Readers' views on the perils on charity volunteering and border controls
Here are the Lincolnshire Free Press letters from Tuesday,March 8...
Think long and hard before signing up
I write regarding the Free Press article about St John Ambulance recruiting. It is stated that a minimum of 60 hours per year duty time is required. It’s somewhat misleading.
It works out at five hours per month and although that seems like nothing, the reality is, you end up doing a lot more as pressure is put on the person (s) to go above and beyond and stay until the end regardless of the finish time.
This doesn’t take into account people’s need for a life outside of the organisation – in fact it seems to trample all over it completely.
While I fully agree that no one should die from lack of First Aid knowledge, it misses the point that everything volunteers do for St John Ambulance is voluntary.
That means that if people wish to leave a duty then they’ve every right to do so and nothing can be done.
My advice to anyone looking to join is to think very carefully about what you’re letting yourself in for.
Be prepared to compromise your family time and life outside the organisation and also have the courage to say no to anything you don’t wish to do. I know what I’m talking about as I was a volunteer myself from 1998-2003/4.
Cameron Johnston
via email
Government border action is better late than never
After reading the article by (MP Sir) John Hayes, I felt that it is a good idea to take control of our borders but I found the whole exercise a decade too late.
We voted for Brexit because of too many illegals coming to this country and using and abusing our system in every possible way.
Meanwhile British people are forced to go to the food banks in order to survive.
The criminals had freedom to break the law and hide behind expensive lawyers to aid and abet them through some loophole in the law. Why has it taken all this time for the Government to take action? When I came to this country back in 1969 on a three-year contract, we had to pay tax and a big stamp from day one.
The abuse of this country’s system has to stop and illegals should be sent back to the country (France) they came from. How do we know that some of asylum seekers are telling the truth? This country has been used and abused too long. Shame that it took politicians all this time to come up with something useful.
It feels like “the gate is shut long after the horse has bolted”. Nevertheless, I commend Mr Hayes for his initiative. As the old adage goes; better late than never!
Milena Birkett
via email
