Letters on old folk, the state of our roads, and the story behind Christmas stockings

The figures for 2020-21 show 63,000 people had died in England and Wales, almost double the previous figure. The Office of National Statistics said 84% of the winter deaths in England and 82% in Wales were linked to Covid, claiming 10,000 could be attributed to cold-related illness.

The NPC is raising this issue with local dignitaries as a way of ensuring that local services are aware of the dangers within their communities and that monitoring older people who struggle to maintain a warm home is extremely important.

With utility bills rising to the highest recorded in a long time, the winter fuel allowance being frozen for the last 11 years, the annual triple lock rise in pensions being suspended by the government, and increases in food and other costs, it is easy to understand that older people will need to make critical choices.

When the winter fuel allowance was first introduced, it covered approximately one third of fuel bills. Today, it barely covers one eighth. The measures in place by the government to ensure families are protected from higher cost will clearly not be enough.

Decisions by older people will still need to be made on whether to pay for a TV licence, heat a room, or cook a meal. This is totally unacceptable in the 21st Century and we ask you to liaise with your local NPC forum/group as well as Action on Fuel Poverty, in an effort to ensure that your communities are given help and support in the winter months.

We hope that you will work with us to enable older people, families and others in your community to cope with the winter months ahead.

The figures above are clearly appalling and distressing and the NPC will be calling for the Prime Minister to act and order a full analysis of the ONS figures to establish what the true breakdown is.

Rodney Sadd

Crowland, supporter of National Pensioners’ Convention

Roads all around need some work

It is not just Cross Keys bridge at Sutton Bridge that needs repairing.

We only moved into the area this September and we have noticed the roads all around Lincolnshire and into Norfolk are in need of repair.

Also we feel there are not enough dual carriageways for you to overtake.

And when all the lorries are back, it will be horrendous.

Mr K Toms

via email

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: The story of St Nicholas and Christmas stockings

Spalding Parish Church is dedicated to St Mary and St Nicolas. Mary was the mother of Jesus and is well-known in the Christmas story. There will be lots of proud mums and dads watching their daughters in a starring role in their school nativity play in the coming days.

St Nicholas also features at Christmas. Our church uses an unusual spelling which often catches people out. It is Nicolas because the church was built, in 1284, by Spalding Priory, which was linked to the Abbey of St Nicolas, in Anger in Normandy. We still use that French spelling.

St Nicholas was a wealthy man. His parents died when he was a child. He was ordained and became a bishop around 300AD. He often gave money to those who needed it.

The best-known story is about a man with three daughters who had fallen on hard times. They couldn’t get married because they had no money. When Nicholas heard about it, he put gold coins into three small bags and went to their house in the night. The girls had made ready their clothes to put on the next day. The bedroom window was open.

Nicolas threw the round bags into their room. Each one landed in one of the girls’ stockings, where they found them the next day.

If you wake up on Christmas morning with an orange or chocolate coins in your stocking you will have Saint Nicholas to thank, or ‘Santa Claus’ as you think of him now.

John Bennett

Vicar of Spalding, St Mary & St Nicolas