JOHN Timbrell believes charity begins at home and he maybe right but so often this idea has been misunderstood. Charity may begin at home but it certainly shouldn't end there.

I am interested by the level of antagonism towards the EU that is common in the letters section of your newspaper.  I have spent much of my life working in multi-ethnic and multi-cultural communities in England and enjoy a wide circle of friends from the EU and around the world. In the past year I have travelled to two EU nations, to China, as well as to SE Asia. I am currently supporting a shop (which creates an income for a family of 10) in the Philippines and I have invested in a social housing project in Brazil.

I believe that charity begins at home... but I regard the world as my home and not Little Britain or even the old Commonwealth. Those who are so keen to cosy up to the latter should take a close look at the politics and civil rights of some member states (e.g. Sri  Lanka)before they get too energised.

Over the past 18 months three of my friends from overseas have sought leave to enter the UK – one for educational purposes and two for holidays. Two were refused visas and one was stopped at Heathrow Airport.

I estimate the lost income from these three to this country to be in the region of £25,000. Some of which would have been spent in travel, food and tourism in the Forest of Dean as each would have been my guests during their stays.

As I read the arguments of some of your correspondents I can understand some of the frustration with Europolitics but our response should not be stamp our national feet and leave the stage.

Other EU nations share these misgivings. We should also remember that the hero of so many Euro-sceptics, the late Margaret Thatcher, was the Prime Minister who signed up to the Single European Act in 1985 so agreeing to the removal of many of UK's vetoes. It was also Lady Thatcher who said:

"Britain does not dream of some cosy, isolated existence on the fringes of the European Community. Our destiny is in Europe, as part of the Community."

It was also the Tory Party that once encouraged the Union to welcome other states. So it has!

I know UKIP and their followers want to return to the 19th century with grammar schools, smoking in pubs and the like but we should not allow it to turn the clock back in our foreign policy and international trade links.

– Mark Parry, Coleford.