YOU were asking about memories of the Boulevard Club in a recent Echo. I remember about 40 years ago when Michael Downey Senior got the Manhattan Club then, which is the Boulevard now.

Michael attended the same school as me, Hendon Board. He was a great lad, but nobody's fool. He could look after himself.

I remember going to the Manhattan seeing all the top stars of the day – Bobby Vee, Del Shannon, Tony Christie, The Fortunes, Mud, all the top comedians, Thompson, Knoxall, Patterson, Manning, Carson. There was very little bother. Big Eddie Jackson on the door saw to that.

Resident bands were Influence and the great John Miles Set. It was as good as any nightclub I'd been in.

I would have loved to have seen the Boulevard reverted to those days, but now there are not enough good entertainers about. Sadly, karaoke has seen to that. You can name on one hand the good singers in clubland.

The demise of the clubs is because of some of the rubbish that you see on stage night after night. There's not enough what I call professionals.
Tip,
Hendon,
Sunderland

Postbox plea
LIKE your correspondent I too wander around for days with letters in my handbag hoping to pass a postbox.

I asked one of the managers in The Bridges if it would be possible to have a postbox reinstated there.

I was told that it was no longer practical because we would lose the 7pm collection as The Bridges closed at 6pm. I said that I would be happy for the postbox to be emptied between 4-5pm. I was told that would not be cost-effective!

The obvious answer is for a postbox to be placed on the desolate Market Square at the "crossroads" where the clock used to stand.
Mrs RP Carlson,
Sunderland

Thought for the day
WITH tongue in cheek – having worked all day in my allotment garden and expecting to settle into an armchair with one, perhaps two cans of cheap supermarket beer, I have two thoughts.

Along with misuse of alcohol, obesity is also a problem, so should the pies sold in supermarkets and at the Stadium of Light on match days also be kept under the counter or priced out of the market along with my cheap beer.

If over 60s are to be allowed to swim free on the grounds that it keeps them fit, how about free allotment gardens for the same group. They also keep us fit. Oh! and can I get a couple of days of wrongful arrest in order to pay for my season ticket, my beer, my garden rent and a load of useful manure instead of the gimmicky quick fixes that have not been properly thought through and seem to be thought for the day.
N Bohill,
Staveley Road,
Sunderland

Beating the bullies
MANY of your readers will know that June 6 was a big day for local schools who took part in Deafeat Bullying Day 2008, which drew attention to the unhappiness bullying causes many thousands of children. On behalf of ChildLine, may I thank all the students and staff who made the day such a success by creating fun activities to raise money for the children's helpline, ChildLine, and also by drawing attention to ways of dealing effectively with bullies and bullying behaviour.

It is the most common problem children ring ChildLine about, 37,000 children rang last year alone and our volunteer counsellors say bullying is one of the most painful problems they have to deal with, wrecking children's happiness and their capacity to learn, even costing precious young lives. Defeat Bullying Day was created to try and protect the thousands of bullied children, and it's been a great achievement.

So, may I remind young people and their families that ChildLine is open every day of the year on 0800 1111, it's free and confidential, and if Echo readers would like to join the battle against bullying they can support our work by logging onto www.justgiving.com/btdefeetbullying.
Esther Rantzen,
President of ChildLine

Quite interesting
BOB Price is obviously still smarting from his gruelling defeat by the Tory candidate at the recent local election for Fulwell Ward.

But give Bob his due, he is a trier, and some would say very trying.

He covers such a wide range of interesting far-reaching topics. He speaks of Chris Mullin MP and how he can easily be replaced by a qualified Labour candidate for Sunderland Central constituency at the next General Election. He makes no mention of the part that his MP, Bill Etherington (is he still around?) has made as a contribution to the electorate. But he knows, and we know the answer to that one.

He then drifts into the world of make-believe by stating, quite wrongly, that the Conservative Government had nothing to do with the Nissan project.

He ignores the fact that had Gordon Brown the bottle to call a General Election last October we would probably have a Conservative Government in power today, and as the Labour Government continues its downward slide that probability becomes more of a reality.

He condemns the then Conservative Council for the removal of the old Town Hall, but ignores the fact that this was done with the Labour Group's approval.

I would suggest to Bob Price, that he researches his facts before he bursts into print, but I do admit that his drift from one subject to another is most entertaining and I look forward to his next episode.
Coun Jack Walton,
Fulwell Ward