Your letter (January 2) on the kindness of strangers reminded me of my days as duty sergeant in Houghton in the 1990s. A man entered the station carrying more than £1,000 in a cash bag, which he had found in the bank’s night safe. As we gathered, another man walked in, white as a sheet – he walked away absent-mindedly, leaving the day’s chores behind. The reunion of the two was a rare joy: a little memory that people can still surprise you with.
terry o’hara
liverpool
I hate to find fault with your inspiring article on communities supporting refugees (Report, 7 January), but Ashbourne is not in the “North of England”. It is in the East Midlands, just 140 miles from London. The answer begins in Sheffield, more than 30 miles away.
isabella stone
sheffield
Years ago, while driving toward the crowded town of Woodstock in Oxfordshire, there was a large sign, “Woodstock needs a bypass”, beneath which a Peanuts fan had written “Snoopy needs a heart transplant” (Letter, January 7).
Andrew Wright
Knole, West Midlands
If “schmaltz” (an integral part of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine made from goose or chicken fat) is the correct answer to “sentimental cheese” (Quick Crossword, January 6), then I’m a bagel.
adrian brodkin
London
If we had put as much effort into stopping climate change as we have into developing AI, think what we would have achieved (‘Incredible amounts of pollution’: How big a threat is AI to the climate?, January 3).
jean warren
Garsington, Oxfordshire
