AT the March meeting of the Crediton Branch of Devon Senior Voice Ron Cuthbertson stepped in for the scheduled speaker, who sadly, had to attend a funeral.

Ron took along a video from the Exeter TED talks, with Professor Alison Pollock, Professor of Public Health Research and Policy, Queen Mary’s University, London, entitled The Privatisation of the NHS.

This 18-minute talk can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz5dl9fhj7o . It is a very authoritative, well researched, and deeply worrying insight into the way our NHS is being dismantled to make way for privatisation.

DSV members, many of whom had been involved with the campaign to keep the beds at Crediton Hospital, engaged in animated discussion following this short film.

Chair, Carole Towler, thanked Ron for stepping in at the last minute. The talk was followed by refreshments, after which the committee met for its monthly meeting, at which arrangements were made for the AGM next month and some good news was announced about the future funding of the group.

The Branch is still looking for a new Treasurer, so if anyone feels they have the skills and enthusiasm and would like to be involved in this campaigning group for the over 50’s, please contact Carole Towler on 01392 852600.

The next meeting will be the AGM and takes place in the Meadow Suite at Lords Meadow Leisure Centre at 2pm on Wednesday, April 12.

The speaker will be Mary Collins talking about her “Memories of a wartime childhood in Kent”.

All welcome and donations are invited towards refreshments and room hire.