Sir, - Last year CPRE launched a Green Belt campaign in Teesside to try to protect the remaining countryside we have which is attractive and accessible to the local people.

The foot-and-mouth crisis brought home to people what little quality green space was available for recreational purposes, and these came under increased pressure in the absence of other open countryside.

Many individuals, community groups, parish and town councils supported this endeavour to safeguard our environment for future generations, and to use this measure to focus development on regenerating the existing town centres and residential areas.

However Greenbelt was not designated as the local authorities maintained that the existing Green Wedge protection was adequate. A recent planning committee in Stockton agreed to allow yet more unnecessary housing to be built in the valley of the Tees on protected "Green Wedge" (the nearest this sub-region has to Green Belt) and an "area of special landscape value" in return for the property speculator's "gift" of the parcel of land alongside the river (cynics may say land which was too steep or too close to the water to be cost effective to develop).

One has to ask if Green Wedge designation identifies quality open spaces for people to enjoy, or whether it offers an easy menu list for profit-hungry speculators?

JAN ARGER

Chairman, Stockton & District

Council for the Protection of

Rural England,

Linthorpe,

Middlesbrough.

Lost history

Sir, - This year is the 50th anniversary of the Cleveland Gliding Club, formed as part of the Royal Air Force Gliding and Soaring Association. The club was started in order to offer a cheaper way for service personnel to learn to fly and this continues today.

This club was started in 1952 at the airfield in Middleton-St George. It later moved to Leeming and for a while to Linton before moving in 1967 to Dishforth, where we still fly every weekend the weather allows.

We would love to hear from previous members and from anyone who remembers anything about the club.

We look forward to hearing from anyone and hope they would try to join us at one of our organised events. We are also interested in any old photographsor articles from papers.

We have our web site dishforthairfieldA S CAUSER

12 Kings Meadows,

Sowerby,

Thirsk.YO7.

A priest, not a vicar

Sir, - At the risk of appearing pedantic, but so that the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds and the Archdeacon of Richmond do not believe that the parishes of Leyburn and Bellerby have declared UDI, I wish to point out that the Rev Christopher Huggett is the priest in charge of Leyburn and Bellerby and not the vicar, as described in an article in last week's D&S. Whilst this makes not one bit of difference to his parishioners, it does to the Rev C Huggett.

I notice that a similar error has been made on the same page with the Rev Andrew Woodhouse who is also described as a vicar, but he too is a priest in charge.

JONATHAN OLDFIELD

PCC Secretary,

St Mathew's Parish Church,

Leyburn