10/12/05

What surprises me is that the standards are being maintained, which was not so after the previous revamp in the hands of Arriva.

The floor is clean, with no cigarette ends or chewing gum. The air is clean, with no poisonous cigarette fumes. There are seats to sit on, a toilet, no graffiti and attendants to keep things in order.

I say well done for such a wonderful achievement.

It is, however, unfortunate that smokers tend to congregate at the main entrance, making is necessary for those needing to enter to pass through a barrier of smoke.

To have the no smoking zone extended well beyond all entrances would be icing on the cake. - CG Farquhar, Durham.

WIND FARMS

IT is good to see that one local councillor has the morals to resign over Derwentside District Council's recent approval for a wind farm at Satley.

He, at least, realises that he is elected to represent the wishes of the local electorate, unlike the other members who were more concerned with toeing the Government's line, in defiance of local opinion. Had those other councillors done their duty to the people and rejected the application, it would undoubtedly have gone to appeal, and "Two-Jags" Prescott would undoubtedly have decided in favour of it, but at least Derwentside councillors could hold their heads high and say, "we tried, we did what the people wished".

More and more people across Europe and the UK, excluding of course Westminster, and particularly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, are coming to realise that wind farms are not the answer.

There will soon come a time when we can tear down these monstrosities that are blighting our countryside, having learned to conserve energy and produce what we do need more cheaply, more cleanly and more sustainably. - Derek Thornton, Stanley Crook.

Thornaby AIRFIELD

CONGRATULATIONS on a very interesting article about Thornaby and 608 Squadron.

However, I think that you will find that the Blackburn Botha pictured was in fact an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk 1.

Unfortunately, I have noticed other errors in aviation related reports in the past, including B52 jet bombers, the ones which bombed Iraq, bombing Japan in 1945.

Perhaps it would be useful in future if you ran your articles before an aviation expert before publication. - Bill Bartle, Barnard Castle.

THE interesting article by Louise Wilkinson on Thornaby aerodrome and 608 (North Riding) Sqn RAuxAF (Echo, Dec 7) made no mention of the fact that it was the only one in the RAF to operate the Blackburn Botha torpedo bomber (albeit for a brief three months from August-November 1940).

Out of 30 aircraft issued, only one was lost when it failed to return from a patrol. However, despite this promising operational debut, the type was quickly relegated to a training role when the remaining aircraft were transferred to RAF Silloth, Cumbria.

The aircraft which forms the backdrop to the aircrew photo could well be a Botha, whereas that which purports to be most certainly is not, being an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber, the type which equipped 4 Group Bomber Command at the beginning of the war.

Apart from these points, the article is well researched but could have been brought up to date by reference to the recent reformation of the RAuxAF in various combat support roles.

There is one such unit based at just a short distance from Thornaby at RAF Leeming but it is 609 (West Riding) Sqn which was doubtless reformed because of its more illustrious wartime record as a fighter squadron which participated in the Battle of Britain. One connection between the two units is S/L Geoffrey Ambler, one of the first members of 608, who took over the command of 609 in November 1938. - M Britton, Robin Hood's Bay.

SOCIAL CONSCIENCE

WHATEVER else influences our philosophy in life, having choices is sometimes what we aspire to but don't always achieve.

We might fantasise about having the prosperity and wealth we feel would give us the perfect life but life is not all about material possessions.

For many in the world, even in our own country, life is about survival, having the basics - clean water, food and warmth. Yet we yearn for greater riches, believing this a goal to achieve respectability and ambition.

How many of us can truly believe we are happy with our material gains, the fulfilment it provides and sense of comfort. There are many of us in relative affluence who are deprived of social conscience in acknowledging the great sense of inequality that is presented on our TV screens and in our newspapers.

Our response to tragedy and disaster is genuine and immediate, but it is not just about financial contributions. It is about examining the choices we make or are able to make. Fundamentally, it is about appreciating that richness of life is not always about material wealth, even if it helps at times. Humanity rests within and action is in being compassionate and unselfish. - Bernie Walsh, Coxhoe.

DRINKING

I HAVE read many inspiring letters over the years from readers, but never a more depressing one than that from Douglas Punchard (Echo, Dec 2).

I was brought up in the Methodist Church and its stand of sobriety and my adherence to it has served me well for all of my 76 years.

I hope you are a moderate drinker, Mr Punchard, and not like George Best, who was more to be pitied than admired.

Being a renowned footballer in no way compensates for the misery he brought to himself, his family and his friends, not to mention his abuse of the National Health Service. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

FLUORIDATION

IN reply to A Hall (HAS, Dec 2), it hardly helps in the discussion of a serious subject like fluoridation to use emotive language ("poison, evil" etc).

Let's just look at the facts about fluoride. These are:

1. In small quantities (which is what we are talking about) fluoride in the human diet is not just harmless, it's indispensable, especially for children and the elderly;

2. Fluoride occurs naturally in many foods and anyone eating a lot of seafood would ingest far more from that source than they would from fluoridated milk and tap water;

3. The average daily intake from all sources of people living in areas affected by fluoridation is about three mgs. To cause problems this would have to be at least 250 mgs;

4. It is true not just of fluoride but of all vitamins, trace elements and minerals that they are essential in tiny amounts, but toxic - even fatal in some cases - in excess.

Certainly it is true that if we all ate an ideally well balanced diet we would not need supplementation from any source, but let's face it, how many of us do eat such a diet these days? - T Kelly, Crook.