MODERN LIFE: RARELY has The Northern Echo so graphically illustrated two sides of human nature as it did on Saturday.

On the one hand was the news that Jane Tomlinson, though suffering from terminal cancer, has raised over £1m for cancer and other charities by a series of half and whole marathons and triathalons, and other amazing feats.

On the other hand was the news that David Beckham spends £2m per year merely insuring his vast collection of cars.

Need one say more? - Eric Gendle, Nunthorpe.

HOSPITALS

THE new University Hospital of North Durham features in your newspaper once again, this time with good news for a change (Echo, Jan 27.) It is good to see that another 68 beds may be provided, hopefully in the not too distant future.

The article repeated the mistake that the £96m University Hospital replaced Dryburn Hospital in 2001, but was built with fewer beds. This would be bad enough if it were true. When the recent history of hospital provision in North Durham is looked at, it is clear that the University Hospital was built to replace both Dryburn, which had over 500 beds, and Shotley Bridge General Hospital which had approximately 350 beds when it was downgraded to community hospital status. Both of these hospitals also had full accident and emergency facilities.

So the shortfall in the provision of beds and casualty facilities at University Hospital is much greater than is suggested in your report.

The reported increase in bed capacity, although very welcome, is far too little and far too late. - Tom Pattinson, Stanley.

It goes to show how much Richard Bell knows about Bishop Auckland Hospital; everything concerning the hospital was signed by the Tories. When Labour came to power it was too costly to reverse. We all know about the Tories on public services, they ran them down for 18 years. As far as waste is concerned, they wasted £60bn which they gave in tax cuts to the rich. - G Hodgson, Bishop Auckland.

POLITICS

THE story, 'Bankruptcy claim against chairman of business group' (Echo, Jan 26) contained the inaccuracy that I was expelled from the UK Independence Party for previous associations with the British National Party. In fact, I resigned from UKIP.

The other inaccuracy in the piece was the calling of the BNP "extremist". In my view extreme suggests something remote from most people. However, BNP policies and beliefs have become so mainstream that Michael Howard has put policies very similar to our own as his central plank for the coming general election.

The Spectator magazine reported that one in five people would consider voting BNP. A Sikh and former Gurkha supported my campaign to be elected to Darlington Council.

In my experience, UKIP and the BNP are one and the same. The only difference is that one party prioritises Europe. - Trevor Agnew, Darlington.

YOUR editorial criticises Michael Howard's new quota system for immigrants, and worries about encouraging the extremists (Echo, Jan 25).

But it is you who are encouraging the extremists by ignoring the facts.

There are many problems facing the world and nobody is more concerned than the British. But our immigration policy is no longer acceptable.

The majority know what they are talking about. While their education may not be as grand as those who profess to be the experts, they are sick and tired of having to put up with the usual sermonising and irrelevant rubbish from those who have their heads stuck in the clouds.

It is time your editorial writer got himself out of his cushy office job and started looking at the many deprived areas in our nation to see what is missing. - John Young, Crook.

FOXHUNTING

NOT surprisingly, the Countryside Alliance has resorted to the courts to try and overturn the will of Parliament to ban hunting with dogs.

The Labour manifesto of 1997 specifically promised to ban foxhunting. Numerous votes have been taken to reinforce this promise and it is beyond any doubt that it is the will of Parliament and the will of the people.

The House of Lords, when it comes to consider the appeal, should beware of putting two fingers up to the will of the people. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

CHURCHES

I WOULD like to congratulate St Andrew's Church, Haughton, in having a very efficient loop system for hearing aid users. I was at a funeral service there and I enjoyed the pleasure of hearing the full service.

Sadly, at a service I attended a few weeks ago at a church on the east side of Darlington, not a million miles from the railway station, I missed the whole service through not being able to hear the minister.

Maybe this could be a reason for the falling off in church attendance. - AG Harris, Darlington.

AIRPORT

We have recently seen news of an expansion of business at Durham Tees Valley Airport and I would have thought it more sensible to upgrade the existing facilities at the airport before tackling anything new.

My cousin and his son arrived at the airport on December 21, having spent a fortnight in Spain.

The planeload of holidaymakers, mainly pensioners, had to queue outside the airport building - temperature about five degrees Centigrade - waiting to go through customs clearance/immigration control for 30 minutes.

I don't know if this was a one-off event or if it is going to happen on a regular basis in the future. I shall be very wary of using this airport again. - Peter Johnston, Darlington

SMOKING

SINCE tobacco smoke kills far more people than fires do, is it possible to have a smoke detector which will sound an alarm if someone is smoking tobacco in No Smoking area? - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill, Co Durham.

TSUNAMI

IT WAS marvellous to see the great response to the disaster in the Indian Ocean islands. Funds are still being collected in pubs, shops and clubs and I think the funds must be well over-subscribed by now.

I am not aware of any funds being set up for our own people in Carlisle and Hexham who have lost everything. Remember the old saying: charity begins at home. - Paul Smith, Lanchester.

TO save lives in another tsunami, why not build steel or concrete storm shelters under and near the houses or hotels with a warning system? - S Bowden, Ferryhill.

Shildon POOL

SHILDON'S only swimming pool is under threat because it has developed a leak (Echo, Jan 28). It is a precious resource in a town with obscene council tax bills and far too few facilities already. The £10,000 repair bill for the pool would be covered by the massive council tax bills of just ten modest terraced houses. - Robert Bridgett, Shildon.