No mention of disaster
Dear Editor, I have recently returned home to Australia following a six-week holiday in Scotland, basing myself in Hamilton, my old home town.
This was my first trip back since migrating at the age of 14 with my family in 1964.
I was pleased to see that my old town was looking fine in the main and the people quite happy and fairly prosperous.
However, there were a couple of mining-related things that jarred with me.
I had a look at the Low Parks Museum’s tribute to mining in South Lanarkshire.
The museum admirably showcased the Blantyre disaster, but failed even to mention the Udston colliery explosion which occurred on May 28, 1887, around 10 years after Blantyre, and resulted in the deaths of 73 men and boys.
I note on a personal level as two of the miners killed were my great grand-uncles, Walter Penman (22) and Thomas Penman (20).
Surely there was scope to mention the Udston disaster where many local families, whose members still reside in Hamilton, were subject to the most horrific of times.
The other annoyance was the condition of the plaque in Brandon Street.
The wording is almost illegible and the plaque is in a very poor state. Is anyone responsible for its upkeep?
It makes no sense to have a tribute statue if no one knows its significance!
Billy Pattison Mcdonald Road Rye Victoria Australia Dear Editor After watching the amazingly powerful film I, Daniel Blake this week, I’m writing to urge readers to stand up against period poverty in the UK.
As a woman living in this country, I consider myself lucky that the costs of tampons and sanitary towels isn’t something outwith my price range.
Watching the scene in the film where a young mother tries to shoplift sanitary products because her benefits have been sanctioned and she can’t even afford basic necessities for her family, it really hit home for me just how wrong it is that we don’t consider the provision of sanitary products as a fundamental human right.
Women and girls can’t always accurately predict when they will start their period and when they do, those living in poverty are not always able to afford to buy the products.
This is morally wrong. Every woman and girl should be able to have access to sanitary products as and when they need them – to be able to do so is a right, not a luxury.
Yet it remains a fact in our society that not everyone has the ability to access them.
Poverty can indeed be a major barrier but it’s also not the only factor. Consider, for example, teenage girls at school who might take their period during the school day.
They may not always be able to seek assistance if they can’t afford these products, and there is an added stress if they’re forced to approach the school office about it and are not comfortable doing so.
I think it’s clear that we should be offering these products to girls for free, and without them having to ask.
The stigma or embarrassment that often surrounds periods prevents open discussion about this gendered inequality – and we need to break these barriers down.
I’ve been impressed by the recent efforts of Central Scotland MSP and Hamilton councillor Monica Lennon in raising this issue with the health minister and in a debate at the Scottish Parliament and hope that readers will be able to support her campaign.
As a society we need to focus more attention on this important issue which affects women and girls right across the country, so that we can eradicate this gendered health inequality for good.
Councillor Lynsey Hamilton Clydesdale West