home support and was informed that letter played a pivotal part in establishing the present excellent Hospice at Home service they have today. This week I have written another letter to the head of service for the Salisbury Specialist Palliative Care team congratulating them on the excellent service they are now providing for another friend of mine.

What a difference two years can make! The Salisbury Palliative Care team should be very proud of this mammoth shift (although Hospice at Home is totally charitably funded by the Salisbury Hospice Charitable Trust). Of course it must be acknowledged that monies are donated altruistically by the kind people of Salisbury and surrounding areas.

My only hope is that this incredible service will continue to survive in financially trying times.

Sara Devane, Fordingbridge