Sir, - Following my letter of September 24, I am writing once again in connection with having the name of Benjamin John McGowan Hyde engraved on the war memorial which stands close to All Saints' Parish Church.

In that letter I asked the residents of Northallerton for their representations about the proposal and for any other names to be included at the same time. Consultation has now taken place with individuals and organisations and the town council has now made a resolution to rededicate the Memorial base with an appropriate inscription yet to be decided.

This inscription will of course include the names of any Northallerton resident who was omitted from the original part of the memorial for any reason and I would once again appeal finally for any further representations from the public.

I would however, like to say that we have had several positive responses to our proposal to add the name of Ben to our memorial. This brave young man who totally believed in defending the country he loved, has been taken to our hearts and become a local hero. His parents have showed immense courage throughout what must have been a living nightmare, which has no end.

The precedent for incorporating the names of servicemen and women killed in conflicts after the Second World War was set when Abingdon Town Council added the name of Michael Bagshaw who was killed by the IRA whilst serving with the Royal Green Jackets in 1981 and then by Middleton St George Parish Council who added the name of Warrant Officer Colin Wall, a military policeman killed while serving in Iraq in August 2003.

It is our intention to do something similar and add the names of any servicemen or women omitted from the memorial and if any person knows of anyone who has not been included we would be pleased to hear from them.

Finally I thank you all your support in this proposal and I will let you know the date of the dedication following further research.

TONY HALL

Mayor of Northallerton,

Town Hall,

Northallerton.

Horses' plight

Sir, - If you are not already aware, you will be horrified to find out that British horses and ponies could once again be exported live from the UK to face a long, uncertain journey to their death in Europe. We must act now to stop it.

A British law that has prevented our ponies from being exported alive for slaughter for over 67 years looks as though it could well be lost, just because it isn't currently included in the proposal for a new EU Regulation on the transport of animals.

I am supporting the ILPH (International League for the Protection of Horses), Say No to Live Exports Campaign to pressurise the Government and the European Parliament to stop the resumption of the live traffic. Their on-line petition (at www.ilph.org) and paper petition are due to close at the end of February and will be presented to the European Parliament in March before they present their report to the European Commission.

We must now write to our MPs so that they, in turn, can pressurise the Government to act to protect our horses and ponies. If you have not supported the ILPH campaign before, but would like to do so now, please call 0870 366 6910 and leave your name and address on the recorded message. Alternatively go to www.ilph.org where you will be able to download a sample letter you can send to your MP, find out all about the campaign, and sign the online petition too.

We must all act now, before it is too late, to stop our horses and ponies suffering long, tortuous journeys to their deaths in foreign abattoirs.

J A HARRISON-BROADLEY-FISHER

Long Street,

Thirsk.

Student effort

Sir, - May I take this opportunity, through the Darlington & Stockton Times, to thank the students of Durham University for their contribution to Meningitis Research Foundation's annual fundraiser, London Loot.

The students left Durham last week dressed in a variety of silly costumes to descend on the capital for two days and collect in tube and mainline train stations, and the city's streets. The Durham students collected £5,245.94, which helped the grand total reach an astonishing £35,792.77, beating last year's total by nearly £10,000!

We are extremely grateful for all the hard work the local students have put in to make this year's London Loot such a success. As Meningitis Research Foundation relies almost entirely upon voluntary donations to fund its crucial work, this phenomenal total will be a really valuable contribution

towards the Charity's work. The money that they have raised will help the Foundation fund vital scientific research into the prevention, detection and treatment of meningitis and septicaemia, raise awareness of the diseases and support those affected.

JOSIE MAY

Communications Officer

Meningitis Research Foundation,

Bristol.

Off their rocker

Sir, - I have recently learned that the old favourite of the nursery, the rocking horse, has fallen foul of our masters in Brussels.

Apparently new legislation is coming into force to limit the height of the load bearing area of the saddle to the floor, to no more than 0.6 metre or approximately two feet.

In my youth, any new apprentice in the joiners' shop, upon finding a knot hole in a piece of wood, was invariably told by some gnarled old joiner that the only possible use for such a void was as an anal orifice for a rocking horse.

I await further EU legislation on rocking horse anatomy with great anticipation.

MAX HARDCASTLE

Harmby.