Hospital memories

Seeing the pictures of Princess Margaret Hospital brought back memories.

I worked for a taxi company doing contract work a lot of which meant going to the PMH. I also had a bad car accident when working, so spent a few weeks in the hospital. It always had a good atmosphere, like everybody enjoyed working there.

Unfortunately the new hospital is all behind closed doors not open like PMH. Good times.

Alan Shrive

Liden

No more lip service

How refreshing to read that Coun Jim Robbins intends to bring a more democratic touch and feel to the council.

I think everyone who has an interest in local politics would recognise that the past two leaders of the council paid lip service to their colleagues, studiously ignored the 'opposition' and contemptuously dismissed the public they supposedly served.

The Labour group will find things tough as they realise fine words and actions can sometimes be difficult to reconcile. However, Jim and his team deserve a chance and now they have to step up and deliver.

Des Morgan

Caraway Drive

Stag beetle study

Volunteers across Britain are being asked to record sightings of spectacular stag beetles (or their larvae) this summer as part of wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species annual Great Stag Hunt survey.

Stag beetles were once widespread but due to habitat loss they’re now declining and have even become extinct in some parts of Britain and Western Europe. To prevent that from further happening PTES is calling for nature lovers, families, and individuals to help this summer by recording all sightings of male and female stag beetles, and their larvae (large, white grubs), online at: .ptes.org/gsh

Stag beetles are easy to spot – they’re the UK’s largest land beetles and the males are instantly recognisable with their antler like jaws. From late May into July these iconic insects emerge from the ground in search of mates, and are usually spotted flying around gardens, parks and allotments on warm summer evenings. They can also be seen on walls and warm tarmac surfaces in urban areas, and in other green spaces too such as woodland edges, hedgerows and traditional orchards.

Last year almost 10,000 sightings were recorded by thousands of volunteers, giving us a real insight into where their range is, which is crucial for the species’ long-term survival. More help is always needed though, so whether you’re out in the garden, dog walking in a local park, on the school run or even walking to the pub, keep your eyes peeled for these beautiful beetles and tell us about any you see. You don’t need to be a beetle expert or have taken part before, as PTES has a free ‘beetle ID’ guide to help anyone new to the survey to help them tell the differences between stag beetles and other insects.

Stag beetles usually prefer warm areas with lower annual rainfall and light soils, and as a result are widespread in southern England (excluding the North and South Downs, where the soil is chalky). There are also hotspots in the Severn Valley and in coastal parts of the southwest, but last year PTES received its first ever record of a stag beetle in the Lake District.

Laura Bower

Conservation officer

PTES