AS a long-standing Taggart fan I am somewhat surprised and shocked to read that the show could be axed as I am led to understand this highly successful show made lots of profit for both ITV and STV.

This show has been sold to many countries worldwide.

What on earth has gone wrong? The highly loyal and committed cast have even offered to take a pay cut to keep the show on our screens.

The late, great Mark McManus must be turning in his grave!

Come on you guys at STV let's keep this show on our screens and reward the loyalty of the cast and the fans. MICHAEL BOGG, Via e-mail Lulu's a star

AFTER reading your story in Wednesday's Evening Times, it reminded me of when I first saw Lulu outside the Glasgow Odeon in 1963.

We had both been to see Chuck Berry. I was 16 and still at school and she had just had a hit with Shout.

I was interested in blues at the time and she didn't particularly matter to me.

Only three years later I was on holiday in Majorca and went on a trip to Tito's night club in Palma where I was embarrassed to learn that Lulu was top of the bill.

How wrong I was. At 18 she had the audience in the palm of her hand within minutes and her warmth and personality charmed everyone in the room regardless of nationality almost immediately, and most of them had never heard of her.

A great star all her life - I'm glad to see she is back doing what she is best at. BUDDIE, Paisley Driver was so kind

WE are forever hearing about the selfishness of people today - no time to consider others - especially on the roads.

Can I say the most enormous thank you to a young man called Iain for his help last night.

I was on my way to Celtic Park to pick up my daughter who was working there, but with the huge volume of traffic and all the diversion signs, I was suddenly unsure of my bearings.

The traffic was at a standstill so I got out of my car to ask another driver for directions.

Without hesitation he told me just to follow him and he'd take me the quickest way which turned out to be the opposite direction to where he was heading.

I told him where I was to pick my daughter up and he took me straight there. I didn't get the chance to thank him properly but his name is Iain and he drives a Mazda 2 Sport.

Thank you, Iain! The age of chivalry is not dead! JOSEPHINE LITTLE, Via e-mail All the best, Robert

WITH regards to your story in yesterday's Evening Times about Robert White who's lost his sight - what an inspiration.

All the very best to him in his future career! ROSA ALBA, Glasgow Health is expensive

IT is hardly surprising that people with low incomes are more likely to have health issues. It is just a dream to go to a gym, to go to a slimming class, to go for a swim, to buy fruit and vegetables.

On £65 per week it is impossible to even pay basic bills. Lots of people reading this will spend that on a night out. LIZ, East Kilbride Louis deserves deal

LOUIS McBETH, who was featured in the Evening Times on Tuesday, needs a record deal.

Neverland is a fantastic song but his other material is amazing too. He's a great song-writer. TONY-GILLESPIE, Via e-mail WRITE: Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB. Please include your name and address. E-MAIL: letters@eveningtimes.co.uk Please include postal address. TEXT: key in the word 'etletters', leave a space then send your comments to 88010. Max 160 characters. Please include your name or initials and where you're from. Texts cost 25p at all times. HOT TOPIC: A need for more intensive care in wards

I VISITED a friend who had undergone a triple bypass heart operation the previous morning. The ward (won't name the hospital) was full of visitors straight off the street and no checks made on them for cleanliness.

The staff (not the nurses) were not exactly spotless either.

So much for intensive care.

Why are non-professional staff allowed near intensive care patients? The noise level was ridiculous with people shouting across at each other. My friend said he'd be glad to get home for a sleep and some 'real' care. RONNIE CEE, Leeds Lack of cleanliness

PERHAPS if NHS Greater Glasgow employed cleaners who cared about their job and cleaned instead of standing outside smoking or chatting, the wards might be cleaner.

If someone who is conscientious does take up the job, it's soon knocked out of them by lazy colleagues and they move on.

Dirty wards, filthy floors, not cleaning beds between patient transfers and mixing patients with different strains of C.diff and MRSA is a huge problem. LOISGRIFFIN, Glasgow Uniform treatment

IT doesn't help when hospital staff travel to and from work wearing their uniforms. Uniforms should be left at work and staff travel home in their own clothes. VICTOR, Posted online Bring back matrons

BIG strapping women called matrons would have sorted it out.

When I was a wean visiting the Southern, you couldn't even peek into a room if you were under 14 and only two visitors were allowed in a room at one time or else somebody would be flung out.

Everyone was afraid of those matrons, but when they patrolled the halls, you never heard of such a thing as superbugs. Nurses and visitors all obeyed these women. SCOTTISH ROSE, U.S. Happy with the service

I HAVE spent a lot of time in Gartnavel in the last two years and I must have been one of the lucky ones because generally, with the exception of one ward, the cleanliness was very good. FINB, Partick Nurses have given up

THERE are not enough nurses in the wards now to enforce any rules like two visitors to a bed.

After seeing the mess managers have made, nurses have given up. ROSS, Glasgow