I HAVE lived in Newton Aycliffe since 1952 when children acted as children and went out to - using an old word - "play".

I sometimes drive past the places where we played and there is grass on the land. When I was younger it would be bare through playing cricket or football.

We had no televisions, no computers, no mobile phones. If you wanted to see someone you walked, cycled, roller-skated. Hence, when I was 15 I was about 9st, fit and thin.

However, not all the children who did the same things were the same.

They used to say they either had a big bone structure or were just fat.

You don't need to be an expert in the cause of overweight children.

It's probably just that lifestyles have changed and some people will always be overweight no matter what you do.

JM Gowland, Newton Aycliffe, Co Durham.