Jerry Harris from Dementia Friends visited the Recorder office.

Dementia patients face financial strain

Tim McLachlan, operations director, Alzheimer’s Society, Greater London, writes:

The Dementia Tax may have shaped the general election campaign, but it’s not a new issue.

For too long, many of the 72,000 people living with dementia in London have been struggling to pay the catastrophic costs of their care. That’s because, unlike other conditions, people with dementia don’t get free care on the NHS.

This is wrong. People with dementia shouldn’t be discriminated against because of their condition.

Successive governments have swept the problem under the carpet and families have been paying the price. We can’t let the new government dodge the problem any longer. The time to unite is now.

We need your readers – and everyone they know – to sign our petition today and demand that the new government finds a long-term solution to end the Dementia Tax once and for all.

To sign our petition

Boy bikers are a menace to area

A Canning Town resident, full name and address supplied, writes:

Why is it that areas like Canning Town get overlooked when it comes to crime prevention or matters relating to it?

Boy bikers plague this area riding mini-motorbikes. They have no number plates which probably means no insurance, tax or licences. They also ride without helmets and are often seen with pillions, also without helmets.

These youths use the streets here as their personal race tracks annoying rent and council tax paying tenants.

They have been reported in the past but evade the authorities by hiding the bikes in back yards on the estate.

Ruscoe Road, Rogers Road, Ibbotson Avenue E16 and the surrounding closes are where these pests are believed to live with the mini-bikes hidden at the back of the properties.

These races usually take place on sunny Sunday afternoons when the authorities are least manned.

We have read that the council have increased their Street Teams. But where are they?

Running railways is costly business

Robert Rush, address supplied, writes:

Debate is always a good sign of democracy within a free press, so I thank Ian Sinclair for his letter in the Recorder the other week’s (concerning nationalised railways).

To round off the debate and to correct mis-impressions, I do acknowledge that some fares are high. I did not say that travel was cheap, I merely told my fellow traveller that bargains are around and can be bought without too much effort.

Myself, I’m open to the state running a service, as long as it wins the tender in open competition and is not because of an ideological principal. I think that was a sensible Ukip policy and might yet end up a Labour compromise. The Tories will not even countenance such an idea. The problem is that it’s an expensive business running a railway.

The last time we had the utopia of the government running our railways, Dr Beechings Report identified 2,363 stations and 5,000 miles of railway line for closure. The network was butchered. The government simply couldn’t afford the necessary subsidies without massive rises in fares.

Enjoy your garden and boost charity

Diarmuid Gavin, Parkinson’s UK, writes:

As a passionate gardener, I spend as much time in the fresh air as possible, and love to entertain outdoors in Ireland during the summer.

That’s why I’m delighted to support Garden Gathering, a new feel good fundraiser for Parkinson’s UK, urging people across the country to get together with loved ones, bringing a fun, festival vibe to their gardens.

No matter how big or small your garden, I’m encouraging everyone to plan a Garden Gathering on Saturday, July 1, or you can just pick your own date, it’s up to you.

All money raised from Garden Gathering will help Parkinson’s UK to support the 127,000 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK, as well as funding urgently needed treatments that can slow, stop or even prevent the condition.

To get your fundraising pack, contact, call 0800 138 6593, or visit ourwebsite

Let’s make summer special.

Why you should boycott racing

Fiona Pereira, horse racing campaigner, Animal Aid, writes:

Video footage taken by a local animal rights group reveals

what the racing industry would probably rather remained hidden behind screens – the final moments of a race horse named Tea In Transvaal (IRE) at Newton Abbot on June 5.

Readers may think that such deaths are a rare occurrence, but, in fact, around 200 race horses are killed on British courses each year.

This is why the footage taken by the Devon Animal Save group is so important. It bears witness to the terrible suffering and fatalities caused by racing.

Visit Animal Aid’s website for more information about horse deaths, and Devon Animal Save’s Facebook page to witness the final moments of Tea In Transvaal.