THIS year marks the centenary of the Territorial Army. TA soldiers are the hidden heroes in our community.
Dedicated and professional, they balance their civilian lives with a regular commitment to training and, when called upon, serve alongside their colleagues in the regular army. Winston Churchill referred to them as being "twice the citizen" – squeezing two jobs, two lives, into the space in which others barely have time for one.
During the centenary year, the Durham branch of the Soldiers, Sailors Airmen and Families Association would like to thank the men and women across the county who unflinchingly dedicate themselves to TA their duties.
With the ongoing pressures on all our armed forces, TA and reserve members have been mobilised in numbers unprecedented in recent history. These reserve forces leave their civilian lives and families at home while they are deployed in the battle-zones of Iraq or Afghanistan with all the accompanied hardships and dangers.
While they are away, families undergo the stresses of having a loved one on the front-line but without all the support of the established military community.
Having experienced situations that may be unthinkable to many of us, they return and occasionally find it difficult to settle back into civilian life.
The Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Families Association in County Durham support those who serve, those who used to serve and the families of both. This includes our TA and reserve forces past and present. We are able to provide practical and emotional support before and during deployment, on return and for the rest of their lives.
The Durham branch of SSAFA can be contacted on 0191- 3839452. All enquiries from those seeking help will be dealt with confidentially.
Les Hutchison
Secretary,
Durham County branch, SSAFA

Ban bus standing
IN the Letters page of April 21 you published my letter about standing complaint on the buses.
Now, eight days later on April 29, you report a bus crash. Imagine if that bus was full, even with standing passengers, the accident rate would have been higher, and possibly standing passengers shooting forward towards the driver, and hitting the windscreen.
Do the bus companies still want to use the wartime measures of allowing standing? After all, you cannot stand in a car or taxi, but must have safety belts.
You cannot stand in a coach, so where do the bus companies draw the line?
If they had 21 standing in that bus that crashed, I would hate to think how many would have been seriously injured.
Ed Keogh,
Pendle Close,
Lambton
Washington

Anyone can do it
IN response to the people who have written in praising the Chuckle Brothers I am astonished that these people find them funny.
Quite frankly I think they are a load of rubbish and not funny at all.
This is uneducational garbage that is doing nothing to help children, what will they learn from this? The answer is nothing.
I have only seen them on TV, to pay for the privalage must be s heer robbery they didnt make me laugh once.
Anyone could provide an act like that. I reckon it's the same formula every show. I cannot believe that adults think that this type of so called humour funny.
Is it any wonder that children are sitting looking at computers and hanging around street corners if this is all that is on offer? They certainly will not learn anything fom those two!
Mick "The Pen" Brown

Help raise cash
ON April 11 the The Galleries Shopping Centre Washington very kindly allowed the Sunderland Branch of the British Heart Foundation to hold an education day aimed at encouraging children to eat healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables and to cut down on burgers etc, also by keeping fit and taking regular exercise such as swimming. Educational material was handed out to help give advice on these subjects.
The day was also a huge success with £157.76 raised this was down to the genorosity and support of the shoppers at The Galleries of the nation's heart charity. This money will go towards the continuing fight against heart disease which is still the UK's biggest killer.
As the branch is solely volunteers we are in desperate need of people who can spare a few hours to help the charity in its fund-raising events, we would like to build up a log of helpers who we can call on. If you would like to help please contact either Jim Machin 0191 5483739 or Michael Roper 0191 5342767 for more information.
Jim Machin,
Chairman, Sunderland BHF

No problem! Just park on pavement
THE solution to the parking problem at Doxford Park could be simply solved if the motorist followed the initiative of some of the drivers at Lakeside Village (between Australia and Aldenham Towers).
When kerbside parking is not available simply drive on to the pavement.
By doing this it means that pushchairs, wheelchairs, mobility scooters and pedestrians have to use the road to reach their destinations.
This is an action that could be illegal, if unlike the car owner they have not contributed to the upkeep of the roads, by paying road tax.
I have brought this dangerous situation to the attention of the authorities, however, as this indiscriminate parking continues I have assumed it is legitimate.
So the next time I have a problem parking in the city centre I will simply drive on to the pavement and the dilemma will be solved.
Victor M

One of better memories
DURING the war I worked for London Newcastle Tea Company in Hendon Road, Sunderland. We were licensed to supply the merchant navy. We had to apply for a pass to go onto the docks. We then had to borrow a barrow (no cars then). Billy the provision hand and I pushed the barrow down to the docks (hard work).
It was a great ride coming back as I was on the barrow. This was one of my better memories of the war. I was 17 at the time.
M Hood.

Kindly motorists
AS reported in the Sunderland Echo on Tuesday April 22, my son was involved in an accident on Monday April 21, at approximately 1.15pm on the Washington Highway.
May my family take this opportunity to thank the motorists who stopped and took care of him until the emergency services arrived.
May we also thank PC Emmerson, the Fire and Ambulance services and all the staff at Sunderland Royal Hospital for the first class care and help he was given.
Thankfully no one else was involved and miraculously my son escaped the accident unscathed.
Grateful Parent

Lazy customers
IN reply to the letter "Trolley bad show" (Letters, April 18), my partner is a porter at Asda in Grangetown.
The porters work very hard collecting trolleys in all weathers that lazy customers leave all over the car park. The porters can collect an abandoned trolley, take it back to the bay, turn around and there is another trolley left in its place. Porters cannot cover every inch of the car park at the same time.
If customers put the trolleys back in the bays where they get them from and not leave them willy-nilly here and there they would not be scattered all over the car park for the wind to blow them into cars.
The only way to stop this is for Asda to have £l slots in the trolleys like other supermarkets. Then these lazy customers wouldn't be so keen to leave them lying about because they would want their £1 back. It's not the porters' fault that wind blows trolleys into cars. It's the lazy customers' faults. Do you put your trolley back in the bay? I do!
A Trolley Bay User

WE are interested in hearing from anyone who has any photographs or information regarding the history of 1-2 Tunstall Terrace, Silksworth, SR3 1HH.
We know that the building has previously been used as a temporary school, baby clinic and boxing club. It is now a church.
Please come and visit us to share your story.
Sally Oliver,
Calvary Christian Fellowship
Tel. 521 1766

I WOULD like to say very many thanks to the lady who found my engagement ring on Thursday April 17 in Kwik Tan at Houghton. The lady in question knows who she is and it warms me to know that there are some very kind and honest people about today. It's of great sentimental value to me and I just want you to know I'm very grateful.
Lynne