Sir, - Mr Hallard was quite right (D&S letters, May 2) to proclaim the virtues of shopping around the trading estate on Gallowfields, and I am pleased to hear he stocks grate polish. However, shoppers come to Richmond to shop in the Market Place, the very word market meaning "where people meet to trade".

They expect to find a good mixture of shops, have something to eat or drink, visit a bank or a post office or even just use the public lavatories.

Of course, expecting and finding are not quite the same thing and while the Market Place has some excellent eating places, five banks and a post office and solicitors, the shopping mix could be better.

Despite the best efforts of town manager Colin Grant, independent retailers are not around any more, high rents, high business rates, the minimum wage, are only a few of the factors that matter when entrepreneurial people start to think about going into retailing, then just as quickly forget it.

We had four major hardware retailers when I worked in one of them, now only one remains, albeit on a much reduced site, still very obliging and offering good advice and personal help to anyone embarking on the mysteries of French polishing of putting up a shelf.

Now I'm afraid B&Q and the big retail sheds abound not always or even rarely cheaper, a large national retailer in Catterick sucks shoppers away from Richmond.

Roads have much improved and people can jump in a car and be many miles away in half an hour.

This problem of course is not peculiar to Richmond and is happening all over the North of England; "use us or lose us" is a notice I am seeing too often in independent shops.

Something must be done at national level to encourage people to go into retailing independently, a good pork pie shop is a rarity, women's and men's outfitters are needed, and specialist furniture shops which are fast disappearing for all the reasons I have mentioned.

People should be encouraged with grants to contribute to the shopping mix in our market towns and make them the vibrant places they used to be.

County Coun OLIVER BLEASE

Newbiggin,

Richmond.

Reason for pride

Sir, - George Hayes (D&S letter, May 2) misunderstands and misrepresents the purpose and value of Richmondshire's Investors in People and Beacon Council awards.

Far from being "unnecessary" and wasteful, both these awards are highly prestigious, much sought after and contribute to the effective operation of the council. Richmondshire was the first council in the whole of Yorkshire to achieve IIP status, and the only council is North Yorkshire to attain Beacon Status this year.

We obtained Beacon Status because we exhibit outstanding good practice in the economic development field, and during the next 12 months will be disseminating that good practice to other councils so that they can learn from it.

This will be one of the tasks for our recently advertised post of beacon co-ordinator which will be funded from additional grant given to us by central Government for this purpose following our success, and not from district council resources as George Hayes wrongly infers.

Investors in People signifies that the council has met the national standard for training and development of employees. We are happy to stand alongside the many household names in both the private and public sectors who have regarded this accolade as worth having.

As one of the largest employees in Richmondshire, we feel we have an obligation to ensure all employees have the necessary skills to carry out their jobs for the benefit of all Richmondshire's residents. IIP is much more than a "plaque on the wall".

These awards are significant because they are both given following rigorous external assessment.

Coun JOHN BLACKIE

Richmondshire District Council

House sparrows

Sir, - Regarding the request by the RSPB for a count of house sparrows, one of the reasons for the decline is that the thousands of new houses and buildings erected in the past years do not have the facilities for the birds to nest in, including starlings.

The eves are sealed, and unless nesting boxes are provided, birds have nowhere to build.

The abundance of crows, jackdaws, magpies and gulls are capable of killing smaller birds.

The RSPB has a cheek to ask for this survey, as one sparrow looks very much like another. There are many people who still do not have a telephone, and there are many who can't afford a peak rate call.

JOHN A BARR

Brinkburn Road,

Darlington.

Loss of birds

Sir, - Is it any wonder we are losing many of our common bird species from the countryside?

I say this having just seen the results of yet another hedgerow butchered by flail-mowing - this one right in the middle of the nesting season. The term butchered couldn't be more appropriate, as anyone travelling past the recently re-opened Barton quarry near the A1 slip road would surely agree.

The decision by North Yorkshire County Council to allow quarrying of this usually attractive area, and wildlife refuge on the edge of prairie cornfields, was given on the understanding that it would be done in a sensitive manner. However within a matter of weeks this is what happens.

A similar operation near the Gilling Bank crossroads is destroying a beautiful stand of Scots Pine trees by piling waste right up the trunks so signalling their decay in the next few years.

HARRY NELSON

Woodside,

Barton.