SUCH HAPPY DAYS: THE picture of Lord Baden Powell reviewing the Scouts at Raby Castle Jamboree in 1936 (Echo, Apr 7) brought back many happy memories for me.

At the age of 11 I had "flown up" from the Brownie Pack into the Guide Troop of the Bishopwearmouth 14th Pack and was allowed to attend my first camp. Unfortunately, I had to go with the South Shields company as the Sunderland company was fully booked. We were almost washed away as it rained hard - every day - but we managed to stick it out until the Thursday when the Chief Scout paid his visit.

Whether I saw him or not, I'm not sure, but I do have a memory of someone climbing into a car. Then the sun came out and shone on us all.

Guiding was a wonderful part of my life and I attended a number of camps until 1939. We had wonderful leaders, a family of sisters - Ella, Winifred and Hazel Iveson - and Miss Henderson to name a few.

Wonderful, happy days. I'm still in touch with my friend of those days who also lives in North Yorkshire and remember days with Bishopwearmouth 14th with great joy.

Mary McNaughton (nee Kitchen), Richmond.

WELCOME TO REALITY

RE your front page story about police officers topping up salaries with second jobs (Echo, Apr 12). A Police Federation spokesperson said: "Over the last ten years officers have seen the erosion of rent allowance, police houses and overtime." Welcome to the real working world.

Millions of ordinary workers have taken second jobs just to survive. No job security for them, no politicos to pamper them with above-average pay rises, conditions and pension and health schemes to lust after.

Rent allowances were built into pay structures many years ago when the police felt it beneath their new-found status to live in tied accommodation like agricultural and estate workers have to.

Overtime restrictions? Don't make me laugh. TV news shows daily scenes of police in profusion at every incident no matter how minor, especially anything to do with transport.

The £20,000 starting salary is only to be dreamed of by many recruits in other occupations, especially when one looks at the entrance qualifications, let's say, in comparison with the Cinderella profession, nursing.

My concerns are: is the second job to pay for non-essentials; does the second job compromise the officer's integrity; and, most importantly, are they getting enough sleep to do the job my taxes pay them to do - catch villains?

David T Colling, Bishop Auckland.

IN A TWIST

POOR Peter Mullen, he is getting his knickers in a twist about Christian peace people (Echo, Mar 28). He reminds me of the Army man who sulked, complaining only two days after hostage Norman Kember's release in Iraq that he had not said thank you.

At that stage, Norman was probably still traumatised and he had not even got back to Britain. Incidentally, when he got home he did thank everyone who played a part in his release.

We Christian peace people are enjoying being "got at". It makes a change, we are usually ignored. Now we are being attacked on all sides. Could it be that some of those who approve of the slaughter in Iraq are beginning to think that maybe we were right in opposing the war from the beginning?

Please look at the Cross this Easter and see there a God who died rather than fight with the weapons of the world and a God who loves everyone. Peter, try reading Moltmann's The Crucified God.

Joy Mitchell, St Aidan's Peace Church, Berwick-on-Tweed, Northumberland.

WRITE ON, PETER

I SMILED when cleric-columnist Peter Mullen's butcher in London's Smithfield Market cracked the one about him spending the collection money on meat (Echo, Apr 11). I wonder just how many butchers joke with vicars, and vice versa.

One also wonders just what this butcher would make of Peter Mullen's column in The Northern Echo. Actually, I don't suppose the butcher knows about Peter Mullen being a columnist in the Echo, itself a Northern newspaper.

Well aside from having a good sense of humour, Peter Mullen occasionally creates quite a bit of controversy, he being no friend of the Government and saying so with vigour. In short, Peter Mullen is my favourite columnist in the Echo.

Alfred H Lister, Guisborough.

RESURRECTION ISSUES

WITH the coming film of The Da Vinci Code and the interest in the Judas Gospel, both discredited long ago by eminent scholars, the average person may be wondering why Christianity and Christ continues to be ostracised.

The EU and most governments now are basically anti-Christ.

If God is dead and Jesus has not risen, as the heretics say, surely there is no need to attack something that is non-existent. Perhaps they know He is alive and are in denial because of their debauched lives.

Author Dan Brown and Hollywood may make their millions by resurrecting some worn-out heresies, but the God of love still continues to change lives all over the world and give them a hope of a future resurrection.

W Mawston, Rushyford.

CREATIONISM

I AM surprised by your inaccurate headline, Scientists warn against Christian teaching (Echo, Apr 15), referring to creationism.

All of the mainstream Christian churches accept the overwhelming evidence for the age of the universe and the earth and for evolution.

The churches have learnt from their mistakes in times past when people were being executed for insisting that the evidence indicated that the earth went round the sun and not vice versa.

Now it is only a small number of sects who ignore scientific evidence and pick and choose which parts of the Old Testament they accept to promote creationism. Do they also believe that thunder and lightning is God sending thunderbolts, or that the earth is flat or, as above, that the sun goes round the earth?

Eric Gendle, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough.

SAVE THE TRIPS

YOU reported a problem for people in parts of the Darlington district whose nearest waste recycling depot at Newton Aycliffe is "out of bounds" because it is not run by their local authority (Echo, Apr 12). One disgruntled user, from Heighington, with a big garden claimed he sometimes went three times a day with garden refuse to the Whessoe Road tip in Darlington. Surely it would be better if he did his recycling on the spot - a compost heap would cost him nothing, not even the petrol for a visit to the nearest depot.

John Hawgood, Durham.

MEMORIES SOUGHT

I AM researching a book I intend to write and would like mothers to share their memories with me about the danger and trauma of giving birth in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. I would also like to compare life for mothers in a poverty-stricken era with today's lifestyle.

I am also interested in how single mothers coped with very little help and how society treated them very unkindly.

If you would like to share your memories with me and be part of my book, please write. Privacy will be respected if desired.

Mrs J M Shansky, 27 Birch Avenue, Penwortham, Preston, Lancashire, PRI OPB.

PARKING PUT-OFF

ON Wednesday, April 12, my wife and I fancied a day's shopping in Bishop Auckland. We are both disabled so were obviously looking for a disabled parking slot.

The car park opposite Aldi was no good as it only allowed one hour's parking before we would be required to move the car.

Next, we went to the multi-storey car park (over the Newgate Centre). We were lucky enough to find a disabled bay (just vacated) as we went into the car park. After parking, we saw the sign "Disabled badge holders must pay and display".

I somehow managed to walk the 40-odd yards to the nearest pay point, get a ticket and then walk back to the car only to realise that the exit and lifts were at the opposite side of the car park, a good 100 yards away.

The mind boggles. Surely the idea of disabled bays is that they are free and sensibly located, so that the occupants can stop and shop without the necessity of walking backwards and forwards to buy tickets or needing to walk 100 yards to the exits.

Needless to say, we will not be shopping in Bishop Auckland again.

M Bain, Newton Aycliffe.

EDUCATION PLEA

I WAS moved by D Ashton's letter (HAS, April 11) and agree totally with everything he said.

Sadly, over the past ten months the objective of school improvement and raising educational standards, especially in Darlington secondary schools, has been obstructed by the controversy over the proposed amalgamation between Hurworth and Eastbourne Schools and the Academy.

Parents want their children to receive an excellent education, but it needs a partnership between the council, schools and parents to ensure this happens. This is where the council comes in.

Can I please make a plea for Darlington Borough Council to raise the profile of, to give a lead to, and to pursue with energy and with vision excellence in all Darlington schools where each and every child and young person can reach their full potential. I have seen excellence in education being achieved in another borough on Teesside and it is very impressive.

Alan Macnab, Darlington.

CHEAP SWIPE AT LIB DEMS

I AM saddened by the article headed Council snubbed me, says freeman Gerry Steinberg (Echo, Apr 10).

Gerry received the honour of Freeman of the City of Durham with the support of the ruling Liberal Democrat group. A lot of hard work from members of staff, friends and councillors went into making it a memorable day.

It is a pity that Gerry is now having a cheap swipe at the Liberal Democrats because it was not followed up in the council's City News magazine. He has had an explanation from our PR manager that it is the editorial policy to look forward and not print stories retrospectively.

However, on the day the ceremony was well covered by the local press and television, which we organised. We have certainly not deliberately excluded this story or put any pressure on our staff. He mentions Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was a beacon of humility and grace when he received the honour, which begs the question of how he would have dealt with this situation. The only surprise on the day was the exclusion of our new MP, Roberta Blackman Wood, which was at the request of Mr Steinberg.

Fraser Reynolds, Leader, Durham City Council.