Take your pick to help farms

THOSE of us who are fortunate enough to live in Southport sometimes forget that within a five to 10-minute drive the vast majority of us will be in rural areas, so their well being is of critical importance to the town.

They are clearly struggling with the basic issue of harvesting and we have had the ridiculous situation of groups of farmers and land owners joining together and paying for charter flights to bring in workers from Romania, which clearly indicates that we really will have to have a system for the future which recognises the needs of this critical part of our economy.

I make no pretence at being an expert on rural affairs but I have possibly had the advantage of spending a short period of time, more or less on an annual basis for the past 60 years, on a 150-acre farm in Ontario, Canada which was owned by my uncle.

He was not in turn a farmer and he rented a lot of the land out to the farms adjoining his own which has been in our family since 1863 and by Canadian standards was small.

Here in the UK I know of numerous people who go fruit picking on farms – particularly for strawberries – and then turn these into homemade jams and preserves so I simply put forward the thought that if schemes as this could be extended then at least it might help to a degree with fruit and vegetable provision.

Those volunteering to undertake such work could clearly be rewarded with an amount of free produce which they could either have for personal consumption or donated to the many splendid groups of people we have who are doing all they can to maintain food supplies to certain elements of people in our society who need help.

Here in Southport we are literally on the doorstep – so I hope that these comments might provide

“food for thought”.

Cllr Sir Ron Watson Dukes Ward councillor

ALLOW TIME FOR GRIEF

THE current pandemic has highlighted the importance of family and friends being able to mark the passing of loved ones, even if we can’t say goodbye in more traditional ways.

The British Psychological Society’s Covid-19 bereavement task force has released a new online leaflet, Continuing Bonds, which suggests alternative ways to help us remember friends and family who die due to the pandemic.

Funerals are currently disrupted, with the number of attendees limited in many cases due to the social distancing restrictions.

It is still important for the grieving process that we are able to mark someone’s passing, particularly if a regular funeral is not possible, and the leaflet gives six suggestions, including simple gestures like lighting a candle or planting a seed, alongside ways to make a lasting tribute, such as a virtual memorial, Facebook page or memory box.

Sadly many more people than normal are experiencing bereavement right now, and the emotional effects are exacerbated by us being unable to see friends and family, or have funerals in the way that we normally do.

It’s crucial that we are able to mark the time of someone’s passing, and I hope that these suggestions help people to do that, even if it is an interim solution until larger gatherings and memorial services are possible.

Continuing Bonds is the latest in a suite of resources produced by the BPS’s Covid-19 bereavement task force, all of which can be viewed on our website.

Prof Nichola Rooney Chair BPS Covid-19 bereavement task force