Pong from air fresheners is not to be sniffed at

Dear Editor, Is there any legislation regarding the use of air fresheners in public places?

At the Brandon Gate council offices the atmosphere is full of the stuff.

Air fresheners can be seen on shelves behind the Q&A desks. The Job Centre is no better. These are chemical irritants and there is no valid reason for them to be used in public areas.

They give me migraines and make me feel itchy.

The same goes for the toilets in Asda in Hamilton with the ‘puff out’ PHS machines.

Air fresheners have nothing to do with hygiene. That’s a job for the cleaners. I’d be interested in other readers’ views on the subject.

Most of the folk I’ve spoken to agree with what I say.

Elaine Mcintosh The Furlongs Hamilton

Dear Editor, I’m 68 years old and have osteoarthritis. I’m writing to you today to urge readers affected by arthritis to join me in sharing their everyday experiences and support Arthritis Research UK’S new campaign, pushing back the limits of arthritis.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have the loving network of friends and family that I do.

I’m confident that whatever life may throw my way, they will be there to support me.

Despite this, the pain and fatigue of arthritis can feel isolating and can attack what it means to live; it affects every aspect of my life.

I’ve been living with arthritis for over five years now, and some days the pain makes it difficult for me to do something as simple as carrying the washing upstairs.

Over the years, I’ve picked up little tips and tricks that help me throughout the day.

During October and November, the charity Arthritis Research UK is asking people like me to share their experiences of day-to-day living with arthritis in their Share your Everyday campaign.

Ten million of us in the UK are living with arthritis, and together we can shape the big ideas and little changes to push back the limits and live the lives we want to. By sharing my story in this campaign, I hope that I will be able to pass on a bit of wisdom that could help make a real day-to-day difference to other people.

With everyone’s support, we can help to make living with arthritis that little bit easier.

Join me and share your everyday experiences of living with arthritis to help Arthritis Research UK find our everyday freedom: www.arthritisresearchuk.org/ share your everyday

Nora Boswell, living with arthritis Dear Editor,

Thursday, October 13, was Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day – 24 hours devoted to shining a spotlight on the final stage of this devastating and common disease.

Almost 1000 women in the UK die of breast cancer every year and the majority of these deaths are caused by secondary breast cancer - when the disease has spread to other parts of the body.

Women living with secondary breast cancer often tell us that they feel like a forgotten group.

They want more discussion and awareness of the challenges that they face.

That is why we have now launched our ‘Dear Breast Cancer’ campaign.

Our amazing supporter Lesley Stephen kick-started the campaign with a powerful letter to her breast cancer tumour.

It’s an honest, powerful and thoughtprovoking account of living with secondary breast cancer.

We want people to read Lesley’s letter on our website and, if they feel inspired, to write about their own experience of secondary breast cancer.

Every letter we receive helps us to highlight what it means to have breast cancer or to have lost someone to the disease.

At Breast Cancer Now we spend almost a fifth of our funding on secondary breast cancer research.

We are committed to our aim that by 2050 no one will die of breast cancer, but we can’t do this alone.

Write your own letter at http://breastcancernow.org/news-and-blogs/ blogs/dear-breast-cancer

Mary Allison, Director for Scotland, Breast Cancer Now