Letters

THE 175th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway should give us the opportunity to look at the way the North, and Teesside in particular, is portrayed in the history of Great Britain.

Far too often the area between York and the Scottish Border is totally ignored by historians, whose boundaries are mostly southern orientated, ie London, Canterbury, Winchester, etc, to the detriment of the North.

The Tees Valley has history on its doorstep, which in the United Kingdom, is second to none, from the Jurassic age to the space age. Religion and industry started and thrived along its banks, from The Synod of Whitby, 664AD; George Stephenson's Locomotion No 1, 1825; Nasa's Space Shuttle equipment by Harkers of Stockton, 1990s and very much more.

Go through the history pages of Great Britain, be it Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, Norman, Medieval, Georgian, Victorian or the 20th Century, all have left their visible marks along this valley. It's time this rich treasure-house of the past was highlighted in both schools and colleges, to give future generations, the folk memory custodians, a feeling of belonging, a pride in their part in the stewardship of history.

For Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton, Middlesbrough and even the smallest village has its tale to tell of this great and historic region. Let us show we are a district of history and pride, in the past, present and future. - R Harbron, Norton.

NAVY DAY

ON behalf of the Merchant Navy and fishing fleets, I would like to make you aware that, after many years of persuasion, the Government has finally agreed to make September 3 National Merchant Navy Day, allowing us to honour the 62,000 casualties, many of them only boys of 14 years.

The Merchant Navy suffered during the two World Wars and also lost many lives in peace time.

How nice it would be to see the Red Ensign flying from public buildings on that day to remember those who have no grave but only the sea. - A Leathard, Ex-Merchant Navy, Stanley.

BESSEMER PARK

I AM dismayed by the proposed merger of Bessemer Park nursery and infants schools and North Road County junior school into one school on the Bessemer Park site (Echo, July 26) in Spennymoor.

With the development of new housing estates in the Tudhoe area, this will lead eventually to an even larger number of potential pupils so by the time that the schools are merged there may well be a shortage of places.

North Road junior school has survived two World Wars only to be destroyed by a Labour council which seems unable or unwilling to take a long term view of primary education in this country and is only interested in saving money. - Martin Jones, Secretary, Spennymoor Branch Liberal Democrats.

DIETING

HOW many of us spend our lives either on a diet or rebelling against it? Why are we so obsessed by food and our weight?

It's not surprising when celebrities as Mel C and Kate Winslet get such adverse media coverage whenever they put on a few pounds.

Food is now heavily associated with both good and bad messages, creating a new and younger generation of people with inappropriate eating habits. These unrealistic messages and our desire to conform to society's expectations entrap us in the cycle of yo-yo dieting.

Having spent over 30 years trapped in this cycle of food obsession, I have now changed my lifestyle without the need of dieting or excessive exercising and have reduced my size from a 30 to a 20 in just over a year.

This has led me to the point where I am writing a book about this subject and would be interested in hearing from any of your readers who have experienced this cycle of diet and binge or who face a battle with food and/or guilt every day. - Chrissie Webber, Technocentre, Beignon Close, Ocean Way, Cardiff CF24 5PB.

CONSERVATIVES

THE defection of Shawn Woodward and Ivan Massow are the tip of the iceberg as far as Tory discontent is concerned. William Hague is seen by a great number of Conservatives as taking up where Margaret Thatcher left off.

John Major refused to be pushed about by the right wing of the Tory Party as have others, apart from the two latest defectors to Labour.

There is also massive concern inside Tory circles about the stance taken over Europe. It is only a matter of time before a real battle starts to bring the Tory Party back from the right. These defections are the first shots to be fired. - Sue Green, Hartlepool.

TV SHOWS

HAVE you ever wondered where television audiences come from and why programmes need them?

The answer is, they are actually people just like you and me and they are important to quiz and game shows which need the atmosphere a live audience provides.

A bright and bubbly audience means a better programme.

Among the popular audience shows recorded at BBC Birmingham are Call My Bluff, Going For A Song and Network East.

If you want to be involved in the magic of television and would like to organise a group to come along to the studios apply by sending me an SAE. And the best part of all is the tickets are free. - Gill Thompson, Audience Co-ordinator, Room GO7, BBC Pebble Mill Road, Birmingham B5 7QQ.

CABINETS

I AM surprised at the claim by T Conlon (HAS, Aug 5) that the Government through Hilary Armstrong has stated, after a nationwide survey, that the new Local Government legislation will have an open cabinet system.

I recall that in (HAS, June 17) Mr Conlon stated that secret cabinet meetings were part of Government strategy. Which is it? Open cabinets or secret cabinets. - PA Eddy, Spennymoor.