HIGH ROW: THE predecessors of the present council took pride in the town's heritage. They restored the Market Place to its proper use as a public area and restored the Market Cross.

The present Labour group, however, has a solely material outlook and is without a thought for the heritage of the town. What, I ask myself, comes after High Row?

Will Darlington's Covered Market be demolished if, as seems possible, the stallholders are unable to compete with the growing number of supermarkets, and cease to trade?

The council should be made to justify its proposals. The people of Richmond are, it appears, more resolute, threatening to chain themselves to the railings in response to their council's proposals not dissimilar to what is happening here. - John W Antill, Darlington.

PHOTO PLEA

TEN years ago I had an 18-month-old daughter and a dying husband. We were helped in ways we could not have imagined by what was then a comparatively new type of public service.

Thousands of people have benefited either directly or indirectly. Whilst grief was inescapable, the information they have received on law and choices altered so radically what they were able to do that comments like "awesome" and "beautiful" are common. Children of all ages have been involved, which is rewarding to them and adults.

The Emergency Bereavement Service was pioneered by John Barker, alias John Bradfield, a former tutor of health and welfare staff. In the last Parliament, MPs called for "a new law as a matter of urgency", as pointless bureaucracy has brought the service to a near standstill.

John stood as a candidate in the Sedgefield constituency, making a public appeal for Tony Blair to help.

I attended the count to take photographs but, unknown to me, my camera was broken. When Tony Blair completed his speech, John unfurled a banner saying: "Yes Minister! Emergency Bereavement Service RealPublicService.org.uk".

I would be deeply grateful if any reader could provide the service with a photograph. - Susan Thorp, Leeds.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT

WE wonder if the public meeting held in South Bank on May 3 has finally convinced Redcar and Cleveland Council that residents want neither the new housing development proposed for Low Grange Farm nor our current street housing stock demolished.

More than 150 residents came out in force in support of our opposition to the scheme - not one of them backed the council's plan.

The price to pay for this would be huge, both financially and in terms of destroying the social fabric of a town which still, quite rightly, is regarded as possessing an incredible community spirit.

The price is also one that is borne, not from the neglect of the majority of decent people who live here, but the collective ineptitude of successive councils over the past 15 years.

It is easy to tell the people that no developers are willing to invest in rebuilding where the terraces are now, should they be demolished. Some residents might even believe that statement.

We, however, do not. Look just a few miles to the west, where central Middlesbrough is facing a similar street demolition proposal yet somehow, quite magically, the council there has already secured a deal to invest and redevelop the land.

There isn't one person in South Bank who doesn't think something needs to be done here. However, attempting such a hare-brained scheme without consulting folk to find out what they want rather than telling them: "We've found some land, there's a lovely new house" (which you can't afford and don't want anyway) is not the way. We will fight this to the bitter end. - Sheila Mack and Eunice Smith, South Bank, Middlesbrough.

TONY BLAIR

ON being returned to 10 Downing Street with a reduced majority, Tony Blair said: "I have listened to the electorate and have got the message."

A few hours later he brings back into the Cabinet David Blunkett.

Blair has proved once again you can fool most of the people most of the time. - E Pickering, Darlington.

SPORTS CENTRES

INSTEAD of selling Larchfield Sports Centre to developers (Echo, May 10) why not use it as an extra sports centre in Darlington, available to the general public, in addition to the Dolphin Centre?

It need not be confined just to Darlington College, but to everyone who is interested in sport.

So, if the Dolphin Centre is fully booked at any one time, then sports enthusiasts in Darlington will have another sports centre to fall back on.

You could always put a different floor down on some evenings each week so that people and organisations can have the sports hall for their own private dances.

The condition of this building needs to be improved as it is dilapidated and a new kitchen could be built in the process so that refreshments could be sold.

If the demand for sport decreases then the borough council could make a creche out of the sports hall during the day to provide facilities for working mothers for their children to be looked after between 7.30am and 6pm. Depending on their age they could pay so much for each meal provided.

As for Darlington College of Technology, it is important to keep the main hall as this is used not only by the Kings Church on Sundays, but also by amateur dramatic societies for some of their productions.

The catering students also do a marvellous job in their restaurant so I would not like that to go. As for the rest of the college of technology, that could be sold unless there is another educational establishment in Darlington which would benefit from using their premises as an annexe.

There are far too many buildings such as these which are being sold to developers. If all public buildings like these were all sold to developers we would have an extremely large population with nowhere for these people to go to be entertained. - Margaret A Greenhalgh, Darlington.

FISH OIL

THERE has been a lot of hype lately about schoolchildren's behaviour and work improving when they were given fish oil because of the omega-3s.

What these studies don't show is the longer term effect of mercury contamination. Much safer to get your omega-3s from flax seed or flax seed oil and avoid the dangers of toxic heavy-metal pollution.

Better for the fish too. - Patricia Tricker, Bedale.

IRON WILL

WITH a puzzled look on his face, the Polish airman said: "Why have the Americans put a general in charge of their army when he is a German?"

We replied: "He is an American called General Eisenhower." And the airman said: "That's what I mean. Eisenhower is the German word for ironworker." - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.