Sir, - As a resident of Studley Roger, I would like to comment on your article regarding the closure of Studley Royal deer park (D&S, July20).

The parish council sent a questionnaire to the villagers asking for opinions on the closure of the gates several weeks ago and I feel Mrs Barbara Fisher could have inquired about the result of this questionnaire before she branded us "a group of extraordinarily selfish people" who wanted "exclusivity" for their village.

As I understand it, the result was that a majority of villagers considered that the gates should be kept open.

As a regular dog-walking user of the deer park over the years, I have come to recognise many other regulars who enjoy driving up and down the road sightseeing or parking and enjoying wonderful views and peace and quiet and I would not wish to deny these people their pleasures. And, as proved by the result of the questionnaire, a majority of the villagers feel the same.

This result does not mean that the villagers do not have concerns about the amount of traffic passing through the village or the parking which takes place along the village street, especially with the safety of children in mind and, although many are enjoying the temporary peace and quiet, I am sure most appreciate that closure of the park gates is an issue for a much wider audience.

Mrs A L FEEKINS

Studley Roger,

Ripon.

Rally regrets

Sir, - The sadness which we felt when we decided to cancel Masham steam rally for the first time in its 37 years was immeasurable, but this was far outweighed by our sadness for the plight of our farming communities. The rally fields, usually bustling with activity last weekend, looked somewhat desolate, but the sight of live, obviously well nourished animals peacefully grazing, more than adequately compensated for the disappointment we felt.

We sincerely hope that our many valued visitors from near and far were in no way inconvenienced by making unnecessary journeys due to the great difficulty we experienced in getting the cancellation message into as many areas as possible. Despite an official notice issued in early June and subsequent continued efforts to inform, to our best endeavours, this information in some areas apparently remained confused.

It was with the necessary permissions that in the efforts of keeping the spirit of our steam rally alive, a gathering of some of our usual exhibits took place in the market square on Saturday evening. Attendants included the world's biggest travelling fair organ, a steam engine, commercial vehicles, tractors, cars, Land Rovers, motorcycles, barn engines and a good number of local residents and visitors.

It was a very happy, but modestly fitting occasion when old friends were reunited, and the familiar sights, sounds, and smells again arrived in our lovely town, and we would like to greatly thank all our participants, especially Mr Graham Atkinson and the Ritchie family and friends, for their extremely generous contribution to the evening.

We look forward to next year in the hope that it is trouble-free for us all and that our event can make a welcome return on July 20 and 21st.

FLO GRAINGER

Masham steam rally,

Masham.