This is what you have been writing to us about this week.

To send your own letter, email bfpletters@london.newsquest.co.uk. Please note, any letters sent to the Bucks Free Press office are only being picked up periodically during lockdown.

Wye could be focus point
Two weeks ago you reported that the leader of The Buckinghamshire Council, Martin Tett, had said that reopening of the River Wye through Wycombe Town Centre, was a great idea (Bucks Free Press, page 3, May 8), and I agree with him.

We live in an area of the Chilterns which is “of outstanding beauty”, but that certainly does not include our town. The town centre is looking very tired, even dead at present and is in dire need of renovation.

At present a flyover cuts the town in half, spilling all its fumes, pollution and noise down on the people below.

Opening up the River Wye would give our town a real focus point, similar to the canal which goes through the Reading town centre. I know the cost is high, at least two million pounds to carry out all of this, but if we don’t act on this suggestion it will be a missed opportunity and one that the next generation won’t thank us for.

I urge our council to look at this proposal in more detail, bite the bullet and get on with it before it becomes too late.
Michael Curry, Tylers Green

Crimea and Russia in Nightingale article
Sorry to appear on your letters page yet again, but the Crimean Peninsula is not recognised by the European Union as "region of Russia", as Crimea was called in the otherwise welcome BFP article on Florence Nightingale (15 May).

In March 2015, the European Council "concluded that it does not recognise and continues to condemn the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia and will remain committed to fully implement its non-recognition policy".

Sevastopol and Crimea are subject to European Union sanctions. A list of all EU sanctions in force is available on sanctionsmap.eu.

In 1954 the Crimean Peninsula was transferred to Ukraine. Crimea was the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1921. Then it became a region of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic.

In other news, would Bucks MPs like to comment on the Windrush Lessons Learned Review?

The campaign group the3million.org.uk is looking to raise £60,000 to set down in case law that discrimination against EU citizens is unlawful because of the failures of administration in the 2019 European Parliament election.
Phil Jones, member of the European Movement UK, High Wycombe

Well done for publishing stats on deaths
Well done BFP for publishing the Bucks Covid deaths by area (Bucks Free Press, page 5, May 15). Could you expand this please to include cases up to end April and then by week in May per million of population so we can see the trend and how each area compares to the national average.

I suspect that most Bucks areas are much better than national average and this information may encourage the authorities to remove "lockdown" restrictions quickly in Bucks and let us all get back to normal thereby helping employment, companies and public morale.
Dennis Elsey, Beaconsfield

Remembering Nightingale’s connection with Bucks
Concerning the marking of the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale (Bucks Free Press special supplement, May 15) it is worth remembering her connection with Buckinghamshire.

The wife of Sir Harry Verney, who owned Claydon House in the north of the county had greatly admired Florence and shortly after becoming a widower he met and married Florence's sister Parthenope following which Florence became a regular visitor to Claydon.

After 1861 Florence was asked for advice on the building of hospitals and the training of nurses.

Sir Harry gave Florence a number of rooms at Claydon to work on her numerous books on nursing and to meet important people.

She spent many years at Claydon, particularly in the summer and although she never married or had children she was a favourite aunt to the children of Edmund Verney, Sir Harry's eldest son.

The National Trust which now owns the House invites visitors to try her enormous bed. Sadly I was unable to do so when my school was evacuated there upon the outbreak of the Second World War as I had to share her bedroom with 48 other little boys.
Donald Stanley, address withheld

Left in the dark over hospital appointments
I refer to Amelia in the Free Press on May 1st who can’t get her much-needed op. It shouldn’t be a case of collecting money for it to happen.

Friday, 13th March, I had an accident and broke my neck. I received very good attention and have been in a neck brace since then from Wexham Park Hospital.

A few days later, I had a letter for an appointment Friday, 1st May, which was then cancelled a few days later due to the virus.

I was told nothing of further treatment or what to do. Four times I was in touch with 111 who tried to help me, then they said ring the doctor.

The reception told me it was out of their hands.

The doctor did ring me later and tried for two days to be put in touch with the spinal injuries department at Wexham. She said I may need to be in a brace for another six weeks.

I need a second scan. If I had broken my leg, I would have had a scan.
Name withheld, Bisham

Justice needed for murdered Penny
I saw a TV doc recently by the criminologist research Donal Macintyre, about the June 6th 1991 murder of Penny Bell at Gurnell Leisure Centre in Greenford.

It was amazingly a murder I had never come across, even though I was working in Aylesbury at the time as a student nurse and my relatives lived in Uxbridge at the time.

My late uncle was a laundry van deliverer and collector around Denham, the area Penny lived at the time, Cilla Black was one of his customers, but whether he ever had Penny as a customer I will never know now.

The whole case must have passed me by at the time. I note it’s coming up to the 29th anniversary of that sad event soon and of course it will be the 30th anniversary in June 2021.

It is so sad what happened to Penny and her demise seemed so brutal and savage in our so called civilised society, it is very sad it has never been solved and that it occurred in such a public space as a leisure centre.

From what I gleaned from the TV documentary and articles and YouTube videos I have watched about the case, it seems Penny seemed to be a very giving person in society, with everything to live for.

I also noticed from the TV doc and articles I have seen online about her murder, that she seemed to be in quite a lot of distress that day, whilst driving her blue Jaguar XJS through Greenford, driving at about 10 miles per hour with her warning lights on, trying to park her car anywhere, and at one point apparently mouthing ‘help me’ to a passing motorist.

Nobody helped her at all and it is probably a sad example of how uncaring our society can be, especially in our rush-rush-rush, devil take the hindmost society, then and now, 1991 was no different from what I can remember. Let’s hope this Covid-19 outbreak changes things like that forever. We can all hope!

It is sad that since 1991 nobody has proposed a memorial for Penny in Greenford, especially at Gurnell Leisure Centre itself.

Well I notice there are plans to develop the leisure centre from the summer 2020 until 2023 sometime, this is the perfect opportunity for someone at Ealing Council or the leisure centre itself to name a particular area at the centre after Penny Bell.

It could be in or outdoors, a section of the leisure centre itself perhaps, perhaps the planting of a tree or shrub in her memory, anything like that. Food for thought and just a thought but a deserving one I feel.

Afterall it would be a fitting gesture to someone who gave a lot to society over the years, with her Samaritan work and as an important employer in the area at the time.

Penny was someone’s daughter, mother and wife and she never chose the way she died. Let’s hope one day the culprit or culprits who murdered this lady have a conscience and admit what occurred to the police, it would be fitting justice to nearly 30 years of no justice for the family of Penny Bell.
Ian Payne, Walsall, West Midlands

The EU will eventually implode
Mr Phil Jones, a member of the European Movement UK (whoever they are) should know by now that on January 31, 2020, the UK made a respectful departure from the European Union and reclaimed its status as a sovereign nation.

In the EU, we have people who are not elected or accountable, making rules and regulations for the British public.

That’s why in a referendum, they voted to leave – they wanted their country back.

The European cartel is undemocratic – it’s only a matter of time before the rest of Europe get the message.

Like all puppet states, it will eventually implode.
Leo Duggan, High Wycombe

A Covid-19 poem in memory of all who fell in this battle
A dilemma in our time.

Not to see this coming

Anew, yet silent, and cometh into my life

Not to give - but to take and render a precarious path

By stealth and cunning - began its mission of take

And me, invincible I thought - a misconception

For the silent enemy

It laid a cloak around me to take what was

And what was left of inner being.

Insidiously took my strength, hope and dignity

And took me to the edge of life,

I gasped last time and was changed. I sought relief

I passed and went to new home… lifted by angel…

Now I was strong and whole again… no pain here

No longer a number, or a statistic on long list… no no no!

My person resumed and I walk the fair fields of promised land

That Covid had shallow victory

And resting now. I await my loved ones
Peter Busly, address withheld

Let’s hold virtual picnic
We may not be able to hold picnics in the usual way just yet, but why not hold the next best thing – a virtual picnic? That way you can invite as many people as you want!

National charity Family Action is running its Virtual Family Picnic from May 23-26 and everyone is invited!

The charity has created a free pack full of tips, ideas and videos to help people to host their own virtual picnic.

You can hold your picnic in your garden, on your balcony or on the living room floor! Just find some space, make some tasty treats and connect with friends and family online.

Although we are all still respecting social distancing and cannot meet in groups, we can still share experiences together and create happy memories. And when lockdown finally ends, we can do it all again, but this time in person!

To find out more and to get your free pack go to www.family-action.org.uk/get-involved/virtual-family-picnic
David Holmes CBE, CEO of Family Action

How we’re helping during coronavirus
I would like to let your readers know the support the British Heart Foundation is offering people with heart and circulatory disease throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

People with heart and circulatory diseases are at increased risk of complications if they develop Covid-19. Heart disease is one of the most common pre-existing health conditions in people who have died with Covid-19.

Understanding what lockdown and the different risk levels mean for people with heart and circulatory disease has been one of the most common enquiries, and the lockdown changes announced last week in England have raised further questions.

The uncertainty of the situation means we can’t answer every question, but we can often reassure people who might feel anxious and provide information and support specific to their condition.

Since the pandemic began, we’ve seen an unprecedented demand for this service. In response we’ve extended our Helpline opening hours, added to its specialist nursing team and launched an appeal to help us continue providing this service.

If you’re feeling unwell or concerned about your heart condition, it’s still vital that you use NHS services as you always would.

However, our team of nurses are available if you’re trying to understand what the pandemic means for you or the health of a loved one.

To contact the BHF’s Heart Helpline call 0300 330 3311 or email hearthelpline@bhf.org.uk
Maureen Talbot, head of clinical support at British Heart Foundation