I LOVE newspapers, always have.

In the early 1950s, I would read my father’s broadsheet Daily Express from front to back.

Lady Docker was seldom out of the news and I remember particularly the macabre trial of John Reginald Christie and the absolute pig’s ear the police made of convicting him. Prior to his execution, the state had hanged an innocent man, Timothy Evans, for the murders committed by Christie.

Prior to leaving school, I sent in football match reports to my local paper, The Belper News, and had ambitions to graduate to The Derbyshire Times.

Unfortunately, I had to earn a reasonable income and so joined the RAF.

Now in retirement, I still devour my daily papers, The Guardian and The Northern Echo (which I share with my wife), while she also reads The Daily Mirror. It’s little wonder that we can’t afford Sky, but I do miss my Rugby League.

I particularly enjoy the Echo, conservative with a small c, and with a strong tradition of campaigning (eg. the removal of the double jeopardy loophole for murderers and the local improvement in cardiac care).

I’ll never switch to the internet, but I suspect my generation will be the last to exclusively read paper editions.

VJ Connor, Bishop Auckland.