Letters: Praise for staff at care facility

As a resident of Gretton Court, I am writing to let your readers know about certain changes taking place at the end of January in Gretton Court and particularly about two of the residential wardens who have given 41 years of loyal service between them.

They’re Mrs Pat Richardson and Mrs Jenny Whiteley and the adjectives “over” and “above” are particularly appropriate. Other wardens deserve the same praise but due to their long service these two ladies are very special.

There will be many of your readers who have had loved ones who have passed away in Gretton Court and who will remember the love, care and respect that was not only afforded to their loved ones, but to the family as well.

I’m not from Melton Mowbray, I’m from Liverpool, and married a Melton man 27 years ago. When he sadly passed away and I was living in a bungalow on my own, as a Type 1 Diabetic, and registered blind, my Liverpool family toured the city for a suitable extra care facility, but they said “Nothing compares with Gretton Court.” Meltonians you should be so proud.

When Melton Borough Council and Leicester County Council came to tell the residents of the changes they said it would be better. Sorry both councils, you were wrong. You can’t improve on perfection.

God bless you Pat and Jenny you will never be forgotten. You have been loved by so many.

Audrey Waite

Resident of Gretton Court

Remember the children

With Christmas fast approaching many people are getting into the festive spirit, getting out the tinsel, enjoying the mince pies and celebrating with the family.

For me, Christmas is a time of such blessing but it also offers a chance to remember those who are less fortunate, children and young people whose voices aren’t being listened to and whose problems are being ignored.

That’s why I’m supporting The Children’s Society’s Christingle celebrations, as money raised will go to support children and young people in this country who are suffering from terrible hardship, abuse and neglect.

Last year there were dozens of wonderfully joyous and welcoming Christingle services and this year it looks like there will be even more, so we need as many people as possible to go along, enjoy themselves and donate to support the thousands of children and young people who are in desperate need. To find out about a local Christingle near you visit childrenssociety.org.

uk/local

June Brown

Actress

Young people are vulnerable online

Those we take for granted as “digital natives” are not all having a good experience online.

A new Prince’s Trust report, Slipping through the Net, carried out by the LSE and supported by Samsung, raises serious concerns about young people’s vulnerability online and is causing them to fall further behind in life.

Many young people across the East of England lack the rudimentary skills they need to navigate the online world with confidence.

The research highlights that around 40 per cent of young people struggle in dealing with the negative behaviour of others online. Approximately 35 per cent of them say that no one or almost no one could be trusted online.

While an emphasis is often put on developing young people’s technical abilities online, our report calls for increased training around softer skills to help the next generation use the Internet effectively and ensure their wellbeing online. At The Prince’s Trust we work with young people who often lack traditional literacy skills, experience difficulties navigating the web, leaving them frustrated and leading to them seeking offline solutions, further narrowing their access to the jobs market.

We hope government, businesses and other youth organisations will join us in developing new solutions to ensure that young people, whatever their background, can not only navigate the Internet safely and without fear but also make the most of the online world to advance in life.

John O’Reilly

Director

The Prince’s Trust

Central England