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LOCAL HEROES AWARDS

ON behalf of the Reverend Kip Watson, the winner of the overall Local Hero award, I would like to thank everyone - especially Peter Barron, the editor of The Northern Echo, and Mike Amos - for the excellent night and the totally unexpected honour which Kip will savour for the rest of his life.

Kip would like to thank Orange, the sponsors of the award, and Darlington Building Society for the £500 which was gratefully received.

Kip said that he received this honour on behalf of all Over 40s footballers and especially the hard-working committee of the league. He hopes the award will show how the league gives the older members of society a chance not only to keep fit but also to socialise and compete in the game they love.

Following the awards night, the challenge has been thrown down for an Over 40s side based on Billingham Wanderers to take on the Over 16 award winners Darlington RA in a charity/celebrity football match at the end of this season. I am sure the match will be a success.

May I also thank you on behalf of Billingham Wanderers for an excellent night enjoyed by many of our players. - Ray Morton, Billingham Wanderers.

WE at Macmillan are hugely grateful to The Northern Echo for allowing us to be part of Thursday night's wonderful event. We sold £550 of raffle tickets, which was great - and we also made some really useful contacts for the future. I may say that we all found the event totally inspiring. Some of the stories really do bring a lump to the throat. And we loved Kip Watson's thank you speech, so choked with pleasure at his award.

Having The Northern Echo behind our campaign is an absolutely transforming factor. We couldn't be more grateful. - Caroline Peacock, Macmillan Cancer Relief.

JUST a quick note to thank you for the Local Heroes Awards and to congratulate you on such a successful evening. Although my son, Mark Dobinson, did not win an award, he thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Thanks very much and congratulations yet again. - Brian Dobinson, Darlington.

MANY thanks indeed for such a splendid evening at the Tall Trees, Yarm. Local Heroes is now firmly established as a not-to-be-missed event in the North-East sporting calendar.

The whole evening was brilliant, not to say rather emotional, and I am sure that many people like myself felt it to be a humbling experience listening to the citations of so many of the nominees. - Ken Gardner MBE, President, North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League.

COUNCIL TAX

WE are told that local taxes may again rise between six and ten per cent.

Over the last ten years councillors have blamed central government for the lack of resources. Yet these same councillors turn a blind eye to the bureaucratic pyramids that occur within local government.

These are professionals who dabble with our money, dreaming up wild schemes that engage Lottery funding so that it always creates demands on local taxes.

Do we really need all these desk wallahs to sort out drains, rubbish, roads, pavements, schools, libraries, police, fire and support for the elderly? Maybe it's time to dislodge a brick or two in the management structure.

One suspects that there are many weak links in the county and district councils.

Are there any councillors who are not scared of saying "no" to these crazy demands that are always sky high, well above the rate of inflation?

Here in Richmond we hope and expect our councillor to stand up and resist the continuous robbery from local residents. - George Hayes, Richmond.

FIREWORKS

FRIDAY, November 2: the cows crawled up the walls. The calves stood terrified. The horse stood in his stable in a sweat. The neighbours did let us know they were having a bonfire and fireworks. The "bang, bang" went on for over two hours. Tomorrow I will find rocket sticks littering our field.

Saturday, November 3: The cows crawled up the walls. The calves stood terrified. The horse stood in a sweat. We had been told the other neighbours would be having fireworks. What I didn't expect was that they would light up the sky - not to mention putting the hay sheds at risk.

Sunday, November 4: No warning, but over two hours of rockets nearby. Luckily, I had brought the horse in just in case. The cows are upset, the calves are upset, the horse is in a sweat.

But hey! Bang, bang. It's fireworks night - again and again and again. - Name and address supplied.

MENTAL HEALTH

A MAJOR success story of our time is the dramatic advance in mental health care, especially the closure of the old asylums like Winterton. These were places where, in beautiful surroundings, patients were protected, on the whole well cared for and had every comfort and every facility laid on for them.

The wholesale closure of such places, with tens of thousands of highly-vulnerable people coming under the wonderful Care in the Community scheme, was a stroke of genius well worthy of the planners of our highly efficient, ultra-modern health service. The fact that many former patients are now living in unbelievable want and squalor, a risk to themselves and others, is not relevant. No, Care in the Community is an outstanding success; the proof is there on paper, sky-high mountains of the stuff and you can't argue with that. - Tony Kelly, Crook.

ASYLUM SEEKERS

FOR 2,000 years Britain has endured invaders. Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, even Germans. Eventually the dust settled and people realised there was room to live alongside each other peaceably.

But, at an all-time high population of 60 million inhabitants, I suggest Britain no longer has plenty of room. The message should be effectively communicated to the countries of potential asylum-seekers that our streets are not paved with gold. - FM Atkinson, Shincliffe.