Letters

AN item of news caught my eye recently (Echo, Dec 18) and that was the untimely death of former Miss World beauty contest winner Rosemarie Frankland. I remember her winning the title in 1961.

In that same year she came second in the Miss Universe contest held in America. She was a girl from Derby.

At the Miss World contest, Hollywood actor and comedian Bob Hope was one of the judges and when Miss Frankland was crowned he came on stage to congratulate her and said: "You're one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen." An abiding memory. - LD Wilson, Guisborough.

NHS STAFF

THE latest round of pay increases within the NHS and the moans of the union leaders (Echo, Dec 19) would suggest the same malaise over and over. The more they get the more they want. Is it any wonder young people don't want the job?

When one considers the mess that successive governments have made and their failure to solve the problem, one should consider whether the private sector can succeed. While the ethos of this Government fails to stand up to scrutiny, it is sucking the taxpayer into a bottomless pit that makes the Millennium Dome fiasco pale into insignificance.

We have a shortage of staff, yet they can retire early at huge expense - that insults the millions of workers who work until they are 65 and receive a fraction of what many civil servants receive for retiring early.

The answer to the shortage in the NHS, the police and others professions would be for everyone to retire at the same time and on an even footing. The money saved would solve these problems and help to stop those who ride the gravy train. - J Young, Crook.

CARBON MONOXIDE SAFETY

THANK you very much for the article "Action demand over gas deaths" (Echo, Dec 7) by Nick Morrison, as part of your Silent Killer campaign.

We are extremely grateful to The Northern Echo for the campaign and very thankful that your paper continues to press for improved safety on this vital matter.

However, I would like to point out that we are an independent, registered charity that lobbies for changes to the law and the way things are done, not a campaign group.

We would also like to urge people to buy a British Standard carbon monoxide (CO) detector with an audible warning (this could rouse you from sleep), not just any old detector.

We are pleased with the Government's information campaign with posters, leaflets and the roadshow next year. However, this is done every year. While we are still grateful, we feel that, with around 60 deaths and 400 near misses from accidental CO poisoning every year, there should be prime time TV warnings, especially over the holiday period when families often watch TV together. This,, of course will cost money - I believe about £5m.

However, Centrica, the large gas company, made around £331m profit last year. Surely it and/or the Government could easily afford some decent prime time TV warnings this year?

As the Government values a life at around £1m, it would even make economic sense - sadly the only thing that seems to matter these days.

Please make sure your loved ones are safe this year and give them a British Standard 7860 CO detector (about £20). They can be bought at most good DIY stores. - S Trotter, The Carbon Monoxide and Gas Safety Society.

ANNE WIDDECOMBE

WHILST reading my paper (Echo, Dec 18) I noticed a story that gave me a sense of dread. It was about Anne Widdecombe. Then I read it more carefully and realised that it was her credit card, and not the lady herself, that had been cloned. What a relief! - HR Watson, Darlington.

DEPRESSION

AT least one in five of us will be affected by depression at some point in our life. Virtually all of us know someone whose life has been blighted by depression.

Through my work and in my private life, I often see the pain and despair that depression causes - not just for the individual, but also for their family and friends.

Depression Alliance provides information, support and understanding to people affected by depression. As you can imagine, providing so much support isn't cheap. That's why I've teamed up with the alliance for its new fund-raising campaign, We've 28 Days To Defeat Depression.

Throughout the 28 days of February we're asking people to organise a fund-raising event, themed around 28, to help raise money for the charity. Why not burn off some Christmas calories and do a sponsored run or swim - you could do a mile a day for the whole month, 28 in all? Why not host a coffee morning and invite 28 friends? To help you come up with ideas for your event we've put together a special pack of ideas, posters and leaflets.

For one of our free packs please call us on 020-7633 0557 or email defea