Hear All Sides

Bedale 750

AS part of the Bedale 750 Celebrations, Bedale Museum mounted a Photographic Exhibition entitled Bedale Past and Present, in Bedale Hall.

This exhibition, staged jointly with Simon Reynolds, attracted over 450 visitors and provoked much interest among Bedalians old and new.

I would like to thank all who came along to view and discuss the various items on display.

My thanks also to Lookers of Northallerton, who sponsored the event, and last but not least, to the staff of the museum (all volunteers ) for their hard work and dedication, together with the support of Bedale Hall Committee. - Harvey Blogg, Hon. Manager, Bedale Museum, Bedale.

ESSO BOYCOTT

THE Body Shop has joined the Boycott Esso Campaign, and I would like to encourage others seriously to consider joining it too.

Joining the campaign couldn't be easier. All you have to do is to sign the on-line pledge at www.stopesso.com. And don't use Esso petrol stations until their parent company, Exxon Mobil, starts supporting the Kyoto Protocol - the international agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions - instead of trying to stop it in its tracks.

If you're a guilt-ridden car driver like me, ease that guilt by never filling up at an Esso garage, It's an easy, first step on the road to eco-activism.

Exxon is the right target for this campaign. It's the biggest oil company in the world, producing four million barrels of oil a day, meaning that Exxon is heavily implicated in global warming. - Anita Roddick OBE, Founder of The Body Shop.

COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

MARGARET Beckett had only been in her job a few days when she had to suffer abuse from the hunters and shooters, alias the Countryside Alliance.

Diane Ellis (HAS, June 29) made not a single mention of the fact that many farmers have been moving sheep around the country illegally.

She failed to mention the huge subsidies paid to farmers, some of it going to tax havens.

Farmers started this disease, farmers have spread it and have shown little sympathy for the suffering of those in the tourist industry.

I am afraid the Countryside Alliance are just a bunch of disillusioned Tories full of self-interest and they had better get it into their heads that the farming industry will be carefully scrutinised from now on.

Quite simply, the farmers have brought this on their own heads and, as in all walks of life, there will be good and bad in their ranks. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

FOOT-AND-MOUTH

I HAVE been very concerned for many months about the foot-and-mouth disease that has been spreading over the North of England and yet, although I have ideas about it, I seem totally unable to express them to anyone who is able to give me a satisfactory reply.

In March of this year, I was visiting a friend in Northumberland and having a cup of coffee in the garden. The trees were motionless, then two high-speed jets flew over about 150 metres beyond and 50 metres above the trees. After they had gone, the trees were in turmoil for over ten minutes.

I then started to notice that the areas in which the foot-and-mouth was spreading were where the low flying took place.

It is interesting to notice that although the North York Moors are virtually closed to walkers, there seems very little evidence that walkers are a problem. After all, this we are told is an airborne virus so, unless someone walked from an infected area, the chances that the disease would be spread would be remote.

There is one more thing that makes sense to my theory. The disease spread from the northern to the southern fells of Cumbria during a period when we were having very strong south winds.

How did this happen except that it was carried in a tunnel behind the aircraft? The alternative has to be that it came from Wales, so why did it not infect the Wirral and Lancashire?

It has also been suggested that the crows and maybe other birds could have carried it around, but surely they would not fly far, when they had an abundance of food at hand. - EJ King, Darlington.

WALKING

AS someone who loves walking and who recognises the importance of looking after your heart, I would like to draw your readers' attention to Walkabout UK (2001); the British Heart Foundation's (BHF) national walking event. There is a wide choice of exhilarating walks for readers to choose from in some of the most scenic parts of the country.

You can take part on your own or with family and friends. Walkabout UK gives you the perfect excuse to enjoy your local countryside, have a great day out and help the BHF fight heart and circulatory disease, the UK's single biggest killer.

Walking is a great way to get your heart pumping and can be fitted in around your lifestyle. I love getting out in the fresh air and discovering what's on my doorstep, it's such an easy way to get fit.

To encourage those who are a little reticent, there are some excellent prizes for the top fundraisers, including some great walking breaks. To be eligible, participants should send in their sponsor money to the BHF by December 1.

So don't delay, get yourself sponsored and Freecall 0800 096 36 60 for more information about your nearest walk. Help make this year's Walkabout UK a great success. - Anna Walker, British Heart Foundation, London.