This year's Christmas event by Moonshot Performance Company takes place at March Town Hall on December 18 and 19 with a performance of Last Panto in Little Grimley.

It is by David Tristram and is a short play that captures the exploits of an amateur theatre group as they try to tackle the Christmas panto.

It will be partnered with a Macmillan coffee gathering, with tea, coffee and cake available and the opportunity to relax and chat.

The event will start at 6pm on Saturday, 3pm Sunday, with the performance commencing one hour later.

Tickets are available for the event for £7.00 at Panini's, on the door, or by contacting Moonshot Performance Company on their Facebook page.

Tea and coffee money and £1.00 of the ticket price will go to Macmillan.

ALAN HOOKS

Moonshot Performance Company


Cricket AGM reminder

The AGM OF Chatteris Cricket Club will take place on Tuesday December 14 at 7.00pm at the Pavilion, Chatteris Cricket Club.

Any nominations for the management committee posts must be submitted by email to the Secretary at chatteriscricketclub@gmail.com no later than 7 December 2021.

If you require any further information, please contact Julie Pope as above."

ANDREW WOOL

Climate change debate

It was refreshing to read John Redding of Whittlesey’s article regarding the climate change debate as he touched on an issue which appears to be taboo.

I recently participated in the Cambridgeshire Fenland climate change panel, a zoom discussion group and raised the issue of unsustainable population growth, but that was quickly closed down no doubt for the reasons John Redding mentioned.

When I was born in 1948 the U.K. population was estimated to be around 49 million and today it is estimated to be approaching 69 million.

Obviously not all this increase is due to the birth rate.

In terms of U.K. food production, the country was dependant on the importation of food to sustain the population in 1948 and today the situation is much worse.

It is a similar situation with regard to the current housing crisis and all this adds to our carbon footprint.

Therefore, there is a sustainable argument for encouraging families to have no more than two children and now is probably the best time as the working population has unintentionally been bolstered by the increase in the retirement age.

China has previously shown how population growth can be contained although I would not suggest we follow their draconian example.

If the U.K. set an example in this area other developed countries may be encouraged to follow and collectively these countries may be able to show third world countries how they can set up the necessary infrastructure to provide for old age rather than rely on large families to provide for the elderly.

Failure to address the world population issue will undermine many if not all of the carbon reducing policies being proposed at the moment.

JOHN COLE

Wisbech

Remembrance a reminder

Remembrance Sunday is a reminder to us all”. It was refreshing to see a big turnout in Outwell and Upwell this year.

Perhaps those people on my television should learn a little about history before asking for financial help in places such as Yemen and Afghanistan.

Those who took the billions of support cash from many so-called wealthy countries are living a life of luxury beyond belief in hideaways throughout the world.

"That money should have been used to benefit the people".

Yes- it is heart-breaking to see those little children suffer also those who gamble on rubber boats to seek a better life.

Martin Bell’s catchphrase is, “I have worked with UNICEF for years and have seen what they can do, “WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!”.

Should he not use his persuasive powers, experience and superior intelligence to lobby world leaders to hunt down these people who took the cash that should have been used to help these people?

Greed drove Yemen to occupy a beautiful part of the world (Aden) then reduce it to poverty and dust.

A similar thing happened to Libya, another aesthetically outstanding part of the world. Self-destruction was caused by power-hungry greedy individuals.

These places are beautiful, they should be amongst the most sort after holiday destinations in the world, they have an abundance of ancient history and scenery that has to be envied. Unfortunately, it is marred by senseless conflicts predominantly fuelled by distorted religious beliefs.

Just like the erudite Martin Bell, I have been to most of these places.

The difference between us is, I was there for a very different reason.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED


Be a Samaritans Christmas star

Peterborough and District Samaritans, in conjunction with Samaritans UK, has launched its Christmas campaign to ensure volunteers are on-hand to provide emotional support throughout the festive season, which can be a particularly difficult time.

This Christmas, Samaritans volunteers – including those from Peterborough - will respond to more than 250,000 calls for help. They will make sure there’s always someone available to listen to anyone who is feeling alone or struggling this festive season.

Whilst many look forward to the Christmas period, at Samaritans we know this time of year can actually be a huge challenge for some people.

Our amazing volunteers will, as they do every day, be giving their time this Christmas to anyone who needs emotional support.

I think that is a pretty special gift to give. I’m so proud of the work Samaritans does, and I know what a huge difference it makes to people’s lives.

So, for anyone who is struggling this Christmas time, Samaritans is here for them, for free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

To help Peterborough Samaritans carry out their life-saving work, an appeal has been made to ‘Be A Samaritans Christmas Star’ this season.

To make a donation, visit samaritans.org/donate-christmas and select Peterborough at the checkout. As little as £5 could enable Peterborough and District Samaritans to answer a call for help from somebody struggling this Christmas.

To find out other ways you can support Peterborough and District Samaritans, visit: https://www.samaritans.org/branches/peterborough/.

Samaritans can be contacted at any time by phone on 116123 or by e-mail Jo@samaritans.org

MARTIN CRAGG

Director at Peterborough and District Samaritans


Switch the salt and reduce your risk of stroke

In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, more than 127,000 adults have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

And for every ten people diagnosed with high blood pressure, seven remain undiagnosed and untreated.

That’s extremely worrying to our charity as high blood pressure is one of the leading causes of stroke.

One of the ways to reduce blood pressure is to reduce your sodium intake.

Most of this sodium is in the salt we eat and that’s why we’re proud to support Season with Sense, a public health campaign which aims to drive down consumer sodium intake.

The good news is that by making small changes to our diet – such as cutting the amount or type of salt - we can greatly reduce our risk of serious health issues.

Face, Arms, Speech, are the most common signs that someone is having a stroke.

Stroke is a medical emergency and you must phone 999 straight away.

JULIE BOUVERIE OBE

Chief Executive

The Stroke Association

The issue is opposition – lack of it

The Tories can get away with sleaze when there’s no real opposition.

From the beginning of the pandemic, Labour leader Keir Starmer spent all his time agreeing with Boris Johnson in a show of “national unity.”

That’s why the Tories manage to survive scandal after scandal.

They escaped after adviser Dominic Cummings showed there was one law for the rich and another for the rest. They have not been called to account for the £37 billion spent on a failing test and trace system.

Johnson even survived revelations that he would rather “let the bodies pile high” than push forward plans for a third lockdown.

Above all, the government remains ahead in the opinion polls even though it presides over one of the worst death rates in the world.

Starmer has called on Johnson to “answer, apologise and act” over sleaze allegations.

It’s got through to him that there is a chance to inflict real blows on the Tories.

But so much of the criticism is phrased as a defence of “parliamentary standards” and the “good name” of British democracy.

Labour supports essentially the same system as now.

Starmer even chose to announce that Labour was no longer in favour of abolishing the House of Lords. Parliament is an unrepresentative, unaccountable front that covers for the real relations of power.

As the pandemic highlighted, it is a mechanism for the enrichment of the tiny elite of business-people who have an inside track to ministers and top civil servants.

Instead of seeking to polish and rescue parliament’s reputation, Labour and the unions should be campaigning for a complete clean out of corrupted MPs.

And the cosy dinners, the freebie trips and holidays, the football match tickets and the fat extra salaries to deliver for corporations must all go.

JOHN SMITHEE

Wisbech

Families deserve our support and help
Each year AAA Motorcycle Training Ltd have supported Littleport Foodbank at Christmas to help ensure all the children whose families are relying on the foodbank for help at this difficult time receive a gift come Christmas day.

This year is no different!

We have launched our toy appeal to help make Christmas special for even the neediest of children within our community this year.

We are also extending this to gifts for adults who rely on the food bank who will spend Christmas alone. Being alone at any time of the year is difficult but especially Christmas.

This year we are really pleased to announce that we are being joined by M&M Motorcycles, Waterbeach to help make this happen.

Simply drop your gift to either the award-winning AAA Motorcycle Training in Littleport or to M&M Motorcycles, Waterbeach, the gifts are then collected and delivered to the foodbank in time for the big day.

Help put a smile on someone's face this Christmas.


We will also, as usual be collecting Christmas treats and food to help the foodbank ensure everyone gets a little something special come Christmas.

AMANDA HELLMANN

AAA Motorcycle Training Ltd