November 28
SCBU 'a necessity' On August 25, I went to West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury St Edmunds, in labour with my first baby.
I was only just 34 weeks, pregnant. On arrival at the hospital and after being examined it was confirmed that as well as being in premature labour, my baby was breach and if the baby was to be born now it would need to be by C-section.
The consultant and midwives at WSH were fantastic. They explained that they needed to quickly move me to another hospital as they could not deliver my baby at WSH as the SCBU was full.
The staff at WSH maternity unit called around all local SCBU units and, luckily, Hinchinbrooke Hospital, in Huntingdon, was able to take me.
The staff at WSH where all brilliant and one of the midwives stayed with me during my emergency ambulance transfer. They all seemed genuinely concerned about the situation.
We were transferred successfully and, about five hours later, my little boy was delivered safely.
We spent 10 days in Hinchinbrooke which meant a round trip of more than 120 miles daily for my husband and family to visit us.
The staff at Hinchingbrooke tried daily to transfer us back to WSH or another local hospital but there were no SCBU cots available.
We were lucky in that we were transferred safely and in time. Someone else may not be so lucky.
Babies cannot be put at risk by having to be transferred either before or after birth.
Also, my husband can drive – but plenty of people cannot drive or do not own a car and it would have taken hours to travel by public transport.
The fact that WSH was consistently full goes to prove how needed the unit is. Having a SCBU baby is difficult enough without being miles from home, and family.
Sarah-Jane Norton,
(mum to a now very healthy 12-week old)
Sudbury.
An amazing campaign
If you are one of those who hid behind curtains, refused to support the Poppy Appeal, could not be bothered to make your way to your local church or Angel Hill, then I have no words for you, except to say, you missed out on an amazing campaign.
Kindness and generosity was encountered in Beyton, where I am Poppy Appeal organiser, and in Bury St Edmunds, where I joined with my wife Tina, Dave Hardy's team of willing souls – young and old – ex-service, current service, cadets, able and disabled, to show our respects for those who do and have served us.
As for the main service on the Angel Hill, I do not have the vocabulary to do it justice, but amazing it was. The very best parade, the very best attendance.
A personal thank you to those who organised and directed on the day, a true act of remembrance and a fitting tribute to the services that have and do, preserve our freedom and democracy.
We have taken to applauding the groups as they march off – quite right, too.
Rodney Scott,
Chairman Desert Rats Association,
Beyton.
While you did print a very nice picture of Cadets taking part in the Remembrance Day parade at the memorial, you failed to mention their presence and also the many young people of the St John Ambulance service.
The youth contingent was again by far the largest body on parade, made up of Air Cadets of 863 (Thurston) Sqn and 301(Bury) Sqn, the Sea Cadets, Army Cadets and St John Ambulance – in total, around 150 young people.
The youth of today generally receive a poor press, sometimes justifiably, so when young people give up their time on a very cold day to pay their respects to those who have sacrificed their lives, it makes you proud to be part of such youth organisations. It would be nice if you could have shown them the same appreciation as the crowds on Angel Hill.
Sgt Peter Brinkley, 863(Thurston) Sqn ATC.
Leak has a history
It's interesting to read your article on the 'Gridlock' in Tayfen Road, Bury St Edmunds. Even more interesting to read the response from a spokeswoman at Anglian Water. I live locally to the area and water has been seeping from that exact spot for at least two years. It has been repaired more than once over this time. It was leaking before, during and after the road was resurfaced. In fact, comments were made by local people that they were resurfacing the road and the water leak hadn't been repaired. We were speculating about the length of time it would take after the road was resurfaced, to be dug up to repair the problem.
How can Anglian Water deny the problem existed or was not known about. Who repaired it and authorised the repairs before this latest fiasco if they knew nothing about it?
While on motoring issues, how about shaming the major supermarkets into reducing petrol costs. The last time petrol was at $53 a barrel, petrol on the forecourts was as low as 78.9p a litre.
'Every little helps' one supermarket says. Yes, every little helps them to boost their profits.
Paul Bridges,
Bury St Edmunds.
Attack is not isolated
The case of two greyhounds injured by a muntjac (Bury Free Press, Nov. 21) is not an isolated instance but the number of muntjac killed or fatally injured by dogs is much greater.
Like any animal threatened or cornered, it uses its natural defences to try to protect itself.
Male muntjac have a pair of upper canine teeth in the form of small tusks, each with a sharp point and a rear cutting edge. These are used in conflicts with a rival buck but also against dogs that threaten the deer.
A female or young male lacking tusks has only hooves with which to try to defend itself. The deer's behaviour is not vicious, merely an attempt at self-preservation.
A muntjac stands no chance of escape from fleet-footed dogs with the chasing instinct, but less atheletic breeds also cause serious injuries/death.
Owners exercising dogs in the countryside must heed the warnings displayed in many locations to keep dogs on leads.
N Chapman,
Barton Mills.
'Vote on the evidence'
On the evening of Friday, October 19, 2007, Councillors Paul Farmer and Richard Rout went on patrol in the Abbeygate area with two police officers. The following morning Paul posted a report on his blog under the headline 'Disturbance? What disturbance?. He wrote: "I wanted to see for myself the sort of problems that I hear about from residents of the historic core. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the low level of disturbance and good nature of the revellers."
The piece ends with a photo of a still Churchgate Street from Hatter Street to the Norman Tower with the caption: 'Churchgate Street looking peaceful at midnight'.
Less than six months later, the same two councillors called for a special area licensing policy because there is a 'serious problem of nuisance and disorder' in the Abbeygate Street and Churchgate Street area.
Police evidence of nuisance and disorder in the area on that particular evening suggests that it is typical of Bury St Edmunds at weekends all the year round.
When members of St Edmundsbury Borough Council meet on December 9 to vote on this proposal, I hope they will look at the evidence rather than rely on some irrational prejudice stoked up by these two councillors.
David Nettleton,
Cannon Street,
Bury St Edmunds.
I read that the councillors of the Abbeygate ward have persuaded the licensing and regulatory committee to approve a new policy to control future plans for licences and variations of licences within their ward. The Abbeygate ward is primarily, and has been so for hundreds of years, the commercial centre of the town and to allow the residents of this area to control the growth and development of businesses is quite frankly outrageous.
I welcome the news that this is finally going to full council to vote. I live in the adjacent ward to Abbeygate and, if the proposals are voted through by the council, I will feel duty-bound to ask my councillor to ensure that we get the same protection from the 'alcohol-related nuisance' in case they manage to drive the businesses out of their ward. I would then expect all Bury residents to do the same so, within a couple of years, no-one will be able to run a bar or restaurant or pub in the town. I live opposite one of the busiest pubs in town, one hundred yards from the proposed protection zone, but as it was there 216 years before me I have no right to complain.
It will also be interesting to see how the council votes as it will finally tell the residents of Bury where our town centre will be. Vote for the residents to control such historic shopping streets, and we will know the town centre will move up to the arc and that the council will desert the businesses unable (or unwilling) to move to the new centre.
Nigel Birrell,
Brentgovel Street,
Bury St Edmunds.
Ask an expert
Between April 2007 and March 2008, more than
1 billion of total benefit expenditure was underpaid.
In other words, people who made a claim for benefit and were made an award, were subsequently underpaid
1.1 billion.
The recipients, of course, were none the wiser as they believed they were being paid the correct amount of benefit.
It pays to have an independent check of the figures.
Benefit Information Services offer such a service, free of charge. For further details, telephone 08456 120474.
Paul Brennan,
Benefit Information Services.
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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