Last updated 11:24, Wednesday, 07 January 2009

I HAD reason to visit the Cumberland Infirmary many times in the six weeks prior to Christmas to see a friend who was seriously ill after a stroke. A MONTH has now passed since the mystery of London Road, Carlisle, first emerged and there is still no word of explanation from Cumbria County Council.THROUGH your columns I should like to express heartfelt admiration of a truly great Cumbrian lady, Mrs Dora Kerr of Houghton. Believing, like her friends, in the simple everyday virtues of being a good wife, mother, sister, neighbour, citizen and most of all being a true and loving friend.Isn’t this desecration?

Too much effort for some people

As visitors to the hospital will know, at the entrance there are a number of dispensers providing hand wash facilities and all visitors are requested to use them both on the way in and the way out.

Purely by chance on one of my early visits, I noticed that many people were entering and leaving the foyer completely ignoring these machines.

This sparked my curiosity and it was no surprise when I discovered on each visit that “one squirt” on the way in and way out is just too much for a lot of people.

Visiting was severely curtailed for a week on two separate occasions due to severe vomiting and diarrhoea on the wards, and entry was restricted to essential persons only.

I wonder if there is any connection between the two events?

As an answer to the problem, how about moving the car park warden to check the persons entering the hospital instead of patrolling a car park that is totally insufficient for the size of the hospital?

IAN FLEMING

Irthington

Council information

Still in the dark

The mystery came to light on November 27 in a letter to the News & Star which asked the question: Why has information about a £5million county council project in Petteril Bank gone out with a political slant attached? And why did it go out to only a select few people?

These people are the readers of a political newsletter in which the information was released, apparently exclusively to the newsletter. Yet other people were unable to get the information when they asked for it.

How much other county council information goes out in this way? And how does the county council choose its political newsletters for the release of its information ?

Are the newsletters chosen at random or is there a system in place for the various newsletters to take turns at slanting council information and releasing it to their select few readers?

Possibly these questions do not apply and the council did not in fact choose the newsletter at all. Possibly the information about the £5million project was hijacked by the newsletter and then given a political slant and then published?

These are tantalising questions. What are the answers? Perhaps Councillor Cyril Weber, head of the council’s Carlisle committee, knows the answers.

Mr Weber is spearheading an excellent project in Harraby to involve local people as much as possible in the work of the council.

His work is in complete contrast to the situation on the other side of London Road.

JOHN BARKER

Longlands Road

Carlisle

A great Cumbrian

Thanks to Dora

She was for many years an active chairman of Carlisle Conservative Ladies Group, unobtrusively taking government affairs to the people and bringing back helpful advice from them to the party.

Helpful too in many other areas like HK Campbell School, Barnado’s, lifeboat and blind societies and also to the last, Houghton Church and its Mothers’ Union, to say nothing of the work she did to provide holidays for poorer children. However, to those of us who knew her well she was a kindly friend.

Thank you, Dora.

MURIEL WILKINSON AND FRIENDS

Aspatria

Crucifix stolen

Mindless attack

Another mindless attack against Christianity.

It’s a shame anyone who was seeking spiritual shelter over the Christmas holidays will have to suffer because of one heathen.

I hope they catch them.

Webpost by Mr Cross