CND campaigner a man of integrity

We were both sad to read of the recent death of CND activist and peace campaigner Bruce Kent who died aged 92 on June 8.

We remember Bruce visiting the Moravian Church in Dixon St in 2003 to speak about the impending war in Iraq and the devastating consequences the war would have on society.

We also see him give a speech at the Bristol CND peace weekend at the M Shed Bristol in April 2019,where he spoke of a world without nuclear weapons and a world without constant armed conflict.

Bruce made many outstanding statements during his lifetime of being a peace activist, one which particularly stands out for us is 'The world has the resources to eradicate poverty and malnutrition, but instead we choose to waste the money on arms'.

He was a huge inspirational figure to millions in the peace movement, and a thoroughly honest, decent human being and a man with absolute integrity, all of which is sadly missing in so many of the UK's politicians today.

Mark and Martin Webb

Old Town

Sub-stations on brown field sites

The recently published strategy papers on renewable energy and food security are profoundly important for the future of Northern Wiltshire.

Both contain many good sentiments but are short on effective action and silent in key areas.

Our countryside is beautiful. To keep it that way we need much more renewable energy to avoid a climate disaster and sustainable food farming to avoid both hunger and wrecking our ecology.

Many local families are feeling the serious impact of the cost-of-living crisis. Yet the Government are refusing to extend the provision of free school meals that would help take the pressure off or to recognise that energy and fuel costs are much higher in rural areas like ours.

For our farmers that is compounded by rapidly rising costs of farming and no clarity on the future of farming.

Faced with such future uncertainties, no wonder some farmers are turning to allow huge battery storage sites to be built on their farms. Storing energy generated from wind and solar farms makes complete sense.

e do not always need extra energy when the wind blows or sun shines. But these storage sites must be within 6 miles of major electricity substations to connect to the national grid.

Astonishingly, the Government Energy strategy was silent this important subject. Surely, we should be building new electricity sub-stations on "brown field" sites in or near our major towns and cities, not ruining our countryside with such developments?

Our families, farmers and the environment especially in rural communities like ours all demand better than we are getting from this Government. Having just returned from another visit to the doorsteps of the imminent rural Devon Parliamentary by-election in Tiverton and Honiton, I suspect strongly that the Government is about to be sent that message very loudly and very clearly.

Dr Brian Mathew

Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet member for the Environment

& Wiltshire Councillor

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