The story of the woman who almost lost everything due to her alcoholism was heartbreaking and it is one I can identify with from personal experience.
I lost My Mum to alcohol. Like the lady featured in the Tele, there was no key event which started her on the path to self-destruction.
She just drank every day until it got to the stage that her liver stopped functioning properly.
This was a few years ago now and we were not aware of all the help that was out there.
The work of organisations like Alcoholics Anonymous is very important and I hope anyone who knows of someone who has a drink problem will point them in the direction of AA and the likes. Well done to the Tele for highlighting this issue. — Mr Walsh, Blackness Rd, Dundee.
More to city than railway station
Dundee station.
I read with interest the letter from the visitor to Dundee who argued the railway station lets the city down.
As someone who travels regularly to Edinburgh from Dundee, I have to agree to a certain extent.
The facilities are certainly outdated, and although it functions well enough, it does not sit well with the ongoing regeneration of the surrounding area.
That said, we have to see it in context.
If people are going to make a snap judgment on the city of Dundee based on the few minutes they spend exiting the station, then there is very little we can do about that.
You have to hope visitors to the city will see the Discovery as they exit the station and the wealth of new, interesting buildings that are popping up in that area and form their opinion of the city based on that. — Realist.
True colours in tax row
Yet again we see the hypocrisy of the Conservatives when it comes to the economy.
The latest revelation shows the Conservatives have big questions to answer in terms of how the party raises funds.
One of the largest donors to the Conservatives is Lord Ashcroft, a member of the Lords making laws for the people of this country to adhere to, yet remains a Non Dom.
Lord Ashcroft’s annual tax saving is conservatively estimated to be £12.76m and he has been a member of the House of Lords for a decade.
That is a loss of £127m out of the UK budget.
I know that many died fighting against taxation with representation. It now looks like the Conservatives believe in representation without taxation. — Allan Petrie, Blacklock Crescent, Dundee.
How could this happen?
I write regarding the case of James Bulger. The justice system protecting the two boys, now men, who committed this most horrific crime seems to be deeply flawed.
The situation regarding Jon Venables is appalling.
The authorities get him a job, a new identity, but despite this, he is back in custody for an unspecified offence, which cannot be revealed.
Surely, serious questions have to be asked as to how this could happen.
James Bulger’s Mum has been a high-profile presence in the media since this news emerged and you can imagine the heartache her and her family are enduring again. — Jimmy Borland.
No more jobs with Lib Dem “savage” cuts
In blaming the SNP Government for the lack of progress on new civil service jobs for Dundee, Cllr Fraser Macpherson seems oblivious to his own Party’s economic policies.
It was only a few months ago that Nick Clegg, in a speech to the Lib Dem conference, called for “bold and savage” cuts to public spending.
If Cllr Macpherson thinks that would mean more jobs for Dundee, then I am surprised.
The scar of unemployment in Dundee has existed for decades.
He should welcome the SNP government’s focus on the renewable energy sector, bringing new wealth, new jobs and reducing pollution. — Kevin Donnelly.
Speed cameras
Why is there a speed camera vehicle on Broughty Ferry Road every other week when Dalkeith Road has been treated like a racetrack for years, with no cameras in attendance whatsoever? Drivers seem to be ignorant of the fact that the speed limit for this area is 30 mph. — Resident, Dalkeith Road.
Open evening
St Mary’s PS is holding an Open Evening for former pupils on Friday from 4pm to 6pm. Come and see our photograph display and visit your old classrooms. Our head teacher and PTA look forward to welcoming everyone. — Ciann Shirkey and Mervyn Owusu-Ayim, St. Mary’s Lochee Pupil Council.
Club needs modern outlook
We are sorry to hear the Lochee Burns Club in Dundee is to close.
However, I am not surprised, as it will not change with the times.
I regularly attend and it is like an old-time dancing club.
The whole night is waltzing or dancing in a circle or line dancing.
If a group plays modern music, they sit with fingers in ears or don’t dance.
No younger people would go a second time. New people are looked at as if they have two heads.
If you want to keep a club open you need younger members. — Club Member.
Horse escape
Thanks to the member of the public who saw two of our ponies eating the lovely green grass at the Linlathen Neurodisability Centre, and alerted the police.
The two culprits in question had made a mad escape from the Brae Riding School.
Volunteer Suzanne McGiffen was contacted, and with the help of Officer MacIntosh of Tayside Police, managed to get them safely back home to their friends at the Brae.
Thanks to everyone involved. — Mary Sneddon, Brae Centre Manager.
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