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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor, I am writing to express my deep regret that the preview of our 2019 Special Stamps included a stamp design which was incorrectly associated with the D-Day landings.
I am sincerely sorry for this mistake and the hurt it has caused, in particular to veterans and those who lost loved ones.
I would like to reassure them, our people and our customers that this stamp will not be part of our set to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
We are asking veterans’ associations to share this message with their members. I hope to work with some of them to ensure the final stamps reflect the significance of the D-Day landings and the courage and sacrifice of those who took part. Nonetheless, we have let you down. On behalf of Royal Mail, I would like to say again how sorry I am.
Stephen Agar Managing Director Royal Mail Group Dear Editor,
This is a call out to all chocoholics, cocoa bean lovers and confectionary enthusiasts!
A suggestion, a plea, an idea that will exercise willpower and strength whilst helping those in Scotland who are living with heart and circulatory diseases.
Dechox! I’m asking the people of Scotland to forget the ordinary New Year detoxes, and instead just cut one beloved item from your pantry throughout the month of February – chocolate.
Each and every year, heart and circulatory diseases kills one in four people in the UK – 15,300 of whom are from Scotland.
Money raised by those brave enough to take on the challenge will go towards the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) life saving research into heart and circulatory diseases.
Last year, we saw more than 18,000 chocolate lovers raise an astounding £1 million towards vital research, but with your help, we think we can raise even more in 2019.
By standing up to heart and circulatory disease and saying NO to chocolate this February, we’ll be one step closer to beating heartbreak forever!
Sign up at www.bhf.org.uk/dechox
Adrian Adams DECHOX Warrior at the British Heart Foundation Dear Editor,
Reading list MSP for Glasgow James Kelly’s comments on the Finance Secretary Derek MacKay’s budget, I’d like to draw Mr Kelly’s attention to something in his article. I refer in particular to his demand that the SNP mitigate the cruel two child benefits cap imposed by the Tory government. Perhaps his memory is poor, so I will remind him that Labour MPs at Westminster failed to vote against the two child cap when it was included in the Tory government’s austerity policies in 2015. If it is not a memory lapse, then his demand smacks of hyporcisy.
Robert Brennan Machrie Road, Castlemilk Dear Editor,
The news that Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) is to base a second life-saving helicopter air ambulance at Aberdeen has been met with widespread support from the people of Scotland.
We start 2019 full of hope that we can deliver on that promise during this year - to launch a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) operation in the north-east - callsign Helimed 79 - that will serve the whole of Scotland alongside its charity stablemate (Helimed 76) at Perth and two government-funded helicopter air ambulances based at Glasgow and Inverness and two fixed-wing aircraft at Glasgow and Aberdeen.
In order to realise our goal, however, we rely on the continued support and generosity of the people of Scotland.
Their unstinting backing has ensured SCAA has provided a first-class single helicopter HEMS operation, funded entirely by charitable donations for the past five years.
Your continued giving will allow us to operate two aircraft - effectively doubling the number of fast-reaction helicopter air ambulance resources in Scotland.
Over the years, SCAA has responded to nearly 2,000 time-critical emergencies in every corner of the country. Many lives have been saved thanks to you and many others have been improved and hundreds of patients have recovered more quickly because of their rapid transfer to definitive hospital care.
SCAA can provide the expertise to save lives but only you can provide the funds to keep us flying.
Let 2019 be a year to remember for everyone - the year the people of Scotland helped launch Helimed 79 on its life-saving service to fly help and hope to every community.
Visit: www.scaa.org.uk to help us today so that we can be there to help you tomorrow. David Craig, Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA)