WE are fortunate to live in such a beautiful area, but must be aware of the risks posed by Covid 19. There are notices around the district provided by National Farmers Union, in line with Defra and Public Health England Advice, which state "people should maintain social distancing " and "hand wash/sanitise after touching shared surfaces eg. stiles/gates ".

I regularly walk our local paths and have yet to see anybody being careful when opening gates or using stiles…they hang on to the gate frame or stonework around the stile and do not bother to sanitise their hands afterwards. The regular sanitising of our hands is essential to avoid picking up Covid.

I carry a pen in my pocket and can easily unhook and re-hook gates with a no touch technique, followed by sanitisation…just in case.

Just because we live in God's county is no reason to be complacent.

Paul Jacques.

Threshfield