YOUR VIEWS: Inverness Courier readers weigh in on issues in the Highlands and wider Scotland

Shocking service from major airline

We also had an horrendous trip with BA (Editor: in response to Inverness man caught in British Airways IT failure ‘pandemonium’, published in Tuesday’s Courier).

Our onward flight from Heathrow to Munich was cancelled an hour before we boarded our first flight in Aberdeen. We were given an alternative flight with KLM. However because of this our luggage went missing for three days.

We lost out on three days pre-booked ski passes which was €300 and all we have been offered is £27.10 for toiletries. We had all of our clothing in our ski bags so had no change of clothes for three days as it was a tiny ski area with one sports shop!

Our flights back were also delayed and our luggage arrived damaged. Definitely our first and definitely our last trip with British Airways. Shocking service without the IT glitch. Though staff deserve a medal for dealing with that.

Fiona Robertson, By Fochabers

Wildflower area’s demise prompts fears for insects

Driving past MacKenzie Park, I was shocked and saddened to see that the lovely wildflower area, which had once graced the park, is no more. It has been grassed over and there is nothing for bees and butterflies to feed on.

Surely it is common knowledge that such insects are declining in number to a worrying degree and, to combat this, it is vitally important to encourage areas of wildflowers on verges and in parks.

Does Highland Council really mean to make a desert of its parks merely because it is easier – and no doubt cheaper – to cut grass than to maintain wildflowers.

Hilary J Cameron, Culloden

Cancer charity needs your backing

It’s Time for Trodelvy – Breast Cancer Now is making an urgent plea to the public to sign our open letter in a final bid to see a life-extending drug guaranteed on the NHS.

Last year we began campaigning around Trodelvy, an exciting new treatment for people living with incurable triple negative secondary breast cancer.

Trodelvy has the potential to provide hundreds of women with this life-limiting disease the hope of precious extra months spent with loved ones and doing what matters most to them.

On April 7, we received a devastating blow. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provisionally rejected Trodelvy for routine use on the NHS in England due to the drug not being ‘cost-effective’ – shattering the hope of patients in England who face the prospect of being denied this vital drug in the future, despite its approval in Scotland last month. This guidance for England will have knock-on effects for patients in Wales and Northern Ireland too, where it’s likely NICE’s decision will be followed.

These women have no time to wait. This is why we’re asking readers to sign our open letter calling on the drug company Gilead, NICE and NHS England to find a solution – including Gilead pricing the drug fairly – so this life-extending drug is recommended for use on the NHS.

By adding your name to our open letter today you could help make all the difference to the hundreds of women in England who desperately need access to this drug and live in the hope of having more time. Behind this figure are daughters, sisters, mothers and friends, who face the frightening reality of limited treatment options and uncertainty about their future.

Ahead of the public consultation closing on April 29, we are doing all we can to ensure Trodelvy becomes routinely available on the NHS for patients who desperately need it. This decision can be reversed – but we don’t have long, and we need your support. Please sign at: action.breastcancernow.org/trodelvy-sign-our-open-letter

Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief executive at Breast Cancer Now

Plea to end lecturer pay dispute

College lecturers in Scotland are the best paid and enjoy the best terms and conditions in the UK, so it was disappointing the EIS-FELA rejected the most generous pay offer we could have made at a time college budgets are facing a cut of £51.9 million.

The offer to lecturers included a £150 one-off payment, recognising their contributions during the pandemic and, along with an £850 consolidated payment, was a higher pay offer than that already made to and accepted by teachers, civil servants, police and fire service. I hope the EIS-FELA negotiators accept that there simply is no more money available and move to end this dispute.

We remain available to meet should they have any reasonable and affordable proposals to end this disruptive and unnecessary dispute. Every step possible will be taken to support students during this incredibly important time in their lives as they approach their exams.

Gavin Donoghue, Director of College Employers Scotland

Provost not standing for election

Provost Helen Carmichael has been an excellent Provost of Inverness during her seven years in the role.

It has been my privilege to serve alongside her as an Independent councillor during the past five years.

Cllr Carmichael has been a great ambassador for the city and area and she’s been an exemplary civic leader of the capital of the Highlands.

When introducing her as the first ever female Provost of Inverness, I’ve always added that she was voted into the post as she was the best man or woman for the job.

I congratulate her on her outstanding public service and offer my best wishes in her well-deserved retirement.

Councillor Duncan Henderson

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