QLocal is delighted to post this topical news from Ormskirk man Derek Andrews. It's sure to strike a chord with many of our readers...

I recently wrote to the Prime Minister to ask if a medal could be struck and awarded to those fighting (and dying) on our behalf.

A copy of the hand-written letter is below.I hope you will see the merit of this request and put the weight of your readership behind me.

I am over 70 and therefore in self isolation and wish I was younger and fitter and could more.I hope this small gesture is my small contribution to the real crisis facing us.

I had sent a copy of this letter to most of the major press papers and if you watched the daily press conference, you will have seen the Mirror reporter has taken my suggestion on board and put the question to Mr Dominic Raab.

Dear Prime Minister,

You recently described the battle against CoVid-19 as a 'war', therefore it follows that those on the front line are the foot soldiers against this deadly unseen enemy.

Following this argument, the hundreds of thousands of volunteers you called upon to join the battle could be seen as the latter day equivalent of a 'dad's army'. At some point in the foreseeable future we will as a nation beat this invisible enemy.

May I humbly request that you consider striking and awarding this army with a medal of honour for bravery above and beyond the call of duty? There is a precedent for this. I believe that an award called the "Silver Medal" was awarded in 1916 to around 1.5 million citizens.

To close, I wish you a speedy recovery so that you can lead us to a total victory. Your country needs you.

Yours sincerely,
Derek Andrews,
Ormskirk, Lancs., L39 4YH