MIKE Amos certainly got one thing right about St George (Echo, Apr 23) of his feast day being one for merriment. Before the Reformation it was a public holiday and he remains a saint today, deservedly so, as he was tortured and beheaded for defending fellow Christians and freedom of expression.

Thanks to football fans, there is patriotism for England, but how many realise it is St George's crusading flag they flourish?

He was renowned for miracles in battle and health. There are many battles to be won to make Britain great again to restore people's faith in justice, local government, the National Health Service and so on.

A previous correspondent said we need a leader and perhaps a miracle or two. Try St George. - Tony Pelton, Catterick.

COULD I thank all of the people who turned up in Hogan's in Darlington to celebrate St George's Day. A great time was had by all.

No one will ever stop me from being proud to be English. The Irish have their day with St Patrick and we have ours with St George.

Always be proud on April 23, my fellow English brothers and sisters, and celebrate each and every year with a full English breakfast before going out for a number of cold beers for our day of pride. - Christopher Wardell, Darlington.

HEALTH SERVICE

WHAT a dilemma for the Government, billions of pounds required to bring the NHS up to a standard equal to that of most other European countries and a pre-election pledge not to raise taxes.

Since governments have no money of their own (they get it from the taxpayer) how do they fund the NHS?

Well, some people say they have managed it, others disagree. But why not privatise the NHS and, when thousands of the general public have bought shares and the money is stashed away, do what the Transport Secretary did to Railtrack shareholders and nationalise the NHS again and tell everyone that no shareholders in the NHS will get any compensation. - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

THE BBC

HUGH Pender (HAS, Apr 15) commented that he found it difficult to find an outlet for the minority Republican Movement.

Simply retune your television to pick up the BBC, it provides enough coverage to keep the anti-Britain movement happy. - J Tague, Bishop Auckland.

ALEX FERGUSON

IS Alex Ferguson trying to break the record for the worst English spoken by a Scotsman? Trying to follow what he says is like trying to wrestle a mountain gorilla. - Aled Jones, Bridlington.

CHARITY WALK

I AM asking you to join hundreds of other people throughout the UK by organising a special walk this May, Walking With WellBeing, to raise vital funds for a charity close to my heart.

WellBeing is the health research charity for women and babies. Since 1964, it has dedicated £8m to research of women's cancers, premature birth and quality of life issues such as polycystic ovarian syndrome and the menopause.

In 2002, WellBeing is encouraging people to discover their own town, and walking is one of the best ways to do this.

Organising a walk is one of the easiest ways to raise funds and it can be as long, short or adventurous as you like!

For more information on organising a walk in your area, please contact WellBeing on 0207 772 6400. - Lynda Bellingham, WellBeing.

THE EURO

A SENIOR source in the Treasury reportedly said last week that a devaluation of sterling against the euro of up to 30 per cent is required before we could join. Such a devaluation would risk higher inflation and would destabilise the economy.

The difficulties associated with the exchange rate of entry remains a major obstacle to UK membership of the euro in this Parliament.

At a time when the British economy is doing better than the major eurozone economies, there is no way that Britain will be allowed the advantage of a low rate of entry for the pound.

If Britain locked into the euro at the current rate, while the euro is also weak against the dollar, this could harm exporters if the euro then rose significantly against the dollar.

The politicians who want the euro have failed to learn from their past mistakes. Joining the ERM ten years ago was a disaster for Britain. Joining the euro would be the same but with no way out. - John Elliott, Chairman, Business for Sterling North East.

ROMAN HISTORY

CHRIS Lloyd reveals a shocking piece of information in his column (Echo, Apr 18) concerning a builder who claims he poured a load of cement on a perfect Roman mosaic floor which he discovered while building bungalows at Trimdon.

If this story is true, it is to be hoped something is done immediately to recover the important Roman remains if that is at all possible, and to take the builder to task for what he confesses he has done. - EA Moralee, Billingham.