Loughborough football alumni group has a photo that I love featuring not only Barry Hines, Bob Wilson and Dario Gradi but also Ted Powell (who helped shape the England U19 careers of the Nevilles, Butt, Scholes, Campbell etc), Keith Blunt (coached at Malmö), Alan Bradshaw (played at Crewe); the team was coached by Allen Wade and Charlie Hughes. Also, it was my father Dave Crane (pictured alongside Robbie Brightwell in another Loughborough photo), his roommate and fellow Yorkshireman, who gave him Animal Farm to read, and helped inspire Barry’s love of literature (Hines gave us a portrait of the forgotten game, 26 March).
Tim Crane
Lead member, Loughborough football alumni group
• As a follow-up to your gloriously perceptive editorial on the culture white paper (28 March), could I suggest a first project for Ed Vaizey’s proposed Commercial Academy for Culture (Cac) might be an international study, perhaps sponsored by Thames Water, of the influence of Piero Manzoni’s Merda d’Artista, small tins of which he produced in 1961?
John Hoole
Oxford
• I am sure I was not the only one struck by your front-page photo (29 March) of a mother mourning the death of her son in the Easter bombing in Lahore, Pakitan, in its similarity to paintings of Mary mourning the death of Jesus at the foot of the cross; and so apposite.
Catherine Roome
Staplehurst, Kent
• Thank you for Maskarade’s prize crossword on Saturday. When John Graham died and we no longer had Araucaria’s specials to look forward to, I thought bank holidays would inevitably be duller and greyer, but Maskarade’s latest is a real tour de force – totally engaging and absorbing.
Hilary Owen
Nottingham
• I assume that by popular demand the Met office will name the next storm Windy McWindface (Boaty McBoatface has tickled many of us – but does everything need a name?, 26 March).
Marion Self
Romford, Essex
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
