There’s an awful lot of nonsense spouted about e-cigarettes. One of the most nonsensical things being said is that they’re more dangerous than ordinary cigarettes! They’re categorically not!

In August, Public Health England (PHE) published a report about e-cigarettes. (PHE is the government body which aims to protect and improve the nation’s health.)

I’ve extracted some key points from that report:

• The current best estimate is that e-cigarette use is around 95% less harmful to health than smoking;
• e-cigarettes release negligible levels of nicotine into ambient air with no identified health risks to bystanders;
• the relatively small number of smokers who have combined e-cigarettes with expert support have had high rates of success [with giving up cigarettes];
• among adults and youth, regular use of e-cigarettes is found almost exclusively among those who have already smoked;
• given the potential benefits [of e-cigarettes] as quitting aids, PHE looks forward to the arrival on the market of a choice of medicinally regulated products that can be made available to smokers by the NHS on prescription.

Organisations and establishments that ban the use of e-cigarettes are actually acting totally irrationally and should stop trying to jump onto a  PC health bandwagon. They’d be far better off banning sugar and products containing sugar!

South Molton’s gained a new shop!

The small shop opposite the Tourist Information centre has been refurbished and opened as an e-cigarette shop today. These are very common on the continent but it’s the first I’ve seen in North Devon.

I wish them luck with their enterprise.

Several weeks ago I took this picture of a caravan parked in the Gavel.

Note how it’s propped up very unsafely, completely obstructs the footpath and is  partially on the carriageway.

It’s still there, with the only change being it now has a cover over it.

Why do caravan owners think that they can leave their caravans wherever they want?

It’s very good news indeed that the old sheep pens behind the Town Arms have (finally) been removed and the area is being converted into a carpark which should be open for business in the next couple of days.

It’s also excellent that the pay point for the current parking spaces has been moved to the Amory Centre end of the carpark where it’s in close proximity to the newly created disabled parking bays. This makes it very much easier for the disabled.

However, the downside is that of the five new disabled bays only three are actually usable. This is because, of the two bays to the east, one is extremely narrow and too close to the wall, it is also obstructed by a large rubbish container. In similar fashion, of the three bays to the west the western most bay is tightly up against the hedge.

Apparently the hedge will be trimmed back and the rubbish container has now been removed. But the bays do apparently comply with government standards so won’t be changed.

It’s a couple of weeks now since I took part the YMCA Sleep Out in the Pannier Market. They did very well and raised about £2,500 and I’d like to thank all those people who very generously sponsored me to the tune of roughly £450. As almost all of this was Gift Aided it means that the YMCA will actually benefit by about another £100 as they can claim tax back from HMRC. If you pay tax in the UK and give money to charity always try and Gift Aid it, as it means that the charity concerned actually receives about 25% more than you Git Aided.

Sleeping out for one night in a covered space wasn’t too much of a trial. I was warm, as I had a decent sleeping bag, but the concrete floor was very hard and a layer of cardboard didn’t do a lot to alleviate things.  I also had access to a loo and running water and could go straight back to a nice comfy bed when it was all over.

For people who do actually have to sleep rough, keeping dry and warm must be a major concern. The almost total absence of public toilets must also make life very, very difficult or them.

Hot press from the Northern Devon Healthcare Trust (NDHT) board meeting. Nine out of nine voting members of the NDHT voted to accept recommendation to keep Holsworthy and South Molton beds. ITV and BBC both here! Expect to see David Goodman on local ITV news.

The Board of Northern Devon Healthcare Trust are meeting tomorrow to consider and vote on the proposal to cut community hospital beds, and where those beds should be.

The document to be presented to the Board will ask the Board to:

” CONSIDER the preferred consultation option of beds remaining at Holsworthy and South Molton.”

I’ve yet to read all the documents, and obviously this decision will have to be voted on by the NDHT Board, but it could be good news for South Molton and Holsworthy!

All the relevant documents can be found here under Agenda Item 5.1.

Someone who reads my website has very kindly told me that he’s received notification from his ISP that Superfast Broadband is now available in his part of South Molton.

I’ve checked various post-codes on the BT Openreach website and it would appear that orders for superfast broadband can now be placed by those who live in the northern part of South Street, Nadder Meadow, Livarot Walk, Raleigh Mead, Raleigh Close,  Raleigh Park, Gunswell Lane, Jury Park,  Moorland Rise, Widgery Drive, KIngdon Avenue, West Park, West Street, Maclins Close, West End Terrace, Queen Street, parts of North Road,  and Normandy Way,  In other words broadly the north-west part of the town.

Doubtless other parts of South Molton will be getting it shortly. Or at least I hope so!

In North Devon we’re up in arms about plans to close community hospital beds. Let’s be thankful that we don’t live in Kent.

The South Kent Coast Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has  said that the “finer details” of  contracts for health providers in Calais to provide general surgery, gynaecology, cataract surgery, pain management and orthopaedics were being finalised.

Hazel Carpenter from South Kent CCG, said treatment in France would be an option if a patient wanted it.

People who chose to have treatment in France would apparently pay for their own travel and incidental costs.

How on earth would friends and families visit? What would happen if the ferries went on strike? How will follow up care be provided?

What a totally barmy idea!

Apparently Damian Collins, the Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe, has said that it was sensible to use a fantastic hospital that might be less than an hour away from some and more accessible than hospitals in London.

What an absolute plonker! I’m not quite sure how he thinks it could take less than an hour to get from  Kent to a hospital in Calais. The Eurotunnel takes a minimum of 35 minutes from platform to platform with a 30 minute check-in time! The fastest ferries take 90 minutes with a 45 minute check-in time! On top of that has to be added the travel time to the terminals in Dover/Folkestone and from the terminals in Calais to the hospital.

I rather think that the vast majority of people in Kent would say that London is more accessible than Calais! One big advantage is that you don’t need a passport to get to London.

I’m sitting in the Assembly Rooms at a supposed consultation on the future of community hospital beds in North Devon. I’m disappointed, actually I’m more than disappointed I’m furious, that two new options have suddenly appeared: a. closing all the community hospital beds and having all the beds at the district hospital and b. keeping beds at one community hospital and others at the district hospital. This is not a consultation in the accepted sense of the term!