DOVER THE MOON
Dame Vera footpath to the White Cliffs gets go-ahead
DAME Vera Lynn would be “tickled pink” by a decision to name a footpath to the White Cliffs of Dover in her honour, her daughter says.
Virginia Lewis-Jones, 75, has welcomed a council’s plans to immortalise her mum at the landmark.
The hope is for a naming ceremony to be held at Dame Vera Lynn Way to mark the first anniversary of the singer’s death aged 103 on
June 18 last year.
Virginia said:
“My mum is synonymous with the White Cliffs so this is the perfect way to commemorate her.
“Mum would have been tickled pink to have a section of the famous cliffs named after her. She would have been so pleased… I think this is a really brilliant idea.” Dame Vera was the Forces’ Sweetheart during the Second World War when her moraleboosting songs included (There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover. Town councillor Graham Wanstall, who submitted the path proposal in Kent, said: “The signs are being designed and prepared. Hopefully we can time the unveiling to mark the first anniversary of Dame Vera’s death. “It will be a fitting way to remember her.” Dover District Council said “We are taking forward the proposal to rename a section of the Saxon Shore Way path.”
A LITTLE girl at risk of a fatal seizure if she gets too excited almost died after a birthday trip to Peppa Pig World.
Lola Sheldon, three, has a rare gene condition that has left her with epilepsy and caused delays to her development.
She had hours of fits and spent days in hospital after visiting the cartoon star’s theme park Romsey, Hants, last August.
Mum Carly Whing and dad Luke Sheldon have “come to terms with the fact Lola’s trigger is having too much fun”.
But Carly, 27, added: “It is hard having to intervene when she’s enjoying herself.
“It’s heartbreaking to see your daughter having a great time in only to worry she will end up in hospital. She had a great day on all the rides but we went home and she had a really bad seizure.
“It’s very scary. We can be in the emergency department for hours while they put drugs in her to make the seizures stop.”
Her older sister, Brooke, is only 10, but has already had to learn to be calm around Lola to help keep her safe. Carly said: “She helps a lot with Lola, she’s amazing, really great with her.”
But Lola’s health means the family, from Lichfield, Staffs, “can never fully relax”, Carly says.
“I have a bag permanently packed waiting to go to hospital – it’s become a way of life.”