This week's Letters in The Impartial Reporter.

On Page 17, as part of the ‘Little Minds’ feature, my godson Harry is asked to name the best football team.

Your report quotes him as saying “Liverpool”. However, like myself and his dad, Harry supports Everton, their Merseyside rivals!

When questioned, young Harry insists that he actually said Everton were the best team.

I would appreciate if this could be clarified, as Harry’s loyalty to the blue side of the city is unwavering!

Yours faithfully,

Nigel McDonagh.

Editor’s note: Let it be forever known that young Harry, pictured, is Everton’s number-one fan!

Great to see young photographer’s terrific images!

Dear Sir,

Through your paper I would like to thank the talented wildlife photographer Danon Tierney for his photographs that I have seen of a kingfisher and a fox.

The animals all but jump out of the pages; the detail is extraordinary.

It takes a fair amount of patience to capture the essence of wildlife. The animals don’t simply come along because you are out there with a camera. So thank you Danon for your work; I expect this year it has been in all weathers.

Best wishes for your future.

Yours faithfully,

Jenny Thomas,

Tempo.

Calling for greater scrutiny over the Clinton Centre

Dear Sir,

I am writing to express my deep concern over recent comments made by Keith McNair, the manager of the Clinton Centre in Enniskillen.

During court proceedings, a judge sharply criticised Mr. McNair’s remarks, which appeared to imply that a young child was responsible for the actions of an adult man charged with her abduction.

Mr. McNair’s words seem to align with a troubling attitude of ‘victim-blaming’ rather than supporting the child or acknowledging the severity of the man’s alleged actions.

The Clinton Centre was established as a not-for-profit organisation with a vital mission: to foster a new, constructive approach to peacebuilding in Ireland.

Since the launch of the UISCE Leaders Programme by former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 2016, the centre has sought to empower leaders capable of navigating complex challenges to peace.

The organisation’s work emphasises creating safe, transformative spaces for exploring diverse and sometimes opposing perspectives, all with the ultimate goal of contributing to a more peaceful society.

It is deeply troubling that an organisation claiming to lead in peace and safety has allowed such a situation to arise.

The Clinton Centre’s current approach and the actions of Mr. McNair should be subject to serious scrutiny.

Yours faithfully,

‘Concerned resident’.

Name and address with Editor.

Greater political action needed to tackle suicides

Dear Sir,

The consultation on the draft Programme for Government ended on Monday, November 4.

The opening line of the Safer Communities section states: “A central role of government is to protect its citizens.”

One of the most glaring omissions of the draft programme is the fact that no mention is of protecting people at risk of or affected by suicide.

More than 200 people die by suicide every year in Northern Ireland.

In a few weeks, it is expected the Northern Ireland Research and Statistics Agency will confirm that the number of reported suicides in Northern Ireland in 2023 has risen to 221.

Unreported suicides could be as many as 55 more. Suicide behaviours/suicide attempts could be anything up to 22,100, and the number of people affected by the suicide deaths, each year, could be 37,260.

“By keeping communities safe we enable them to have the confidence they need to live productively and engage fully in society”, the draft document states.

Suicide in Northern Ireland is a major public health emergency, yet it merits no mention in the document.

By our calculations, almost 60,000 people are affected by suicide every year here.

That means that over the three-year life of the Programme for Government, 180,000 people are to be left with ‘treatment as usual’ with no government urgency or priority brought to bear on this crisis.

At the tip of this ‘iceberg’, the societal impact of suicide, is the actual deaths, and with no urgency, priority or prevention target, more than 600 more people will die over the time of this programme.

As this document is only in draft form, it’s not too late.

The First and Deputy First Minister and their Executive colleagues could take a bold stance on suicide.

Firstly, they could declare that the goal for suicide deaths is zero.

Secondly, people who self-harm, attempt suicide or have abused substances should have their care delivered away from emergency departments to alternative and more appropriate environments.

Thirdly, people who survive the suicide of someone close are potentially at higher risk of suicide, and should also be supported.

It’s not too late for our government to show that they will make suicide prevention a priority so that all of us can feel confident and secure to live our lives to their fullest.

Yours faithfully,

Pat McGreevy,

Suicide Down To Zero.