Letters, contributions and comments sent in to the Advertiser this week.

Stop shaving for charity

Carl Hester, Olympic gold medallist for dressage, writes:

I’m calling on men to grow a beard this December and raise money for Bowel Cancer UK.

I’m thrilled to be supporting Decembeard, which is especially personal to me.

I’ve had polyps removed from my bowel and now have

annual check-ups, but the realisation that it could have developed into bowel cancer really hit me.

Taking part in Decembeard is simple. All you need to do is clean shave on November 30 and let your facial fuzz grow throughout the month. Already bearded?

No problem. Dye, ditch or decorate your beard.

Bowel cancer affects one in 14 men in the UK and is the third most common cancer in men, so it’s a really important cause.

Save lives this December.

• Grow a beard and raise funds to support vital services and lifesaving research: sign up at bowelcanceruk.org.uk/decembeard

Unmesh Desai, London Assembly Member for Tower Hamlets, writes:

This week, we have seen an important intervention made to ensure that our security arrangements with the EU are protected after Brexit.

With the looming possibility of a hard Brexit on the horizon, there is a real possibility that we may lose access to a number of existing arrangements vital to our capital’s security, such as Europol and the European Arrest Warrant.

In addition, the cross-border co-operation that we have built with the EU has played a significant role in fighting terrorism through robust intelligence-sharing, rooting out organised crime networks, clamping down on the trafficking of illegal drugs and weapons, and preventing dangerous criminals from passing into our country.

The security of Londoners is not a commodity to be traded-off in the negotiations, so we must ensure that our police and the security services can continue to work with our European partners.