Letters to the Editor

It appears that interest in this event is now at such a low ebb that I cannot see it lasting much longer.

For many happy years we have been there with the children, now aged 43 and 40, but this year I was one of a pathetic few who raised a cheer for the brave souls who finished the 50km (31 plus miles) gruelling walk, starting in Bradford centre, passing through Shipley, Burley, Ilkley, Otley, Yeadon Moor, Apperley, to Peel Park, Undercliffe (4 hours plus).

Where have all the cheering, clapping supporters gone? The whole route used to be covered. There were programmes sold with names, rules, and information. The Lord Mayor presented the cup! It is all very sad.

The T&A have always reported it well, even this year. But maybe the powers-that-be should take stock, and let next year's race - the hundredth - be the last in this once-great, but now (dare I say) defunct style of racing.

Compare the lack of public response here with the crowds at the London Marathon. Roll on 2002.

Mrs G Bailey, Northcote Road, Bradford 2.

SIR - So the domes (of the Odeon) really are doomed then, despite "assurances" to the contrary from the developers (T&A, May 25).

And what is to take their place? A collection of egg-boxes, a gigantic flat-pack, a building that doesn't know whether to be a prison or a trendy courthouse; in short, a travesty! A five-year-old with a set of building bricks could do better!

There is already a groundswell of opposition, from MPs, from councillors, and not least from the ordinary people of Bradford, many of whom have declared themselves in your Letters pages.

We all need to get together to oppose these ridiculous plans, and to save the New Victoria - NOW - before it is too late!

K A Webster, Abb Scott Lane, Bradford 6.

SIR - Re the plans for the Odeon site. I think the domes should be demolished. The pictures of the new development look excellent and we should have something that is going to improve the economy and the centre of Bradford instead of something that is doing nothing.

We actually need more bars, club and hotels! Leeds has about 50 clubs, even more bars and a lot more hotels than us. Leeds is thriving. Let's follow their example and build for Bradford.

I am going to write to the Council and I urge readers who want a better future to do so too.

M McNally, Toller Lane, Heaton.

SIR - So the costly razmatazz is rolling again, but there is anxiety that fewer voters will bestir themselves - which is hardly surprising since the system doesn't produce a result proportional to the support in the country.

This Government's massive majority rests on an actual minority of votes, as did those before it.

Anyway despite the blood shed to attain and defend it, the vote never had quite the power ascribed to it. That was hidden within a massively complicated system of interlocking boardrooms, now world-wide, where shadowy powers engage in the battles of Free Trade.

Those who know how to sow a little money to harvest so much more once used their riches to support public services. Now that harvests are thinner and more compete for a share, they have reversed the flow and extract subsidy from the public purse, which is what privatisation amounts to.

Businessmen decide where and when resources are to be used and to what end, whether the clothes on your back are to be made in Bradford or Bangladesh, whether a school or a hospital should be closed.

Alex Eaton, Tower Road, Shipley.

SIR - We would like to extend our thanks to the Central taxi driver who handed in our travel bag which we inadvertently left in his boot on Saturday, May 12.

We thank him for his honesty as our passports and camera were in the bag and would have been costly to replace.

Mr & Mrs T Garnett, Grasleigh Avenue, Bradford 15.

SIR - A little sunshine undoubtedly lifts our spirits and can give us a "healthy" glow, but each year many of us try too hard to make the most of those precious rays and end up burning.

While that is very painful in the short-term, it can also cause problems in the long-term. Skin cancers are becoming increasingly common in the UK, with more than 40,000 new cases each year. Of these, more than 5,700 are malignant melanomas, the most dangerous form of the disease.

This is why I am supporting The Cancer Research Campaign during Sun Awareness Week (June 4-10, 2001) and appealing to your readers to cover up in the sun.

Avoid the sun during the hottest times of the day (11am-3pm) and always use sun cream with a protection factor of at least 15. Children's skin is particularly prone to burning so they should be kept out of strong sun altogether if possible.

Malignant melanoma can be cured if it is caught and treated early, so it is also important to be aware of any changes in the appearances of moles on your body.

If you have access to the internet, you can find out more about sun awareness and skin cancer at The Cancer Research Campaign's Cancerhelp website, which is at www.cancerhelp.org.uk. Or ask The Campaign for a leaflet - send a stamped-address envelope marked "Molewatcher" to The Cancer Research Campaign, 10 Cambridge Terrace, London, NW1 4JL.

Normandie Keith (designer and beauty editor), c/o The Cancer Research Campaign.

SIR - This morning I attended my health centre for my three-monthly chiropody appointment only to be informed afterwards that in future my appointment would be every four months.

While it's wonderful to see all these new centres being built, what earthly use are they without the staff to man them?

My husband and I run an over-55s club and quite a number of our members, including us, are diabetic, and we are told that at no time must we attempt to cut our own toenails. How can they expect us to go for four months without attention?

When the powers-that-be come to planning their budget, they should take the services such as chiropody into account and give them more money. I'm sure the district nurses would appreciate better staffing, too.

And while they are at it, they should find some way of shortening the time we have to wait for an appointment to see the doctors. By the time your appointment comes around, you've forgotten what you went for in the first place.

Mrs Maureen Hall, Bierley House Avenue, Bierley, Bradford.