PATRIOTIC STUFF: AS an earlier riser and regular listener to Radio 4, it was good recently to hear the reassuring voice of BBC announcer David Myles telling listeners that they would shortly be having the UK theme followed by the news headlines.

The UK theme is played every morning at 5.30am and is a medley of famous British tunes that include Early One Morning, Rule Britannia, Greensleeves and What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor?.

There is talk of the UK theme being scrapped but I hope this is not the case and that the medley continues to be heard. - LD Wilson, Guisborough.

UNCLE JIM

CAN you help me please? I'm originally from Carrville in Durham but now live in Inverness.

My parents and family still live in Durham and watch the Tyne Tees programme, The Way We Were, on Thursday nights.

Unfortunately, they missed last week's programme because I was busy chatting to them on the phone.

Would you believe it, the programme on February 2, called The Great Outdoors, showed a clip of a farming show and one of the men parading the bulls was my mam's brother Jim.

The film clip was from 1947 and Jim was killed by these same bulls in 1951. My uncle in Sherburn saw the programme but didn't video it so my mam never got to see the clip of her brother from so long ago.

I am writing in the hope that one of your readers may have videoed the programme and will be able to let us see Uncle Jim (I never knew him as he died long before I was born). Thanks for your help. - Alison Freck, Galewood, Culloden Road, Westhill, Inverness, IV2 5BQ, Tel: (01463) 235251.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

IN reply to Stephen Gash (HAS, Feb 6), you only got one thing right Mr Gash in your fanciful letter about Mary Queen of Scots. I am a grumpy old Scot but I stick to historical fact and not figments of my imagination.

When Mary came to Scotland as Queen she was faced with fanatical Protestants like John Knox.

Mary made no effort to impose Catholicism on her subjects, allowing them to choose according to conscience.

Henry VIII had two daughters each one as cruel as he was - Mary Tudor a fanatical Catholic and Elizabeth a fanatical Protestant.

Please tell me, Mr Gash, of one Protestant who was executed by Mary?

You say Mary was leniently treated by Elizabeth - it would be funny if it was not so far from the truth. Why don't you read Antonio Fraser's Mary Queen of Scots or James Mackay's A Life of Mary Queen of Scots rather than indulge your prejudices about Scots who, by the way, have been running our country since 1997 and doing a good job too? - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

COMMUNITY POLICING

IN a front page article (Echo, Feb 7) the Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary, John Stoddard, mentions that amalgamation with Northumbria and Cleveland police forces is the only way forward to safeguard "our excellent community policing".

I think that he is completely out of touch with the local communities if he believes this.

It would do him good to get out and see the deplorable state of affairs which actually exists.

Where is the community police presence in Escomb? Where is it in Bishop Auckland when boy racers turn Newgate Street into a race track?

Where is the police presence in Bishop Auckland town during the day when an officer is never seen and the community wardens hide out of the way?

In line with other recent Durham chiefs, I believe Mr Stoddard clearly has no idea of what is happening in his force area, where the public get a very poor return on the money they pay in council tax. - Russell Elliott, Bishop Auckland.

AINSLEY'S PLEA

THERE'S nothing better than having a well-earned break, putting your feet up and drinking a cuppa, be it tea or coffee. But, while you're sipping your Earl Grey or your favourite Brazilian blend, spare a thought for those tea and coffee farmers in the developing world who don't get the breaks they deserve.

A packet of 80 teabags costs about £1.70, yet an Indian farmer only earns 15p. Tea and coffee farmers in Asia, Africa and Latin America often have to work from sunrise to sunset and take home barely enough to feed their families. On March 10, during Fairtrade Fortnight, you can support ActionAid's 24-hour tea and coffee break and help transform their lives.

ActionAid wants us all to take some time out to enjoy a fair-trade cuppa at work, home or wherever the nearest kettle is. A simple tea and coffee morning always goes down a treat, or have an afternoon tea with loads of yummy cream scones.

Order a fundraising pack before February 17 and you'll be sent loads of fun ideas and advice for your event, as well as a free pack of Fairtrade goodies.

Your support really will make all the difference, so call 01460 238047, or register online at www.coffeebreak.org.uk. - Ainsley Harriot.

MEANS TESTING

CAN I say that it doesn't surprise me that Tony Blair is in favour of means testing benefits (Echo, Jan 25) after all, in Durham there's an old saying, "What's bred in you can't breed out".

I believe that Tony descends from a Tory lineage. First, the Government takes millions from the miners' pension fund and uses this to finance any member having a work-related injury claim. Then it subjects any compensation lump sum received to means testing - as a result any compensation paid will be raked back on a weekly basis.

As for Tony paying GPs to sign off the long term sick, he has missed a golden opportunity to remedy another of his problem areas.

Why doesn't he use the same tactics with our judiciary and pay judges to deliver fewer guilty verdicts? This would sure have a similar reducing effect on the bulging prison population. - M Kennedy, Ludworth.

DARLINGTON SCHOOLS

IN reply to Councillor Charles Johnson's comments (HAS Feb 10), I am very concerned about the inaccurate remarks he has made which I am sure will have caused much anxiety to staff, parents and pupils of Longfield and Branksome Schools.

There is no intention or plan to merge the two schools or to close Branksome School. This scenario was one of many considered a year ago as part of a larger transformation of secondary education. The agreed policy involves investment in both schools to build on their own efforts - such as the prestigious IT award recently presented to Longfield School.

The council would not want to jeopardise all this good work.

I regret the comments made by Coun Johnson suggesting Branksome School will close. These remarks will do nothing but upset everyone who is committed to the school.

The Academy information sessions have allowed hundreds of people to find out about the proposals. They are not part of the formal consultation but allow people to have the facts about these exciting proposals.

Can I also remind people that the Town Crier is not publicly-funded, as suggested by Coun Johnson, but generates all its income from advertising. - Ada Burns, chief executive Darlington Borough Council.