As the Christmas season is now upon us I am urging people across Furness to spare a thought for the people in our community who struggle with this time of year.

Please take the time to check on those who you know or think are vulnerable or would simply appreciate some basic human kindness.

I’ve always found that your time is one of the greatest gifts you can ever give and with this in mind please try to do some or all of the following.

Send that card, make that call, knock on that door, make that trip, invite that person or those people around for dinner,company and interaction, or anything else you think may help.

We can all make room for one more at our tables so let’s fill it and remember that we should do these things not just during the festive season but all throughout the year.

Have a wonderful Christmas,

Cllr Roy Worthington, Hawcoat

Don’t blame dentists

YOU cannot blame dentists turning away from NHS patients in favour of private practice.

Unless you have a production line of patients at any one time, its difficult to provide a cost-effective service given the payments made to dentists by the NHS.

An alternative is to receive treatment at a dental hospital, such as the one in Manchester, where students train and qualify - as long as your prepared to be treated by a student under supervision, and prepared to travel, plus have a longer treatment time.

The treatment is free, but you have additional travel costs and appointments.

Pete Jones, via email