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Alan Rickman was the model of friendship and care – and then there was that voice | Letters

Alan Rickman was the model of friendship and care – and then there was that voice | Letters

David Joss Buckley recalls his time in rep with the actor, while Nicholas Woodeson and Harriet Monkhouse reflect on their memories, both real and imagined The tenth anniversary of Alan Rickman’s death stirred a memory of when we were both jobbing actors in rep, performing in a schools’ matinee ( ‘I fell in love with him on the spot’: Alan Rickman remembered, 10 years after his death, 14 January ). The play was Gunslinger by Richard Crane, written in 1976 to celebrate the US bicentennial, and Alan had been cast as Sitting Bull. Dressed in full Native American attire, complete with sumptuously feathered headdress, his was the concluding speech of the play. It was a moving and sombre piece delivered beautifully in that rich and sonorous voice. Continue reading...

Trinity Hall admissions policy has not changed | Letters

Trinity Hall admissions policy has not changed | Letters

The Cambridge college remains committed to widening participation, says its master, Mary Hockaday As the master of Trinity Hall, I am sorry for the distress and anger caused by some of the words used in the internal memo referred to in your article ( Cambridge college to target elite private schools for student recruitment, 7 January ). It has been the cause for much reflection in the college. But I must set the record straight. Trinity Hall has not changed its admissions policy nor its commitment to widening participation. We do not confuse opportunity with ability ( Letters, 12 January ) and our admissions team is skilled at assessing academic potential in the context of background and schooling. We know from experience that our top-performing students come from every part of the country, every school type and every background. Continue reading...

Drams, dams and endangered salmon | Letter

Drams, dams and endangered salmon | Letter

Charlie Whelan argues that aluminium, produced using power from the Spey dam, is not a green alternative to glass bottles for whisky I read your article about the Stirling Distillery with interest ( Green whisky? Scottish distillery tests eco-friendly aluminium bottles, 11 January ). The marketing director of the distillery seems to believe that younger consumers could be motivated by promises of far better green credentials from using aluminium bottles rather than glass ones. However, the production of aluminium at Fort William, in the Highlands of Scotland, is anything but green. The smelter there uses electricity part-generated by the Spey dam, diverted from the Spey catchment. Continue reading...

Paternity leave continues to exclude the self-employed | Letter

Paternity leave continues to exclude the self-employed | Letter

In the hope that the law might change, Ruby Bayley and her partner are considering putting off starting a family Reading Ilyas Nagdee’s article ( 14 January ) about taking eight months of paternity leave and the profound difference it has made to his family struck a deep chord with me and my partner. The piece beautifully captures the joy, closeness and rebalancing that meaningful paternity leave can bring, and it makes a compelling case for why this time matters so deeply. But as we read it, we were also struck by what was missing. The article does not mention self-employed or freelance parents at all, and that absence reflects a wider pattern in the current conversation about paternity leave reform. For families like ours, it is impossible to read about extended paid leave without also feeling the sharp edge of exclusion. Continue reading...