Readers' letters - May 17

Drones are becoming an increasing nuisance in this country.

The pilots of these craft need a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) licence to fly them and take images.

Unfortunately so many people who buy these drones do not fly them within the CAA regulations. These apply to all drones, no matter what the size.

People who buy them think just because they can fly them in their back garden or local park, it is okay to do so.

It is easy to check the regulation on the CAA website but some simple ones are you cannot fly within 50m of a road or property that you do not have the owner’s permission to fly.

So, unless you have a garden 100m square, you cannot fly in your back garden unless you have the consent of all your neighbours.

Please, if you have a drone, please take the trouble to fly it safely and legally and do not annoy others with it.

Ivan Kovacks

via email

health

Warning to diabetics

I write this letter to warn all diabetics, particularly type one, of the change in content of Lucozade original.

This is a product used universally, on doctor’s advice, by all diabetics, to bring them round when experiencing an episode of low blood sugar.

I have been away from home for a few days, walking and sightseeing, which does lower blood sugar, but with 40 years experience of the condition, I knew how to deal with it.

However, I was unable to do so, drinking copious amounts of Lucozade to no avail.

This has caused considerable upset to me, family and friends. I thought my diabetes was out of control.

Only now have I noticed the Lucozade tastes slightly different, and on checking whether any changes in content have occurred – yes, there were. As of April, 50 per cent of the sugar has been replaced with sweeteners.

Obviously, this is following Government guidelines, to counteract obesity and cut type two diabetes, but for us type one diabetics, it is a life or death matter.

There could well be coma, even resulting in death, particularly in the frail and elderly who are unaware of this change.

If Lucozade put something obvious on their bottles (such as new, low sugar recipe), this would be helpful.

Could Lucozade perhaps provide original recipe bottles to surgeries and chemists?

I do hope this letter may alert people unaware of this important matter.

Anne marie Mason

Address supplied

politics

Not so strong and stable

Arguably, the forthcoming general election on June 8 is an important event for a country at a cross-roads in its existence.

Forty years plus of EU membership has been rightly or wrongly assigned to the garbage can and we currently have a leader who has still to be severely tested upon the international stage.

Yet, Mrs May wants us to give her a mandate to rule because she offers ‘strong’ and ‘stable’ leadership.

In reality, what Mrs May is really offering us is the status quo of a Conservative administration, and one offering continuing ‘austerity’.

In what way exactly is Mrs May doing the good job that I hear people often refer to? She hasn’t done anything as yet as far as I can see, apart from calling an early general election and chasing after Donald Trump, even before he had time to develop creases in his presidential pants. Mrs May is certainly very good at self-promotion, I’ll grant you that. But really, ‘strong’ and ‘stable’ leadership?

When we look at Mrs May’s leadership record within office since 2010, we see abject failure.

People seem to forget that it was Mrs May’s inability as Home Secretary to control immigration that was a key decider in the European Referendum. Mrs May also refuses to meet Corbyn in a televised head-to-head, while closely orchestrating and pre-selecting journalist questions put to her “on-the-road”.

Mrs May has a reputation for not being able to think on her feet.

A sign of a good leader? I think not.

Paul Dodenhoff

via email

community

Thanks to a kind shopper

My faith was restored in human kindness when, on Thursday, May 11, my purse fell out of my handbag onto the car park at Booths in Garstang and I drove off unawares.

I was delighted when Booths rang me to say that someone had handed it in.

They gave me the name of that person, who was Sandra Mather.

I am so grateful to her and wanted to say thank you.

However, the telephone contact they gave me had a digit missing.

I didn’t realise this until I tried to tell her the next day by which time Booths had erased all their records.

I would be so grateful if Sandra , or anyone who knows her, could get in touch with me on 01995 602974 so that I can show my appreciation.

It is wonderful to know that there are good and honest people in Garstang.

Thank you Sandra!

Judith Taylor

via email

memories

Old pals act from overseas

Re: Alan Birtwistle, Fond farewells to ‘Mr Adlington’

Many years ago, Alan came to a few “work-dos” – we were the group, R Bowlings, Maple Leaf Hatchery, Cample Hatchey, Adlington Hall Farm etc.

Alan was a lovely man and did a brilliant job, this would be in the 60s and 70s.

Not many years ago – probably three – I was on holiday in Penang, Malaysia, and was asked by someone where I was from – for a smile, I said Abbey Village, and was immediately asked if I knew John Patefield, Derek Johson and Alan Birtwistle!

A gob-shocking moment, as I well knew them all!

His fame had spread.

Bob Mason

Brinscall