Maddi is amazing

In reply to ‘I won’t give up easily’

Connor absolutely loves spending time with Maddi. He has known her for about four years now and she is amazing with him.

I trust her with his life and for her to decide to do this is truly Amazing and selfless. Maddi is highly professional and I know that if this [plan to convert an Andover thatched cottage into a care home] goes ahead she would make sure a truly professional team will be working for her to ensure that these young people can live in their community without fear or judgement from others.

I don’t even understand why soundproofing solutions needed to be questioned as this would never have been asked of a standard family of six that could quite easily occupy this beautiful house.

But the questions were asked and Maddi responded with workable solutions which no one can see on the planning now as they have been taken off.

Maddi has lots of support and I’m beside her all the way for the sake of my son’s future and others like him. He deserves to live in this beautiful home and not rejected and judged as being ‘unacceptable and harmful’.

He is a joy to be with and in my biased opinion only enhances his community and is not a nuisance.

Kate Ivey, via Advertiser’s Facebook page

‘We need this’

In reply to ‘I won’t give up easily’

We need this [supported living home]. There’s nowhere for our disabled children to go and they have just as much rights than anyone else.

Amanda Biggs, via Advertiser’s Facebook page

Action first

Dear Editor,

We should all be very grateful for having escaped the European Union before the Covid vaccine chaos showed up the problems, of getting 27 very different countries to agree on how to deal with a crisis at speed.

Much of what happened during that period was very revealing about some of those countries.

Britain, in spite of its usual Armada syndrome (we don’t do anything until it’s coming up the Channel but then what we do is credit to us) was surely putting action before bickering. This was an advantage for us all.

Margaret Reichlin, MacCallum Road, Upper Enham

School photo

Dear Editor,

I have come across a picture of the staff and pupils of Andover Grammar School taken in 1958. I am happy to give this to anyone who has an interest.

Colin Buck, Andover

Editor’s note: If anyone is interested in this picture, you can write to the Advertiser at editor@andoveradvertiser.co.uk.

We will connect you with Mr. Buck.

Dog found

Dear Editor,

May I thank the two kind ladies who found our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel along Walworth Road on Monday, June 14, and took him to our vet at Strathmore Clinic. They traced me through his chip and called me to retrieve him from the loving arms of the staff. He does love a fuss.

Mr Wooster decided to go walkabout as he must have been bored watching me gardening. But he will need to be more secured in future to limit his Australian sheepdog tendencies.

Thanks again as we were very worried after looking everywhere.

Ian Hendy, Andover

Vaccine paper

Dear Editor,

I recently obtained, online, a paper certificate as proof of both Covid-19 vaccinations, since I do not use a smartphone (which would enable me to download an app).

Having noticed a barcode and expiration date, I rang the 119 helpdesk, which confirmed that a paper certificate is valid only for the short period stated.

Readers should therefore be aware of this fact, and that they can renew either online or by calling 119.

Name and address supplied

Choppy waters

Dear Editor,

Many companies in Hampshire will appreciate the action the Government has taken – particularly given the delay to the easing of lockdown announced earlier this week.

Trading conditions have improved recently, but the Prime Minister’s decision to delay the removal of the final lockdown measures underlines that we’re still in choppy economic waters.

While the extension of these measures will benefit many companies in Hampshire, as time goes on the Government will need to consider the impact on creditors – who have staff and overheads to pay themselves. Balancing these interests is a difficult task for the government.

The decision also gives directors and business owners a further – and possibly final – window to plan how they will take their businesses forward when these temporary measures end.

We urge them to use this time to seek advice from a qualified and regulated professional – and to do so as early as possible, so they can benefit from the broadest range of options available and have a greater time period to decide how they will move forward.

Garry Lee, chair of R3’s Southern and Thames Valley region

Postcode Lottery

Dear Editor,

Since 2018, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have provided crucial funding to the NSPCC to help the charity keep children safe and well.

To date, players have raised almost £6 million, which has been used to support our vital services. This includes our school service programme helping primary school children speak out and stay safe from abuse, our ‘Letting the Future In’ service helping children and young people recover from sexual abuse, and Childline, which provides free and confidential counselling to children and young people in need of support.

Childline, which has received £3 million alone from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, is a lifeline for many children and over the past year thousands of young people have needed it more than ever due to the challenges they have faced during the pandemic. Local lockdowns, school closures, isolation and the impact of being separated from family and friends led many children to get in touch with the service over the phone or online.

The money raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery has been invaluable in helping our frontline staff be here for children during their darkest hours.

Moving forward, as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, it remains vital that children and young people know where they can access help and support.

That’s why we are so grateful to players of Peoples Postcode Lottery for their continued support as we move into a new stage of our long-term partnership with funding from the Postcode Children Trust.

The money raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery over the next year will enable our staff and services to still be here for those children who need it most. Accessing these services will help them be able move forward with their lives and have a better and brighter future.

Kellie Ann Fitzgerald, Assistant Director NSPCC Local Services – London and the South East