CATHERINE COOKSON

THE decision by ITV not to commission any further Catherine Cookson adaptations is not just sad news for her worldwide legion of fans but also to all those stars, technicians, caterers and extras who have gained much needed employment in those productions.

Catherine's writing owes much to the North-East, and the North-East owes much to this gifted storyteller. Her work is at the centre of South Tyneside's tourism drive, and has generated a whole Cookson industry - not just books, but films, plays and musicals.

ITV may have turned its back on Catherine, but here at The Customs House in South Shields we are proud to keep her spirit alive.

Catherine and Tom Cookson's legacy to the North-East can be seen in the bricks and mortar of their charity work, which still goes on, and generations to come will benefit. Those generations will not be able to see working pits and shipbuilding on the Tyne but her works have ensured that their memory will endure.

We feel we know Catherine through her work, but what of her life with Tom. In a world where marriages break up for the most trivial of reasons, their love endured despite interfering friends and family, the bleak days of depression, and even a war.

This August, come and join us in celebrating their life together, in Tom and Catherine the musical. If we can move you the way her books did and the actors bring to life the characters in the way she could, we will have served their memory well.

It's not time to close the book just yet! - Ray Spencer, Director, The Customs House Theatre, South Shields.

SCHOOL HELPERS

I'M not sure whether I agree with parents setting up their own schools (Echo, June 26) but they could indeed form part of a very valuable "reserve army" of part-time teachers.

In primary schools, one of the things that takes up a lot of the teacher's time is the vital task of listening to children read.

Giving each child sufficient individual attention to really improve their reading is often difficult, especially with large class sizes.

Capable parents listening to the more able readers frees the teacher to concentrate on those who need special help.

The same idea of parent classroom helpers could be broadened to cover other subjects where special talents could be offered in areas such as art, music, sport etc. Some schools already welcome parents into school in this way and know the benefits it brings.

The final part of the article, which suggested halving the current curriculum, is also a positive measure to improve standards. It's far better to ensure children have a thorough grounding in reading, writing and arithmetic than a smattering of many subjects, most of which could be better taught at a later stage. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

YOUR correspondent's argument concerning capital punishment and murderers (HAS, June 27) is weak.

While there have been mistakes in the past and people have been acquitted, many have been acquitted not because of innocence, but the fact the police and others simply made a mess of things.

In this day and age with science at its disposal, there is a chance of a proper conviction and that should be a good reason for a proper verdict.

The correspondent assents that most murderers are innocent, which is absurd and only prejudices any national argument. It is not so long ago that a murderer who was executed was, we are told, innocent, yet forensic evidence proved otherwise.

The real argument concerning murder is that justice should be seen to be done, because if, as the correspondent asserts, there is no redemption when we die, that means that the victim is not in the position to forgive, which must suggest forgiveness is impossible as no one else can forgive in proxy.

If capital punishment is not an option, then life should mean exactly that.

So where is the justice in preaching forgiveness and ignoring the likelihood of murderers committing their evil all over again? Which has happened many times. - John Young, Crook.

RAILWAYS

WHAT a lot of controversy about the railways now that they are almost privatised (at least the Government still has regulators to which the private companies can be held responsible).

Have we now forgotten when the Government nationalised the same railways? Immediately Dr Beeching shut down hundreds of miles of line and numerous railway stations, leaving many communities isolated except for the few people in those days that could afford to buy cars.

Many people nowadays are struggling to re-open those same stations and lines again, even though the majority do use cars.

One wonders if governments had left things untouched, would we now have railways as efficiently run as in many foreign countries. After all, this country did invent them. - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

DRIVING STANDARDS

WE are all so used to seeing people who think that they can drive safely while speaking into a mobile phone that it almost seems the norm.

However, I had to do a double-take recently when I saw a lorry driver negotiating the many hazards of North Road, Darlington, apparently with a self-steering lorry.

His right hand held the mobile phone, while his left hand was in mid-air giving expression to the conversation.

As he came closer, I could see that he was steering the lorry with his elbows! - Name and address supplied.

EUROPE

FURTHER to Robin Ashby's comments (HAS, June 28), I would say that everyone appears to want (and ask for) more debate on Europe, but none seems to be forthcoming.

If it is such a good thing for us to be in Europe, why doesn't Mr Blair shout it from the rooftops and tell us instead of keeping silent? - M Richardson, Darlington.