Readers' letters

Money can't buy quality
BHF Heart Trekker and Gogglebox star Alex Michael, pictured with her family, is urging people to join the Heart TrekBHF Heart Trekker and Gogglebox star Alex Michael, pictured with her family, is urging people to join the Heart Trek
BHF Heart Trekker and Gogglebox star Alex Michael, pictured with her family, is urging people to join the Heart Trek

The saying “Pay peanuts, get monkeys” must rank as one of the silliest ever made. It’s invariably used by those on obscenely high salaries to justify their own pay.

If such huge salaries really are required to obtain the right people, there should be no need for huge ‘golden handshakes’.

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The appointment of England’s most recent football manager highlights the absurdity of not paying peanuts.

Roy Hodgson, England’s football manager before Sam Allardyce, was on £3.5m a year and the highest paid football manager in Europe, paying millions didn’t make the slightest difference.

The FA then rushed headlong into another disaster and Sam Allardyce was appointed England coach with a similar obscene salary, but he’s now gone, too.

Why do we always assume obscene sums of money guarantees that people of ability and talent will be attracted to the job, when exactly the opposite seems more likely to occur?

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“Pay obscene salaries, get monkeys” seems to be more accurate.

George Marsden

Via email

fundraising

Be a Heart Trekker

I am writing to invite your readers to sign up to one of the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) ultimate walking challenges – the Hadrian’s Wall Hike on May 7.

You’ll be walking nine miles across the most challenging section of this historic wall, take in miles of challenging ascents, deep descents and breath-taking views with every step.

This year, I joined hundreds of hikers in the fight against heart disease as I took on another of the charity’s programme of treks to raise funds for the BHF’s life saving research.

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I signed up because there’s a long history of heart and circulatory disease in my family. My dad has suffered from several angina attacks and had a stent fitted in 2007 after doctors discovered a narrowed artery. My grandfather also died of dilated cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, in 1993 when I was just two years old.

My dad is one of seven million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK today. In the North West alone, there are an estimated 902,000 people living with heart and circulatory disease. But the BHF is fighting back through its life saving research.

I met some amazing people along the way and it’s a fantastic way to get into the great outdoors, all while supporting a worthy cause. The Hadrian’s Wall Hike helped raise over £50,000 for the BHF’s vital research into heart disease this year, but we want to raise even more in 2017. I would encourage anyone to take on a challenge and sign up to become a Heart Trekker – you will be making such a difference to millions of people in the UK living with heart disease. Visit bhf.org.uk/challenges to find out more.

Alex Michael

BHF Heart Trekker and Gogglebox star

postal service

Praise for Royal Mail

At the weekend I received a postcard posted by my friend while on holiday in the South of France on July 18! A month ago, whilst in Southern Italy, I posted four cards to members of my family and none have yet arrived!

Thank goodness for the efficiency of our own Royal Mail postal service.

Jim Oldcorn

Address supplied