News in brief: AIR AMBULANCE

It would be much more sensible for fund-raising by the air ambulance to be allowed within its coverage area, not just from within the county boundaries, as appears to be the situation. And if this overlapped somewhat, what would it matter as this would still be put towards rescue.

I am sure that if there was a very severe incident that was reachable by both services, and one or other of the helicopters was extremely overworked, there would be no hesitation in calling in the neighbouring machine to assist. I am equally sure there would be very little suggestion of reimbursement of costs for flying into the neighbouring area.

This is so very petty that it will destroy the service in the long run. - Nick Whelan, Northallerton.

SCHOOL CLOSURE

I USED to enjoy walking my two sons to school every morning. Now I come away feeling worried and depressed.

The proposal to close St Francis Primary School in Whinney Banks, Middlesbrough, has gutted our small community. God only knows what effect it is having on my sons at school.

One of the main reasons given for closing our school goes completely against Government guidelines. Small class sizes can surely only be of benefit to our children, yet if you achieve that objective they close you down.

We chose St Francis for our children because we had seen for ourselves the classes in neighbouring schools overflowing into the corridors.

The local authority and Middlesbrough New Deal are ploughing thousands of pounds into the Whinney Banks area of Middlesbrough and talk about a rosy future, yet they insist on removing one of the stable parts of it. They are obviously not giving Whinney Banks community that much of a future.

St Francis is a good school. It produces solid, well-rounded, responsible young people. I thought that was what we wanted these days, but in the end it all boils down to money. No thought to the best education for our children, no thought to the social contribution of St Francis to the area and no rights of the individual to decide on the future of his own family. The final decision will be made by a grey suit with a big calculator. - Mr and Mrs MD Baxter, Middlesbrough.

DURHAM HOSPITAL

THIS weekend an elderly gentleman parked his car on our estate and rather apologetically started looking around for someone to speak to. When I asked if I could help, he said that he wanted to park his car outside somebody's house without causing any inconvenience.

He said he was going to the hospital and could not afford the car park fee on his pension. He was most concerned that he could be a nuisance to us.

He returned some 45 minutes later, obviously out of breath.

Over the past two years we have had to put up with inconsiderate motorists who park to visit or work in the hospital. We have had to resort to yellow lines but indiscriminate parking has still continued to ruin our estate. However, our plight is nothing to that of this elderly man and I wonder just how long this nonsense must continue before somebody will do something.

In light of the forthcoming amalgamations with Bishop Auckland hospital and yet further traffic coming to the area, is it not time to use the redundant hospital land to provide short-term free parking or at least some provision for the elderly and disabled? - P Rafferty, Durham.

PARENTING

ONE fine Saturday evening recently, my dogs alerted me to the front door. A gorgeous little girl of about six stood there. She was too small to reach the door bell.

Clean, well-spoken, nicely dressed, her long curling hair well brushed, she was the picture of innocence.

She wanted to wash my car. She wasn't big enough to touch the centre of the bonnet. I turned her away and she went to the next house.

What if I had been the type to take advantage of a child? I could have asked her in on the pretext of filling her bucket and she might never been seen again.

At Christmas, half a dozen tinies came carol singing. It did not take a detective to establish that the eldest was six, the youngest three-and-a-half. No grown up hovered in the background to watch over them. They had no torches. I didn't know any of them, but they were methodically going from house to house.

I did all these things 60 years ago, but I was aware that there was always a grown up in the shadows, concerned with my safety.

Please, please parents, find the time to accompany your children - you might even enjoy an evening being quietly watchful. No one wants to spoil their fun, but it needs to be safe fun. - Betty Robertson, Catterick Garrison.

BULL RUN

I AM intrigued as to what sort of fun can be derived from tormenting innocent dumb animals at the San Fermin bull run in Pamplona, Spain (Echo, July 8). If the animal abusers and voyeurs get injured, I have no sympathy for them.

Our European neighbours in question should now be the subject of scrutiny under new European animal cruelty legislation which for once should be enforced. - Andrew Fowler, Ferryhill.

GONE FOREVER

I WOULD agree with the MPs who voted themselves more trips abroad at the taxpayers' expense, if it were for one-way only with no return. - N Tate, Darlington.

ROYALTY

THE best move for Britain is for Tony Blair to become president of Europe. This will move the country away from royalty after the Queen retires. No one wants a divorced woman anywhere near the throne of England. - A Pyle, Kelloe, County Durham.