Dear Editor,

The Branch were saddened to note that one of your readers felt it necessary to complain about the lack of activity to celebrate the end of the War in Europe.

The people of Midsomer Norton always give their utmost support to the Royal British Legion and this is very apparent during the Poppy Appeal leading up to the Remembrance parade held each year in the town.

Perhaps your reader should realise that the local Branch of the Royal British Legion has very few active members and to plan and execute any event is very often beyond that which the Branch can achieve. Remembrance Sunday is planned, organised and run by the Town Council. The Branch giver specialist, logistical and administrative support.

This year, VE Day occurred on a Thursday – a working day for most people, so those of us who are retired have to take on an even greater workload.

However, the Branch were involved with some activities such as giving a talk to the local Rainbows and Brownies group, providing a display in the local veteran friendly surgery, attending a short service at the war memorials at Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Paulton and Westfield.

Any street parties could have been arranged by the residents of the various streets and that would have been outside the remit of the Branch.

I would ask what your reader did to increase the activities in the town or was it a question of expecting someone else to do it. Any activity or event, takes time, effort and most importantly people.

So perhaps before complaining about the lack of activities, those who wish to complain do something about it and volunteer. Perhaps one should ask not what my town can do for me but what can I do for my town?

We desperately need new members as there is so much, we could achieve. We need a Standard Bearer but no one is forthcoming. All our current members are no longer young so as the years roll by, your reader may well find that there are even less activities taking place.

If you can help, we would love to see you. Please contact the secretary by email on [email protected] or by coming to our next meeting held in the Social Club, Stones Cross on Monday June 23 at 7.30pm.

Geoff Wilson Dip SM

Wg Cdr RAFVR retd

Secretary, Midsomer Norton and Radstock Branch

Royal British Legion

Dear Editor,

I would like to apologise to Maggie Jukes and Michelle Perry for burning some furniture on the green by our flats that I shouldn’t have done.

I have told the council about what I’ve done but I want to apologise to the both of them because they keep the grass sizes tidy up there, and they called the fire brigade, who doused it out.

I am deeply sorry for my actions.

Pat Bando

Mary’s Meals is a charity that serves life-changing school meals to children in some of the world’s poorest communities, across 16 countries. The promise of a good meal attracts these hungry children into the classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a better future.

But with the impact of conflict, climate change and the global cost-of-living crisis creating growing challenges for families in these communities, our work is now more urgent than ever. That’s why I’m asking your readers to consider doing something powerful – setting up a regular gift to Mary’s Meals today.

Until May 31, a generous donor will triple your first three monthly donations. This means if you sign up to give £5 a month, your donation will be increased to £15. With the price of a meal costing just 10p, a £5 monthly donation would feed 50 children every month, and 150 children a month for the first three months!

Regular gifts are the foundation of our work. They help us expand our programmes to reach the next hungry child waiting for Mary’s Meals, and ensure we keep our promise to the children who rely on us – like 11-year-old Grace from Zimbabwe.

Grace lives with her 83-year-old great-grandmother, Elly, who struggles to provide food due to the ongoing drought across the region. Grace often arrives at school tired and hungry, but she knows she’ll receive a hot mug of porridge when she gets there. It gives her the energy to learn and the confidence to dream.

“I can concentrate better. I can read more when my tummy is full,” she says. “When I’m older, I want to be a teacher.”

Elly adds: “Everyone is happy about the porridge. It’s the biggest difference I’ve seen in this community.”

Grace is just one of the 2.6-million children who will eat Mary’s Meals today. But too many children are still waiting. Please help us reach them by setting up a monthly donation – through Direct Debit or your employer’s payroll scheme, and together we can give more children the food they need, the chance to learn, and the prospect of a better tomorrow.

With heartfelt thanks,

Marie Doyle, executive director, Mary’s Meals UK

Dear Editor,

Students and staff at Hayesfield Girls’ School and Mixed Sixth Form School in Bath, have been praised for their generosity supporting a scheme which helps patients when they are discharged from hospital.

The school has donated toiletries to help fill Hospital Help Packs which are distributed by the Community Wellbeing Hub.

More than 250 Community Wellbeing Hub help packs have been given to patients, who are leaving hospital, over the past year and the initiative has been running since 2022.

Help packs provide three days’ food provision and some essential items to support a person home from hospital.

We are delighted at the response from students, parents and staff to support such an important cause. Our Heads of Houses all worked hard to coordinate and get students involved and I hope this is just the start of a long relationship with the Community Wellbeing Hub.

The Community Wellbeing Hub, which is a partnership between Bath & North East Somerset Council, HCRG Care Group, and many third sector organisation representatives, has an outreach at the Royal United Hospital. The hub provides a central place for residents to access a range of services to improve health and wellbeing.

Philip White

Headteacher, Hayesfield Girls’ School and Mixed Sixth Form