WE ARE approaching the time of year when it is traditional to spare a thought and some time for friends and relations whom we shall not see at Christmas by sending a card and a message of goodwill.

In December, Amnesty International launches its annual Write for Rights campaign, which asks all of us to send personal message of support and solidarity to people behind bars, or whose lives are in serious danger, simply for exercising their human rights. Such messages can make a real difference to a prisoner wrongly detained, for family members waiting desperately for news of a loved one who has disappeared, or for a torture survivor fighting for justice. They are a source of hope, comfort and inspiration. A card can also remind an abusive government that the world is watching.

I have actually met an ex-prisoner of conscience who told me how wonderful and amazing it was, in the dark days of imprisonment, to know that he was not forgotten.

On Saturday December 5, between ten and twelve o’clock, our West Wiltshire Amnesty Group will be inviting friends, shoppers and passers-by to write just a few words in a greetings card to a prisoner of conscience for whom this year Amnesty is taking action. Appropriate cards, complete with stamped envelopes addressed to destinations all over the world, are provided. We meet in the warmth and comfort of the Cottage Co-operative Cafe in Bradford on Avon. All we ask is £1 towards the cost of postage. We do hope that some of your readers may be pleased to seize the opportunity to bring a little light into the life of a stranger and look forward to welcoming them.

If any reader would like further details of our group’s activities, my email address is jillbenedictross@gmail.com.

Jill Ross (Secretary), Lower Westwood, Bradford on Avon