I JUST want to write and thank all the NHS staff who helped and assisted my mother, Rita Baker, who was taken ill on Monday evening after suffering a slight fall in our kitchen at home. We’re forever grateful to all the people who helped mum and us.

The NHS and staff are a credit to this country and should be respected by all of us.

Paul Baker,

Knapton Close,

Strensall, York

Make your mark on the Heart of Steel

THE British Heart Foundation (BHF) is giving the people of York the chance to be a part of history with the unveiling of a 2.4 metre high art sculpture called the Heart of Steel.

There are around 150,000 spaces on the heart for people to engrave their name, or the name of a loved one, which has been lovingly created by Yorkshire sculptor Steve Mehdi.

For just £20, you can leave a lasting legacy by making a declaration to beat heartbreak forever or a touching tribute to parents, grandparents, siblings or best friends.

This will help fund life-saving research into heart and circulatory conditions, such as stroke, coronary heart disease, vascular dementia and diabetes.

These conditions kill one in four people in the UK, but it doesn’t need to be this way.

We recently released statistics that showed Yorkshire and the Humber has the highest death rates for heart and circulatory disease in England – 10 per cent higher than the rest of the country.

So there has never been a more urgent need for people to get behind this fantastic project.

To make your mark on the Heart of Steel, head to Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield or visit bhf.org.uk/heartofsteel.

Simon Gillespie,

Chief executive,

British Heart Foundation,

London