HEARTLESS ACT OF STEALING FROM THE DEAD.

I WAS saddened to see that when I visited my son's grave on his 21st birthday, the balloon that I put on it had been stolen. The ribbon had been cut.

The person who had stolen it obviously wanted one for a 21st birthday. It's one thing to steal from the living but to steal from the dead is another.

This is the only thing I can do for my son, I can't give him a present. I do it every year but I will stop doing this from now on, I will keep it in the house. It is not the cost, it is the principle of the thing.

It would be a good idea if the cemetery was closed at a reasonable time for example at 6pm - it seems that most of the damage takes place in the evenings.

Mrs N Allen, St Margaret Road, Ludlow.

MORE PARKING SPACES? DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH.

FOR a long time now, local people have been aware that the only reason the parking facilities in Tenbury are adequate is because there's an area available behind the Spar supermarket.

As time goes on, more and more motorists have habitually parked there and 60 cars are not unusual. So, as it looks certain that one day the area will come up for development one is bound to wonder what would happen to all those cars.

At the same time it is difficult to work out who is responsible for maintaining this area because, by any standard, it's a total disgrace and the potholes (and subsequent puddles) get deeper by the day.

Saturdays of course, are the busiest in Tenbury and at times every official parking space is taken. So, on such occasions, people are forced to park behind Spar which is a disaster if it is pouring with rain.

I recently wrote to Malvern Hills District Council and enclosed photographs taken on a typical Saturday showing every parking area full to bursting. I included the area behind Spar which was packed with cars as usual, and asked what plans there were to extend official parking areas in the event that this space was developed.

The reply I received was fairly detailed, but basically it was saying there are no extension plans in the pipeline as it is a matter of cost. It made it clear that the acquisition of one or more of the sites I had identified as possible parking areas would be costly to the council, and wasn't something that could be considered within its current or foreseeable resources.

So there we have it. Four years ago when I first moved into the area the subject of parking seemed to be on everyone's lips. Yet here we are, four years on, and nothing has been done about it. Goodness only knows what strangers think when they pull into that disgusting area behind Spar. The council hasn't even taken away the disused ticket machine which completely confuses people parking for the first time.

I've written back to the council about the potholes with an appropriate photograph and a request for some repairs. Hopefully the whole area will be tarmaced eventually but I'm not holding my breath.

Norman Wanstall, Boraston Drive, Burford, Tenbury Wells.

CAN YOU GIVE TWO HOURS TO THE RED CROSS.

LOCAL British Red Cross volunteers are dedicated to helping people in a crisis.

Whether it's helping people caught up in emergencies such as the widespread flooding last summer, providing practical support to those recently out of hospital or providing first aid cover at community events. Helping when people are vulnerable is what they do, day in, day out, rain or shine.

However, they can't do it alone, and that's why I am writing today to ask for just two hours of your readers' time. Red Cross Appeal Week (May 4 - 10) raises awareness of British Red Cross activities and sees many thousands of collectors take to the streets, shopping centres, and offices to raise money for the Red Cross.

On behalf of our volunteers in Tenbury Wells, I am appealing to the generosity of your readers to support their efforts and give just two hours of their time to help us collect during Red Cross Appeal Week. To register as a collector and find out more about local collecting opportunities, please call 0844 412 2728 or visit www.redcross.org.uk/appealweek.

Help the Red Cross to continue to be there, rain or shine for vulnerable people in our coal community.

Sir Nicholas Young, chief executive, British Red Cross Society, Lower Galdeford, Ludlow.

TEATIME BREAK HELPS ACTION ON EPILEPSY.

I AM writing to thank everyone who supported the Epilepsy Action National Tea Break 2007 and helped to make it such a great success.

Hundreds of people across the UK joined in for this annual event for the fifth year running, helping us to raise funds of over £15,500. Since Epilepsy Action's first National Tea Break in 2003, over £76,000 has been raised.

The 2007 nationwide event was supported by TV stars and personalities, including the writer and actor Stephen Fry; comedians Victoria Wood and Jo Brand; and celebrity chefs Antony Worrall Thompson and Alan Coxon.

This year's National Tea Break event will take place on Friday, October 17, 2008 to raise vital funds for the 456,000 people living with epilepsy throughout the UK. To register your interest in receiving an organiser's starter pack, please complete our online form at www.epilepsy.org.uk/involved/teabreak/organiser.html.

The packs will be sent out in September 2008. They will contain an organiser's guide full of useful hints and tips, posters to promote your event, invitation cards to send to friends, family or work colleagues, celebrity recipe cards, balloons and paying-in slips for all your donations.

Paul Tranter, Fundraising Manager, British Epilepsy Association, Yeadon, Leeds.

STILL NOTHING TO STOP ANIMALS' SUFFERING.

Many readers will be shocked to discover that everyday household products like washing-up liquid, fabric conditioner and cleaning fluids are perfectly legally tested on animals in the UK.

Ten years after the government banned animal experiments for cosmetics, there is still nothing to stop animals being subjected to suffering to test products that are used for cleaning the home.

The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) is campaigning for an immediate ban, after more than 80 per cent of shoppers said they were concerned that household products are still tested on animals. The BUAV is lobbying for a change in the law, and recently delivered a letter to the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown on this issue.

Shoppers may feel confused because some companies claim their products are cruelty-free', but actually this means that the actual finished product has not been animal-tested.

It doesn't stop animals being used in experiments to test the individual ingredients. The BUAV runs a certification scheme represented by a leaping-bunny' logo, where companies and their suppliers have to prove they do not test ingredients or final products on animals. To get a free booklet of BUAV-approved companies, go to www.crueltyfree.org.

Michelle Thew Chief Executive, British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) 16a Crane Grove, London.

12:42pm Friday 2nd May 2008

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