Footpaths are not always safely accessible for all
Natural England is ‘urging’ farmers to replace stiles with gates ‘to make footpaths more accessible to people with pushchairs and wheelchairs.’ With the greatest respect, I would suggest most rural footpaths are suitable only for walkers, preferably wearing wellington boots.
So-called ‘self-closing’ gates regularly do not close and are frequently left open by walkers. Livestock get out and wander onto highways, causing accidents at worst or inconvenience. Alternatively, they get into arable fields or neighbours’ gardens, where they cause damage, stuff themselves and end up dying from bloat.
Alternatively, gates do swing closed with an almighty crash, creating enough noise to wake the dead, and irritate anyone living or working nearby.
Stiles are also a deterrent to determined cyclists who consider any cross-country track or pathway fair game, despite not being a bridleway. When politely being informed that footpaths are for walking not cycling, I regularly have both my parentage and right to spoil their ‘fun’, questioned!
We will certainly not be replacing our stiles, particularly those on the boundaries of the farm. Our main priority is the safety of our livestock and of course the health and safety of those who choose to walk.
Sadly, neither a wheelchair nor pushchair should be considered safe transport when traversing muddy fields, particularly when occupied by a bunch of lively bullocks or other livestock.
Some local councils and head teachers are deciding what members of the public and school children should and should not eat.
Surely these people are the servants of the people, not our masters? I am not sure it is their job to decide what their fellow ‘employees’, guests, or employers (children being educated) should be allowed to eat.
Barrowford Primary School in Lancashire has, according to various national newspaper reports, banned meat from pupil’s school lunches because the head teacher believes this demonstrates ‘how each of us making a small change to our daily habits can have a much wider positive impact.’
Too right it can. I would suggest the ‘impact’ on livestock farmers and children’s health could be significant, particularly those on free school meals. Lunch is possibly the main meal of their day and should be healthy and well balanced, certainly containing good healthy meat at least three out of five days of the school week. Growing children must eat well-balanced diets to ensure they grow strong and healthy.
The guidelines regarding gender and the use of pronouns are becoming increasingly ridiculous. As too are the often compulsory ‘indoctrination’ classes most of us at one time or another have been forced to attend, covering diversity, gender recognition and much else besides.
Our parents, grandparents and ancestors managed perfectly well without being ‘educated’ on these subjects. People rubbed along together quite well, and in fact there was far less racism, issues regarding gender and intolerance of people who are ‘different’.
Most of us take others as we find them. We care not about colour, sexual orientation or the political direction they choose to follow.
We do however care deeply about behaviour, good manners and showing kindness and tolerance to others. This is what influences our opinions.
We are all equal, until we decide to insist upon being aggressively ‘different’.
■ To read Carola’s columns in full, go to: carolagodmanirvine.com