Helen Brown, full address supplied, writesI wanted to write to say thank you for the excellent care I received when I had my hip replaced recently at the Homerton Hospital.

The staff, at all levels, were kind, compassionate, good-humoured, hard-working and efficient.

My side ward was very clean, the food was nutritious and appetising and, as far as I can tell, the operation was a great success. Also the after-care was superb, including home visits from dedicated physios and nurses, and not forgetting the cheery ambulance drivers.

We hear a lot of worrying things about how NHS staff are struggling at the moment with all the cuts, and conflicting demands, but my overall personal experience was absolutely positive and I just wanted to say I do know how very hard you all work and to send you my thanks, appreciation and support.

As church leaders in Hackney we share the concerns of London-wide church leaders who came together last week under the banner of #LondonUnited in response to the refugee crisis, and following continued reports of intolerance and heightened tension in the wake of the EU referendum, write Hackney Borough Ecumenical Deans Group, Cathy Bird (Methodist), John Macaulay (United Reformed Church), Rosemia Brown (Anglican), Pascal Ryan (Roman Catholic), Ruth Gray (Salvation Army), Ian Rathbone (Group Convenor), Joyce Daley (Independent churches).

We want to support the declaration agreed by the Faith and Community Assembly that celebrated diversity in the capital. We share the assembly’s determination to ensure this great city, and Hackney in particular, will continue to be a place of welcome, generosity and equality.

We condemn prejudice and will work for tolerance. We stand in solidarity with those in Hackney especially who are mistreated or held in contempt because of who they are or where they have come from. Our diversity is a source of strength and that we are committed to learning from one another.

Hackney has a proud history of welcoming refugees and migrants. There is so much goodwill among individuals and organisations to support refugees, who may have experienced unspeakable suffering, to rebuild their lives here.

As we work together to tackle intolerance and address need, we want to celebrate the stories of our communities, and the actions of love that support them. In this, our message to future generations is one of hope that will not falter in the face of injustice and peace that has the power to overcome division.

It is that same hope that brought a baby to a place in the Middle East called Bethlehem. It is to establish that same peace that, as Christians, we believe God came into the world.

This Christmas, join us in celebrating our diversity. Love overcomes all, even fear and hatred.

Every day when I travel to work in the West End, the announcer tells us the Piccadilly line is subject to severe delays due to shortage of trains, writes Christopher Sills, Dunsmure Road, Stamford Hill.

I understand this problem is not going to be solved until February 2017, if at all

I would like to know what the assembly member for north-east London is doing about it. A lot of people in the north of Hackney depend on this line to commute.

The Mayor of London’s attitude to the issue infuriates me. He spends a lot of time tackling Southern Rail for its alleged failings, over which he rightly has no control, but on the Piccadilly line delays, where he is in a position to act, nothing is being done! The mayor should do the job he was elected to do.

We were surprised to see the story “Anger over ‘hellish’ parking plan in Clapton Pond” (December 8), write Melanie Prior and Éamon Jeffers, address supplied.

We live in one of the streets included in the scheme and have suffered “parking hell” for years. We were told by the council we had to organise our own survey before they could act. Two years ago a group of us leafleted to explain how a controlled parking zone would work, and conducted a survey to assess support for the scheme on the worst affected roads.

We passed the positive response to our survey on to the council, who organised a ballot of the whole area. In their ballot, as well as asking whether people supported a CPZ, the council also asked whether they would take a different view if a CPZ were introduced in nearby streets. People in some streets voted to remain outside the CPZ even if it were introduced in neighbouring streets. It would give us no satisfaction to see the problems we have experienced for years now happening in other streets, but it would be unfair to delay implementing the scheme for those of us who have actively campaigned over a long period of time.

We feel it unfair for council officers to be described as “witless” and councillors “ineffective” when they are simply implementing what local residents voted for.