Dear Editor,

I WAX astounded reading the front page of the Free Press dated April 10 regarding relocation of the MRI and CT scanners from Minehead Hospital.

Minehead has an expanding community with a high catchment area reaching far into Exmoor, added to which it is a holiday resort.

As an attractive retirement area, and medical conditions associated with old age, I fear lives may be at risk by the relocation of such equipment.

We had a new hospital built with modern concepts and plenty of parking but does it satisfy all our needs?

To me, the answer is ‘no’.

Why?

Its services have been seriously depleted.

It has only a minor injuries unit with limited operating hours necessitating either a trip to or referral to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, some times by ambulance, which already has a high demand on the service.

The elderly either have to transport themselves, or be transported to Taunton for outpatient treatment or appointments, a round trip of some 50-plus miles.

With Bridgwater being far closer to Taunton and easier to drive to from Bridgwater than it is from Minehead, it makes no sense to deprive our community of such scanners when Bridgwater residents can access the Taunton ones.

So, come on, let us expand our services by:

• Offering an attractive package and accommodation to entice more doctors and nurses to the area;

• Offer specialist consultant appointments/follow-up appointments, say, one day a week or fortnightly, which was envisaged back in the 1970s for outlying hospitals but never materialised;

• Consult local residents to hear their needs, not wants.

As a retired male nurse now in my 90th year, fortunate enough to still have a good brain, will my thoughts on this become a reality, or just wishful thinking?

I fear not.

I shall never forget the comment made by the paramedic when my late wife had to be taken by ambulance to Musgrove in an emergency: “If only she could have got here sooner, she may have made it.”

We need things put in place to save lives.

David D Veale,

SEN, RMN Retired

Minehead

Dear Editor,

I am replying to the letter of April 10 under the heading 'Horrified by hunting pursuit'.

The writer of said letter might like to know that the Quantock Staghounds hunt the Quantocks on most Mondays and Thursdays from the start of September through April 30, so if the writer does not want to see or hear the perfectly legitimate undertaking it would be best not to go onto the hill on those days.

As regards to the letter, I would like to make the following comments; firstly, they only hunt with a 'couple' - two hounds at any one time. Secondly there are only two people responsible for the outcome of a hunt, the Master and the Huntsman. Everyone else is purely there to support the hunt.

If it wasn't for the Quantock Staghounds the deer would be shot, as has been the case firstly in 1640 and more recently during the first world war, so the writer should be grateful to see the magnificent deer. The hounds are trained NOT to touch a deer so to say the 'dogs' brought them down and ripped apart the deer is nothing but a pack of lies, it just does not happen. The hunt are the only organisation to deal with wounded deer, which have been wounded by indescrimitative shooting, wire fencing and in particular transport collisions. The Police, RSPCA and the strident minority of anti-rights activism have between them, no means of finding and dealing with the injured deer of which there are far too many.

As regards to using high powered rifles, the minimum calibre for shooting a deer is .283 bullet, that if it misses its target can kill or wound anyone within two miles, that includes Williton, Holford & Bicknoller. The hills are an area where any amount of people go walking, riding and bird watching so it is totally impractical to use high powered rifles.

Will Snick

Lydeard St Lawrence

Dear Editor,

I must thank the Free Press for recently publishing some of my letters in the Post Bag section and recognising the irony that the actions that are taking place in the Middle East.

Having being started not by a rogue leader of an African state, a dictator of an unstable South American country, a despotic leader of a communist regime or a country with undeclared nuclear weapons but a leader of a country always regarded as a bastion of democracy in the western world.

This country is also a member of N.A.T.O. An organisation formed to prevent aggression and keep world peace. Donald Trump is completely undermining N.A.T.O. And unless the organisation condemns the actions of the United States it will lose its credibility and be a failure just as the League of Nations did after being founded on the end of the First World War.

Andrew Brown

Minehead

Dear Editor,

I am writing on behalf of Port Eynon History Group based in Gower, South Wales.

We will be holding an exhibition on the spring Bank Holiday (May 25, 2026 ) to commemorate 45 years since the passenger vessel MV Prince Ivanhoe sank in Port Eynon bay in August 1981. Its final voyage started from Minehead calling at Barry and Penarth en route to Port Eynon.

We are looking to hear from anyone who was on board the Prince Ivanhoe that day to get in touch with us and contribute any details of memories they have to help us tell the full story of the rapidly unfolding events.

Yours faithfully,

Clare John

Port Eynon