Anti-lockdown leaflets

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A swathe of Ely has had anti-lockdown leaflets punted through their letterboxes.

I'm appalled, as are many others. Council leader Anna Bailey says there's nothing the council can do about it.

%image(15917484, type="article-full", alt="Ely resident Georgie Ancell has been left "appalled" by a swathe of anti-lockdown leaflets that have been posted through her letterbox.")

It's important to counter the spread of misinformation and the implied instruction that we should be breaking government guidelines, so perhaps it's something you can do something with.

GEORGIE ANCELL

%image(15917485, type="article-full", alt="Ely resident Georgie Ancell has been left "appalled" by a swathe of anti-lockdown leaflets that have been posted through her letterbox.")

Sad news about Wetherspoons refusal

What sad news that Ely was not going to get their own Wetherspoons. It’s such a shame, as the group is much loved across the U.K.

There are people in the U.K. who travel around to sample each branch of the pub chain.

Who raise money for charities in each of their pub groups. Wetherspoons class themselves as a family pub and offer a range of family meals and affordable ‘coffee’ with refills.

In Ely, we have so, so many ‘coffee shops’ that have been allowed to opened In essence, Ely is made up of coffee shops, food shops, pubs and not a lot of other types of shops.

Surely, that would be a priority to develop the empty shops into new types of business.

Let our councillors work on encouraging these new types of businesses. Wetherspoons, on the other hand, surely will provide new jobs in an area that is in need of jobs.

I appreciate that people who live nearby will have made assumptions on noise but that is what they have done - assumptions only.

I have travelled in and around Ely in the evening and the noise from the market street taverns on both sides of the road is bad.

In particular, it’s hard to work on the pavements when people are queuing and smoking outside these premises.

I hope that Wetherspoons, the council and residents will consider a new negotiation to bring this into the 21st century.

ELY RESIDENT


Active toddlers

Active Play Education is starting up some under 5's activities in Ely & Burwell to help toddlers get active again after the recent lockdowns.

Our weekly themed sessions cover a range of activities tailored to the development of young children.

We will be offering the sessions at Centre E in Ely and Mandeville Hall in Burwell.

%image(15917486, type="article-full", alt="Active Play Education is starting up some under 5's activities in Ely & Burwell to help toddlers get active again after the recent lockdowns.")

We have launched a Facebook competition with regard to this with the chance of winning an afternoon tea from Procopio's Pantry, another local business situated next to us on the Saxon Business Park.

Active Play Education is a local company and we have been lucky to have been able to support primary schools during the lockdowns.

It provides activity sessions during the school day for critical worker children who were still attending school.

Now we are looking at being able to set up and deliver our activities outside of school facilities for the wider community.

%image(15917487, type="article-full", alt="Active Play Education is starting up some under 5's activities in Ely & Burwell to help toddlers get active again after the recent lockdowns.")

Our Kicks4Free sessions start on March 31 on the EOSA Astro Turf.

Active Play Education funds Kicks4Free to enable all children to have the opportunity to partake in a fun-filled football session delivered by FA-qualified coaches.

Bookings are via our website: Book Online | Active Play Education Cambridgeshire

Our Facebook page - Active Play Education | Facebook

SAM CROSS, Active Play Education Cambridgeshire customer liaison manager



Trust nobody

I read with dismay at the breeder who had a puppy stolen.

I would like to offer some advice if I may, which might help avoid things like this from happening.

The first bit of advice is "trust nobody" and secondly, do NOT give your address to complete strangers.

There are, sadly, too many bad people in the world, who will steal from others.

Invest in a cheap IP camera. They can be had for as little as £50 and are easy to set up.

Secondly, when someone calls to inquire about the puppy, ask them questions, tell them they need to make an appointment and stick to the time.

Tell them that you have security cameras and will be photographed before they are invited in.

When they knock on the door, take their photo through a window, do *not* open the door until you have.

Those who mean harm, won't like this and might just leave right away.

Make sure you have someone with you, and if you invite the potential buyers into your home, lock the door behind them and put the key in your pocket.

If they want to grab and run they won't be able to. Do *not* hand over the puppy until you have the cash in your hand.

Tell them you need their details for the insurance and microchip.

This might seem too much effort to some, and others will accuse me of going over the top and telling me that I am 'sad' not to trust people, but not trusting people keeps you safe!

With the price of puppies being crazy right now, not only will the breeder lose thousands, but they will feel sick with worry.

It seems incredible to me that anyone would invite complete strangers into their home.

Perhaps being born and brought up in the army has made me very cautious and untrusting.

Bad people will want to steal from you. Don't make it easy for them.

PAM THOMPSON


Care workers must not be penalised

I am absolutely disgusted with those curmudgeons at the Supreme Court who has ruled that care workers should not be paid when sleeping on duty.

It would serve the care bosses right, who presumably initiated this action, plus other institutions of that ilk, if the workers just stayed at home and waited to be called out.

But, of course, this would mean they would still be out of pocket because if they were called out, it would incur extra expenses which would not be honoured.

Work to rule, or strike action, including public protests would be justified in my opinion.

It is not uncommon for various workers in other occupations to sleep on duty, like some fire-fighters, aircraft co-pilots, escort coach drivers, and even police offers, such as in New York.

This is to name just a few and all expect to be paid.

This blatant discriminating penny pinching must stop now!

BARRY COLLING, Witchford


I feel I have been mugged

We read weekly/daily on all versions of the ancient and modern styles of the information media its many themes of news.

Many of us are following and will continue to follow the trail of the refusal of Cambs County Council to release into the public domain in full the FARMGATE REPORT as directed by the audit and accounts committee chairman.

As a county taxpayer, I feel that I have been mugged and should dial 999.

Unfortunately, there are too many people involved and the guilty group keeping their heads below the parapet praying the report will be shred.

Not one Tory councillor has dared to come out in favour of the report's release - ask your own county councillor where he/she stands.

One also has to note that the council's inhouse standards officers/solicitors have kept a low profile - makes one wonder why (fear or bullying).

Within the county, we could also add the Machiavelli surrounding the council's own company This Land.

A company that apparently is bleeding out taxpayers money week by week.

If you have not followed either news item, it all make fascinating unclean reading and view ''You Tube'' zoom council meetings for entertainment.

Well, it is lockdown.

KENNETH CRANFIELD


Steam engine dealership

Born in the Isle of Ely and interested in subjects of the area I wonder if any readers have any recollection or information about James Graven, Steam Engine Dealers, Ely.

I am currently researching the company and I am trying to find details of as many as possible of the 250 road steam engines that were sold by this company and of the 20 which still survive.

Old pictures or any printed material would be of particular interest and I would be happy to see copies.

Please respond by email to brian.sulman@btinternet.com.

BRIAN SULMAN



The government’s distorted priorities

This government has some very distorted priorities. Their offer to nurses of just a 1% pay rise shows this.

They spent £22 billion on a test and trace system to avoid further lockdowns. Then they had two more lockdowns.

That system employed 2,500 private consultants. Some were paid more than £6000 a DAY.

Yet the Public Accounts Committee of MPs stated there was no clear evidence that this massive £22 billion cost had contributed to the reduction in coronavirus infection levels!

The government wants to spend £15 billion more on this ineffectual system - yet it took nearly a month to find the missing person from Brazil who slipped through the net by simply not filling in their form!

No one bothered to check! Where were the lucratively paid consultants when this happened?

All these billions are largely being handed to government cronies, (Dido Harding, in charge of test and trace, is married to a Tory MP and went to school with the prime minister’s sister).

Yet there is not enough money to give NHS workers a decent pay rise?

The substantial private sector involvement in test and trace, is partly why it is so expensive and ineffective.

In stark contrast, the vaccine roll-out is carried out by GP surgeries and NHS staff familiar with the annual flu vaccination.

They have the database of patients who require vaccination, the expertise and the experienced staff.

The delays in lockdowns, the U-turns, the waste of money on inadequate PPE from inexperienced suppliers, came from the government.

The NHS have been on the receiving end of the 4.2 million Covid cases and is now working hard to fight back against Cornavirus.

Boris Johnson’s obedient Yes-men MPs were given a 3.1% pay rise last year, taking their salaries to £82,000.

Again in stark contrast to the nurses offer of 1%. MPs did not risk death fighting Covid!

MPs have received over three times what the nurses have been offered - they are not the NHS heroes, daily putting their lives on the line.

PETE MILORY