Something needs to be done about Coventry’s empty properties

IT IS about time the local authorities did something about empty properties.

I have lived at my current address for eight years and there is a property two doors away which has been empty all that time and, according to other residents, a lot longer before I moved into the area.

The back garden is overgrown with brambles and I dread to think of the state of the interior of the house. I am also aware of another property in the Wyken area.

It seems such a shame when there is such a shortage of housing in the area.

Mrs M Langley

Council should compulsory purchase unused properties

IF A property has been left untouched for a couple of years and the owner isn’t agreeable to restore it to rent or sell the council should compulsory purchase it.

Terri Hadley

Make sure you’re clued up on diabetes during Hypo Awareness Week

FOR MANY people living with diabetes, hypos are a part of life. But they can be scary and dangerous, and can lead to blurred vision, confusion, seizures and, in severe cases, unconsciousness and coma.

To mark Hypo Awareness Week – September 13 to 19 – Diabetes UK want to shine a spotlight on what hypos are and how to treat them.

Hypos (short for hypoglycaemia) can affect people with type 1 diabetes, as well as many with type 2 diabetes who use insulin or certain other diabetes medications.

A hypo is when the blood sugars drop too low, below 4mmol/l. It can be dangerous if not treated immediately, as it means the brain has insufficient energy to work properly. It can happen for various reasons, including taking too much insulin, missing a meal or miscalculating carbs.

Hypos must be treated quickly with fast-acting sugar, so that blood sugar levels rise again. Good hypo treatments include sugary drinks (not diet versions), fruit juice, glucose tablets or gel or sweets like jellybabies.

If someone tells you they have diabetes and are having a hypo, you can help them to find or get a sugary drink or some sweets, but if they become unconscious call an ambulance. If you have diabetes and you are experiencing frequent hypos, speak to your healthcare team who can support you to make changes to your medication or insulin doses.

Everyone has different hypo symptoms, but the most common are feeling shaky, feeling disorientated, sweating; being anxious or irritable, going pale, palpitations and a fast pulse, lips feeling tingly, blurred vision, feeling hungry, feeling tearful, tiredness, having a headache; or lack of concentration.

Visit diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/complications/hypos for more.

Peter Shorrick

Midlands and East Regional Head

Diabetes UK

Join WI’s campaign to ensure communities have the bus services they need

I AM writing to ask your readers to join the efforts of the Women’s Institute to ensure local communities have the bus services they desperately need. These next few months are crucial to get their views heard on improving bus services in their area.

Bus services play a vital role in ensuring communities remain sustainable, helping to reduce social isolation and carbon emissions, and ensure access to employment, education, local facilities and health services.

Our WI ‘Get on Board’ campaign seeks to raise awareness of the importance of local bus services and the impact of cuts on communities – and we need more to join us.

Since 2010, local authorities have faced budgets cuts which have put pressure on the delivery of local services including libraries, children’s centres and bus services. According to the Campaign for Better Transport, council bus budgets have been cut by 25 per cent since 2010. Local authorities across England and Wales were found to have taken £182 million away from supported bus services in ten years, affecting more than 3,000 bus services in England.

Over the next few months, Local Transport Authorities and Bus Operators in England will be producing Bus Service Improvement Plans for your area. There are many ways your readers can get involved to ensure their views are heard on services, timetables, routes, integration with rail, ticketing and other areas related to bus services.

They can take part in consultations, get in touch with their local transport authority and bus operators, and speak to their local Women’s Institute branch.

For more information visit www.thewi.org.uk/get-on-board

Ann Jones

Chair of The National Federation of Women’s Institutes

Free blood and transplant curriculum resources for schools

CALLING all secondary school teachers in Coventry – young people are now learning about saving lives.

Blood, organ and stem cell donation are now on the Key Stage 3 and 4 curriculum and we have some free online resources to help you teach this important topic to 11 to 16-year-olds.

Your pupils can be empowered to discuss and decide about donation and we hope they’ll prompt conversations at home too.

Visit www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/teaching-resources to find out more, we have detailed lessons and optional extra activities. You can also request a speaker, many of whom have a personal story linked to donation, to attend a school assembly.

Alex Cullen

Head of Marketing

NHS Blood and Transplant

EDITOR’S COMMENT

WHATEVER the rights and wrongs are over entering Afghanistan 20 years ago and then withdrawing troops, the important thing now is to support those who have been left in peril and, in many cases, homeless.

So far we have seen a great response from organisations, such as Langar Aid and others which will go a long way to assisting those in need.

Coventry prides itself on being a City of Sanctuary and will rise again to help those facing challenges.

We welcome your letters…..

What pressing issues do you feel need addressing in Coventry? Send us your views to [email protected]