Your letters on King’s Lynn pub team who saved the day, proposed school phone ban and Covid-19 jabs

Here are all the letters from the Friday, October 6 edition of the Lynn News...

Thanks to the pub team who saved the day

We would like to say thanks to the wonderful people in the London Porterhouse pub who saved the day for us on Friday night.

We managed to get on the last train from King’s Cross but were then stuck.

No taxis, 1am in the morning, too late to call a friend.

To say they were marvellous is an understatement, they were brilliant.

Many thanks to them and we look forward to seeing them soon to say thanks in person.

Sue Mason

Long Sutton

School should be a refuge from phones

The depressing reports from teachers triggered by the calls to ban mobile phones in schools should do much to persuade education chiefs that we really do need to rid ourselves of this toxic plague on school premises. Frankly, the ridiculous notion that schoolchildren have a right or a need to keep their little 'pacifiers' in their pockets at all times need knocking on the head without delay.

Tiptoeing around spurious issues like a mobile phone's role in personal security and safeguarding, which is invariably supported by equally phone-dependent parents, merely feeds the addiction. This clearly toxic classroom environment where endless messaging and fiddling with phones is wrecking the lessons for the thousands of children who want to learn and while it's obviously beyond teaching staff's remit to control ownership and usage outside school, surely we haven't descended into some sort of anarchy where the children call the shots in class and we've lost the ability to just say 'no'? There should be at least one aspect of children's lives which isn't immersed in the coarsening degradation and mindless drivel presented by the internet and social media and it has to be the classroom.

If we can't offer that refuge every day for every child (and their teachers) we are undoubtedly failing in our duty of care as a society, as parents, and employers.

Steve Mackinder

Denver

Thanks to NHS for Covid jabs despite issues

My wife and I have recently had our 7th Covid jabs, a big thank you to the NHS.

There were two problems, many of us here in King's Lynn tried to book our jabs online but, due to pressure of applications, we were being directed to vaccination sites as far away as Peterborough!

I kept trying online and eventually managed to book my jab at King’s Lynn. We arrived at the vaccination centre and were seen immediately. Bless them, my wife was allowed to have the jab despite not having an appointment.

The other problem is that the vaccination centre, despite being a fair sized building, only had two people delivering the actual jab, this may be because there isn't room for any more vaccination cubicles in the building. I wonder if this is the problem with booking online because the King’s Lynn centre can't cope with the number of applications? The vaccination centre at the Shakespeare Barn was a far better bet. Thanks again NHS.

Richard JC English

Lynn

Get talking on World Mental Health Day

Tuesday 10 October is World Mental Health Day and the Mental Health Foundation is encouraging everyone to get involved by talking the time to have a meaningful conversation about mental health.

Talking about how you feel is important to help protect your mental health. If you are struggling, it helps to talk to someone you trust.

If you want to start a conversation with someone about their mental health, find a quiet space with no distractions. Listen and allow the person to speak. Ask questions but don’t interrupt. Ask how you can help and listen to what they need.

World Mental Health Day is about raising awareness and driving positive change for everyone’s mental health. So, you might like to host a Tea and Talk event at your work or community group to get everyone involved. Our website has lots of information and materials for running an event including tips for starting conversations.

You can also show your support by wearing a green ribbon or sharing information on social media. Find out more along with posters, social media images, and advice on how to protect your mental health at www.mentalhealth.org.uk/wmhd

Alexa Knight

Director for England at Mental Health Foundation

Have we gone from road rage to charge rage?

Drivers report being shocked at the extraordinary cost of insuring electric vehicles, over £5,000 in many cases, as insurers balk at the risks of EVs, not thought through by net zero politicians, as we face the consequences of an eco-mental vision. We were misinformed that driving an electric car would be a win-win scenario, saving the planet and money, the latter has turned out to be a financial disaster!

Motorists share stories of horror insurance renewal quotes ranging from increases of 60% to 940%. It is not only owners of Model Ys - which with a starting price of around £45,000 was the' best selling car in the UK' last year - who are wobbling about the cost of Net Zero, but insurers also. It has recently spooked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak into delays. Moreover, there are reports that John Lewis has stopped offering insurance to electric car drivers amid fears over the costs of repairs.

Britain's biggest motorway service station provider has brought in marshals to police "charge rage" among electric vehicle drivers battling for access to plug-in points. We were told by the charlatans that these electro-charged vehicles would bring progress and peace of mind to the human race. From road rage to charge rage? Some progress, some peace of mind, but the net zero maniacs still insist they know better!

David Fleming

Downham

Improving voting for blind people

On Monday 25 September, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) held a trial of accessible voting solutions that allow blind and partially sighted people to vote independently and in secret.

RNIB has been campaigning on this issue for many years, with the charity time and time again hearing from people with sight loss of how they faced challenges in their democratic right to cast a secret and independent vote, as the practical act of voting – making a cross in a specific location on a piece of paper – is fundamentally a visual exercise. We are working alongside the Electoral Commission and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to find solutions to ensure future elections are accessible for the 350,000 blind and partially sighted people living in the UK.

The accessible solutions which were tested at RNIB’s London offices were a range of tactile and audio devices which allow people with sight loss to determine the order of the candidate list and mark their desired box. It was fantastic to be in a room where everyone shared their commitment to improve the voting experience for blind and partially sighted people.

We look forward to continuing our engagement with the Electoral Commission and DLUHC, and to see how the results from this trial can inform future elections.

Mike Wordingham

Policy manager, RNIB