Hear All Sides

Saltburn

FUELLED with the enthusiasm of Thursday's article by Mike Amos regarding Saltburn, its pier and the visit by Chris Smith, my wife and I returned to our regular haunt to observe the ceremony of the opening of the rebuilt pier - in pouring rain as it happened, but what else in mid July.

Over the years, the appeal for first ourselves, then our children and now our grandchildren, in playing on those glorious golden sands has been marred by the quantity of both the flotsam of the sea and the jetsam from the more uncaring beach users that lies and decays within the pebbles but seemingly resists all efforts of high tides to wash away.

But this occasion (and probably never to be repeated) we were greeted with the vista of smooth clean sand over all the area of beach that would be visible from the pier to its visiting dignitaries.

The broad tracks in the sand clear evidence of the heavy plant that had been brought in to achieve a sight pleasing to the eye of our former Culture Secretary and, for a few brief days, to the pleasure of those of us who value cleanliness and order over the more obscure fiscal priorities determined elsewhere.

What a shame that we cannot find a reason to invite our good former Culture Secretary to Darlington's own once proud South Park! - John D Harrison, Darlington.

GEORGE REYNOLDS

ISN'T it about time the people of Darlington gave George Reynolds some credit for what he has done for the town over the last two years or so?

We almost lost our football club until George stepped in and saved us.

We have all been quick to condemn the changes he has made at the club and he is obviously, rightly or wrongly, trying to do things his way. We are all entitled to our opinions on what he has done and, in the past, I have wondered if what he was doing was for the good of the club. I can now see that he has the club at heart.

He could, and some say should, have picked any club in England with his wealth, but he picked our team. The stadium is a bonus and, hopefully, he will provide a fitting team to grace it soon. Well done, George. - David Taylor, Darlington.

THE AFTERLIFE

IN response to Eric Gendle (HAS, Jul 12) I believe there is every reason to suggest that life on this planet is for a reason, and not just a fluke of nature.

To suggest that creation and what some believe is the concept they call God is just an accident, is like suggesting that the dictionary happened by an explosion in a print factory and all the pieces came together by accident in perfect order.

Science can try to disprove God or that there is a creation at work, but simply by the new discoveries we are finding each day, there is the evidence that nothing is created by man, it is simply found and utilised.

Just because one can prove that Christianity and its teachings are limited on this issue, one does not have to conclude that their failure is the end of the matter.

As the prophet said: "Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open".

Great minds throughout our history were crackpots yet they were proven right. Listen to your own thoughts, they will guide you. - John Young, Crook.

ERIC Gendle (HAS, Jul 12) has perhaps answered his own question about the future when he writes about the light of our present knowledge.

His letter has triggered me into searching the Internet with just one search engine for references to his own name and to topics connected with the future. The search gave the following results in the number of seconds taken, viz: for "Eric Gendle" 74 results in 0.20 seconds; for "Eternal Life" 746,000 results in 0.11 seconds; "Immortality" 338,000 results in 9.15 seconds; for "Eternity" 920,000 results in 0.18 seconds.

But all of these thousands of web-page results are confined merely to today's state-of-the-art knowledge and computing, and they are merely the activity of one of nature's energies and creatures - ie humankind, after less than 50 years of computers as compared with geological time of many millions of years.

This suggests to me that knowledge itself is constantly widening and that therefore we cannot presume to block off any future possibility - even eternal life. - E Turnbull, Gosforth.

ERIC Gendle (HAS, Jul 12) believes that death is the end. I have spent a lifetime trying to solve this problem. Somehow I never doubted that man lives forever and it is a riddle, until you have personal inner experience.

There is a lot of truth in religions, but a lot of hypocrisy also.

There are thousands of people in touch with The Other Side. They are called clairvoyants, clairaudients, spiritualists. Some very nice people among them. They are not all barmy.

At a sacred Mass a priest will offer you a piece of biscuit, telling you it is Christ's body. I don't believe it. But millions do. That is their prerogative.

I am 76, have cancer and heart disease. Death doesn't faze me. It would be the doorway to a Great Adventure. - Jim Ross, Rowlands Gill, Tyne and Wear.

MINERS' GALA

MANY thanks to your staff who kindly gave us copies of your newspaper at the Durham Miners' Gala. They were working in the rain and still managed cheery smiles for us, visitors to your beautiful city.

It was a really inspiring Gala with the speakers once again voicing the thoughts of many of those present, especially on the subject of the restoration of the link with earnings when calculating the national pension increases and the warning for young folk that the lack of this link will mean worthless or no pensions for them in the future.

Dangers of private financing in the health service were also voiced with some awful examples of cuts in staff, service and accommodation being given.

I'd like to thank the staff of the Tourist Information Centre in Durham who went to considerable trouble sending me information on the Gala by e-mail. When I went into the offices on Saturday to say thank you, the staff there were just as helpful and friendly. - Margie Arts, Barrow in Furness.