Saga Magazine – August 2018

120 SAGA.CO.UK/AUG-MAG I^2018

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Risk assessment

I have total respect,

admiration and

gratitude for all those

selfless individuals who

put their own health and safety

at risk to save others. I hope

The rescuers (July) inspires

people to join the many

different voluntary groups to

ease the burden on the

emergency services.

At the same time, I would

also ask people to take into

account necessary

precautionary measures and

not venture into the unknown if

they are advised against it.

|P Fitzpatrick, Lancs

Short but sweet

I am sending this email as

a very big ‘thank you’ regarding

Paul’s Shorts item Married?

Don’t miss out! (May). After

reading the article I went to

gov.uk and searched ‘marriage

allowance’ as advised.

I filled in the details and

thought, ‘Let’s see what

happens’. Lo and behold, after

only three weeks we received a

cheque for £658.54 from HMRC.

If it had not been for Saga

Magazine we would not have

known anything about this.

It’s the best read on the market

and helps in so many ways.

|A Pacey, Peterborough

Ways of saying things

Having lost my husband

a few months ago, I have been

informing all the necessary

offices and agencies – banks,

DVLA, insurances, etc. On each

occasion when I explain my call,

I get the usual few words of

sympathy, get the business done

and then, would you believe it,

I have been told to ‘Have a nice

day’ or ‘Enjoy your weekend!’

Even two dedicated

‘bereavement’ departments

ended calls this way!

Staff have been so over-

trained to finish on a high note

that it set me wondering

whether someone could come

up with a suitable alternative.

|L Smith, Glasgow

Undercover work

I wonder how many of those

who read Problems shared,

problems solved (July) had their

memories jolted by the fact that

Robin Burt’s late wife’s name

was Paddy? She used to refer to

him in her Room Service

column in The Telegraph; my

memory is that he hated duvets

and demanded bed sheets.

|H Silver, Esher, Surrey

Going green

John Walsh’s Why the envy

frenzy? (June) made great

reading. I remember a ‘well-off’

friend who had an amazing

house, garden and swimming

pool saying to me, ‘We were

envied until our neighbours had

the same type of pool installed,

but the difference was they had

a lifeguard on duty! So, we then

envied them!’

|J Reynolds, Brixham, Devon

Is more really merrier?

There is a certain irony in

citing Bertrand Russell’s ‘advice’

in securing happiness. The Z

Have your say

SEAN MALYON

Pebble collection

My granddaughter, Sophie,

aged ten, and two girls she met

in Southwold on holiday,

collected pebbles, which they

painted and then sold to other

holidaymakers as well as local

residents. They made a grand

total of £126, which they gave

to the lifeboat station.

People were so generous and

many had interesting stories

to tell about how they or

someone they knew had been

helped by the RNLI.

|J Casebourne, Newark

The editor

welcomes your

letters – no more

than 100 words,

please – but

reserves the right

to edit them.

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Folkestone,

Kent CT20 3SE

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