Hear All Sides:WEARDALE ECONOMY

Your report (Echo, Jul 27) quoted a suggestion by the author, Dr Miles Nichols, which implied that the dale's three agricultural shows should merge.

Dr Nichols is advising people living in Weardale to think afresh at doing certain things collectively in the future instead of individually, as in the past.

Promotion in the modern world requires a different approach to bring stability and success.

At various times over many years, I have walked and cycled in Weardale and have enjoyed the delightful pleasures of the area, especially having my tea and sandwiches in Wolsingham recreation ground, then later riding over the moors to Allenheads.

There is no reason why a cycle race and a 25-kilometre run could not be organised as annual events. They would require stewards from every village and town to make it a success.

Thoughtful promotion and marketing including television coverage would place Weardale and its natural beauty into every home in the land. - Thomas Conlon, Spennymoor.

PAULA RADCLIFFE

WHAT a fine role model for the youth of today and a source of inspiration to us all is Paula Radcliffe.

Her dedication, hard work and determination to succeed, shines through in all her races. Her recent successes have been so well deserved.

Let us hope that Paula receives the recognition and reaps the rewards she richly deserves. It should surely be Dame Paula Radcliffe in the next honours list. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

REFUSE COLLECTION

I AM concerned to hear of the new arrangements for our rubbish collection.

It is inevitable that people will put their sacks out the night before to meet the 7.30am deadline. Even with the strongest plastic sacks, vermin will gain access, particularly when there is food in the sack.

Only recently, the television has been running a "clean-up" campaign to stop us being overrun with rats. I fear the new arrangements will only add to the rapid increase of vermin.

When the binmen have collected the sacks, who is going to clear up the mess from the torn sacks? Will we then have to form a rota in each street to clear up the mess? A later start in the collection would, to some extent, avoid the sacks being left out overnight.

I wonder how the council concludes that we in Darlington have the most inefficient refuse collection system. If there is a league table of all councils, then could they publish it in The Northern Echo so that we can all see just how bad the present system is? - H Terry, Darlington.

LAW AND ORDER

EVERY week we have an old person battered, robbed and sometimes murdered in the street.

Every week we have an old person battered, robbed and murdered in their own home.

Every week we have a child or young girl taken off the street and murdered; sometimes the bodies are never found.

And we allow this to continue simply because we do not have a punishment to fit the crime.

Justice our country is the pits and, until we get a punishment that is right, things will only continue to go further downhill and people will start to take their own justice. - A Parkin, Bishop Auckland.

ELECTORAL REFORM

THE First Past The Post (FPTP) system of voting often produces one-party local government and helps to produce voter apathy.

In my opinion, the FPTP system gives instances where all three major political parties gain a majority of seats with a minority of votes. It is outdated, and Proportional Representation (PR) has been introduced into the Scottish and Welsh assemblies and the European elections.

I have campaigned for it to be introduced into local government elections. However, Sedgefield Borough Council Labour Group rejected the Liberal Democrat motion, which called for PR for local government.

Labour still prefers the First Past the Post system, which is more to do with holding onto power than giving the electorate a fair voting system. - Councillor Ben Ord, Liberal Democrat, Spennymoor.

NORTH/SOUTH DIVIDE

I CAN relate to what Mike Amos wrote about the North/South divide (Echo, Jul 31).

The benefits of living in this beautiful part of the country far outweigh the "peculiarities" of the North, ie pease pudding, cheese with fruit cake, Yorkshire pudding served with all meats and not just roast beef. One day maybe I'll try pease pudding or fruitcake with cheese - then again, maybe not.

I am learning the language too. But can anyone tell me the difference between a snicket, a ginnel and a jinny. - M Newell, Bedale.

PLANNING POLICIES

AS the planners get bolder, new house numbers mushroom to 750 and the hospital has another wing added, some thoughts occur to me.

Have the planners seriously considered the impact of an extra 1,000 cars spilling daily onto West Auckland Road, in Darlington? Workers and shoppers travelling into Darlington and those on the school run must wonder if the limited changes proposed will prevent lengthy hold-ups.

If those 1,000 cars were parked nose to tail, they would stretch from Faverdale to the centre of Darlington. We hope they will not be parked that way too often.

If Mowden Rugby Club has a home fixture and the council implements the occasional 'Park and Ride' from the adjacent bus terminus, the problem gets worse. As officials create yet more plans for Darlington's future, hopefully, they will find time to address this more immediate problem.

Can play facilities, as originally indicated, be provided on neighbouring High Grange? Crossing a busy road to play in such a large park would present much danger for the young children. Will the park be properly maintained?

We would not want to see it neglected, as happened with South Park. We might not get bailed out with another Lottery grant. - B Armstrong, Darlington.