Letters, contributions and comments sent in from Recorder readers this week.

Not the place for chicken

Warren Kenny, GMB regional secretary, writes:

We’re delighted Nando’s have listened to the strength of local feeling, seen sense and shelved this proposal before it hatched.

There is a time and a place for chicken, but a historic library that forms part of the fabric of Newham’s community was never it.

GMB looks forward to working with the council and local community to develop a plan for Canning Town Library that ensures the historic legacy of the building lives on as a community asset for generations to come.

Stand up against harassment

Jess, 17, a member of Plan International UK’s Youth Advisory Panel, (sent on behalf of Jess as she is under 18), writes:

Don’t walk home alone, don’t wear provocative outfits, cross the side of the street when you see someone coming towards you, walk with your keys in your hands– all things I get told to do because I’m a girl and it’s seen as ‘my job’ to protect myself from being harassed in public.

When I was 16, I was harassed while walking home in my school uniform. A car drove up behind me and starting honking its horn, and as I turned around I saw a group of boys in the car with their heads out the window shouting derogatory comments at me.

I was so scared, embarrassed and felt so ashamed of my body.

New research by children’s charity Plan International UK has found that, like me, 35 per cent of girls in the UK have been sexually harassed in public while in school uniform.

Harassment has become just a part of my life, of girls’ lives, and a problem that we have had to accept because it’s just ‘the norm’ – when it shouldn’t be.

Join me in saying ‘It’s not OK’, and let’s all call harassment out for what it is, violence against women and girls.

We’re a first class delivery company

Timothy Jones, delivery leader, Royal Mail, South East, writes:

This month marks five years since Royal Mail became a listed company.

It is a good time to reflect on some of the changes for customers over the past five years, and set out some of our key new initiatives for your readers.

A lot has changed in a short space of time.

We have invested £1.8billion in our UK business since privatisation in 2013.

Five years ago, we had little ability to track or scan parcels. Today, when a postman or woman knocks on your door they will be probably scan the parcel and record your signature electronically – vital in these days of online shopping.

It’s not just on the doorstep. Royal Mail’s sorting operation has changed dramatically.

We now sort 90per cent of letters automatically (up from just 8pc in 2010).

And we’re pleased to have made these improvements at the same time as seeing a reduction in complaints, and increases in customer satisfaction.

None of this could have happened without the dedication of all our Royal Mail people.

They are Royal Mail.

We keep transforming our business.

In the last few months alone, we have launched, a new consumer app, electronic “Something for You” cards and our first electric-only vans. I hope your readers are seeing the benefits.

Be bone cancer aware

Mat Cottle-Shaw, head of fundraising and communications, Bone Cancer Research Trust, writes:

Last week (October 8 – 14) was Bone Cancer Awareness Week 2018. In preparation for the Bone Cancer Research Trust’s annual awareness campaign it recently completed a ‘Time to diagnosis’ survey.

The survey was the largest ever for the charity and included representation of all primary bone cancers.

Our recent worrying finding include:

One in four patients (26 per cent) had waited more than seven months before receiving a diagnosis – with 13pc waiting over a year

A quarter of all patients (26pc) made seven or more visits to their GP or other healthcare professional before receiving a diagnosis

Other findings also included:

More than 35pc of chordoma patients reported waiting over a year for a diagnosis to be made, 84pc of these patients faced a 16+ month wait before receiving their diagnosis

As a charity we are calling on all GPs to complete our free e-learning module to equip them with the knowledge to identify the ‘red flag’ symptoms and reduce delayed diagnosis, which in turn, will dramatically improve patient outcomes.

For more information visit bcrt.org.uk