At the weekend, Sir Mark Elder handed over his baton as the conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester. It was a truly stunning concert, and Sir Mark asked us to “treasure this great orchestra” and to “shout their quality from the rooftops”. So I am doing just that via the (Manchester) Guardian. Thank you for the music, Sir Mark. Christine Walters Buxton, Derbyshire Re the obituary of Paul Gross (Other lives, 15 May), I was the Rakes’ agent in the 1970s, with the folk revival at its height. They could easily have had a full diary if they didn’t have full-time jobs. They loved the music, they loved playing together, and I loved working for them. A trio of gentlemen. Jane Barton-Winder London What a shock to see a whole page in the print edition of the Guardian devoted to an aspect of Scottish football (Highland games: Inverness satellite plan betrays fans and sends totally the wrong signal, 3 June). If only my husband were still alive to see this highly unusual event. Maureen Lanigan Elvanfoot, South Lanarkshire It was touching to read of Zoe Williams’s small dash of sympathy for Rishi Sunak’s current plight, “so isolated, so undefended” within his own party (Opinion, 27 May). Poor man – the optics are dreadful. You might say she has detected a serious sign of detached retinue. Jon Mackenzie Burrowbridge, Somerset Could Nigel Farage “changing his mind” (Report, 3 June) about standing in this election be linked to the fact that Donald Trump no longer needs him? Kathrine Pattrick Woodford Green, Essex