I HAVE been asked whether Spennymoor Town Council should turn the John Kitson Arch, built into the council offices, into a memorial for the artist, Norman Cornish, as I knew both people.

I served on the town and borough councils with John Kitson and although we disagreed on many topics concerning Spennymoor, I always got on well with him. We both served in the Royal Navy and John knew my father when he worked at a local mine.

I would leave the John Kitson Arch in his memory.

I knew Mr Cornish many years ago and visited him at his home. He duly signed his book , A Slice of Life, for me. On that occasion and many afterwards, I found him to be modest and a proper gentleman. He has generated a massive amount of good publicity for Spennymoor and therefore I have mooted that a statue be erected in his honour. It may be incorporated into the Festival Walk regeneration, which could be renamed in his honour. We could call it “The Norman Cornish Walk”, or another name decided by a local referendum.

Ben Ord, Spennymoor