Newbury Weekly News

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Thursday, May 11, 2017 Newbury Weekly News
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My Newbury – in pictures
DONNINGTON resident Carol
Forbes took this picture – of a
mandarin duck – on the Kennet and
Avon Canal recently.
The ducks were introduced to the
UK from China and this one was
spotted by the Wharf in Newbury’s
Victoria Park.
Why not take some inspiration from
this and send the Newbury Weekly
News and Newburytoday some of
your photographs?
If you have a picture that you would
like to submit for consideration,
please send it to dan.cooper@
Alternatively, send it to our twitter
account @newburytoday using
#MyNewbury, but please remember
to let us know where the picture
was taken and, crucially, by whom.
They may then be published online
on or in
the Newbury Weekly News, the
Newbury and Thatcham Advertiser
and our Facebook page.
HOW would you like to die at the grand old age of
146?
Mbah Gotho, a Christian man from Sragen in
Central Java, has finally died. His December 31,
1870, birth date was verified last year by the local
Indonesian authorities and his earliest memory is
the construction of a sugar factory there in 1880.
Beyond Mbah’s unbelievable longevity, one
curious fact is that he has been preparing for his
death for the past 22 years.
One news source said “he was ready to die” and
his own grandson revealed that he simply wanted
his family to “let him go”.
A number of years back, I came across a woman
who had suffered a crisis in pregnancy and then
had a near-death experience.
She recounted how she was drifting away, looking
down on her own body and then heard Jesus
addressing her.
When she did come out of the coma, on opening
her eyes she suddenly exclaimed: “Oh no! I’m still
here!”
I wonder how you plan to face your own death?
Perhaps you appreciate a little humour to soften
the idea: “It’s not that I’m afraid to die, I just don’t
want to be there when it happens.” (Woody Allen)
The apostle Paul is a little more earthy and
concrete: “If I am to live in the flesh, that means
fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall choose I
cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two.
My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that
is far better.” (Philippians 1 Verses 22 & 23)
I guess if death is termination, a full stop, then we
all tend to resist getting over the overture.
However, if Paul is right then we can be utterly
happy that the overture is once and for all fully
over.
REV HEDLEY CLEMO
The Community Church, Thatcham
CHRISTIAN Viewpoint
Getting over theoverture
The Newbury Weekly News is
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2012.
Adepressing choice in
thisGeneral Election Thecarersituation hasgoneonforyears
I READ your article headlined
‘Carers fear for the future’
(Newbury Weekly News, April 27)
with a sense of depressed déjà vu.
I was head of the post-16
department for students at Castle
School for several years.
I constantly fought, along with
colleagues, to raise the issue of
supported independent living for
when families were ready for their
children with learning disabilities
to move out of the family home.
Some wished for this to happen at
19, but some wanted it to happen
later.
We always seemed to lurch from
one crisis to another as there had
been no forward planning.
This was in spite of the fact that it
had been raised at every annual
review of the child’s Statement of
Needs from the age of 14 as well as
constant reminders to the
authority.
The authorities were also
regularly updated of all our
students who would require
accommodation at some point in
the future.
I also know that other special
schools and providers were also
updating the authority and I am
sure that is still the case.
I totally agree with Mencap’s
comment that this has been a
‘ticking time bomb since 2002.
At one point we had a cohort of
several students with quite
challenging and/or medical needs
that were about to leave at the
same time.
It was only due to the cavalry
coming over the hill in the form of
Mencap and Greenham Common
Trust that led to a property being
found and adapted for these
individuals. I hate to think what
could have happened otherwise.
There was a spell when the
Phoenix Centre was built when
quite a lot was also done to provide
supported living in the
community, which was very
successful but wasn’t continued
due to a downturn in the
economy.
I fully realise that the council are
under extreme financial pressure,
but, as the article stated, some
families have been waiting 25
years. Why do they always go to
the bottom of the list?
For the council spokesman to say
that they are grateful for the
report is worrying as they
shouldn’t need a report for
something that they should
already be dealing with.
Across the country these
families save taxpayers millions
of pounds by looking after their
children with disabilities for so
long.
It is not just parents, but siblings
and extended family members as
well. The strain – physically,
financially and emotionally – is
immense and they deserve our
admiration. They do it out of
love, but when they need help it
should be instant and not a
battle.
We have read in the NWN of
several planning issues where
land has virtually been given
away when the authority could
use that money for so many
things. Could a clause be put in
to provide sheltered housing as
part of a planning agreement?
I hope Mr Sharp’s (Healthwatch)
faith in the council to now do
something is well founded, but I
am a bit more cynical – but I will
be amongst the first to praise
them if it materialises and
continues.
MRS CHRISTINE DALTON
Gore End Road
Ball Hill
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Thursday,April27,2017 4 NEWBURYNEWS
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n Dailynewsupdatesonline at:
Carers fear for the future
“WHATwill happenwhenwe’re
no longerhere?"
Thatis thequestion beingasked
byagroupof frustratedparentsand
family carers who have criticised
West Berkshire Councilover a fail-
ure to planlong-term provisions for
those theycare for.Thecarers,who arenowentering
old age, say a lack of planning and
support means they cannot be
certainwhatcarewillbeprovided to
theirchildrenwhen theyaregone.
Thecriticism comesfollowingthe
releaseof anew reporthighlighting
theissue,whichMencaplabelleda
“ticking time bomb”asfar back as
2002.
The report from Healthwatch
WestBerkshire saysan increasein
life expectancy means those with
learning disabilities arenow outliv-
ing their parents and carers in
larger numbers, with little to no
support provided as the carers
becomeolder.
At the launch of the report on
Friday, some of those affected said
the authorities have “ignored”the
problem for too long.Robert and CarolWinter provide
care for their45-year-old daughter,
Karen,andsaya lackofplanningby
theauthorities means theycannot
be certain what care will be
provided forher whenthey areno
longerhere.
“We’veraised itat differenttimes
since shewas inher 20s,”they said.
“There’sbeennothought givento
the fact that we aren’t going to be
hereforeverand thatthereneedsto
be something inplaceafter that.
“Wehavewanted toprepareovera
longperiodof time tomake itaseasy
aspossible,buthereweare 25years
later and we’re still no further
forward.”
The couple, now in their 70s,
added: “Wewould like to see hr
settledandknow she’s being cared
for.”
Thepaper,entitled Movingon –the
Final Transition, calls forurgent
action from theauthorities.
However, the new report, which
addressed a number of families
affected,concludes that theopportu-
nity to move those with learning
disabilities into ‘independent living’
with the help of their families has
now largelybeenmissed.
The paper goes on: “It also
appearsanewgenerationof families
with younger dependents may
equally risk missing out on a
planned transition from care at
home, to amore fulfilling and inde-
penden life wih the appropriate
careavailable.”
Tomarkthe launch ofthe report,
HealthwatchWest Berkshiregath-
ered the families at a site in
Healthwatch WestBerkshire chiefofficer Andrew Sharp (front) withparents andfamily
carers involved inthenewreport
Group criticisesWestBerkshire Council overitsfailure tosecure long-term provision
Newtown Road, Newbury, which a
decade ago hadbeen earmarked for
anassisted-livingdevelopment.
However, itnevermaterialised.
At the launch, chief officer at
Healthwatch West Berkshire,
Andrew Sharp, saidhe was pleased
with West Berkshire Council’s
response to the report andwashope-
fulprogresscouldnowbemade.
He said:“It hasbeen neglectedas
anissuefor decades.Theyknewthe
people were here with a need and
knew the people caringwere getting
older.
“It’s been kicked in to the long
grassconstantly bydifferentcoun-
cils over the years. But we’ve been
reallypleasedwith thecouncil –they
haven’tstuck theirheadin thesand
over this report.
“The council has agreed to the
recommendations, whichis terrific,
andwearegoing to trytoputan
action group together, made up of
professionals,carers andvoluntary
sector workers, to get them all
around the table todiscuss it.
Headded: “Ifwecansolve it forone
groupofpeople itwillhopefullysolve
it forothergroupsgoing forward.”
West Berkshire Council
spokesmanMartinDunscombe said:
“We work closelywith Healthwatch
West Berkshireand aregrateful to
them forproducing this report.
“We value feedback from our
currentand futureserviceusersand,
aswiththis report,willuse ittohelp
usdeliver the supporton offer in the
comingyears.”He added: “Our priorityisalways
withthosewhose needisimmediate
because they have nowhereelse to
go.
“However,we areactivelylooking
todevelop thesupportweare ableto
offer for allour vulnerable residents
andrecent increasesin socialcare
fundingwillhelpus toachieve this.”
In FebruaryWest BerkshireCoun-
cil agreedto increasethe preceptfor
adultsocialcareby 1.99percentin
2017/18 inan effortto easefunding
pressures.
Report by CHRISORD
email chris.ord@newbur
twitter @chriso_nwn
“
There’sbeennothought
given tothefactthatwe
aren’tgoing tobehere
forever andthatthere
needs tobesomething in
placeafterthat
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NewburyWeeklyNews
MRS English (‘Newbury Weekly News
letters pages are biased’, May 4)
should switch to the Daily Mail or
Daily Express if she wants right-wing
propaganda rather than fair and
balanced coverage of local issues.
Judging by her ill-informed remarks
about migrants enjoying “an easy life
on benefits”, she might also enjoy the
Nigel Farage Show (formerly known
as Question Time) every Thursday
night on BBC1.
The NWN readers’ letters sections is
one of the best in the country
precisely because it is open to all
points of view, including those of us,
such as the Green Party, who are
largely ignored by national media.
IT is hard not to get depressed, having
read the first two weeks of your
election coverage.
Unless there is a political tsunami, we
will re-elect a party apparatchik as
our representative in Parliament.
An MP incapable of voting against his
party machine even when that vote is
against his constituents’ interests.
A willingness to obey orders are
admirable traits in an army man, less
so in a politician.
Like it or not this election will be
framed around Brexit and yet all the
candidates are treating the
referendum result as if it is some
inviolable holy grail, something that
cannot be overturned as the “people
have spoken”, forgetting that “the
people” in this instance represent
only 37 per cent of the electorate.
The Tories have chosen “strong and
stable” as their byline for this
election, apparently without irony, as
they rush headlong towards the
biggest economic gamble this country
has seen since Churchill took us back
on to the Gold Standard.
We can only hope that the results will
not be as catastrophic, but the
portents are not encouraging.
Meanwhile, our opposition parties
cannot even contemplate the notion of
working together for the greater good
– it does not bode well for a future
coalition of whatever political hue.
It is hard to see how this
opportunistic election will not result
in more Conservative MPs, because
no-one is standing to stop Brexit.
The Lib Dems’ position of “no to a
hard Brexit” implicitly accepts the
referendum result with all its flaws,
the Labour Party explicitly so.
It is not a position that is going to
have pro-Europeans rushing to the
ballot box.
And yet if May is successful then she
will have slipped under the carpet a
mandate to do so much more, such as
the reintroduction of grammar
schools against the advice of most
educational experts and
professionals, and in spite of the fact
that they were abolished in most parts
of the country for a very good reason.
Meanwhile, the immense resources
being sucked up by the Brexit process
mean that public services continue to
languish.
Our whole approach towards health
is in need of urgent reform if the NHS
is not to be completely overwhelmed
by an insatiable demand for its
services.
Education will suffer from a lack of
funding and the relentless reforms
governments feel impelled to
introduce on an increasingly
demoralised workforce.
Government and industry will
continue to fail to invest in training,
preferring the cheaper option of
importing pre-trained labour.
And when we should all be working
together to tackle the biggest
problem of our age, the environment
and climate change, instead we are
turning our backs on those very
institutions best placed to ensure a
coordinated global approach.
As I said at the outset it is hard not to
be depressed.
PETER M NORMAN
Newbury