Letters (September 2009)
Back to menu
'Building a Common Future'
Dear Editor,
My MP is Alan Campbell and he has always conscientiously replied to communications sent to him about poverty, climate change and the third world, and so on. In fact he now reciprocates and sends his correspondents unsolicited mail! There is so much to think about and to know about that one feels overwhelmed, but I would like to pass on to readers some information that has most recently arrived.
It is to draw our attention to ‘the Department for International Development’ and to the White Paper, ‘Building a Common Future’. Mr Campbell is bold enough to write that “DFID is now widely acknowledged, not just as the best aid administration in the world, but as an outstanding development agency.”
If this is true, perhaps we Christians should try to understand what it is doing and explain it to others. It spends our money! - we remember our country is committed to spend on development 0.7% of gross national product. So, anyone can explore all this - by subscribing to Developments’, a free magazine and website [www.developments.org.uk/subscribe ] - the White Paper can be accessed at www.dfid.gov.uk/common future (or your MP will provide a hard copy) - the Statement of July 2009 by Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for DFID, introducing the Paper, can be explored via Hansard (columns 701-4) [try www.publications.parliament.uk ]
We write to our MPs to challenge them - here’s a case of my MP challenging me! At least I can share the challenge with some Anglican church people!
Leonard Skinner,
Whitley Bay
Back to top
Farewell from Pat Gurr
Dear Friends,
By the time you read this I shall be cruising the Atlantic, but I just wanted, through the pages of Link, to thank everyone who sent me their good wishes on my retirement. I have been overwhelmed by the amount of calls, cards, e-mails, flowers, and gifts, I have received. So many people took the time to be in touch with me to wish me well and I really do appreciate your generosity, thoughtfulness and kind words.
It has been a pleasure and privilege to work in the Bishop’s office for the last 22 years and to get to know so many people from around the Diocese. I know I shall miss it, but I feel ready for retirement and am greatly looking forward to new challenges and opportunities.
Pat Gurr,
Bishop’s House
Back to top
Concern for future of local day centres
Dear Editor,
We (a number of Anglican clergy along with ecumenical colleagues) are writing to express our dismay and concern following the news of a proposed consultation on the future of Northumberland Council day centres for the elderly in our area. There has already been plenty of comment in the local press on this subject from the providers as to the lack of uptake of existing services which, they claim, has prompted this consultation. There have also been many swift and angry responses from the client’s point of view on the difficulties of accessing other suitable provision. Working as we do with many elderly people who are still managing to live in their own homes, our main concern is the impact these proposed closures will have on the carers, many of whom are of pensionable age themselves. From our experience, we know of many cases where the spouse or partner, son or daughter, who is the main carer, depends on the elderly person’s visit to the day centre for their only break in a relentless 24 hour/7 days a week cycle of care. Take this respite away and we may find that we end up with many more people, both clients and their present carers, all in need of full time care. The increased pressure on local health centres, hospitals and residential care homes will soon start to take its toll. It is to be hoped that our voices will be heard in the consultation process and that common sense will prevail.
Canon Janet Brearley; Revd John Pugh; Revd Margaret Hobrough; Revd Greg Thompson; Revd Wendy Aird; Revd Velda Nicholson; Revd Diane Westmoreland; Canon Dennis Winter; Revd Peter Lear; Canon Ian Knox; Revd Mike Catling; Revd Simon White; Revd Rachel Squires; Revd Peter Sutcliffe.
Back to top