THE HOLIDAY

CONGRATULATIONS to Richard Doughty for the delightful picture of "Mr and Mrs Crabbe" enjoying a day by the sea (Echo, July 27) - a photograph of actors who are performing Didn't We Have A Lovely Time! at York Castle Museum. I'm sure it gave many readers a good chuckle, besides bringing back memories. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

EDUCATION

FOR over 60 years, Darlington has had its own Catholic education system, protected by law by the 1944 and 1996 Education Acts.

The only Catholic secondary school in the borough is Carmel, at the extreme south-west corner of Darlington. For hundreds of Catholic parents there is no other alternative - if only we could get councillors and officials to grasp this!

Darlington Council has rightly boasted for the last ten years and more it is a caring council. Could it continue to claim this if it forces these hundreds of Catholic parents to have their 11, 12 and 13-year-old children walking anything up to 2.9 miles through a busy and dangerous town centre with even more hazardous conditions in winter?

Carmel is not a neighbourhood school, it is the only Catholic school in the borough!

It is obvious to everybody that most of the small projected £50,000 a year savings will be made at the expense of the Catholic community and communities like Skerne Park. No wonder that parents and children from the four Catholic primary schools highlighted their anger by walking the routes to Carmel School suggested by Darlington Council (Echo, July 20). - G Sharpe, Darlington.

ALFRED WELCH

HAVING read your article (Echo, Aug 3) regarding the trial of Alfred Welch, who was accused of killing Paul Simpson, I too was amazed at the leniency of the sentence.

What also struck me was the comment that Welch was a man of "previously good character". How can this be when, at that time during the trial, the court is not allowed to hear of previous convictions? Is a barrister permitted to "mislead" the judge in this way? - Name and address supplied.

JEFFREY ARCHER

AS Jeffrey Archer was fighting a newspaper like the Daily Star, he was entitled to inject whatever lies he wanted into his story. Working people should dump this crackpot paper and find something rather more balanced to read. - Aled Jones, Bridlington.

POLICING

THE "bobby on the beat" was always a deterrent to criminals, especially the young ones. But now they are such a rare sight, it appears to thieves that the law enforcers have disappeared and, of course, crime is on the increase. Thieves and burglars will watch a police car speeding past and know it will be some time before it returns.

But with the "bobby on the beat", they were never sure when he would arrive. He may stop and talk or listen to someone, take a different route, walk fast or slow.

He was taken off the beat and put into a car so he could always be in contact with HQ, but now with mobile phones he can still go round a beat and be in contact.

Pounding the beat might also keep the bobby far fitter than riding around in a car all day. - E Reynolds, Office Street, Wheatley Hill.

MINERS' PENSIONS

AS has always been the case, A Greathead's letter (HAS, July 31) shows the miners want a win-win situation. If their pension investments had fallen flat, they would have expected the taxpayer to bail them out. This situation is not new, of course. Taxpayers kept them in jobs by subsidising their loss-making pits for decades.

There are people who had jobs equally as arduous, and nowhere near as well paid, and are in an equally parlous state financially. I concede that this does not make the situation right but, maybe, they could take comfort in the fact that the surplus being hived off by the Government may benefit all pensioners in the long run. - B Oram, Peterlee.

MOBILE PHONES

ANYONE owning a mobile phone does not have to register with any of the four networks. This means unscrupulous people can make anonymous calls without ever being traced.

I received such calls, discovered which network they came from, but all the people there could offer was the area the calls came from.

The mobile phone is essential to everyone for security and safety, so how come the Government has overlooked this shocking loophole? No one should be able to use a mobile without first registering their name and address. - G Lamb, Marton.

NORTH TEES HOSPITAL

I WAS not surprised to read of Mrs E Chapman, of Billingham, (HAS, July 31) and her experience at North Tees Hospital.

In the last three years, I have been an in-patient twice and that is where I would choose to go, should the need arise in the future. (I realise that other hospitals could feature equally well in other people's experience).

I faced an operation for the first time, with some trepidation. Mr Peel and his team were skilful and kind. The nursing staff were cheerful but not callous; and compassionate enough to be aware that what seemed routine to them was a bit frightening for the rest of us.

In subsequent out-patient visits, I found similar understanding, particularly from Mr Peel himself. I should like to wish him well in what sounds like an exciting, if nerve-wracking, retirement. - A Gibbon, Darlington.

LOST PICTURES

I AM hoping you can help me find two large photographs in large dark frames. They are of my parents, taken in 1917. My father was in a black suit, white shirt and black tie. He has black hair and moustache and is sitting down resting his hand on his knee.

The other one is of my mother, also sitting down resting her hand on her knee. She is wearing a black skirt, white blouse and has a wristwatch on. She also has black hair in a bun. These photographs mean a lot to me. They went missing when we moved house and our furniture went into store. If anyone can help, please contact me. - MK Swales, 57 York Crescent, Newton Hall, Durham, DH1 5QR.

ANIMAL CRUELTY

VIVA! has just completed an investigation which reveals that heavily-pregnant animals are routinely sent to slaughterhouses. Each is goaded into the abattoir, stunned and hoisted up by one leg before having her throat cut. If the stun fails to work - which occurs frequently - she will bleed to death while conscious.

Her unborn babies are cut from the womb and literally thrown away - even when fully formed and capable of independent life. Heartbreaking photographs show them lying dead on metal conveyor belts alongside their mother's intestines.

I can hardly bear to think about the plight of these creatures, who can still be seen kicking as their mothers bleed to death. Do we as a society have such a total disregard for life?

We all shed tears over animals being cruelly treated overseas, but these animals are being slaughtered in British abattoirs. I am determined to do everything I can to end these barbaric killings and I'd like readers to join me.

If you'd like to help, please consider going vegetarian. Refusing to eat meat tells farmers and politicians that you are sick of this brutality and determined to bring about change. For free information, you can contact at Viva! 12 Queen Square, Brighton, BN1 3FD. Tel (01273) 777688. - Name and address supplied.