BOBBY THOMPSON

I FOLLOWED with interest the tribute to Bobby Thompson on Tyne Tees Television. It took me back to a time in the early 1950s when I had an audition in Hartlepool for the Teddy Hinge production of 'What Cheor, Geordie' starring the late Bobby.

Sadly, I did not made the show but I had the opportunity of appearing with Bobby Thompson on a one-off show, together with Michael Hill, Michael Hibbert, Frank Burns (The Blizzard from Blaydon) and a lovely singer called June Balmer who did an unusual version of the Josef Lock song Goodbye.

I wonder what happened to her? For me, Bobby was at the height of his fame then and a hell of a domino player. - George Stanworth, Billingham.

FOX HUNTING

THE activity of fox hunting must surely be an anachronism in a modern society such as ours.

The idea of making sport from the death of an animal is abhorrent to most sane people. If, as is often claimed, the fox is a pest whose numbers must be controlled, then surely it is best to do so in a professional, regulated manner.

As for the issue of jobs that would be lost were hunting abolished, let me ask this. If slavery were still present in England today, would people cry over the slaves' jobs if it were about to be abolished?

This is the 21st Century, not the Dark Ages. - Steven Clennell, Barnard Castle.

EDUCATION

THE Labour Party appears to be saying that the current comprehensive system has failed with Tony Blair's statement that the bog standard comprehensive is a thing of the past.

This form of education introduced by Labour and fought over by the Conservatives and teachers' unions has let down a generation of school children.

I appreciate there is no easy, quick fix solution to the problem, but I hope the recognition of a better way forward is not just for the sake of the forthcoming election.

This country's future depends on the literacy of its population and currently children leaving school are less and less prepared for a future career. This trend must be reversed with there being no room for political correctness and party dogma. - Kevin Thompson, Spennymoor Liberal Democrat Party.

DEPLETED URANIUM

OBJECTIONS to the test firing of depleted uranium shells might be reduced by firing them in to a sand bank set behind the target, instead of into the sea.

They could then be recovered and recycled, perhaps reducing costs. This would minimise the release of uranium particles in to the environment. - JJ Watson, Darlington.

HOMOSEXUALITY

I CANNOT understand how Ken Bowes (HAS, Feb 15) can possibly question the integrity of any section of the Labour Party on the unrelated issues of hunting with hounds and homosexual age of consent.

What is clear is that Mr Bowes, along with many other contributors, needs to be appraised of the facts.

Homosexuality and the evil practices associated therewith, were legalised by a previous Conservative government. That being the case, homosexuals now have the rights and credibility of any other legal group, eg girl guides, cricket clubs, Women's Institutes, etc, and if 16 years is the right age of consent for girls, then the rights of gay youths is unarguable, no matter how distasteful we may consider them.

The issue of hunting with hounds is surely a matter of personal inclination, rather than political policy. A free vote has been held in the elected House of Commons and the majority favoured a ban.

My understanding is that some Labour Ministers and backbenchers supported hunting and several Tories voted against it. I am neutral on this matter.

What does anger me is that an unelected and Tory-dominated House of Lords should overturn the decision of the Commons. - Alan Benn, Bedale.

TWINS

I WAS interested to read (Echo, Feb 19) about four sets of twins in one school.

In 1952, my second year of teaching, I had 48 five-year-olds in my class including four sets of twins.

That was at Dubmire Infants and Junior School, where the headteacher had the reception class of 40 under-fives (which I took with my 48 for Story every day). I also used to take them for PE while she took mine every morning.

Then, most children responded to discipline. Those were the days. I wonder where those 48 children are now?

I remember, on their and my second day in the school, asking one of the 88 children: "Are you a new-starter? He looked at me and replied indignantly: "No, I came yesterday." - Ethel Dobson, Bishop Auckland.

FARMERS

AS a country parson for 13 years, Peter Mullen (Echo, Feb 20) says he got to know the farmers very well.

In his column, he moans about the poor farmers between 1998 and 2000, but not a word about the 1980s when his beloved Tory party looked after their friends from the countryside well. - JL Thompson, Crook.

ARTHUR SCARGILL

THE letter from J Reed (HAS, Feb 15) says everything right about Arthur Scargill, that disastrous leader of the 1984 miners' strike.

It is unbelievable that this man has the arrogance to stand as MP for Hartlepool. He will go down in history as the most disastrous leader of the Trade Union movement. Give him the boot, Hartlepool. - Name and address supplied.

SNARES

I READ your article on snares (Echo, Feb 13) with great interest.

In my opinion they should all be banned. They are all indiscriminate instruments of horrendous torture and death.

All animals, wild and domestic, fall foul of snares. The people who set them are aware of the death and pain they cause, yet none of these people have been charged with cruelty. - E Suthern, Sedgefield.

VEGETARIANISM

WHY are more and more farm animals bred? Usually by artificial insemination and now by possible cloning and genetic engineering.

Risks of various animal and human diseases constantly emanate from livestock.

Why do people keep eating flesh of animals, birds and fish? Perhaps the hormones, growth drugs, antibiotics, etc in intensively-reared creatures create more of an addiction to flesh eating.

Peter Mullen (Echo, Feb 20) and others might scoff at vegans and vegetarians but they usually enjoy a healthier and less cruelty-based diet.

God must surely weep at the way we humans so often treat His world, our fellow humans and fellow creatures. - EM Johnson, Crook.

THE CO-OP

I READ with interest, your letters about the Co-op (HAS, Feb 19).

My sister Margaret (Peggy) and I both worked at Easington branch of Sherburn Hill Co-op.

One fact your writers didn't mention was that you had to leave when you were getting married, as I did in 1954, as the Co-op then, did not employ married women. - Doris Clough, Brompton-on-Swale.

REUNION

THE annual Hurworth School reunion of Miss Penty's (now Mrs Rundle) class will be held at the Dalesway, Scotch Corner on July 7. Please contact Mrs Rundle on (01564) 773830; Mrs Ann Allison (01325) 314295; Mrs Doreen Turner (01845) 524844. An early response would be much appreciated. - D Turner, Thirsk.

LITTER

I FOUND PE Smith's letter (HAS, Feb 14) rather odd. He begins by defending Darlington Council against my earlier criticisms, then suggests that the council needs to tackle the people who throw litter?

Since the problem, as Mr Smith rightly says, is ongoing it needs ongoing effort to deal with it. Perhaps regular visits to schools, colleges and organisations to put the message across might help.

Eye-catching posters in clubs, pubs, shopping areas could spread the word. Similarly large notices where all traffic enters the town boundaries might deter some who throw litter out of vehicle windows.

The Town Crier could have a regular report on the problem, exhorting people to be more conscious of it, and more frequent coverage in all the local papers might help.

It is no use the council just tolerating the situation. Everything needs to be tried to steadily improve the situation. The Council seems content if the town centre is reasonably litter free, but that's not good enough.

The rest of the town is entitled to a good quality of life and litter strewn environments do not help.

Let's have everyone with the will to do so, join together to make a sustained effort to improve the situation. At least this would be attempting something instead of apparently being complacent about it. - RK Bradley, Darlington.