I've just watched your report on parents of a para going to Iraq. My husband has been 25 miles from the Iraqi border for a number of weeks and is likely to be there for a few more months. When he left here, he left a two year old son and twins that were five weeks old. One of our twins was in hospital, quite seriously ill. He has missed the first smiles and them starting on solid food. I am not looking for sympathy. Your report has shown parents of a soldier who seem to be looking for sympathy. Perhaps if people really knew what it is like to live in fear of a tyrant like Saddam Hussein they would understand that the threat of force is necessary. After all that is what the paras are trained for. As I said I am not looking for sympathy, but sensitivity towards families that are having to cope with more difficulties as their loved ones are so far away and having the uncertainty of when their loved ones are coming home.

Nicola Wheeler

I've just watched your report on parents of a para going to Iraq. My husband has been 25 miles from the Iraqi border for a number of weeks and is likely to be there for a few more months. When he left here, he left a two year old son and twins that were five weeks old. One of our twins was in hospital, quite seriously ill. He has missed the first smiles and them starting on solid food. I am not looking for sympathy. Your report has shown parents of a soldier who seem to be looking for sympathy. Perhaps if people really knew what it is like to live in fear of a tyrant like Saddam Hussein they would understand that the threat of force is necessary. After all that is what the paras are trained for. As I said I am not looking for sympathy, but sensitivity towards families that are having to cope with more difficulties as their loved ones are so far away and having the uncertainty of when their loved ones are coming home.

Nicola Wheeler

It was interesting that, on Ben's show this morning, there was a debate about litter. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I am currently in Beaumont Leys library (as the web is faster - & free). They have had an overnight incident where most of the windows are shatter by - what appears to be - gun pellets (of some sort). This is far worse than the problem that was described this morning. Your news room may be interested in following this up.

Back to litter. This is now a second- or third- generation problem that is ingrained in our culture. I do not think that the blame lies with the teenagers (as was reported) it starts a lot earlier. TWO years a go I collected the Walkers' "books for schools" tokens. I collected almost 3000 of the damned things, all from complete packets of crisps. I don't eat Walkers crisps. These tokens were all collected from the street.

While I did collect a major amount outside one of our local comprehensives (I won't shame them) I also collected a fair number from outside an infants school near to where I worked. (The sort where all kids are taken & fetched by responsible adults). If the kids are not taught to bin litter at that age then there is no hope.

As I said it is now a second-generation problem. The parents were not told to bin litter and they are not enforcing it with their kids. In a way the number of "broken homes" is a partial reason. If a parent only has access for a few hours a week then they are not going to want to spoil their time by arguing over gum wrappers & packets.

And the Council are not as good as they make out. I have seen a number of occasions where the Council remove fly-posters by dumping them in the street to blow around for weeks before anyone "fields" them.

How about a possible solution. Could BBC Radio Leicester (as part of your community awareness campaigning) not organise a "litter picking day" for local schools to compete in. This would have the twin benefits of starting to enforce the message but also get a bit of tidiness back into town. If it was done by yourselves then it would have a instant impact across the whole county (Just a thought)

Neil Asher,
Anstey Heights

I like the programme with Alex Trelinski (Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri) but not WEDNESDAY. Why - the answer is LINDA HARRIS. She drones on every week without fail about Hollywood gossip. Every other remark contains "you know", and I am sure that I am not alone in switching this garbage off. What do other listeners think? Other presenters have a slot far less frequently, but are much more popular, as evidenced by the number of calls from listeners.

Caroline
Rugby

It was interesting that, on Ben's show this morning, there was a debate about litter. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I am currently in Beaumont Leys library (as the web is faster - & free). They have had an overnight incident where most of the windows are shatter by - what appears to be - gun pellets (of some sort). This is far worse than the problem that was described this morning. Your news room may be interested in following this up.

Back to litter. This is now a second- or third- generation problem that is ingrained in our culture. I do not think that the blame lies with the teenagers (as was reported) it starts a lot earlier. TWO years a go I collected the Walkers' "books for schools" tokens. I collected almost 3000 of the damned things, all from complete packets of crisps. I don't eat Walkers crisps. These tokens were all collected from the street.

While I did collect a major amount outside one of our local comprehensives (I won't shame them) I also collected a fair number from outside an infants school near to where I worked. (The sort where all kids are taken & fetched by responsible adults). If the kids are not taught to bin litter at that age then there is no hope.

As I said it is now a second-generation problem. The parents were not told to bin litter and they are not enforcing it with their kids. In a way the number of "broken homes" is a partial reason. If a parent only has access for a few hours a week then they are not going to want to spoil their time by arguing over gum wrappers & packets.

And the Council are not as good as they make out. I have seen a number of occasions where the Council remove fly-posters by dumping them in the street to blow around for weeks before anyone "fields" them.

How about a possible solution. Could BBC Radio Leicester (as part of your community awareness campaigning) not organise a "litter picking day" for local schools to compete in. This would have the twin benefits of starting to enforce the message but also get a bit of tidiness back into town. If it was done by yourselves then it would have a instant impact across the whole county (Just a thought)

Neil Asher,
Anstey Heights

Following a comment made by a caller regards singing rhymes while clapping in the playground, you may like to know that 'playground song' is a unit taught in Music in primary schools, reliving all the old clapping, two-ball and skipping rhymes, and getting the children to write their own. Playground rhymes are not a thing of the past!

Corinne Clark,
Year 3/4 teacher

Iraq the way for peace
I repeat my poem of September 11th that changed the world forever Understand and remember how religious fanaticism is not the bearer of peace but an evil that has to be dealt with by the united nations and a smoking gun has been fired. and destroys all freedom of life.

The United nations must act to stop all terrorists sects and religious bigotry United we stand Dived we fall the disarming of Iraq will turn the united Nations into a respected organisation and give all nations a path of peace.

Maurice Alan Wyatt
Hinckley

Colin Powell has presented his so-called evidence against Iraq to the Security Council. Frankly what a load of cobblers! Phone messages that can mean anything, pictures that show any old buildings labelled by the USA as Chemical Weapons. They accuse Iraq of lying; it seems to me the USA equally is lying to provoke a war that the overwhelming number of people in the UK, the USA and across the world do not want.

Dr Peter Thompson
Leicester

Hello, i got to visit leicester this summer and loved the people and county. i have a friend who lives there. i live in north carolina,usa. i have enjoyed looking at our differences , some with enjoyment, some i can't understand. right now in the us polls 70 percent approved of mr powells speech and going ahead to iraq. your country 24 percent. when i was there i met one of your detectives who couldn't even carry a gun , to her stated dismay. a man there is in prison for shooting an intruder in his own home . this would never happen here because we stand up for our rights. a big problem there are the immigrants are using up the lifelong taxpayers resources. my friend there has to wait 2 months for a needed knee surgery due in part to all the immigrants flooding these services.unless you are here legally you get nothing here.i think we (americans) are perceived as aggressive.we are just standing up for ourselves. i feel the us has shown great restraint in being one of the few superp! owers left. we put our soldiers at risk rather than kill women and children when they do not discriminate with ours. i guess i feel that you put the best and brightest of us in office well then you need to take their word about things of this magnitude. i didn't vote for him but i am behind him. i don't want to see another tragedy where people stand around and say why didn't someone stop this from happening only to hear someone say we tried.

Dee
Wilmington