Course that started art movement.

Your report on the opening of the Woodhorn Colliery Museum (Chronicle, October 26) by the Princess Royal, pictured, mentioned that the wonderful paintings on display were produced by miners who joined a Workers' Educational Association class at Ashington in the 1930s.

It was, in fact, one of the best examples of a WEA class in which the students shaped what they wanted to learn in partnership with their tutor, and it led to a continuing involvement with art by the Ashington pitmen painters that was still going strong in the 1970s. Through the WEA, and subsequently as a self-directing group, the Ashington painters challenged some assumptions of the art establishment and won international recognition.

WEA classes are still true to the principles of the Ashington group and, through WEA voluntary members' branches who plan course programmes, a vast range of courses from art, literature and the environment to history, confidence building and study skills are today offered to almost 100,000 adult students a year across the country.

It is several years since there was a WEA branch in Ashington, but plans are being considered to try to re-establish an Ashington WEA in the New Year. If anyone in the area would like more details they are welcome to contact me on [phone] or via e-mail: [e-mail]

NIGEL TODD, Regional Director, Workers' Educational Association, North East Region Unit 6, Riverside Park Gateshead NE11 9DJ

Categories for flu jabs

IN reply to letter from George Hershal, Gosforth. Flu injection. Five categories.

1. All over 65 years; 2. All living in long-stay residential care homes; 3. Carers; 4. Healthcare workers; 5. Any other groups, whatever that means. Categories one first, then other groups as available. Department of Health website www.dhgov.uk for more information.

The definition of carers. Main carers to elderly or disabled person who welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill.

This should be given on an individual basis at the GP's discretion.

I have a handicapped son and had the same problem. He was refused, but I got mine.

MRS D MAUDLIN, Stanley Crescent, Prudhoe.

Anyone found this necklace?

I AM writing to ask if anyone has found or knows anyone who has found the body of a ragdoll necklace.

My daughter travelled from Jarrow Metro to Newcastle on Saturday October 7 and walked about the Newcastle area and realised she had only half the necklace on her neck. So I am just asking: is there a honest person out there who would give it back? She had just had it repaired and is really upset, as it was a present. Thank you.

NAME AND ADDRESS WITHHELD, Tel: [phone].

Cap that for nostalgia!

THE caption to the picture in the Chronicle's Remember When of North Shields Fish Quay, remarked on everyone wearing hats. Yet the laddie on the left, kneeling, sports a cap. MICKY BRADY, Walker.

Decorations embarrassing

I AM writing regarding Christmas decorations in towns and cities.

I am rather disgusted that Gateshead Council has once more put up embarrassing and shoddy decorations.

The ultimate is Santa Claus clinging on to scaffolding outside the HSBC Bank and Ellison Street strung with tiny little bulbs.

Goodness knows what foreign visitors must think of our town. The state of the empty shops and rundown appearance of the High Street is bad enough. Oh sorry! I forgot. Gateshead ends at The Baltic, Sage and Hilton Hotel.

Come on Gateshead Council, show some imagination!

B W, Gateshead

Orwell vision a step nearer

GEORGE Orwell's futuristic Big Brother nightmare is slowly but surely beginning to ring true with many of us.

Not content with eyeballing our every move with Tokyo's finest hardware as we do our shopping, travelling to work, boarding our holiday flights and dancing around our handbags on a night out, it would seem that, besides introducing in the not-too-distant future the pointless and overpriced ID card, they also intend to put a microchip on our rubbish bins to access even more data on us.

I can fully understand it if a poor tramp is rummaging through my wheelie bin or some hungry tomcat is after the remains of last night's chicken surprise, but what on earth does the local council want to stick its unwarranted and most-unwelcome noses into our private business for?

The way things are going, in this information-obsessed world of ours, I half expect to see chip 'n' pin on our netty rolls!

ALAN SIMPSON, Newcastle.

Dancing is so healthy

I, LIKE thousands of others, look forward to Strictly Come Dancing, the programme that is weekly becoming a national favourite with the younger generation.

And why not? It's healthy and great fun, and I feel sure it must open up a boxful of treasured memories among the old, who, during those days of big bands, fabulous music, meaningful songs of the 1940s-50s, trod the dance floors themselves, are doing exactly the same as those dance pairs on TV. Those far-off days when girls and boys hurried home from their work, changed into their best clothes and off to one of the many dancehalls, the Oxford, Millvain, the Heaton, the "Mem" Wallsend, to do the foxtrot, waltz, rumba, tango and the Bradford barn dance, where you were given the chance to dance with every girl in the room.

Dancing may once again turn into a national favourite. Who knows, they may even open up in this great city of ours another ballroom. The young would love it. Who knows?

One Geordie who already has done us proud is Jill Halfpenny, pictured, who, with dance partner Darren Benett, won Come Dancing two years ago. If the series is to be produced again in 2007, how about nominating Look North's Carol Malia, Wendy Gibson, even weatherman Paul Mooney, who could turn out to be another Anton Du Beke. Will they go to the ball?

As for myself, my actions creak louder than words, and everything hurts. And what doesn't hurt doesn't work. But happy dancing to all!

MR R SMITH, Nicholson Terrace, Forest Hall.