Indeed the shipping forecast is “a cherished ritual that distils the essence of Radio 4” (Tidy! Ruth Jones to read Shipping Forecast as Nessa to mark centenary, 28 December). When my expressive, articulate linguist husband became non-verbal through dementia this year, I tried hard to find something he could listen to that would be meaningful for him. Hearing the rhythms of the sea areas calmed him, and the ritual helped us once more to share moments from our past. Jan Jeffries Brewood, Staffordshire Gaby Hinsliff gave me a brief lift when claiming “in my peak raving years there was a Labour government in power”, then going on to tell us of her return to clubbing (My family call it Old Lady Clubbing, but my giddy ‘nights out’ have lit up a dismal 2024, 27 December). I was brought back to earth when I worked out that she was probably referring to the Blair/Brown years, whereas my peak clubbing years coincided with the era of Harold Wilson. Bill Bradbury Bolton, Greater Manchester I’m surprised Shanley Breese felt the need to set up a support group to counter class-based prejudice at the University of Edinburgh (Report, 26 December). When my Lancastrian accent was mocked by Old Etonians at Oxford, I simply told them to eff off. Worked a treat. Ria Hopkinson Holloway, London I was surprised to see my rare surname in a letters headline (You need more than Nobbies and Stobbies for a motorway grand slam, 27 December). Good to see Guardian readers and Stobart spotters giving us publicity! Andy Stobbie Stockport, Greater Manchester In view of the success of the Paris Olympic Games, Sean Ingle asks why we shouldn’t hold them every two years (30 December). Perhaps because the word Olympiad means a period of four years. Michael Bulley Chalon-sur-Saône, France