Stranger danger

In the local shop a nice old lady was chatting and said how lovely my son was.

I joked, yes he is lovely with everyone except his parents.

Take no notice, she said to him, grabbing him then stroking his hair.

I stood there, this was behaviour I have told him was not acceptable from a stranger.

She then gave him a pound. I said no it’s fine. No I insist she said. My son fwas rozen to the spot, he didn’t know what to do, neither did I.

I felt very unnerved by what had taken place, he was confused, so was I.

We have now had the conversation again about stranger danger.

Maybe this lady’s intentions were to be kind and I am sure it was but maybe people should think first as it’s hard enough to explain what’s right or wrong.

It’s a shame society is so messed up we have to question a good deed.

The pound we put in the charity box, I think that was best.

Jayne Grayson

by email

Communal refuse collection

Having spent 10 minutes in my car crawling up Hangingwater Road behind a refuse lorry, I began to wonder why we still continue with this archaic method of refuse collection.

The road network in Sheffield is poor at the best of times without these lorries creating even more holdups and frustration.

If you go abroad you will know that there are communal refuse collection areas.

This is the way not only Sheffield but the whole of the UK should be moving.

Goodbye to all the wheelie bins and hello to much less congestion.

No doubt there will be NIMBYs objecting to communal bins.

However it will come sooner or later.

Just a thought.

by email

Post-truth world

Terry Palmer clearly is well suited to Donald Trump’s post truth world.

According to him, the French surrendered in 1940 as soon as the first bullet was fired. Perhaps he should check that “alternative fact” with relatives of the over 55,000 French soldiers killed during the campaign, some of those casualties being in the French rearguard that covered our hasty exit from Dunkirk.

There was also, of course, De Gaulle who fought as a tank commander in the campaign, led Free French forces thereafter and helped eventually free his homeland from the horrors of occupation. As De Gaulle twice vetoed UK efforts to join the European Community you’d have thought Mr Palmer might have fond memories of him.

Jon B

Dronfield

Do you want our support?

After our hugely successful series of Santa Sleigh-runs where we raised £8,600, Penistone Roundtable are now looking for opportunities to invest in the local community.

If individuals or groups have ideas on initiatives that they would like us to support in the Penistone area then they can get in touch via [email protected]

Phil Hollingsworth

PRT Press

Thankful for my recovery

There’s much attention paid now to mental health, and I hope people are as lucky as I was, after two spells in Sheffield NHS hospitals in 2016.

For my full recovery in 2017 I have to thank hospital mental health teams, as well as GPs and health care assistants at Woodseats Medical Centre, and pharmacists at Abbeydale Pharmacy.

Even more, I have to thank my wife, plus friends and close family, one of whom is a mental health expert, having worked at ‘the sharp end’ in deepest, darkest London, as well as in Derbyshire.

DFA

Conspiracy theory

Not one word to disprove my ‘conspiracy theory’, Jon, (Letters, January 23, 2017?

I am disappointed, that was the object of the exercise!

If, in order to prove me wrong, however, you decide that counteracting the content of my letter with contradictory facts would make more sense, I look forward to your contribution.

Mary Steele

Deerlands Avenue, Parson Cross, Sheffield, S5

Footnote: You must have missed It’s More Peter Pan by Jon B in Monday’s Star.

Did they vote?

Watching the thousands of women demonstrating against America’s President Trump and many of his remarks of 10 years ago, which he has apologised for, made me wonder if those people actually voted in the Presidentary election?

What exactly were they demonstrating about?

Women have equal rights yet they still lost the democratic Presidency outcome, didn’t they?

A bit like the UK and ‘remoaners’ taking umbridge because they lost to Brexit, yet again democratically.

I would suggest lessons in democracy should now be compulsory, not in schools but in our own Parliament.

By the way, why were there no demonstrations by thousands of women regarding the barbaric murder, gang rape and sexual assaults in India, Sweden and Germany?

Why was there not a single word of feminine solidarity on the downgrading of women in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and regarding female genital mutilationeven here in the UK.

Females would do better taking their demonstrations to these places and if they return I am sure the BBC and ITV would give them just as much airtime as they got demonstrating against democratically elected President Trump.

Terry Palmer

South Lea Avenue, Hoyland, Barnsley, S74

Off-licence plan opposed

There should be no hesitation by our councillors in throwing out Mr Periyasami’s application to open a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week off- licence in West Street.

This, in addition to the five others already trading.

I would say to Mr Periyasami, make an application for a 24/7 off-licence in Chester where he lives and see how far that gets him.

Tony

Rule Britannia

Darling buds of May, pull that trigger now that Mr Trump has laid his trading card out, and put two fingers up to the EU by making a rock hard Brexit deal.

The USA will soon be followed by Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries to trade with us Brits. Rule Britannia.

John Bull