Further to your excellent coverage of the Teesdale District Council planning meeting about the Robert Richardson Taylor Trusts desire to sell the site of the former Richardson Hospital and 35 Victoria Road (Echo, Sept 27) may I first thank you for your sensitive treatment of this important issue which concerns thousands of carers in Teesdale and Wear Valley.

Given the clearly expressed concerns of the councillors present and their reluctance to approve this planning application, may I implore the trustees of the Robert Taylor Richardson Charity to reconsider their decision to sell 35 Victoria Road in Barnard Castle for housing.

This decision will result in the demolition of the headquarters of the Durham Dales Action for Carers.

At the planning meeting there was unanimous support for this charity, which official figures show saves the NHS over £100m a year.

Surely, we can come to some compromise that will safeguard the future of this organisation and the thousands of carers with whom we work.

Terry Willits, Chair, Durham Dales Action for Carers, 35 Victoria Road, Barnard Castle.

I LEARNED of the fate of the Carers Centre in Barnard Castle (Echo, Sept 27), I am writing to register my disgust at the trust who obviously have no idea of the value and the need for such a facility.

I am a gentleman in my eighties and I look after my wife who has multiple health problems.

I have been availing myself of the knowledge and expertise that the Carers Centre has to offer since 1998 and would not have been able to find the help and information or, more importantly, the support from any other source.

The trust is ignoring a large part of the local community and disregarding a major part of the population by making this service much more difficult to access. There are approximately 10,000 carers in Teesdale and Wear Valley according to the 2001 Census and nationally, according to Carers UK, carers save the NHS £87bn by looking after people within the community.

It cannot be emphasised enough, however, that caring responsibilities are not easy. Carers often feel isolated, frustrated, suffer financial hardships and are not given the recognition they deserve for the difficult job they do.

The Carers Centre is a lifeline for people in this situation. Where will carers go now this decision has been made?

W Kean, Darlington.