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LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON

Date added: Friday 13th August 2010

Resent
Tuesday, 13 July 2010

Dear Prime Minister

David, you may well remember me writing to you, but it was some time ago now, and I write to you again as I did that first time, and how things have changed for you from being in opposition to now being Prime Minister of this great country (thank goodness).

I write again as I did then, as a father and devoted grandfather of my grandchildren both old and young. I am writing to you David to appeal for your help in supporting Honeylands Children's Centre in Exeter, Devon. I remember well when you announced that you had a son and that he had severe disabilities, and how my heart ached for you both when we heard that your wonderful son had passed away.

I felt so close to you and your wife that day, and I lived your pain David, because I know how that pain hurts and how it takes so much away from you, because my family and I have endured that suffering too when we lost our darling grandson Jack, he was just four an a half years old David, but we know he was an angel sent from heaven to be with us mere mortals here on earth, even if it was only going to be for a short time, but in that time he touched many peoples lives, and changed some to, for which we are eternally thankful.

Sir I want to tell you about a wonderful place in Exeter called Honeylands Children's Centre, and the best way initially for me to do that is to invite you to visit little Jack's website which is www.jackgodfrey.org.uk you will find out much about Honeylands and I must make you aware David that Jack will no doubt speak to your heart from his website.

You will find the history of Honeylands early years to almost the present day on Jacks website, so this leaves me to explain why I am writing to you again today. Honeylands has been under review now for a number of years, dragged on by those in authority dragging their feet in indecision and mistrust. If those indecision's had been turned into positive ones then we would not be here now as we are today, having to take this health authority to task over unnecessary and unwanted changes to the operation of Honeylands as it was meant to be.

At the time of the launch of this review some maybe four years ago Honeylands had an offer from a benefactor of one million pounds to ensure that Honeylands would be able to do what it does best, CARE FOR DISABLED CHILDREN, AND GIVE MUCH NEEDED SUPPORT TO PRESSURIZED PARENTS IN NEED OF RESPITE.

THAT OFFER STILL STANDS! but because of lack of decisive leadership the value of that benefit has been vastly reduced and to implement what needed to have been done then will now cost two and a half times as much as it needed to have done, AND WITHOUT the unsettling consequences to severely traumatized children and parents. Financial constraints are an active part of what is happening today, putting the whole ethos of Honeylands Children's Centre at risk, caused in part by the refusal of bureaucrats to LISTEN! And LEARN from those on the front line of nursing care for severely disabled and disadvantaged children.

Every picture tells a story as you will see from the photos on my website and these pictures also tell the true story of that great loving care afforded to my beloved grandson Jack. It is for the children like Jack that I. and I hope you will fight to protect, each one an angel, my beloved angel is now back in Heaven, but his grandad is here on earth, ready to take up the flag that is Honeylands and fight against the injustice of bureaucratic nonsense. If we had had a conservative Government in office instead of thirteen years of mismanagement and utter waste by a Labour Government then I don't think for a minute I would have had the necessity to be appealing to the heart of another devoted father like myself.

The building is historic, and history rebuilds itself, and in that context new buildings can be made to look historic. There is great scope for integrating new with old WITHOUT, and I repeat WITHOUT the necessity of closing down the respite wing as the PCT and health authority and DCC seem to think.

The intention of DCC, the PCT and the health authority is as I have been given to understand, and I have read this in the media is that they will close down the respite wing and the teaching groups and move the children that require respite to two other areas within the city boundary BUT! To do this they will be sending the children of parents who attend these other units to units in Honiton and Tiverton.

David, this is madness and folly, most of the children who attend these other two city units suffer from autism amongst other disabilities and they will not cope with the constant upheaval that this hair brained scheme will bring to them, the parents of all these children are as you will understand, are very, very upset by this proposal to move their children, not only from Honeylands but from the two out units in the city and this will incur much more expense both for the PCT and the parents themselves.

For many years, we at Honeylands have been pressing forward with our ideas on how the future of Honeylands should progress, by far the best idea that we put forward was the construction of two respite bungalows in the grounds of Honeylands, this would still leave a great deal of space for the outside activities that the children of Honeylands take part in, and would cost far less than the two and a half million pounds that the authorities are telling us that this new building works will cost to turn Honeylands solely into an assessment centre. Invariably it will end up costing more in the long run. Why would the authorities dispel such ideas out of hand?

I am making this heartfelt appeal to you David to help me, and the parents of these beautiful children, help us to save the respite units of Honeylands. Will you meet with a party of us from Honeylands, parents, and members of the league of friends of Honeylands at 10 Downing Street so we can put our case to you, openly and plainly to someone who knows and understands the depths of passion and feeling in their hearts?

Respite is HONEYLANDS, it is a vital part of the Honeylands structure, and respite must always be HONEYLANDS. It stands for love, care and compassion and this must never be taken away from the people who make HONEYLANDS WHAT IT IS. A centre of excellence made possible by dedicated nursing staff and carers, a TEAM second to none, it is these that make HONEYLANDS WHAT IT IS, not the building.

I look forward to hearing from you on this serious events looming for our disabled children's futures and that to of their parents, and I trust I have not offended you by repeatedly using such familiar terms in my writing to you, but I know in my heart that you yourself has a heart that cares beating inside of you and you understand the pain I have doubly felt with the sad loss of two of my wonderful grandchildren, my Jack and my eldest grandson Daniel in Basra Iraq in Feb 2007, he too has a website which is www.operationbraveheart.org.uk

With much love and respect

David Godfrey