YEP Letters November 5

Fed up of emotional presenters

T Maunder, Leeds 5

Am I the only one rather fed up of “celebrities” bemoaning their pain during some elimination in a TV show like Great British Bake Off?

We get the presenters of Great British Bake Off starting to blubber when they announce an elimination (and why, oh why, do we have to endure these long breaks between “the person leaving this week is” and the actual name? Same on Strictly).Anyone would think they’re experiencing the pain not the participants.

I hate “celebrity” culture and its narcissism. Love those shows, though!

North Bar Stone hidden in plain sight

Coun Tom Leadley, West Ardsley

Leeds’ North Bar Stone seems like a fairy: quite small, able to disappear and appear at will, perhaps to be seen only by those who believe in it.

When members of city plans panel were in Vicar Lane on a site visit in the summer of 2014, they expressed concern that the hidden stone might be lost if the old West Yorkshire bus station was pulled down, if it were still there at all.

After I had jabbed with an umbrella at the spot where I remembered it being covered by a wooden shop-front about 40 years earlier, planning officers and people from Hammerson’s, the developer, went back in July 2014 and pulled away some of the woodwork to find the stone exactly where I’d forecast, opposite the end of Harrison Street. Some time after it had been opened to public view, Leeds Civic Trust claimed in the YEP that it remained hidden, and another correspondent said that he had seen it taken out and thrown into a skip in the 1960s or 70s.

In the YEP Retro page (October 29), there’s a claim in ‘A-Z of Leeds’ that the North Bar stone is “hidden from view”, even though it’s been in plain sight for more than four years; it did even better in West Yorkshire Road Car days, when it was sheltered from road-salt by a sheet of glass.

On the same page there is mention of “cauls”, as in The Calls; they were fish-traps in the Aire, which nowadays has some fish in it, though few would risk trapping and eating them.

Out of touch with real world

Martin J Phillips, Leeds 16

On the same day that Philip Hammond announced the end of austerity, the Dispatches programme on Channel 4 exposed how more than 35,000 families are having to rely on hand-outs from “baby banks” to provide for their young children.

On top of this there are 2,000 food banks handing out 1.5 million food parcels each year and 10 per cent of young girls are missing school/college due to period poverty.

Clearly the people cosseted within the walls of Westmenster are completely out-of-touch with what is going on in the real world.

Preposterous?

Helen Ingleby, by email

Could we ask Leeds Council to set up a managed burglary zone in Alwoodley?

Burglars could then ply their illegal activity between certain hours in an area suited to them and not be a bother to the rest of the city.

Preposterous? Surely, no more preposterous than the managed illegal red light zone foisted on Holbeck.

Climate change ‘maverick’

Alan Slomson, Leeds 6

Contrary to what Terry Watson (YEP Letters, November 2) says, Richard Lindzen is not “one of the most eminent climate scientists in the world”.

He is a 78-year-old retired professor of atmospheric physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is well known as a climate change contrarian who recently wrote to Trump urging him to pull the United States out of the United Nations’ climate change regime because global climate action is “not scientifically justified”.

If you go on the web you can find lots of reputable sites that list Lindzen’s claims and explain in detail why he is wrong. Why does Terry Watson believe this maverick and not the vast majority of scientists who work in climate science?

Keep pets safe from fireworks

Kristiana Shirley, Vet Nurse at PDSA

On behalf of vet charity, PDSA, I’m urging pet owners in to take action to help prevent animals suffering the extreme distress and trauma triggered by fireworks.

Every year millions of dogs and cats are left literally shaking with fear and anxiety because of the noise created during fireworks season.

Some are so scared they can inadvertently injure themselves or others, and our vets see hundreds of cases every year of animals suffering with fireworks phobias or fireworks related injuries.

We know this is a problem that affects large numbers of pets. In fact, our latest Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report found that 40 per cent of dogs and 34 per cent of cats in the UK are afraid of fireworks.

Anyone who has seen their pet go through this misery knows how serious their anxiety and fear of firework sounds can be.

Many shake and tremble, are unable to settle, they might toilet in the house, destroy furniture, and can even cause themselves physical injury if they panic, try to escape or run away.

While it’s difficult to shield pets from the noise of fireworks completely, there are some great ways that people can help their pets cope in the comfort of their own home.

To help pet owners reduce their pets’ fears, we’re urging people to take action. Thanks to funding support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, our expert vets have produced a step-by-step fireworks guide for owners to help them prepare their pets.

The five-page guide has lots of great advice and practical tips on how to create a safe environment for their pet this Bonfire Night.

It takes owners through the process of preparing pets for fireworks season, use of pheromones and music, how to build a noise-reducing fireworks den for pets, plus a checklist for the day itself.

To register to receive a free copy of the guide by email, visit pdsa.org.uk/fireworks-guide.

Get in touch

The YEP wants you to share your views. Send your letters by email to [email protected]. Please keep letters under 300 words.