I'M replying to the comments made by Linda Colling concerning the cost of school proms (Echo, July 4),and her rant about my son, nephew and friend's expenditure on hiring a helicopter for their school prom.

While I agree with some of the comments about the expense of school proms, it's up to the individual how much they choose to spend, and just because we hired a helicopter for my son and friends doesn't mean we are over-indulgent mothers. The cost was split between three parents at £177 each. We had eight months notice.

You state how ostentatious proms have become, but the kids have just finished their exams and us parents feel that they deserve a good send-off into the real world.

Times have changed since the day of the leaving discos. We have always been 20 years behind America. It's about time we got out of the dark ages.

You mentioned about a single mother with two daughters. I am a single parent with two sons aged 16 and 18, also a daughter age 12. While we agree that it is a stressful time organising the night – I know, I organised it – I must say it was worth the stress and worth working the extra shifts to see my son, nephew and friend so excited at the prospect of arriving at the Ramside Hall in a helicopter.

We also felt that you are referring to Jake and Danni about the silver topped canes. We would like to emphasise that these were used for dress only and for photographs to put into our family albums.

My son and friends are no hoodies. They excel at school. Jake and Ian are attending college in September and Danni is joining the army, bettering themselves, so putting them in the hoodie brigade is some what presumptuous considering our boys don't wear hoodies and are well turned out, whether they are going to a prom or not.

We (all families) think an apology is in order from Linda Colling as she is tarnishing these three adults' future.
Paula Lay (Jake's proud mother),
Red House Estate,
Sunderland

• Linda Colling writes: My opinion was to highlight how the expense of proms are stressful for those parents who haven't got the money to spend. Nothing I wrote impugned the boys' reputation and in no way tarnished it.

I can't wait
SO our GPs are concerned that they will lose out with the new plans for GP services.

Is that because we, the patient, might just get a service that suits us and not the doctor? I am sure I am not alone in having experienced difficulty in getting an appointment when I want it.

The first hurdle is getting past the receptionist, who all seem to revel in being particularly unfriendly to all patients. It would seem that we are an inconvenience at times. Does being unfriendly come naturally to them or do they have to work at it?

GPs talk about continuity of care but I have never been able to get my own GP in an emergency after hours. This is farmed out to a locum service and then you never know who will be coming to see you.

It might just give these well-paid GPs something to think about if this new service is funded by the private sector who will probably treat patients as respected customers. I can't wait for the day when I am greeted by a smiling face and a "how can I help you?"

All I can say is, bring it on. The sooner the better. Then we can have some choice in our health care
Janice Leach,
Houghton

First-class service
IT'S reasurring to know the UK has a first-class health service and still going strong after 60 years.

It is disgusting when we hear that the NHS staff are sometimes disrespected especially being taken for granted by stupid drunken yobs.

We could never put a price on all the hard work the NHS staff do for all if needed 24/7. Happy 60 years. Lets toast to another happy 60th birthday of the NHS and to doctors and NHS staff for the hard work.
Peter Kerr,
Fulwell,
Sunderland

Threat to the NHS
THE potential decision by the European Union to allow patients in any EU country to get treatment anywhere in the EU and then charge their own health system has met with opposition from 50 Labour MPs.

They have taken a long time to wake up. Where were they 25 years ago when the Maastricht Treaty was going through Parliament or 32 years ago when the Single European Market treaty was ratified? This threat to the NHS was obvious then.

The British Government has signed away Parliament's right to resist this EU free-for-all but as the only country to have a nationalised free-at–the-point of treatment health system the UK is vulnerable.

The failure of the NHS means that 70 per cent of British people would go abroad if they could. But could the NHS find the money to pay the foreign health services for those treatments? And can other health systems cope with British patients?

Labour MPs object (too late) because they fear "health tourism", the undermining of the NHS and an advantage for the wealthy who can afford to pay "up front" and then reclaim from the NHS.

All these problems were foreseen years ago but it did not stop the Labour party promoting EU power, blindly signing up to the relevant treaties and surrendering the power of our Government to decide these things "irrevocably and irreversibly" as it says in the treaties!
Rodney Atkinson,
Stocksfield,
Northumberland

Yes I'm elderly
I AM getting on a bit! That's it, I have said it and the shallow age taboo has been broken.

We must grasp old age by the tentacles, and shake it until it becomes what it is: Namely as natural as youth.

Women alas, often legitimately with jobs in mind have been partly responsible for "elderly" being a dirty word.

Some people say I don't like women. It's not true, I often compare their gender favourably with my own. Gentler, less violent, etc.
Max Nottingham,
St Faith's Street,
Lincoln