Stephen Dobbin says

Just to clarify...

To donate using paypal visit  www.paypal.com. If you are a Paypal registered user then simply login and select the option to send money. The email address to send the money to is sodsmillport@btinternet.com. You can still send money via Paypal even if you are not a registered user.  See paypal.com for further details.

Jean Kerr (McKinnon) says

Things have changed since June wrote the headline for this article. We are still going to seek legal advice but have discovered from our solicitor that we can only approach  a Q C  through a lawyer. To that end all monies paid by cheque should now be made out to Robert F Duff & Co. Anyone who has already paid by cheque to Marion or Sods should not be concerned as our solicitor can still accept these.

The envelopes which will be all delivered to local homes by Tuesday 29th can still be handed in to the named sites and they will be delivered to the solicitor by the Sods Committee.

Jean McKinnon Kerr ( Sods Committee)

Sandra Goldie says

Can you give me an addres for Robert F. Duff & Co. I don't live in Millport, so will have to post a cheque.

Jean Kerr (McKinnon) says

Yes, certainly,Sandra.....19 Guildford Street, Millport, Isle of Cumbrae KA28 should get there o.k...just mark it for SODS. Thanks for your support

andrew simpson says

I personally am sick of hearing about this now. Think you should let it go, and accept the fact that the surgery dispensary is closing.  I, and i'm sure many others have no objections to the new dispensary being granted to Mr Semple.  To ask for public donations is disgraceful, perhaps the GPs themselves should be asked to pay if you honestly think it will make a difference. 

Emma Newton says

Andrew,

Thus far I have kept out of the discussion regarding the proposed pharmacy. However, when people like yourself - with no legitimate argument - slate the efforts of our town to save a much-needed service, I feel the need to defend the hard-working SODs.

The current services provided on the island are truly second-to-none, providing friendly, personal, round-the-clock care to residents and visitors alike.

The NHS also currently lease part of a community-owned building, and the funds from this go directly into improving the facilities on the island. The number of people employed in this facility is also significantly more than a small private pharmacy could sustain (particularly given that many locals will not use it).To lose this would be to the detriment of the island.

Furthermore - and quite aside from the above-mentioned - Mr. Semple's attitude towards our island has been inflammatory and obnoxious. His intentions are concerning, as he evidently hopes to sell-out the quality of care provided on the isand in return for his own financial gain.

There is no denying that the doctors do make money from the pharmacy. But they repay us in kind: with the level of care that makes Millport a uniquely pleasant place to live.

As a young mother-of-two, I have relied on the dispensation of emergency medicine both during illness in pregnancy and when one of my children was ill. That this will no longer be available is frankly concerning.

I appreciate that not everyone shares the same opinion, but to publicly slate a community group working hard for their town - without a valid argument - is unacceptable.

June Allison says

Andrew - simple if you don´t want to hear about it don´t log on to the site and read it - or had you not worked that out for yourself?

Takes all sorts I guess!

June Allison says

Everyone may want to have a look at the news part of the www.patientsods.co.uk site where our Fighting Fund is receiving publicity.   Millport is not alone in this fight and are being watched by many other communities similarly affected by having pharmacies thrust upon them with detriment to their GP Services.

I, for one, am very grateful for all of the support the SODS are receiving and want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone.

MARION LIVINGSTONE says

As an active member of SODS I quite happily think that I am growing older disgracefully if that's what you think Andrew!

As for your being ' sick of hearing about this' - I sincerely hope that this is the only thing you are ever sick of which requires out of hours urgent medication or doctor's attention when we no longer have our present level of services if this pharmacy goes ahead.

An unfortunate choice of phrase perhaps given the subject matter  - but why you think it is disgraceful to make a collection is beyond me.

 This action will be on behalf of the islanders, young and old, and vistors who come here on holiday or for a day trip and may require the services of our surgery or dispensary.

Most of us are happy to contribute to worthy causes so all that we are doing is asking people if they are willing to contribute to a local one. Everyone is entitled to make up their own minds but not everyone was totally informed regarding the circumstances surrounding this action - we have remedied that in our flyer.

I must also echo June's post and say THANK YOU to everyone - this comes from a 'happy to be disgraceful SOD'

Jean Kerr (McKinnon) says

From another "happy to be disgraceful SOD".........for your info Mr Simpson, this fight has nothing to do with the Doctors......this is totally a patients fight and we chose to give money or not.....no-one is being forced to contribute.

It has been reported to me that there has been confusion about where this money to be collected is going......all the money collected is being used to employ an expensive QC (they all are) to look into some of the dodgy aspects of the application and award of the licence to open the pharmacy by Mr Semple.

Alan Hill, our local lawyer and hard working Councillor, is giving his services free i.e. legally collecting the money for us in a holding account and referring us to the QC of our choice......this is a legal requirement that a lawyer has to do this.....punters like us cannot approach a QC directly !!!!!

Sandy Morton says

Jean - get your Dad to suggest a QC who was our Conservative PPC at one point and who might be happy/prepared to take this on.

Jean Kerr (McKinnon) says

Sorry, Sandy we have already thought of him and a few other prominent QCs but they all specialise in criminal defence. Apparently we need a Human Rights specialist and that is what we are looking for with the help of lawyer friends.

kimberley mcintyre says

I was born and brought up in millport and unfortunately like a lot of people had to leave the island after school age to find employment.

I still regularly come back to the island as my family still live there.I feel strongly that it would be a terrible shame if the excellent health facilities in millport had to change against the islanders wishes- the old saying rings true- if it aint broke !!

I have had to use the services of the local practice on some of my visits home and i can only say that the service i received was excellent as a visitor to the island although i still call it home even after all these years.hope everything works out for the best for everyone concerned

alistair roberts says

regarding items printed in the largs and millport weekly news the last few weeks about the pharmacy with letters signed a roberts.    it is certainly not alistair farquhar roberts i dont no if someone is using my name but i have phoned the editor of the largs and weekly news asking him to state this fact.

A.F.ROBERTS TEL.07949101702

Mari Wallace says

 While family, friends and acquaintances of my brother Alistair F Roberts may believe he is unique I have no doubt that there must be other people in the country sharing the same name. Sharing the same name does not however mean that they automatically share the same sentiments, and this is the case in relation to the sentiments expressed by AN Other 'A Roberts' in the last two editions of The News.

AN Other 'A Roberts' is entitled to express his opinions regarding the future of the Millport Pharmacy but what my family, and especially my mother, find most upsetting is the fact that some people have  automatically assumed that the letters have been written by my brother. They have even gone as far to presume what my late father would have had to say on the matter - a dangerous game indeed, as those readers who remember him will surely agree!

I would also like to remind readers that it was actually my father in law, the late  Dr Bill Wallace, who initiated the doctors undertaking dispensing work in the late 1970s when the last local pharmacist, Mrs Stark, retired. 

I would like to make it clear to all that the Millport doctors have the full support of the Roberts family and would suggest that ALL readers with the the interests of Millport at heart put their efforts into supporting this good cause and not be distracted by deliberately misleading letters in The News.

Mari Wallace (Roberts)

June Allison says

Mari and Alistair

Thank you both so much for making this clear.   The SODS never for one moment thought it was anyone other than a different "Mrs. A. Roberts".

Good wishes to you both and to all the family.

Jean Kerr (McKinnon) says

Thank you, Mari and Alaistair for the above contribution. Those of us who know the family and have done all our lives knew that these letters were nothing to do with you. As you will no doubt have seen from this week's "Wee Paper" I have dared the person to come out in the open with the courage of their convictions....too many of the so-called dissenters feel unable to put their actual names to paper so I feel they are not 100% convinced about where they stand on this situation.

So perhaps if they feel o.k. about not getting a doctor to treat their heart attack within a few mins at 10pm and would rather have vital access to cosmetics and perfume then why should the rest of us suffer without putting up a fight for our services.

Dr Wallace, I am sure, would have been delighted at how the community are sticking by our Doctors and supporting the services he helped to establish for us.