Dear Editor,

The invitation to join the delegation to London was well publicised and was open to all.

Everyone who registered to go on the trip paid in full - to suggest this was ‘a Lib Dem jolly’ is factually incorrect.

It’s extremely disappointing that a member of our town council feels that working on obtaining government funding for this vital project is a waste of time.

Ministers’ public words of support for the project, following our delegation, show the positive effect it has had.

Thankfully, our MP continues to press the government to obtain the go ahead.

We will continue to campaign for the funding, whether or not next month’s government spending review allocates the cash, but obviously hope this will give the project the green light and that Wellington will finally get the station it deserves.

Wellington Liberal Democrats

Dear Editor,

The Wellington Health Walking Group is a free-to-join group open to all ages. They will meet on Thursday, May 29, at Rockwell Green, opposite the fish and chip shop, for a 10.30am start.

The walk takes about two hours. You must have a strong heart and a good pair of lungs. This kip-fit stroll is along country lanes and across fields on public footpaths.

Yours sincerely,

John Jarrett

Dear Editor,

The other week you kindly published an item seeking more volunteers to help run the Welly Hopper Patient Transport Scheme which offers volunteer transport for patients from their homes to either Wellington Medical Centre, Luson Surgery or Wellington Community Hospital. The article said it was a free service. In fact it is not free as a charge of 46p a mile goes to the volunteer drivers for their car petrol costs. For short journeys a minimum charge of £4 is made for volunteer drivers’ costs.

My thanks to John Thorne for our useful conversation about this. As ever thank you for the support you give us in the Wellington Weekly News.

My regards,

Erica Adams, chairman. Welly Hopper

Dear Editor,

On VE Day veterans in their eighties and nineties mentioned letters they had received from loved ones before going to war. One elderly veteran had on his person a letter from a loved one written to him eight years ago. A hand written letter that had stood the test of time.

So why not write a letter today that can be treasured by another. Kept and re-read again and again.

Parents get your children interested in writing letters. There is nothing more heart warming than receiving a hand written letter from a child.

Did someone say letter writing is a dying craft. Yes, but only if we let it; Thee ball is in our court, the rest is up to us.

Maureen Lane, Wellington

Dear Editor,

Mary’s Meals is a charity that serves life-changing school meals to children in some of the world’s poorest communities, across 16 countries. The promise of a good meal attracts these hungry children into the classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a better future.

But with the impact of conflict, climate change and the global cost-of-living crisis creating growing challenges for families in these communities, our work is now more urgent than ever. That’s why I’m asking your readers to consider doing something powerful – setting up a regular gift to Mary’s Meals today.

Until May 31, a generous donor will triple your first three monthly donations. This means if you sign up to give £5 a month, your donation will be increased to £15. With the price of a meal costing just 10p, a £5 monthly donation would feed 50 children every month, and 150 children a month for the first three months!

Regular gifts are the foundation of our work. They help us expand our programmes to reach the next hungry child waiting for Mary’s Meals, and ensure we keep our promise to the children who rely on us – like 11-year-old Grace from Zimbabwe.

Grace lives with her 83-year-old great-grandmother, Elly, who struggles to provide food due to the ongoing drought across the region. Grace often arrives at school tired and hungry, but she knows she’ll receive a hot mug of porridge when she gets there. It gives her the energy to learn and the confidence to dream.

“I can concentrate better. I can read more when my tummy is full,” she says. “When I’m older, I want to be a teacher.”

Elly adds: “Everyone is happy about the porridge. It’s the biggest difference I’ve seen in this community.”

Grace is just one of the 2.6-million children who will eat Mary’s Meals today. But too many children are still waiting. Please help us reach them by setting up a monthly donation – through Direct Debit or your employer’s payroll scheme, and together we can give more children the food they need, the chance to learn, and the prospect of a better tomorrow.

With heartfelt thanks,

Marie Doyle, executive director, Mary’s Meals UK