November 19: Cooked breakfast not so easy in age of cuts

I REALLY do agree with Sarah Todd when she advocated a cooked breakfast which sets one up for the day and reduces snacking and prevents fatigue (The Yorkshire Post, November 7).

The problem is that many families in my ward cannot afford a cooked breakfast. Over half of the children in Hunslet are recipients of free school dinners.

For many of these children it is the only cooked meal they have from one day to another. Many come to school hungry and, therefore, their attention span at school is limited.

Instead of Conservative Education Secretary Nicky Morgan berating “under-achieving” schools and proposing tests for children at age seven, she would do well to make sure that low-paid families have enough money to live on so that their children can achieve.

And, yes, many of these children have parents who are in work but are struggling, even more so now with this fresh round of cuts.

Some schools have breakfast clubs but they are heavily dependent on volunteers and donations from companies which include Greggs and Kellogs. And parents, where they can, pay for the breakfasts. But cooked breakfasts are financially beyond these clubs even if they had the facilities and staff to provide them..

Currently, the news is about our Prime Minister “renegotiating” a deal with Europe before a referendum. Is that why this Government has refused European financial support for food banks?

Helping hand for carers

From: Heléna Herklots, Chief Executive, Carers UK.

EVERY day, 6,000 people in the UK begin caring for a loved one or a friend who is disabled, seriously-ill or older.

For some, taking on a caring role is sudden. For others, caring creeps up unnoticed (Jayne Dowle, The Yorkshire Post, November 16).

Whether you provide round-the-clock care or look after someone for a few hours a week, whether you care for someone in your own home or at the end of the motorway, caring can have a huge effect on us, our lives and our plans.

Carers tell us it can be really difficult to get the help they need when their caring journey begins or when their circumstances change. Without this support, caring can take a serious toll on a person’s health, relationships and finances.

That’s why, for Carers Rights Day, we’ve created Upfront, the first online guide of its kind to help those who are new to caring get the information that is right for them and their unique caring situation. We will also be publishing our annual Carers Rights Guide, giving carers up-to-date information on their rights and signposting them to further support.

With hundreds of events taking place in communities across the UK, Carers Rights Day is a fantastic opportunity to help carers learn more about their rights and the support they are entitled to. So if you know someone who is looking after a loved one, make sure they are getting all the help they’re entitled to by connecting them to Carers UK.

Carers Rights Day is tomorrow (November 20). For more information, to access the online Upfront guide to caring, or to get your free copy of our Carers Rights Guide, visit: www.carersuk.org/carersrightsday

What should Europe do?

From: David Craggs, Shafton Gate. Rotherham.

OVER the years, I have always enjoyed reading articles by Paul Rogers, the security expert from the University of Bradford. They have always been informative, and he has the ability to explain situations so that we can understand what exactly is going on, unlike our politicians who often lack that ability to do so.

He has also been prepared to give his opinion on what future strategy should be followed. His latest article (The Yorkshire Post, November 18) was equally informative and as I read through it I was again hoping that he would express an opinion on how the European countries should react to this latest atrocity. He was quite prepared to say what action they shouldn’t take, but not prepared to give his opinion on what action they should take.

I, therefore, found the article to be ultimately disappointing.

From: Dave Asher, Pickard Crescent, Sheffield.

THE Czech economist Tomas Sedlacek said: “Europe has become a purely economic project. So when the economy broke down, the European idea broke down with it,”(Clearly, he meant the EU – not ‘Europe’).

The thing is that the EU’s overall share of world trade is steadily decreasing – even with the increased numbers of countries which are members. This may suit multi-nationals but rarely the small and medium businesses which are our lifeblood. The restrictions, rules, directives and undiluted bureaucracy are strangling our growth and have cost jobs beyond measure since 1973.

Thanks for owl service

From: Mrs N Kent. South Parade, Ossett.

THANK you for your story in The Yorkshire Post about the owl that fell down a chimney.

It brought back memories from childhood.

We lived in an old farmhouse on the edge of Thorne Moors, with fireplaces in every room. One day, I went upstairs and found a large owl perched on the door or my parents bedroom. I called my father, who had a large chaff sheet to hand and we shut the door while he gave chase. After a long time of him calling “come here”, he managed to 
catch it and it was released, unharmed.

However, the bedroom was left covered in soot and stone, which took a long time to clean.