By Isle of Wight Observer
I know that our whole Island community is shocked and saddened by the helicopter crash near Whiteley Bank on Bank Holiday Monday. What should have been an exciting flying lesson for three Island visitors turned to tragedy when the helicopter, which took off from Sandown Airport, came down about 20 minutes into its flight.
I want to thank the heroic response from all the emergency services who were on site throughout Monday, and wish the air accident investigators well for their work ahead. I send my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, and my thoughts are with the fourth member of the flight, who I understand is still recovering in hospital.
The Isle of Wight is fortunate to have a wonderful sense of community, shown again through the ‘Save the Daisy Bus’ campaign. The Daisy Bus provides a vital lifeline for those travelling to mainland hospital appointments for cancer treatment. The proposal to withdraw funding for the service for those travelling to UHS, in Southampton, was both sudden and worrying. I was pleased to join the campaign steering group, and news that the service will now be continuing is a relief to us all. I would like to thank all those who supported the campaign, in particular Michèle for her leadership and hard work.
I recently visited the Canoe Lake, in Sandown, to see the work volunteers have been doing to save the fish and avert a potential environmental health problem. It was good to see community spirit active in Sandown.
It was also a pleasure to pop into the Garlic Festival earlier this month – just one of the many events that showcase the Island at its best to both residents and visitors. The IW Observer managed to snap me and my family holding their blue and white balloons!
As Parliament returns, I’m marking Alzheimer’s Month by raising awareness of diagnosis rates and supporting charities. I’m also launching a cross-party APPG on Spiking, to unite experts and campaigners in tackling growing concerns around drink and needle-spiking across the UK.
Mal Butler