Hat’s the way to put on Big Apple musical in Settle

Years since I read the Damon Runyon stories but it was wonderful to be reunited with Nicely-Nicely, Harry the Horse et al, and find them to be comic forerunners of the Sopranos.

I loved the witty, snappy scene changes, the laconic songs and all the expressive performances. ‘Adelaide’, you were the picture of a lady from Queens (if a few hundred films set in New York have qualified me to judge). All, thank you!

John Raubenheimer Craven Cottages Settle Need for change Sir - I refer to the article entitled “Conversion decision ‘ a gun to the head’ “ on Page 14 of last week’s Craven Herald.

It is obvious that the statutes governing the management of national parks need to be changed.

Young people and families are leaving rural living for the towns and cities and decisions like that of Gill Cooper can only accelerate that process.

There has to be solid employment in the Dales and if there is going to be a future for the area then people born and bred here must be allowed and encouraged to stay.

I am sure that offcumden oldies, like myself, do not want to live in a place of outstanding beauty with the skeletons of old buildings blighting the landscape. For me the bottom line is that old barns, field or otherwise, must not be allowed to become ruins.

I sincerely hope that common sense prevails on November 11 and that the applicant is allowed to work and live in Hebden.

There are enough nails in the coffin already: no school, fewer buses, loss of the post office and no public toilets; no more please.

Peter Hodge Hebden Still here to help Sir - As the new services manager for the Alzheimer’s Society I wanted to write to you to reassure your readers that the Alzheimer’s Society is still committed to running services in Skipton despite the closure of the local branch office.

We are relaunching our Penny Lane Café in November, which provides Art for Fun sessions provided by Pioneer Projects for people living with dementia and also provides support for their carers through information sessions.

We are grateful for the backing of The Rotary Club of Skipton in running Penny Lane, which runs 1.30pm to 3.30 pm on the third Monday of each month at The Swadford Centre in Skipton. We also run Singing for Fun in conjunction with Parkinson’s UK at the Skipton Baptist Church from 2pm to 3.30pm on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

All of our sessions provide opportunities to meet other people living with dementia, enjoyable activities and lots of information and support in a welcoming environment.

We will be providing information sessions at Skipton Library on the High Street and these will be from 11am to 12.30pm on the November 17 and December 15.

We are having an exhibition of art work with our partners Pioneer Projects in the library from 15th December so people in Skipton can enjoy the work of the Penny Lane Café.

We would welcome feedback and suggestions from the people of Skipton about the types of activities they would like to see and I can be contacted using the details below. We are happy to provide information about our services or information about living with dementia on 01423 813464.

The people of Skipton are welcome to telephone us about coming to our services or just turn up for a taster session on the day. We do hope they will take advantage of this offer.

Mrs Alison Wrigglesworth Services manager Ripon, Harrogate & Craven, York & Selby Alzheimer’s Society Unit 2 Evans Business Park Hartwith Way Harrogate Audacity of the EU Sir - There is little doubt that the parlous state of the nation’s finances was saved at the last minute by the Cameron government’s strict austerity programme, which has resulted in a lot of belt tightening and community cuts resulting in the obvious and continuing erosion of our standard of living.

However, the EU Commission see this sacrifice and the resultant, if very slow, turnaround of our economy as the cue to demand an added increase to our contribution.

Mr Cameron should point out very clearly the fact that we are still having to borrow beyond our means and our deficit continues to rise, but of course, for reasons of political expedience, this point is rarely made in public.

Perhaps he should take a leaf out of the French book and flatly refuse to pay up; they regularly seem to get away with it.

Mr Farage must be salivating at the audacity of the EU Commission.

All of a sudden politics is becoming interesting again and the forthcoming votes will be so important for our future.

DM Humphreys Airton Robot care concern Sir - It was with sadness that I read that robots could be caring for the country’s elderly within 30 years.

Honda, which leads the world in humanoid robotics, has just launched its most advanced creation which is the first robot able to make decisions for itself on how to carry out increasingly complex tasks.

There is doubtless a place for robots, particularly where it mean humans don’t have to risk their lives eg dealing with bombs, but the vision of them providing companionship for the lonely elderly sends a shiver down my spine.

What a sad indictment on society that the future envisaged for today’s middle-aged is not one filled with friends and relatives or even carers but a robot. It may be smart - and there is always the nagging worry that one day they will outsmart us all - but nothing can replace a human touch, smile and most importantly love.

Amjad Bashir MEP UKIP communities spokesman Leeds